Overcome
Chapter 1
The rumors flew around for months as soon
as the year 2001 rolled in about Ted Turner selling World Championship
Wrestling, the global phenomenon that had went toe-to-toe with the World
Wrestling Federation for several years.
They even beat WWF in the ratings throughout the year of 1998. However, with backstage politics and everyone
basically running the show, deciding what they would be paid, WCW was a
mess. Eric Bischoff had bitten off a lot
more than he could chew in the war by stealing stars from WWF, flashing dollar
signs at them. It worked…for a while,
until the powers that be, the higher ups, informed Bischoff WCW was
hemorrhaging money. They were losing
money, not making it, even with the sold-out arenas and merchandise flying off
the shelves.
The company was hemorrhaging money
because of the stars massive paydays.
Eric Bischoff had even brought in Vince Russo, who was the main writer
in WWF during their Attitude Era, that competed with WCW, and he claimed his
storylines are what made the WWF so successful in ratings. It was all about the ratings and Bischoff had
become so obsessed, he didn’t start building new stars the way WWF had. He relied on the old stars like Kevin Nash,
Scott Hall, Hollywood Hulk Hogan…those types to carry the company into the
future. The only major star WCW made was
Goldberg, who had an undefeated streak that was later broken.
In late March, one week before the WWF’s
Super Bowl pay-per-view event of the year, WrestleMania, the final shot in the
war had been fired and WCW fell. Vince
McMahon, the owner of the WWF, had bought WCW and won the war. For weeks, the stars of WCW had been nervously
anticipating the inevitable to happen because Eric Bischoff’s offer had been
tossed out the window. He’d put an offer
down and Vince trumped it, buying out his own competition. Alice stood backstage amongst the other WCW
stars, grey eyes wide, while watching Vince McMahon address all of WCW once
their program had ended. Sting and Ric
Flair had closed the show out with a final match that everyone applauded
backstage in Panama City Beach, Florida.
WCW’s final resting place.
“What’s going to happen now?”
“Where will we go?”
“What will we do if we’re out of jobs?”
“We have families to feed, damn it!”
Alice heard it all, but couldn’t speak
because she too had the same worries and concerns floating around her
brain. That was until another shocking moment
happened. Shane McMahon walked out from
the backstage area and stepped foot inside a WCW ring, which was a surreal
sight. Her eyes widened again as he
announced the contract for buying WCW read the name McMahon, but it wasn’t
Vince. It was SHANE MCMAHON!
“I now own WCW!” Shane announced proudly
into a WCW microphone, grinning back at his father through the camera and
enjoyed the look of sheer disbelief, shock and sickness coming over his
father’s face. “And Dad, just like WCW did in the past, we’re gonna kick your
ass AGAIN!”
There was a BUZZ unlike any other
backstage as everyone began speculating what this meant, all eyes turning to
Shane McMahon as he sauntered through the curtain. They had a new owner now, but what did Shane
plan on doing with the company? Would
the war continue? Would they still be on
television to battle against WWF? Alice
had no idea what to think or believe regarding this sudden turn of events,
looking over at Torrie Wilson and Stacy Keibler, two of her friends and rivals. They were the only women, virtually, in the
WCW that stood out and represented the women’s division of the company.
“Boys and girls, you WILL have jobs and
we WILL take the fight to my father.” Shane stated confidently, a certain edge
in his voice and rubbed his hands together. “And we won’t be the only
ones. Trust me on this. For now, go home and relax for a couple
weeks, which you will be paid for.” Out of his own pocket, no less. “As a
matter of fact, if any of you would like to witness me destroying my old man at
WrestleMania Sunday, I have tickets.”
Shane was facing Vince in a street fight
at WrestleMania that year with Mick Foley as the special guest referee. Vince had treated his wife, Shane’s mother,
Linda McMahon wrong and put the poor woman in a sanitarium…after demanding a
divorce nearly a year prior. In Madison
Square Garden, of all places! Linda had
a complete mental breakdown and needed to be medicated, but not to the point of
being a vegetable. Vince flaunted his
affair with Trish Stratus, who was one of the main women on the WWF’s roster,
and treated HER like trash too. Vince
thought he was untouchable, but little did he know Shane had Trish AND Linda in
his back pocket, ready to strike and get their revenge against the old man.
Oh, it would be a glorious night indeed!
Alice had opted to go, wanting to see her
new boss and owner of WCW wipe the mat with his own father. WrestleMania was an experience unlike any
other, bigger than any Starrcade event WCW put on, which was considered the
company’s Super Bowl. It was always in
December while WrestleMania was at the end of March/early April. She wore a simple black skirt and red
sleeveless top, showing just enough cleavage to be a tease, but nothing
more. She was conservative in her own
way, but still enjoyed teasing men just for the sake of doing it.
Her feet were encased in two-inch
knee-high boots and she had fishnets on that clashed with her tanned skin. She didn’t look like an orange the way Torrie
sometimes did, refusing to self-tan and didn’t go to tanning salons
either. It was a natural tan, just
enough to accent her beauty. Her long
fiery red hair was pulled up on top of her head, a few curls framing her face
and her nails were freshly done for the event as well, sticking with red tips.
When Shane came out, she clapped
alongside her fellow WCW compadres, cheering their new boss on. Halfway through the match, Alice cringed when
Vince gained the upper hand. It was a
brutal contest between father and son, but in the end Shane had prevailed. She nearly hopped off the couch at the sight
of Linda McMahon, who was supposed to be in a vegetative state, stand up from
the chair Vince had set her in the corner to make her watch the demise of her
son. The woman was shaking with rage and
nailed him right in the balls, sending Vince crashing to the mat on his knees
holding his junk with a look of pure shock and pain on his face. Shane had climbed the top rope and delivered
a coast-to-coast jump – turnbuckle to turnbuckle – smashing a trashcan right in
his father’s face to end the match and gain the victory. The WCW guys that had been there and took
Shane up on his offer cheered from the skybox they were in. He acknowledged them from the ring and Alice
along with everyone stood up to applaud him, smiling softly. Instead of vacating, she sat back down to
watch the rest of the show and felt her grey eyes lock on the man coming out on
a motorcycle.
“That’s the Undertaker.” Stacy Keibler
murmured in Alice’s ear, seeing the woman was intrigued with the specimen. Not that she blamed her. “He’s been here for
10 years, apparently.”
“He doesn’t look like an undertaker.”
That was a morbid wrestling name, though Alice hadn’t done her WWF history
research or else she would’ve understood why he was called that. “He looks like
a normal guy riding a bike to the ring.”
Stacy chuckled, nodding. “Yeah,
apparently he’s changed his persona more than his underwear throughout the
years.” She had no respect for any of the WWF employees.
“Hmm…” Alice tilted her head, watching
him enter the ring after parking his motorcycle at ringside and had to admit,
she was intrigued by him.
“Now this is Triple H. He’s hot.” Stacy stated, appreciating the man
candy walking down the aisle and crossed one long leg over the other. “Still,
our guys could take both of them out instantly.”
Alice didn’t bother commenting and
watched the match, enjoying the story that was told between both
wrestlers. They had played a recap video
prior to the match starting on the huge screen and Alice silently rooted on
Undertaker. Once the match ended, with
Undertaker busted open and winning, Alice fought the urge to clap since none of
her WCW compadres did. One by one, they
began clearing it and she decided to stay even after Stacy left, wanting to
witness the entire show. Shane had
mentioned something about involving them in the shows in the coming weeks,
deciding to use his Daddy’s business in order to kickstart WCW’s heart again.
It would be war all over again between
the two brands.
After watching Stone Cold Steve Austin
turn heel against The Rock, with the people booing incessantly at Austin
teaming up with Vince McMahon by shaking his hand, the show ended with everyone
going home having a bitter taste in their mouth. Alice was one of them. She walked down the hallway of the astrodome
and spotted Shane McMahon talking to The Big Show, also known as Paul Wight,
who had left the WCW 2 years ago.
“Alice, you stayed for the entire show?”
Shane asked, sounding in disbelief and watched her nod, admiring her courage
since this was hostile waters right now. “I’ll take you back to the hotel. Don’t want anything happening to my stars.”
Alice accepted his offer, not saying a
word to Paul Wight and followed him down the hallway, looking around at how
everything ran in WWF. It was organized
and the way a company should be ran, so many technicians and backstage people
working their backsides off to ensure the program was ran smoothly. Once Shane dropped her off, they said good
night and Alice went up to her room, trying to wrap her mind around the fact
she would be working on WWF programming soon.
How would that work out for the women, though? She assumed the women in WCW would be going
against the women of WWF such as Lita and Trish Stratus. They seemed to be the top women in the rival
company at the moment.
A few months after WrestleMania, WCW
began to invade little by little with Lance Storm and Hugh Morris firing the
first shots. Then came the bigger guns
in Booker T. Alice sat at home for
nearly 3 months, paid, before she was finally called back on the road for the
full-blown invasion. Linda McMahon had
confronted her husband on an episode of Smackdown!, coercing him to allow WCW
matches to be held on WWF programming.
Vince had said no at first, but with a little pushing and prodding on
Linda’s part, along with baiting, the old man finally caved, and WCW was off to
the races in WWF. Linda had also told
him the next pay-per-view event the WWF had would be changed to the title
Invasion, where WWF stars would battle against WCW stars to see who reigned
supreme. Who ruled the roost! It would give WCW a real chance to shine
brightly and Vince once again caved to his wife, anything to make her happy.
Tonight, on Raw Is War, was the very
first WCW match on WWF programming pitting Buff Bagwell against the current WCW
champion, Booker T, with the championship on the line.
July 2, 2001 would be the night
everything changed in the war to come.
The problem WCW had was the fact the
people in charge had been the actual wrestlers, the higher ups, well known
guys. Couldn’t have wrestlers playing
writer, bookie, and boss; it didn’t work well.
At all. Too many agendas and
egos, too many demands for television time, pay raises and benefits. The fact WCW had been financially floundering
was proof of that. Shane had swept in,
negotiated his way to the contract, and said, ‘Fuck You’ to his old man. Vince ran his company with an iron fist, but
he also had his own agendas and his own ego, which meant he also tended to be
an asshole and abuse people: like his wife.
Shane was ready to bring all that crashing down around his old man and
grinned, eyes on the monitor as he took a sip of his water. He wasn’t the only one… surprises were still
in store for Old Vinnie Mac.
“I’m sorry, repeat that again?” Alice
frowned, wanting to make sure she’d heard Torrie correctly.
“Linda has talked to Shane about catching
Vince in the act…and asked for my help, but I don’t think I can do it alone.”
Torrie reiterated, folding her arms in front of her chest, wearing what could
be considered an outfit…at a beach anyway.
It was light blue, the top a bikini and the bottom a long skirt that had
obscene slits up both sides. “I need your help to trap Mr. McMahon.”
Sometimes, being a woman in the wrestling
world had its perks and other times, Alice felt like shooting herself in the
head. “What exactly do you want me to do?”
“Help me lure him. We’ll approach him and ask to talk to him
privately and when we’re alone with him, we can coerce him to drop his
pants. Linda will be there when the time
is right.” This was all orders from Shane McMahon and they’d be stupid not to
follow through with them.
“He seriously has nothing better for us
to do than fuck with his old man?” At Torrie’s nod, Alice threw her hands up
and conceded. “Fine, lead the way.” She had on a simple black mini dress that
was strapless and clung to every curve of her body, her fiery red hair down,
straightened and hugged her waist.
If Shane had bothered to take the time to
explain, this was a favor to his mother.
But, he never thought about explaining himself to his new hires because…
he was a bit preoccupied with everything else going on. Linda wanted something concrete to blackmail
Vince with, infidelity in their marriage, proof of it, not something easily
attributed to ‘storylines’. She was not
amused anymore with his bullshit and Shane honestly loved to fuck with his dad,
side bonus.
What the actual fuck were legs like that
doing on women from Hell’s Toilet Bowl?
“You ready for this?”
“Sure.” No, Alice wasn’t, but she wasn’t
about to let Torrie do this alone, not with how nervous the woman was. Billy Kidman, Torrie’s husband, would not be
happy about this, if she hadn’t warned him ahead of time.
She hadn’t. “Mr. McMahon, excuse me?”
Chapter 2
Vince was in the middle of talking to
Stone Cold Steve Austin and Kurt Angle about something when the WCW women
intervened. “Well hello there, Torrie…and who is this?” The old man’s eyes went
to the redheaded vixen standing beside the blonde.
Torrie beamed brightly. “This is Alice, a
friend of mine from WCW. We were
hoping…well I was hoping…we could talk to you for a few minutes about possibly
joining your company. We want to work
for the WWF BADLY – so BAD.”
Torrie was TERRIBLE at seduction, how the
hell had the woman gotten a job in this industry?
“Is that right?” Vince grinned, ignoring
Stone Cold and Angle for the moment to focus on the two beauties. “Well I think
I have some time right now to talk to
both of you…”
That implied only dirty talking would be
involved and Alice wasn’t interested, but kept the smile on her face,
nonetheless. There was no way in HELL
she was sleeping with this old bastard, even if Shane ordered it! Torrie assured her this was all a ploy and
nothing remotely sexual would happen with Vince McMahon. If it did, she would personally rip the
extensions out of her friend/rival’s hair.
Seduction did not come easily to Torrie
Wilson, but she was bubbly, airheaded occasionally, had some developing skill,
and looked awesome on camera. Men seen
her tits and ass, with clothes on, and assumed she was walking sex and
fun. But Vince seemed to have a fondness
for redheads, or maybe he was tired of blondes because he was eyeing Alice.
Clearing their throats and trying not to
smirk or shake their heads, Steve Austin and Kurt Angle left, both men
eyeballing the women as well.
Debra, Stone Cold Steve Austin’s wife,
promptly smacked her husband upside his bald head on the way out the door.
Why was Vince eyeballing her like a piece
of meat? This wasn’t the way the plan
was supposed to go! Unlike Torrie, she
wasn’t showing her tits and ass to the world, the dress she had on was tight,
but not nearly as revealing as Torrie’s beach outfit. For some odd reason, they arrived in the
laundry room, after Stone Cold Steve Austin had interrupted them in a broom
closet. Degrading…this man was
disgusting, and Alice was tempted to lodge his balls in his throat for his
lovely wife.
“So, how badly do you both want to be in
the WWF, hmm?” Once again, Vince eyed Alice while Torrie ran her hands up and
down his chest, his eyes moving back to the blonde. Blondes were his favorite…until Trish struck
him in the heart by slapping the taste out of his mouth at WrestleMania earlier
that year. “Because I can see a VERY bright future for both of you…and climbing
to the top…”
“Mmm that sounds so good…” Her bubbly
voice crooned, nodding excitedly, and wondered why Alice was simply standing
there looking awkward. “Doesn’t that sound good, Alice?”
“Yeah…”
Alice was not into this at all and it
showed on her face and in her posture, refusing to touch Vince McMahon, if she
could help it. Somehow, Torrie had
convinced Vince to close his eyes, claiming she had a surprise for him he’d
never forget. Torrie nodded at Alice,
telling her silently to go get Linda while she continued rubbing Vince up and
down, yanking his pants and underwear down around his ankles.
“Keep your eyes closed, don’t open them
and you’ll get a big surprise, Mr. McMahon!”
Silently, the door opened and both Alice
and Torrie vacated the room as Vince turned around with his eyes closed. “I got
a BIG surprise for you, Torrie and Alice!” He crowed, bouncing up and down a
little getting in the mood and slowly opened his eyes when he didn’t hear Torrie
anymore. In front of him stood Linda
McMahon, his wife. She had literally
caught him with his pants down!
Alice and Torrie were roaring with
laughter, leaning against each other with tears streaming down their faces at
the humiliation of the WWF’s chairman. “There’s NO way he’ll be able to talk
himself out of that one!”
“Not at all!” They laughed harder.
“Okay, Alice, I know being…” Torrie
searched mentally for the right word and sighed, knowing there was just no easy
way of sugarcoating it. “Acting like a slut doesn’t come easy for you, but
sometimes, teasing is about the only weapon we have, or the only way of getting
anywhere we have. Especially in this
business.” Because they were women and, until one of them got a proper leg up,
they weren’t getting anywhere soon. “And… we’ll have to talk to Shane, he did
say this was a personal favor.”
Rolling her eyes, Alice had heard this
‘talk’ before and didn’t believe, for a second, women couldn’t be more than eye
candy in this business. However, they
had to be given the chance to showcase their talent first. That wouldn’t happen, not unless something
changed and so far, nothing had.
“I wasn’t touching the old geezer. I was there to keep him distracted and did my
job.” If Shane McMahon didn’t like it, that was his problem, not hers. They walked into Shane’s office and Linda stood
there, hugging her son thanking him for doing this favor for her.
“You girls were fantastic. Thank you so much for helping me with
this. Shane, make sure you give them
both proper roles in the company unlike your father.” Linda instructed,
watching her son nod, and hugged him again before walking out.
Mom was right; it was very rare when she
wasn’t since she was Mom. Mothers were
always right and knew what to do. “Torrie, you did great and you will be
rewarded.” However, he had seen what Alice had done, which was nothing and that
didn’t set well with him. “Leave us.” He ordered, watching Torrie walk out and
shut the door behind her. “Now I don’t know how things were done in the OLD
WCW, Alice, but when you are given an order, by the owner of your company, you
obey. You were supposed to seduce my
father alongside Torrie, not simply stand there. So therefore, I think you should be somewhat
punished. I WAS going to put you in the
bra and panties tag team women’s match at Invasion against Lita and Trish
Stratus, but…not anymore. No, you will
be valeting Diamond Dallas Page to the ring from now on. And if I were you, I’d listen to what he
says.”
“What?!
Just because I wouldn’t seduce your old man, you’re making me that
psycho’s valet?!”
Diamond Dallas Page wasn’t all the way
there and had several screws loose. In
WCW, he was known as a peeping Tom and got away with murder, including having
nearly every woman on the roster in his bed.
Alice had come into the company in 1999 as a valet, but that partnership
ended rather quickly, and found herself floating amongst the WCW stars until
Chuck Palumbo and Sean O’Haire took her under their wing. They were the current WCW tag team champions.
“Why can’t I just stick with Sean and
Chuck, Mr. McMahon?” She flinched when Shane’s eyes flashed at her, lowering
her eyes. “I was with them in WCW…”
“And now you’re with DDP, now get out of
my sight.” He ordered gravely, not appreciating being called the same name as
his father. “And the name is SHANE – not Mr. McMahon.”
Walking out, Alice felt lower than dirt
and could only imagine how this new partnership would work out since DDP was
currently targeting the fucking Undertaker, of all people.
All she had to do was play ball. Alice didn’t have to sleep with anyone, but
acting like she was entertaining the idea, seducing someone into believing what
she wanted, that was something Shane had expected. If they wanted a break in his company, they’d
earn it and, currently, that had been her break. He considered it to be along the same lines
of bra and panties matches; the women in those were seducing thousands of men
at once, but she couldn’t just throw out a few suggestive lines to one weak old
man? Women… Shaking his head, Shane
turned back to business. He had other
more pressing matters to deal with. And a memo to send off to that fruitcake
Page.
~!~
“Oh my god, are you serious?” Torrie
blinked, her jaw dropped along with Stacy, both of them staring at their
friend/rival like she’d grown three heads. “No way…”
“Yes way, it’s my punishment for not seducing
Vince McMahon. Sorry, Mr. McMahon.”
Alice snorted, not amused and slid fingers through her red hair, shaking her
head still in disbelief. “Page doesn’t need a valet…he just needs someone out
there to distract the fucking Undertaker so he can gain the upper hand on the
monster.” She wasn’t stupid enough to do that, deciding she valued her life
more than her career with WCW. If push
came to shove, Alice would save her own backside before Page’s when it came to
the Undertaker.
“Good luck, Alice.”
“You’re going to need it.” Stacy added,
feeling sympathy for the woman and both blondes walked off.
Why did she sign with WCW in the first
place?
Upon hearing he was going to have a
valet, Dallas was… amused. He wasn’t
entirely sure why he needed to have a new woman on his arm; Kimberly had been
more than enough. According to her, he
had been ‘difficult’ to work with, as if.
When he learned his valet was going to be Alice, formerly affiliated
with the Tag Team champions of WCW, that was even more interesting. He read the memo, once, twice, and again
before crumpling it in his hand and standing up from the bench in the room he
was sharing with his company team-mates.
This would be… interesting. He
and Alice should probably properly meet.
It was the end of the night and Alice
wanted to go back to the hotel, but first she had to go meet her new ‘partner’,
feeling sick at the thought. DDP was NOT
someone she wanted to associate herself with and Alice had done what she could
to avoid him in WCW. Just do it and get
it over with, Alice mentally coached herself, walking down the hallway toward
the hallway designated for WCW stars.
Shane really was a McMahon, completely vindictive and drunk with power. Doing this to her simply because she wouldn’t
seduce his old man on television? This
would be hell on earth! Sighing, Alice
stood outside the door and went to knock on it just as none other than Diamond
Dallas Page opened it, greys locked with ice blues.
“Hi.” It was a short, sweet introduction
and Alice took a tentative step back. “We haven’t actually met before, but I’m
Alice. And I don’t know if anyone told
you already, but…” She heaved a sigh. “I’m your new valet. Shane’s orders.” She added, just in case DDP
wasn’t happy with this arrangement.
Dallas studied her thoughtfully. He personally preferred brunettes or
black-haired women and he wondered idly how she was going to look alongside him
with vibrant red hair. Shoving that
aside, he stepped out into the hallway, not about to invite her into a community
locker room and held out his hand.
“I’m Dallas.” Not his real name, his real
name was actually Page – Page Joseph because his parents were assholes, so he
preferred Dallas. “I got the memo.” He had to wonder what the hell she had done
to piss off Shane so soon. Last he knew,
she had been slated to actually do women’s work.
“Nice to meet you.”
She took his hand and gently shook it,
cracking the barest hint of a smile, trying not to show him she was not happy
with this turn of events. It wasn’t his
fault and, as long as he kept his hands to himself and didn’t try anything with
her, they would work together famously.
Slipping her hand out of his, Alice felt a little better about this
situation now that they’d met officially.
“I’m heading back to the hotel, but I’ll
track you down tomorrow night at the arena before your match against Booker T.,
alright?” He was going for the WCW gold much like Buff Bagwell did earlier
tonight. It was time to go back to the
hotel for a shower, food, and bed.
“Yeah, that’s fine, sugar.” Dallas nodded
his head with a bright smile. “I’m not sure why Shane put you with me, but
we’ve got this.” He was going to attend a quick meeting some of the guys had
been called to and then head to his ‘home’ for the night shortly. “Now, Shane
did tell ya who I’m going to be facing eventually, right?”
Eventually…no, more like he already
was. DDP had been stalking Undertaker
for weeks, videotaping his private life in Texas and showing the world what he
did outside of being in the WWF. It was
sickening, but Alice wouldn’t tell Dallas that.
She was smarter than the average person, contrary to how she sometimes
dressed, and kept her feelings to herself.
“No, but I’ve been paying attention and I
know who it is.” It was all a massive mind game Dallas was playing on the
Undertaker and, if the man weren’t careful, he’d end up destroyed. “I can
handle it.” There was no choice in the matter.
“Well, from the guy’s reputation… he’s
got some issues.” Which was the pot calling the kettle black, not that he
considered it that way. In his mind,
Dallas was pretty damn perfect, a bonified star, and he would never understand
how that dorky Mean Mark Callous had become the megastar he was today. “So…
we’ll just have to make sure he minds his shit around you, yeah, doll?”
And Dallas didn’t? He had more issues of the stalking, peeping
Tom variety than Undertaker ever thought about having! “Of course.”
If this man thought, for a second, she
would touch the Undertaker and help him win matches against the giant, he had
another thing coming. She was out there
to stand and look pretty, not get her head knocked from her shoulders. Alice flashed another smile at him, knowing
it was time to take her leave.
“Sleep well, I’ll see you tomorrow night
at the arena.”
Waving, she walked off down the hallway,
with purse already in hand, and blew out a long breath as soon as the night air
hit her face. Dallas was creepy, to put
it mildly, and she did not like being in a partnership with him at all. All because she hadn’t played ball and
seduced his old man with Torrie…as far as she was concerned, that made Shane
exactly like Vince McMahon. He was so
hell bent on not being called McMahon, but yet acted like one.
Chapter 3
“You’re the WCW broad sent to fuck with
Vince, aint’cha?” Mark ‘the Undertaker’ Calaway, who did change his underwear
quite frequently, was sitting just outside the back door she had come out. He was sitting in the back of an unloading
truck, enjoying the night breeze, and puffing on a cigar, grinning wickedly
when Alice startled. “Or one ‘em.” He swung his leather clad legs, looking
amused with her.
It was almost as if fate were out to get
her tonight. First, Alice had to deal
with Diamond Dallas Page and now his arch-rival, who he’d been screwing with in
recent weeks, the Undertaker. What the
hell was she supposed to say to this man?
Being a smartass right now wouldn’t bode well in her favor. Page wouldn’t be able to protect her since he
was still in the arena.
“I was supposed to, but I didn’t. I was there for moral support, more than
anything.” If he watched, she clearly didn’t get involved or touch the old man
and never would. “Look, I don’t want any trouble, okay? I’m just going to my car.”
With her hands up in surrender, Alice
swallowed hard when he hopped down from the truck, his boots hitting the
pavement with a thud. Wow, he was A LOT
taller in person and she suddenly felt like a shrimp. To say he was amused was an understatement;
he was downright tickled with her reaction to him and it showed in the way his
emerald green eyes flashed at her words.
“Now why, Red, would there be any
trouble?” Mark folded his hands behind his back as he approached her, taking
his own sweet time, and bent down so he could see her more clearly in the dim
lighting from the parking lot posts and security lights. “I’m curious… where
does moral support come into play, when you’re fucking around with old man
Vinnie?” He reached up to remove the cigar, flicking it aside carelessly and
exhaled above her head. “Hmm? Or are you
one of them girls who likes to watch, hmm?”
Smoking was a disgusting habit. Alice didn’t enjoy having cigar smoke
billowed over her head, making it float down on her, and wrinkled her nose.
“No, I don’t. I was ordered by my boss
to do a job and I did it…”
Just not the way Shane wanted her
to. She sounded disgusted with the
entire situation and took a step back, not believing she was having a conversation
with the Undertaker, of all people.
Alice wanted to tell him to give Vinnie Mac a little advice from her and
that was, if he was trying to work on his marriage, it wasn’t a good idea to
get nookie from other women. When he
took a step forward, she took another back and maintained her distance, keeping
her hands up.
“If there’s nothing else you need from
me, I’ll be on my way and leave you to…whatever it is you’re doing.” Probably
waiting for Page to come out to jump him, she’d wager, not blaming the man.
She kept her hands up and he had to
wonder where she had learned that move.
Mark knew, from the counseling crap they all had been made to take, that
it was meant to be a gesture to show surrender, that the person wasn’t a
threat. It was a gesture meant to defuse
situations. Suddenly, Mark had grabbed
her hands, flattening their palms together and intertwined their fingers,
staring down at her intently.
“What is this all about, Red? You a little worried? Not… afraid of me, are you?” He leaned
in close enough that his breath puffed against her skin, inhaling deeply.
“Mmm…”
Alice did not expect him to do that and
felt her eyes widen, not taking them off Undertaker’s face, even as her body
trembled against his touch. It wasn’t
necessarily a bad tremble either, but…he had insulted her with those questions
regarding Vince McMahon. Now, he was
putting the moves on her? Did this man
have a split personality or was he playing a mind game on her?
“I-I’m terrified right now…” Not being
honest and lying to him wasn’t an option, not when he could snap her like a
twig. “P-Please let me go…”
Mark observed her face and monitored her
eyes, getting a pretty good read on what she was thinking. “I’m not trying to
piss you off and worm my way in those panties at the same time, Red, don’t
flatter yourself.” That was about as much reassurance he wasn’t out to fuck her
as she was going to get. He squeezed her
hands before letting go and stepping back, out of range in case she went a bit
crazy or something. “Go on, Red, scurry away.”
“M-My name is Alice, not Red.” Why the
HELL did she give out her name?! “And I don’t ‘scurry away’ either. You’re terrifying, anyone would be stupid not
to fear you.” She wrapped her arms around herself, taking a few steps back and
decided to put one foot in the grave, so to speak, with what she confessed
next. “I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but…Diamond Dallas Page,” Alice
paused, seeing the venom flash in his eyes, and swallowed hard. “I’m his new
valet. So, we’ll be seeing a lot more of
each other.” The disdain in her voice couldn’t be hidden for Dallas, no matter
how hard she tried not to show it. “Good night, Undertaker.” Turning, she
walked off toward her rental and hoped there were no more surprises in store
for her tonight.
Alice… no, he liked Red. Mark liked her fiery hair, her oddball
spitfire yet scared attitude and he liked the idea of blood. Red it was.
Was she warning him? He knew Page
by reputation and the fact that the little yoga loving bastard was now a pain
in his ass, following him home… he growled at the thought, figuring he might
start letting his mutts off the leash.
If they so happened upon the idiot, so be it. He ran a finger along his bottom lip,
watching Alice disappear and began laughing.
But then again… this could also be fun.
~!~
Deciding against telling Dallas about her
run-in with his rival, Alice walked inside the arena the following night. She had on a white jumpsuit that had a halter
top, leaving her shoulders bare along with most of her back. Luckily, it had a built-in bra and it was
pants instead of shorts. White seemed to
suit her with the fiery red hair and it was one of Dallas’ colors. She slid the sunglasses up on top of her head
and immediately made her way to the hair and makeup station to get dolled up
for Smackdown! that night. Dallas was
going after the WCW championship against Booker T. in the first-ever WCW match
on the program. Her two-inch white
strappy heels clicked against the flooring with every step she took while Alice
surveyed the surroundings, nodding to her fellow WCW colleagues. Shane had their own makeup and hair stylist
loyal to only WCW, so at least the women wouldn’t have to bother with having
WWF make them look pretty.
“Well, don’t we look delicious?” Torrie
greeted with a smile when she spotted Alice coming down the corridor that had
been designated for the WCW superstars.
She was already parked in a chair, having
just had her highlights touched up at the tips and now was on her make-up. The way these women just seemed to be able to
get this shit done, as well and as fast as they did, never ceased to amaze Torrie. Sometimes, she did wonder what they got paid;
might be a career worth pursuing if she couldn’t actually get a proper foothold
in this business.
Alice smiled, doing a slow twirl for
Torrie; it was something they did whenever one complimented the other. “Nothing
compared to you, Torr.” She winked, sitting in the other chair available and
felt her hair beginning to be teased.
“Ugh, how do you keep your hair from not
getting split-ends? Or that length
without wanting to strangle yourself with it?” Torrie asked curiously, enjoying
the length of her own hair, but Alice had beautiful fiery red tresses and they
were natural. No dye job at all. She was sort of jealous and wished her hair
grew that length without getting split-ends.
“It’s in the genes.” Alice joked, leaning
back while the hair stylist began putting a bunch of banana curls throughout
her hair. “You can leave it down if you want or maybe pin half up and half
down? Up to you.”
“Yeah, I can do that for you no problem,
Alice.”
When she was finished, her hair rested to
the middle of her back because of the banana curls and she had white clips on
either side of her head pulling her hair up slightly. Torrie had already left to get ready for her
segment that night with Stacy and Alice breathed a silent breath of
relief. The blonde got on her nerves
sometimes. Her makeup was black liner,
foundation, and red lipstick that was smear and waterproof. Gloss was put over the lipstick just to give
them shine. Thanking the stylists for
their hard work, Alice knew she couldn’t hold off any longer and headed down
the corridor to find Dallas.
The corridor was slammed and Dallas was
not alone in thinking this was unacceptable.
Vince was treating the WCW crew like secondhand citizens, even with
Shane fighting to get them anything, along with Linda’s now considerable help,
since the old bastard had been caught with his pants literally down. What few rooms they had were being used to
house the wrestlers; seamstresses and make-up artists were using the hallway
itself. Shane had brought in catering,
but it was cramped. He spotted Alice
making her way down the hall and watched her curiously, taking in her
outfit. Well, maybe red would be his new
favorite color.
It was pandemonium backstage due to the
WCW stars and WWF stars being completely separated. Alice wasn’t surprised by how cramped it was
for WCW because, honestly, Shane McMahon had encroached on his father’s territory. Vince was making him suffer and, therefore,
anyone associated with WCW would receive the same treatment. Spotting Dallas across the room, Alice made
her way towards him and plastered on a phony smile, nodding at a few colleagues
on the way.
“You ready for tonight?” She greeted him
with a question, seeing he was trying to finish lacing his boots up and stood
off to the side to stay out of the way.
“Sure am, just a bit of a clusterfuck in
here, ain’t it?”
Dallas didn’t even look up at her, bent
over a bench that had been placed against the wall. He had come dressed because trying to change
in these cramped hallways just wasn’t working for him anymore, but not in his
boots, he was trying not to ruin those.
He liked this pair. Dallas also
had another surprise for the Deadman, who had caught up with him long enough to
send a warning to stay the fuck off his property.
“How about you, Alice?” He had even
remembered the broad’s name.
A surprise she would soon not forget,
especially before the night was out.
Alice had no idea what kind of sick, twisted human being Dallas actually
was, but she would soon discover that, little by little. There was a reason Kimberly, his now ex-wife,
had left him and other women steered clear of him. Shane had literally thrown her to the wolves
and Alice had to figure out how to deal with Dallas since he had a reputation
in WCW for being…unhinged.
“Ready as I’ll ever be. I’ll…try not to get in your way out there.”
Alice didn’t know what else to say to him
and contemplated if she should tell him about her run-in with the Undertaker
the previous night. No, absolutely
not…her hands still tingled from that man’s touch and she couldn’t figure out
why. Also, if Dallas thought she was
helping him win against Booker T. that night, he would be in for a rude
awakening. Unlike Chuck Palumbo and Sean
O’Haire, who she DID help win the WCW tag team titles because Alice liked them,
she didn’t like or respect Diamond Dallas Page.
“Well now, sugar,” Dallas effectively
stopped her before she could take off down the hallway. It was obvious from the way she shifted from
side to side, her eyes moving away from him, she didn’t care for him. “I think
we should discuss just what you are going to do for me.” He straightened
upright, stretching his hands over his head as he studied her. “What exactly do
you see yourself doing out there?” He had seen her in action and she was not
the stand still and look pretty kind of girl.
Being called ‘sugar’ by him made her skin
crawl. His hand on her upper arm did
nothing to quell the nausea she felt either. “I-I’m not sure I understand your
question, Dallas.” She took a tentative step back, much like the same way she
had the previous night with the Undertaker, not liking the gleam in his icy
blues. “I’m your valet, I accompany you to the ring and watch your match…cheer
you on…” That’s what most valets did, anyway.
However, there were others that distracted the referees, grabbed weapons
for their partners and showed some of the goods to the opponent, but Alice
wouldn’t be doing any of that. “I guess I should be asking you what exactly you
WANT me to do out there?”
Hell, maybe he would tell Shane to forget
this whole deal and she would not mind that one bit. To Page, she was either dumber than a box of
rocks and had been hired because she was a very beautiful face, the body of a
porn star, and the skillset of a hardened whore or… she was smarter than he had
given her credit for and wanted to be instructed. Either way, it was probably something he
could work with.
“Help me if I need it.”
He tried to sort which page she was on,
just what use she was going to be out there, or if she was going to wind up
being eye candy and someone who needed rescuing. The damsel in distress routine was only
tolerable if he was getting a pay-off at the end of the night. Taker was also
looking to have his head served up on a silver platter and Dallas rather liked
his head right where it was. Just as she
suspected, he wanted her to get involved in his matches and distract his
opponents! Alice found herself giving
him a stiff nod to acknowledge she’d heard him and decided to give him some
advice.
“Don’t worry about me out there,
Dallas. I don’t need rescuing. Just focus on your matches and I’ll worry
about myself. Sound good? Good, see you out there.”
Before he could utter another word, she
was gone and shuddered in the hallway, shutting her eyes. There really was no place to go in the arena
that was safe since she was in hostile territory. Until Invasion happened, WCW stars had to
stay put in the small corridor.
Chapter 4
She found the WCW women’s locker room
where Torrie and Stacy were conversing about their upcoming match at Invasion
and didn’t bother them, just walked over to sit in a nearby metal folding
chair.
“Uh oh, someone pissed our Al off.”
“Who?” As usual, Stacy was clueless and
only worried about herself.
“You didn’t hear? She’s being forced to valet Diamond Dallas
Page to the ring from now on.”
Stacy’s eyes widened, covering her open
mouth with her hand. “Oh my god…” She did NOT envy the position Alice was in.
“I’m so sorry, Al…”
Al was better than ‘sugar’, she supposed,
as Alice heaved a sigh and waved them off dismissively. “It’s okay, it’ll be
alright. I just…have to get through it
and hopefully Shane will appoint me to someone else sooner or later…” Or maybe
even put her back with Chuck and Sean.
Since Alice seem more intent on her own
inner issues, Torrie and Stacy went back to chitchatting between
themselves. Now they were gossiping
about Page, about what they knew for a fact and the rumors they had heard. Nothing good.
The man was… old, had bad knees, liked yoga, and was a total sleazebag
nutcase.
“Okay, you remember before Kimberly left,
right?”
“Ssshhh, that was different. They were married, things were-”
“Still doesn’t make it right you know;
she was his wife, he shouldn’t have-”
“I know, but enough, you don’t want to
make Al feel worse do you? I’m sure
Shane will make sure Dallas behaves.
Right?”
“No, Shane is the one who assigned me to
Page, AFTER I wouldn’t help you seduce Mr. McMahon. I wasn’t aware I had to touch the old geezer,
but apparently it was part of my job that night.” Alice enlightened, overhearing
their conversation regarding Dallas and Kimberly’s history. The things he did to that poor woman…she
immediately pushed the rumors and facts she knew out of her mind.
“Really?” Torrie frowned, not knowing
that bit of information and hugged her friend. “Al, there wasn’t much you could
do though…” Touching Vince hadn’t been the greatest feeling in the world, but
at least she’d done her job. “You were there as a distraction and you pulled it
off. The old man wanted you more than
me, it was obvious.”
“I think that’s why Shane is so upset with
me.” Alice murmured, her voice lowering a little and shook herself, knowing the
past couldn’t be changed. “I’ll deal with this and pull through. In the meantime, you girls have a very big
match coming up at Invasion against Trish Stratus and Lita. Did you see how small they are compared to
you two?” They all laughed together, the tension lifted momentarily. “You’re
going to wipe the mat with them, I’m sure of it.”
“Damn right we are!” Stacy crowed
confidently with a grin. “I mean, who can compete with us? The only thing I wish they’d do is make it a
6-woman tag team bra and panties match so you can join us, Alice.” She didn’t
mean that, but wanted to make the woman feel better about her situation.
“If only.” Thank the stars she wasn’t
part of that degrading match, hating them with a passion. “But you two will do
great.”
“Of course, we will. We’re WCW women, after all, and we always
come out on top.”
It was interesting, he thought, as he
stared down the WCW corridor. How these
idiots thought that, just because Shane McMahon was the one who owned their
pathetic asses, they were going to make something of themselves in the
WWE. This Invasion thing was
stupid. All it would do would weed out
those in what had been a stupid and poorly run organization, who might have a
chance. Mark was already narrowing in on
those who weren’t in it for the long haul.
He smirked openly, when some people finally realized he was there,
beginning to laugh outright when a few of the boys began filling the narrow
hall. Page would be among the first to
go, he’d make sure of that himself.
“Yo Deadman, you make a wrong turn or
something, bro?”
Hearing that voice, Alice opened the door
to the locker room with Torrie and Stacy behind her, swallowing hard at the
confrontation about to go down.
“Shut the door!” Torrie whispered
frantically, eyes wide in fear.
“Shut up, Torrie!” Stacy hissed quietly,
watching Diamond Dallas Page saunter toward the man known as the Undertaker and
had to admit, the man had balls of steel.
“Looky here, boys! The Deadman wants to make friends with us,
isn’t that precious?” Dallas smirked, knowing he had a lot of backup right now
and Undertaker wouldn’t make a move unless he wanted to be jumped. Plenty time for that later tonight.
What the hell did Dallas think he was
doing?!
Mark promptly hocked a long stream of
chew spit -he was polite and didn’t smoke in the arenas- at Page in response,
smirking when Page began cursing as it just barely splattered on his stupid
wrestling boots. His lips curved upwards
into what some idiot might mistake for a smile, but there was nothing friendly
about it. “Any of you wanna step up and shake, we can be friends.” He drawled,
extending his hand.
Page considered it, his eyes narrowing in
on the chain wrapped around that hand.
When not a single man came forward, he
snorted and withdrew his hand. “That’s what I thought. Looks like Shane-O went out and bought
himself a bunch of bitches.”
“Nah man, you’re the only bitch here and
I’m gonna prove that…in due time.” Dallas snarled, his eyes snapping to the
side at the women standing in the doorway of their locker room, the redheaded
vixen leading the charge. “Me AND my partner.”
He crooked his finger at Alice, all eyes turning to her to see what she would
do, what would happen.
What the HELL?! Page just put her on the spot in front of
nearly everyone in WCW and in front of the Undertaker, no less! Luck really wasn’t on her side and she had no
choice in the matter except to step forward to stand by his side. What was the point of doing this? She had to fight back a flinch when he took
her upper arm to pull her closer to his side and didn’t dare meet Undertaker’s
eyes.
“Dallas…”
“Tell him, sugar, go ahead. Tell him how we’re gonna bring him and his
WWF assholes down to size!” Dallas was full of himself, not bothering to hide
it. He always did have an ego and it’d
blown up ever since Shane McMahon appointed him to go after the Undertaker…in
his own way.
Now he was really asking for it! “I
think…cooler heads should prevail right now.” Extracting his hand from her arm
somewhat roughly, Alice had to remain calm and collected since her ‘partner’
wouldn’t. “Dallas, you have a title match tonight against Booker T. you should
focus on. Not him.” She stood in front
of him, her back to Undertaker and placed a hand on his chest, keeping her
voice firm and steady. “You can deal with him later, now come on. This isn’t the time or place to fight.” This
was the only way to diffuse the situation and she hoped Dallas didn’t knock her
head off her shoulders for giving him smart advice.
“Well, well Red, you are full of
surprises, aren’tcha?” Mark rumbled, sounding both curious and amused as he
assessed the pair. Partner huh? That
suddenly explained why she had been a bit afraid of him last night. Here he had thought he had been on his best
behavior too. “Best to your woman, Page-Joseph.”
“You son of a-”
“What’s going on out here?” Shane had
stepped out of his glorified broom closet / office, his eyes narrowing when he
spotted ‘Taker. “You lost, Calaway?”
“Nope, just figured I’d take a trip and
visit your drug fueled revenge kick.” He looped his thumbs in the waist of his
leather pants, cocking his head back and staring down his nose at Boy Wonder.
“Daddy didn’t give you enough hugs, Shane?”
Shane wasn’t amused, but he also wasn’t
stupid enough to pick a fight in front of all these people, not about to get
his ass handed to him publicly. “Whatever.
Come on, people, we got work to do.” He turned his back on the
Undertaker, dismissing him.
If it hadn’t been for Shane, there was no
doubt in her mind Dallas would’ve attacked Undertaker and a brawl/beatdown
would’ve ensued. Everyone obeyed their
boss, going back into the respective rooms, even Torrie and Stacy, which left
Alice alone in the hallway with Undertaker staring at her. He hadn’t moved an inch and simply folded his
arms in front of his chest, eyeing her shrewdly. Opening her mouth to say something to him,
Alice decided anything she said would fall on deaf ears anyway.
“Have a nice night, Undertaker.” She
murmured, pushing open the door to the women’s locker room again where Torrie
and Stacy were waiting.
“Girl, I thought I had guts, but that was…”
“Insane…you’re absolutely insane…” Stacy
couldn’t believe she’d actually handled Dallas the way she had and in front of
their boss, no less! “If you think Shane is going to take you away from Page,
after what you just did, you better think again. You handled him well.”
“Yeah, you kinda signed your own fate
doing that, Al. Sorry.”
What choice did she have?! Dallas had called her out and she had to show
her allegiance to not only him, but their WCW colleagues as well! “I did what I
thought best.” Why didn’t she just tell Dallas to shove it and allow Undertaker
to destroy him?
Now Red, she was interesting. All the rest of the WCW hopefuls -those poor
bastards floated around, hoping to get a grasp in the WWE, when only a handful of
the entire roster would ever see the sun figuratively speaking-, he had no time
for. Not yet. But her… well, she had piqued his interest,
which was probably not a good thing for her.
She had talked down Dallas, which had been entertaining because from
Dallas’ reputation, he figured no woman would even get near that creep. She was a rare breed indeed. Whistling, he strolled away.
Dallas wasn’t a happy man. That much was deduced the moment Alice met up
with him in the hallway an hour later.
They walked to gorilla position, where the wrestlers went to wait to do
their entrances. Was he angry at her for
diffusing the situation with Undertaker?
Isn’t that what she was here for?
To stop him from making irrational stupid decisions? Alice didn’t know anymore and heard his music
hit, walking out with him, and stopped midway on the ramp for him to do his
patent ‘Bang’ sign with his hands followed by pyro going off.
She was used to the pyro and didn’t
flinch, simply keeping her arms at her sides and had a soft smile on her face
while the fans wondered about her. Some
would know her if they watched WCW from 1999 on, but a lot of these fans were
WWF only. Naturally, they were booed,
and she expected that reaction. Not
bothering to get in the ring, she walked over to the side and stood there,
waiting for Booker T. to make his entrance.
Alice had a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach something big was
going down tonight, especially after that confrontation with Undertaker.
This wasn’t over.
Backstage, Mark watched the match from a
monitor, arms folded across his chest, sunglasses on the tip of his nose
because his chin was tilted down, staring at the screen over the tops of his
shades. Diamond Dallas Page… it was
interesting, the man was not really meant for wrestling and he had started out…
old. Why people had liked this assclown
was beyond him… he hadn’t evolved his character or done much besides make a
name for himself as a fucking menace to women.
He took stock of Alice when the camera panned to her. She was clapping and smiling, but there was
no heart in it. Who had she pissed off
to get this job?
Shane McMahon, her boss, was the answer
to that question. This was all Shane’s
idea. When Dallas gained the upper hand
on Booker T., he pointed at a steel chair outside of the ring for Alice to
grab. She stepped back from the apron
and shook her head, pointing behind him, where Booker T. was waiting, having
regained his footing. Idiot, she
thought, watching Dallas crash to the mat and folded her arms in front of her
chest, no longer smiling and clapping.
This was hell on earth and she didn’t
care what the consequences were: Dallas either won his matches himself or he’d
get his backside handed to him. She
would stand there and look pretty, Shane never gave her specific instructions
on what KIND of valet to be with Dallas, after all. It was her one, and possibly only, loophole
in this deal. Eventually, Dallas cheated
and gained the upper hand again, grabbing the steel chair himself while cursing
at Alice before sliding back inside the ring.
Before he could use the chair, the
Undertaker sprinted out from the back and it was enough of a distraction for
Booker T. to roll up Page for the victory.
Undertaker got in the ring and Dallas ran like a coward, moving out of
the way as Undertaker ran past her chasing Dallas to the backstage area. Alice had been right; this was far from over
and she had no choice except to follow, keeping her distance. They were now in the parking lot outside of
the arena.
“It don’t look too good for you now,
bro.” Dallas stated, an evil smile flittering across his face as 6 WCW guys
surrounded the Undertaker, including himself, all of them waiting for the big
man to make the first move.
Alice cringed at the smartass remark
Taker said, which followed with a beatdown by all 6 WCW guys.
The redhead had followed them out here
and Dallas spotted her, malicious intent glowing in his icy blues. “Come join
in the fun, sugar! Kick him!” He
ordered, dragging her over by the upper arm. “Do it!” He shoved her toward the
Undertaker as the WCW guys kept kicking and stomping him.
“Are you insane?! No!
I’m not doing that! I’m-” A
second later, Alice was knocked to the ground by a backhand from Dallas, her
body crashing to the asphalt with a small thud.
“What the HELL is going on out
here?! Enough guys, ENOUGH!!” Shane
McMahon ordered, looking at the carnage surrounding him with wide eyes. “Leave
him alone, get back inside NOW!” This wasn’t supposed to happen or go down,
even though Taker had brought it on himself from his antics earlier that night.
Dallas, along with the WCW guys, attacked
their boss and left him laying along with Undertaker and Alice in the parking
lot.
Chapter 5
All Mark could do was lay there on his
back, knowing he was going to be feeling this one for a while. He began laughing, shifting as a rock dug
into what was likely an already bruised spot. “Shane, you bought yourself a
circus of crazy.” He turned his head, spitting blood and his acidic eyes
narrowed when he spotted Alice laying on the pavement as well, clutching her
face. Growling, he rolled onto all fours
and pushed himself up, stumbling a bit as he tried to regain his senses,
shaking his head.
“Yeah… I’m starting to get that.” Shane
coughed, laying in a ball on his side, staring at Alice. “You all right?” He
couldn’t see the damage because she had her hands clasped against her face.
Alice had never been struck before, so
this was a new, unpleasant experience for her. “Y-Yeah…”
No, she wasn’t alright at all. Her face was throbbing, and she’d be
surprised if she didn’t have a cracked cheekbone. Dallas had struck her because she hadn’t
followed his instruction to harm Undertaker.
Feeling a hand on her arm, Alice trembled slightly and hadn’t realized
she’d been crying, the makeup on her face slightly smeared. Looking up at the owner of the hand, watery
greys met concerned emerald and Alice frowned, seeing the cut on Undertaker’s
lip and cheek from the brutal attack he just sustained.
“Are you okay?” Her eyes were only for
Undertaker right now as he slowly helped her to her feet, wrapping an arm
around her waist.
“Oh, I’m fine, Red, I like blood – like
to bleed.” He grinned at her, blood staining his teeth, though his eyes did not
reflect the humorous tone he was using.
Mark pulled her hand away from her face, studying the swelling and
bruising. “Won’t be able to tell shit tonight; Shane, you should probably take
your… employee and uh, fix her.”
Shane was pulling himself to his own
feet, sporting a lovely shiner, courtesy of his own crew. “Page is fucking
crazy.”
That was an understatement. “I don’t need
any help. I can fix myself.” Alice
pulled away from him and stumbled a little, cursing at the shot of pain sliding
up her arm from her elbow. “Damn it…”
Pulling her hand back, the red substance
coating her fingertips told her not only was her face injured, but so was her
elbow. She sincerely hoped Shane put her
with someone else or back with the tag champions after this incident. Alice wanted to berate her boss for this
happening, but kept her mouth shut and flexed her jaw experimentally, wincing.
“Alice, you’re not fine, your elbow is…”
“Flayed open, I bet it needs stitches.”
Whereas Shane seemed willing to give her the space she was demanding, with her
tone and attitude, Mark had no problems about invading and popping her
bubble. Gently but firmly, he took her
arm, extending it and nodded when she hissed, but was able to move it
otherwise. “You scraped it up pretty bad, needs cleaned, and the shit washed
out. You got gravel in it, Red.”
“It’s Alice…” She gritted out, pain
flashing across her face and pulled her arm away from him, holding her elbow.
“Why are you concerned about a lowly WCW star anyway, Deadman? Why don’t you worry about yourself? You just got your ass handed to you by WCW
stars, so go get yourself cleaned up.” Alice tried like hell to inject some
type of malice into her tone in front of Shane, but her tone was soft,
nonetheless. “It’s not that bad…” Going to the emergency room wasn’t an option,
not when her insurance hadn’t kicked in from Shane McMahon yet.
“Now Shane,” He was talking to Shane, but
his gaze was firmly fastened on Alice. “I knew you bought yourself a cast of
rejects, didn’t realize they were… stupid as well.”
“Alice, for pity’s sake, don’t lip off to
the guy when he’s being…” Shane’s eyes narrowed. “Nice. What the fuck do you want, Calaway?” Because
Taker was never nice, not unless he wanted something.
“Oh…” Mark drawled, a hint of a sing-song
tone in it. “I can think of a few things…” He was still staring down at her.
“You paying her anything yet? Or does
she need to bill your old man?” Her arm was going to need stitches.
“Insurance takes time and I’m still
trying to get the board to approve the official hiring.”
“Well none of this would’ve happened if
you hadn’t put me with Page in the first damn place, McMahon!” Alice growled,
done biting her tongue and the steel in her greys told him she was extremely
pissed off over being abused by her new partner. “I was perfectly fine with
Chuck and Sean in the old WCW, they didn’t hit me for not taking an order. Page is insane – off the wall insane, or
didn’t you know that when you bought WCW?” She snorted when he simply shook his
head, rolling her eyes. “Thought so. He
wanted me to kick this man,” She gestured to Taker briefly, keeping her eyes on
her boss and could see his eyes widen. “And when I refused and called him
insane, he backhanded me into next week!
I’m done with him, Shane. I will
not be working with Page anymore. Find
me someone else or just put me back with the tag team champions.” Champions she
helped create and make.
“Fine…” Shane had been petty towards her;
he admitted it and cleared his throat, rubbing the back of his sore neck. Page had slammed his head into the door
before beating him down with the other WCW guys. “I’ll think on it. Just…get that taken care of and I’ll pay for
it. Bill it to me. And have someone take you to the hospital
because you’re in no condition to drive.” He wasn’t leaving, having too much to
handle regarding this attack.
Alice saluted, rolling her eyes and had
no intention of asking anyone to take her to the hospital, watching Shane walk
back into the arena. “Idiot.” She muttered, looking down at her elbow and
finally noticed Undertaker still standing there. “You need to be checked out
too. They did a number on you.”
“Well gee, thanks mom.” Mark snorted, flexing
his jaw experimentally. “I’m fine, Red, nothing some whiskey and painkillers
aren’t going to take care of.” He already knew nothing was broken; he could
inhale just fine, mostly his wounds were deep bruises and cuts, shit he could
take care of himself. Insurance in this
business sucked period and his boss wouldn’t foot the bill. “Let’s go, Red.” At
her eyebrow raise, Mark chuckled darkly. “Shane did say someone needed to take
you to the ER.” And here he was, her knight in shining leather.
“You’re going to take me?” She sounded in
disbelief, hissing at the feeling of his fingers lightly touching her bruised,
cut cheek.
Dallas didn’t pull any punches with that
hit, meaning to do damage. What choice
did Alice have? Shane wanted her to get
checked out and she had a feeling if she didn’t go with Undertaker willingly,
he would simply force her to go to the hospital.
“If you insist, but we need to go back
inside to grab my purse. It has
everything I need in it.” Driver’s license, identification, insurance card
Shane had given everyone, even though it didn’t mean a damn right now and a
credit card in case the hospital forced her to pay upfront. “Or just wait here
and I’ll go get it…”
“And if you go and get it, what are the
odds Dally boy sees you and decides to finish what he started?” He asked in a
conversational tone, wondering just what the hell had gone on backstage in WCW
before Shane had bought them out. Mark
knew things got crazy backstage in the WWF; hell, he had raised his fair share
of it more than once, but this… to backhand a woman and beat down their own
boss unprovoked… not really a thing.
“Then come with me. I can’t go to the damn ER without my ID and
shit.” Alice grumbled, knowing he had a valid point and could feel a headache
coming on.
That was a sign of a concussion and she
sincerely hoped she didn’t have one. At
his nod, they walked back inside the arena down the WCW corridor and,
surprisingly, everyone had vacated to go to the hotel for the night. Tomorrow and Thursday were their days off,
some people stayed on the road and some went to their actual homes for those 2
days. Friday, Saturday, and Sundays were
house shows – with the exception of one Sunday out of the month that was
designated for their pay-per-view events.
Shane had given them the rundown of how WWF’s schedule worked since they
had to follow it. Grabbing her purse,
Alice checked to make sure everything was in there and sighed with relief.
“Alright, lead the way, big man…”
Making his own stop to grab his own
belongings, Mark led the way to where the WWF superstars had been housed. Much more room, designated rooms for the
stars who were top names, like himself; they weren’t packed like sardines in a
little tin can. What people were
lingering gave them a few curious looks, but nobody uttered a word. Once in his dressing room, he eyed her
forearm again and took stock of her face.
“He ever hit you before, Red?”
No, he hadn’t, not that Page knew what
they were talking about, or even where they were. The WCW corridor had not been as deserted as
they had thought; he had been doing some stretches, some mind clearing
exercises before he left. He had also
seen HIS valet with HIS enemy.
This was no man’s land and Alice found
herself on sacred ground, not believing how much…better the WWF Superstars
dressing rooms were. Undertaker may have
had his own dressing room, but she could tell he shared with others. “N-No…no,
tonight was my first night working with him, actually. Page and I don’t really…know each other that
well.” How was she supposed to tell him she’d done everything in her power,
along with the other women in WCW, to steer clear of the psycho? “Look, maybe
this isn’t a good idea…” What would his WWF comrades think of the Undertaker
helping the enemy? “I’ll just go…” She jumped back when he effectively slammed
the door with his hand, wide greys snapping up to stare into the Undertaker’s
face.
“Red, you go when I tell ya, not before,
got me?” He ordered in a friendly enough tone, but the hint of a bite ran in
the undercurrent.
Mark wasn’t one to be defied, especially
when he had offered his help and she needed it.
The bleeding in her forearm had stopped, but there was plenty of rocks,
dirt, and gravel in it. Looked like she
was going to have a pretty neat looking scar.
His own face probably looked like a bruised mural.
“You just hold your horses and we’ll get
you to the ER.” It didn’t take him long, throwing his belongings in his duffel
and slung it over his shoulder, turning to stare down at her. “So, why’d you
get stuck with him?”
Apparently, he didn’t care there was an
actual war going on amongst the WCW and WWF because he was adamant about
helping her. “When you confronted me last night about messing with your boss…I
didn’t do it the way Shane wanted me to, apparently.” Alice couldn’t meet his
eyes, tucking some red curls behind her ear with her non-bloody hand. She didn’t know it, but her back had gotten
scraped up from the asphalt as well since the jumpsuit was backless. “He wanted
me to help Torrie seduce Vince, and I didn’t.
It was a favor to Linda.” No point in lying to the man. “The McMahon
family are devious creatures, I’m figuring that out quickly. Anyway, my ‘punishment’ was to valet Page to
the ring. I guess Shane didn’t realize
what a psychopath he had on his hands until tonight.”
“So that’s what you were doing…” He
mused, stroking his goatee thoughtfully before snorting, making his thoughts of
her skills in seduction apparent. “Come on, you can walk and talk.” Mark did
not care about this war business; he was team WWF all the way, but… this was
just fun for him, most of the time. “You know, all you had to do was open your
mouth and flirt and you couldn’t even do that.
You sure you know what you’re doing in this business?” Because not
everyone was able to hack it and he had not seen her in ring abilities. So far, Red seemed to be just another pretty
face and banging body.
“Oh, believe me, if I wanted to be
seductive, I could do it with no problems.
I just refused to do what Shane wanted because I thought it was
ridiculous. I do have SOME morals after
all, even if I am a WCW star.” Hell, Alice had been solely responsible for
Chuck Palumbo and Sean O’Haire winning the WCW tag team championships. She grabbed weapons and did everything in her
power to make sure they retained the titles. “I pick and choose what I want to
do. That’s how it used to be in the
company before Shane bought it out. Now
it’s all a big clusterfuck and there’s ‘orders’ being given.”
She’d always been that way from day one
and, for some reason, Eric Bischoff found that quality attractive. WCW hadn’t assigned her to Chuck and Sean,
she’d taken the reigns on going out for their match one night since there
wasn’t really a ‘script’ to follow in WCW.
They were STILL the tag team champions to this day and she’d been
responsible for 90% of their reign being successful, possibly more.
Mark had to stop mid-step to stare down
at her, one lone brow raising. “Are you serious?” He asked flatly, not
surprised when she nodded and was tempted to slap himself in his own forehead.
“Pick and choose, you know that’s why WCW sank, right? Too many egos and not enough people willing
to toe the line and do what needs to be done.” Now disgust was creeping into
his tone. “That shit don’t fly here, everyone works together.” Like… WWF
superstars were, all of them pretty much intent on razing the hell out of the
WCW squad. “Maybe if less ego and ‘I wants’ and more ‘do your fucking job’ had
happened in WCW, they wouldn’t… nah, that company sucked.” He snorted, opening
the door to his rental truck, and hoisted her up into the seat, not overly
caring if he had offended her.
“You’re right, I can’t deny any of
it. I was brought in a little over a
year ago when things really started taking a dive in the company. They were hemorrhaging money and, from my
understanding, Shane still has to pay out the rest of the contracts WCW had on
everyone, myself included.” Alice wasn’t offended and could tell he was a man
who spoke his mind, regardless if it hurt people’s feelings for not. He was truthful and blunt, two qualities she
rather admired. “However, I don’t care if it was ‘my job’ of the night or
not. I wasn’t seducing Vince McMahon,
just so Linda could catch him in the ‘act’.” Now it was her turn to sound
disgusted. “WCW promised me I’d learn how to wrestle because they wanted to do
more with the women’s division and it was all a bunch of bullshit.” Empty
promises and broken dreams. “But it was also a paycheck and I didn’t have
anything else going for me, so that’s why I stayed and now here we are.”
Getting her ass beaten by a fellow psycho coworker because of a vindictive
boss.
Chapter 6
“Yeah, you got screwed. WCW didn’t know what to do with their talent,
even when it was ran properly. I’m proof
of that.” A hint of arrogance seeped into Mark’s tone. “They thought I’d never
make a fucking thing of myself.” And now he was one of the top superstars and
pillars of the WWF. “Well, I can tell ya this, Red, you’re not going to make
much of yourself here either if you don’t learn to play along. And that’ll mean getting your hands dirty as
fuck sometimes.”
“Depends on who I’m partnered up with
after tonight. You might have to find
yourself a new feud because something tells me Shane is not going to take what
Page did lightly.”
Alice shrugged, staring out the window
and noticed blood had gotten on her pristine white jumpsuit, groaning. How the hell was she supposed to get blood
out of this?! She really hoped Shane
stopped their ‘partnership’ after what happened tonight. It would be really stupid on the boss’s part
if he didn’t. Hell, Shane would be smart
to let Diamond Dallas Page go altogether and forget he ever existed. Then she thought back to what he said
regarding his time in WCW and raised a brow, wondering how long ago that was.
“So, WCW told you, of all people, you
weren’t going to amount to anything in this business? Sorry, I’m not much of a wrestling history
buff.” Maybe she would start watching older WWF stuff to get a better idea and
sense of who the man in the driver’s seat was. “They really are idiots then.”
“Might be hope for you yet, Red.”
He chuckled, switching lanes as the
hospital came into view. Mark knew Shane
and the McMahons and Shane wasn’t smart enough to let Dallas go simply because
Dallas’ crazy ass was piquing interest with this feud between him and Page. He groaned, wishing he could just cripple the
man and then smirked evilly. If he
remembered correctly, Mick Foley had once said Dallas had some very, very weak
knees. Maybe he would cripple the idiot
after all.
It had to be her hair that he kept
calling her Red. Alice would be lying if
she said it wasn’t starting to grow on her.
She felt less irritated every time he used it and didn’t understand
why. This man confused her and drew her
in all at the same damn time. “There is no hope when it comes to WCW.” If only
she’d found WWF first, but then again Vince McMahon probably wouldn’t glance
her way since she was involved in his public humiliation with his wife. She was screwed and stuck in WCW for the
foreseeable future.
Once they arrived at the emergency room,
Alice was taken in and asked if she wanted a numbing agent because her elbow
did indeed have to be stitched up. She
shook her head, ignoring Taker’s surprised look and gritted her teeth as they
began cleaning it, plucking the pieces of gravel out of her flesh. Her cheekbone wasn’t fractured, just heavily
bruised and the cut wasn’t deep enough to require stitches and wouldn’t leave
behind a scar after it healed. The
stitches didn’t hurt nearly as bad, thankfully, and they informed her of the
scrapes and bruises on her back.
Great, no backless or sleeveless tops for
a while…and it was in the middle of summer.
Terrific! Opting not to take any
pain medication, she walked out two hours later with Taker and tossed the
paperwork in a nearby trashcan, already knowing how to take care of her
wounds. Her back would be an issue, but
there were no cuts, just scrapes, so the most she would be able to do is wait
for it to heal.
“My advice, Red, is to start playing ball
and work your foot in the door.” He advised, yawning as he helped her back up
into his truck. Mark was tired; this had
been a stupidly long night and he was planning on letting his mutts bury
Diamond Dallas Page out in the backyard along with the rest of their junky old
bones. “And keep your eyes open, because not everything is always as it seems
in this company, or with the McMahons.” Ever.
He couldn’t have been more right.
Shane called the next day to inform Alice
she had the rest of the week off and he would see her Monday. He would pay her for the house shows even
though she wasn’t there because of what transpired at Smackdown!. Alice thanked him, not knowing what else to
say and enjoyed her 5 days off immensely.
Monday rolled around for Raw Is War and her cheek was just slightly
bruised, the cut mostly healed on her face.
Nothing makeup couldn’t cover up.
Instead of having the makeup artist do
it, she opted to do it herself and had on foundation, black liner and clear
gloss, a long sleeved black mini dress on that was open in the front, showing
off the insides of her breasts. Since
Alice couldn’t show her back or arms off, other assets would have to have
attention drawn to them. There were ties
that were crisscrossed in the front, but it still showed off quite a bit of
cleavage, just enough to be teasing and sexy.
Her hair was straightened and down, deciding to leave it that way for
the night, so it hugged her waist.
Wondering what tonight would bring, Alice headed to Shane McMahon’s
office and knocked on the door, entering after he called out ‘come in’. He was currently on the phone, so she kept
quiet until he was finished and smiled softly, hoping he couldn’t see the
bruises and fading cut on her face.
“Hi boss, what would you like me to do
tonight?”
Shane was having a hell of a time tonight
and pinched the bridge of his nose. “You’re accompanying me to ringside tonight
for my match against Page. Street
fight.” His eyes gave her a quick scan, nodding at the attire. “Just…stay out
of the way as much as you can and I’ll come get you when it’s time. How much do I owe you for the ER bill?”
“$1,000.” She answered in a softer voice,
trying to swallow down the fact she was going to accompany her boss to ringside
tonight for his match. “Are you sure you want me out there?”
“Yes.
I want you to see firsthand what happens to those who cross me. What happened to you and me, even Taker, was
unacceptable and it will be rectified tonight.”
“Okay, boss.”
Shane studied her thoughtfully, his eyes
lingering on her cheek and he frowned, standing up and walking around his
temporary desk. He reached out and
gently took her chin in his palm, studying her face. “He really did hit you
pretty hard, didn’t he?” He mused softly, shaking his head, and stepped
away. Shane might’ve been another ‘rich
boy’, but he had also put his body on the line for this company and knew how to
spot an injury. “How’s the arm?”
“It’s fine. Just a few stitches and they should be able
to come out in another day or so. That’s
why I’m wearing long sleeves tonight.
Don’t want to show anything off that happened.” Shane had kept this as
quiet as possible from everyone, but naturally the 6 men, along with Dallas,
had been bragging about taking out the Deadman and the new boss. She only knew this because Shane had asked
her not to open her mouth about what happened and assured her everything would
be taken care of tonight. “He could’ve hit me harder and cracked my cheekbone,
but luckily that didn’t happen. After
tonight, who will I be accompanying to the ring?”
“Haven’t decided yet.” Shane wrote a
check for the amount she told him and handed it over. “Cash that immediately
and hopefully, you won’t have another hospital visit. Now why don’t you get something to eat and
relax until the beginning of the show?
We’re first up.”
He was dismissing her. Alice felt something was off about Shane
tonight, but couldn’t put her finger on it. “Alright boss, I’ll meet you at
gorilla position. Thanks again.” Slipping
the check in her purse, she walked out and headed toward the room where WCW had
their catering.
When Mark found out that Shane McMahon
was going to get Diamond Dallas Page in a street fight, he was not amused. That should’ve been HIS match; he owed that
little bitch some payback. He owed
several people some payback and never forgot a face, so Mark had been stalking
those WCW cast-offs one by one out in the parking lots of the house shows. Then tonight, he had gotten them all again,
making his displeasure known.
“I heard some of the guys were jumped
outside.” Torrie said softly to Stacy, rubbing the inside of her arm and smiled
when Alice walked into the catering room. “Hey sweetie, how was your week?”
“I hope it was relaxing because these
house shows have sucked.”
“It was.”
For the most part minus the pain she was
in from her face, elbow and back. Alice
couldn’t sleep on her back for the first 3 nights due to how sore it was. Maybe denying pain pills wasn’t the smartest
thing to do. She was still somewhat
sore, but it was a dull ache by now.
Torrie and Stacy had no idea what happened to her and she wanted to keep
it that way. Unfortunately, Chuck
Palumbo and Sean O’Haire had been amongst the guys that were jumped, helping
Page out with his Undertaker problem hadn’t been a smart idea.
“Hey bitch, how’s the face?” Chuck
demanded irritably, spotting his ex-valet and nudged Sean to gain his
attention.
They both had black eyes and held ice
packs against them currently. Chuck and
Sean had helped Page? She hadn’t noticed
who the guys were since it’d been dark in the parking lot. Everything had happened so suddenly too.
“You two helped Dallas?” They both nodded
curtly. “And helped him beat down your new boss?” Another nod. Alice didn’t know what to think or say,
ignoring Torrie and Stacy for the moment, staring down at her salad.
Torrie frowned, staring at her friend’s
cheek a little harder since she’d caught it earlier on, but didn’t want to
point it out in case she was hiding a zit or something. “What happened?”
“Dallas backhanded her at
Smackdown!. She wouldn’t help us beat
down the Undertaker…” Sean growled, shaking his head in disappointment. “Seems
she forgot he’s the enemy.”
“Assholes!” Stacy sneered, turning her
attention back at a red-faced, embarrassed Alice and frowned. “Dallas hit
you? Are you okay?”
“Do you need anything?”
“Some ice or aspirin, maybe?”
“I-I need some air.” Alice left the
catering room, trying not to let the tears in her eyes fall.
“Traitor!” Chuck yelled after her,
laughing when Alice began scurrying faster. “No loyalty…” He shook his head.
“After all we did for her, man.”
“Oh, Jesus Christ,” Torrie rolled her
eyes and threw her cup of water into Chuck’s face. “More like what she did for
you, asses.”
Stacy promptly did the same thing to
Sean, snorting. “You fuckers wouldn’t be holding WCW gold if it weren’t for
her! Think on THAT!” The blondes stalked
away, leaving everyone else in catering to laugh at the Tag champions.
Seated on a crate, Mark kicked his feet
against the metal side, a baseball bat on his lap. He was also right there at the turn that led
in and out of the WCW corridor. He was
waiting on Page; eventually that dick bag would have to come this way, if he wanted
to reach the ring anyway. It was not
Page who turned that corner, it was Red, and she looked like she was trying not
to cry.
“What’s got you in a twist, Red?”
Alice jumped slightly at the sound of
Undertaker’s deep voice and stopped in her tracks, a single tear sliding down
her cheek. “Nothing, I-I’m fine…”
What the hell was he doing on this side
of the arena? Again? The last time he’d invaded the WCW corridor,
things hadn’t gone down well, and she wound up diffusing the situation with
Dallas. It wouldn’t be happening like
that again if he started a fight.
“Just going out for some air…” Mumbling,
she walked past him and wrapped her arms around herself, feeling lower than
dirt because of Chuck and Sean. She
thought they were her friends, but obviously they only wanted what she could
give them.
Just like every other man on the planet!
“Now sweetheart,” Alice had walked into
Stone Cold Steve Austin, who was without his nagging but beautifully busty wife
for once. He caught her by the arms, a
bit on the firm side. “You’re in the wrong part of the building. Whores are back that way.” He pointed in the
direction she had come, turning her around and pushing her back in that
direction.
When Alice stumbled, Mark -he had
followed her out of curiosity- held out the bat for her to catch and keep her
balance, eyeing her before raising his brow at Steve. “Now we all know you like
getting handsy with your women, Austin,” He drawled, provoking the smaller man
on purpose. “But she’s not your woman.”
“She’s just another whore, you seen what
she did to Vince.”
“I saw her standing there not saying or
doing a fuckin’ thing.”
Steve’s ice blue eyes narrowed. “I see…”
“I have every right to walk out of this
building and get some fresh air, asshole!” Alice was tired of being manhandled
by these men and gritted her teeth, her fiery temper nearly matching the color
of her hair. “And at least I dress decently unlike your whore wife!”
“You-” Steve’s bald head was turning into
a tomato; his anger surfacing and couldn’t believe the audacity of this slut to
talk to him the way she had.
“Oh, I’m sorry, cat got your tongue,
prick? You know, you WWF guys are no
different than WCW, at all. All the same
overbearing, testosterone-filled assholes walking around, thinking your shit
doesn’t stink! Maybe if your boss didn’t
fuck everyone and everything in sight, he wouldn’t be in the position he’s in
now, would he? No, he wouldn’t! So fuck off!” Shoving past Stone Cold Steve
Austin and Taker, Alice stalked outside to get her damn air and if one more
person touched her tonight, she would co-cock them in the face.
“D-Did you just hear what she said to
me?!” Steve squawked, staring at the Deadman, who looked downright amused,
along with some of the other WCW wrestlers that had witnessed that exchange.
“SON OF A BITCH!”
That whore had just verbally castrated
him!
Now by no means was he buddies with those
WCW jackasses, but Steve was known to be a mean drunk and an abusive
bastard. Debra was a bit of a shrew,
but… it was what it was. He shook his
head and rolled his eyes, swinging the baseball bat hard enough to make the air
whistle in its wake, laughing coldly when Steve cursed and dropped to the floor
to avoid having his head split open like a ripe watermelon. “Now, Austin, mind
your manners. You’re acting a fool in
front of the rejects.”
Red just wasn’t having a very good night,
was she?
She had also made yet another enemy.
Chapter 7
Honesty, she could care less about Stone
Cold Steve Austin. The man had shown his
true colors at WrestleMania by turning his back on every man, woman and child
who ever supported him throughout his career.
It was sickening to watch him beat the living hell out of The Rock, who
was still on suspension from the company, with a steel chair until the man
couldn’t move let alone kick out. Austin
had stolen the WWF championship, aligned himself with Vince McMahon and Alice
didn’t respect him at all. Undertaker
had been the only one she did respect; his match with Triple H had been
amazing, but Triple H was currently out with a devastating leg injury and
wouldn’t be back for a while. Sighing,
she slipped between two WWF trucks out of sight and closed her eyes, breathing
in the fresh air. It was hotter than
hell outside, but she’d rather be out here than in there being berated by
men. Signing with WCW had been the
biggest mistake of her entire career.
“So she’s friendly with the Undertaker,
who cares?” Dallas was a bit busy and pretending to not give a rat’s ass that
his valet had, yet again, decided to be a bit to ‘friendly’ with his
enemy. Why people felt the need to come
bother him… he was trying to get around, having a show to open! “She’s a whore,
we all know that.” That’s all any of the women were, whores, why else would
they be in this business? How many of
them actually had beauty and successful careers? Not many.
“It just looks wrong is all, Page, watch
your ass. She’s been seen talking to him
quite a bit.”
Page was no longer her concern. As far as Alice knew, Shane was assigning her
to someone else in WCW and it definitely wouldn’t be Chuck and Sean. Not after the stunt they pulled with
Page. Instead of walking to gorilla
position alone, Alice went to Shane McMahon’s office and waited for him to walk
out.
“You ready for this?” Shane asked,
jumping up and down with his patent jersey and pants wrestling attire on,
pouring a little water over his head. “Come on, let’s get some payback. You got my back, right?”
“Yes.” If Shane needed any kind of weapon
or help to defeat Page, she was all for it and nodded with a smile. It was the first smile she’d had all day. “By
the way, I had a run-in with Stone Cold Steve Austin. I don’t know if anyone told you, but…I said a
few things to him that pissed him off.
It was self-defense.” Mostly.
“He manhandled you, right?” Shane had
heard from a few of his stars what happened and how Taker had also been looming
in the WCW corridor again with a baseball bat.
Hopefully, the man kept his distance tonight while he dealt with Dallas.
“Don’t worry about it. Just focus on the
match tonight.”
“Okay, boss.”
Shane McMahon in a street fight was going
to be a cakewalk; the fact that HIS valet was accompanying Shane was just icing
on the cake. Alice obviously needed to
be taught a few lessons on who she owed her loyalty to and what was expected of
her. Obviously, Dallas hadn’t hit her
hard enough if she was trying to defy him like this. She didn’t realize that when Shane had
assigned her to be Page’s valet, in Page’s mind, that meant she belonged to
HIM. He was going to have to remind her,
after he dealt with business tonight.
Once again, Alice didn’t bother getting
in the ring and clapped for Shane, who was swinging a kendo stick around
expertly, waiting for Diamond Dallas Page to walk out to get his backside
handed to him. Instead of DDP, it was
the Undertaker as Limp Bizkit blared through the speakers and the American
Badass made his way down the ramp without the baseball bat he’d had earlier. Shane looked confused and so did Alice, both
of them sharing a quick glance with each other before Undertaker stepped into
the ring to grab a microphone.
“All due respect, I understand you gotta
get yours. But hey, tonight it’s about
mine – I got a score to settle. Page.
Is. MINE.” Undertaker declared, not backing down, and watched Shane back away
with his hands in the air.
Alice blinked, not believing her boss
actually handed this match over to the Undertaker and shrugged when he assured
her it was the right decision. She
trusted him and nodded, smirking as Page came down the ramp NOT looking happy
with this turn of events. Good, she
didn’t want him to be happy and hoped Taker beat the living hell out of him!
The fact that Shane had caved in so easily
didn’t overly sit well with Mark’s gut, but that was something to dwell on
another time. Right now, he was more
focused on beating the hell out of the asshole, who had been stalking him, who
had led the beatdown last week, who had put hands on Red… He had been trying to
get his own hands wrapped around Page’s pencil neck all week, like he had the
other WCW fucks, who had beat the three down, but Page had been smart, been
slick. He had managed to avoid being caught. Not tonight.
Undertaker looked delicious in light blue
skintight jeans and a sleeveless leather buttoned down top, most of the buttons
undone. Throughout the fight, those
buttons had come undone completely and showed the expanse of his muscular chest,
the BSK Pride tattoo on his abdomen turning Alice’s insides to mush. His hair was down, wet, and wild looking, the
crazed gleam in his eyes sending her heart racing. Sliding out of the ring, Page was caught between
going the way Taker stood and the other side had Shane with the kendo stick.
This was beautiful.
This was karma biting Page on the
backside for what he’d done to Alice and every other woman he’d been involved
with throughout his miserable life. Page
slid back inside the ring and Taker followed suit, done with playing the cat
and mouse game. Just as Undertaker set
Page up for a chokeslam, Shane slid into the ring and struck him in the back
with that kendo stick! What the HELL?! Shane McMahon double-crossed the
Undertaker! Undertaker got the upper
hand quickly and began beating the hell out of Shane, going for the Last Ride,
but DDP nailed the Deadman on the back, stomach, and head with a steel
chair. Alice watched in horror as they
began pounding on Undertaker with their boots in the corner and couldn’t take
anymore, disgust rolling through her.
She slid into the ring and picked up the kendo stick, gripping it
tightly in her hands while staring at her boss.
The man she thought she could trust!
Without preamble, she began beating him with
it, using her full force with each blow as Shane cried out in pain. Page whipped around to face her, his icy
blues locked with defiant grey and grabbed her roughly against him, positioning
her for the Diamond Cutter. A second
later, he dropped her in the middle of the ring and vacated with a laughing
Shane.
That would teach the whore to know her
place!
Shane hurt, she had swung that kendo
stick like a pro, but what the hell? He
was laughing while rubbing the back of his head, though he was now bound and
determined to see Alice broken down until she knew her place. What was she thinking? That was the Undertaker, the enemy, she knew
better. Well, now she did and, if she
were smart, she’d learn her lesson real damn quick.
“Well what a fuckin’ pair we make…” Mark
rumbled from his place on the mat, not bothering to raise his head. He was pretty certain he was bleeding from
the back of it and didn’t feel like experiencing a wave of dizziness or nausea
in front of all these people.
Only because she was trained to take
bumps like this in the ring -one didn’t get into this business simply on looks
alone, there had to be some wrestling requirements made- the Diamond Cutter
didn’t knock her out. It hurt like hell,
but didn’t knock her out. She groaned,
slowly lifting her head and could see Undertaker through blurred vision and red
hair, which was splayed all around her.
“H-He lied…” She coughed out, holding her
head, and managed to roll out of the ring to hit the mats below, holding onto
the ring apron.
Her legs felt like jelly as she watched
Taker feel the back of his neck. There
was no blood, but that shot to his forehead would no doubt give him a massive
headache. A few minutes later, Taker
moved and rolled out of the ring as well, draping an arm around Alice’s waist
to keep himself balance while she held the back of her neck, her arm going
around his waist for leverage. They
somehow made it to the back in his locker room and Alice didn’t bother
questioning anything at the moment, knowing going back to WCW wasn’t an option
right now. Maybe tomorrow at Smackdown!
when cooler heads prevailed, but definitely not right now.
“Taker!”
She blocked out her own pain, watching
him stumble and knew if he fainted, she’d be crushed under his body weight.
“You need to be looked over…” First the beatdown in the parking lot and now
this…Shane McMahon was out of his mind!
Then, an even more horrific thought crossed her mind and it involved
Page stalking Undertaker, for months, prior to the WCW actually invading
WWF. Was that all Shane’s doing as
well? Did he send Page to do that?
“I got a concussion, Red.” Mark informed
her bluntly, blinking as he tried to bring her beautiful ass into focus. He knew the signs and those chair shots from
Page had been meant to bust his head open.
Joke was on the prick, he had a hard ass head. “Don’t need no fuckin’
trainer to tell me that.” And he sure as hell didn’t trust anyone in this
building right now. He’d handle it
himself; it wasn’t his first rodeo. “You go see someone. Get looked at.”
“And what? Have them tell me to put ice on my neck and
pop some aspirin for the headache? No
thanks, I’ll pass.” If he had a concussion, that was bad because Taker couldn’t
drive and there was no way they could leave the arena when the show just
started. “And I basically just turned my back on Shane McMahon, so I’m staying
here with you and making sure you don’t pass out.” Sleeping wasn’t an option
for the Deadman, not with a concussion. “Come on, you have to sit down.”
There were steel folding chairs and a
bench, but that was about it. No couches
or anything comfortable to lay on. Maybe
that was a blessing in disguise.
“I have what is probably a concussion and
you want me to sit down?” Mark stared at her like she was mildly retarded and
shook his head, which he instantly regretted. “I’m getting a shower, Red.” He
grunted, beginning to peel off his leather top, which was soaked in sweat, his
hands dropping to the fly of his jeans. Some cold water would keep him up and
alert. Then, he grinned at her, both of
hers, since he was having some double vision issues. “Want to join me? Help keep me… up?” He was a son of a bitch sometimes and, by the look on her
face, he knew Alice wasn’t amused. “Just figured I’d ask, Red.” Then he got
serious. “Make sure that door stays locked.” People had probably seen them come
in together and he would not put it past anyone to try coming in.
Not wanting to stay out here alone, in
case that did happen, Alice followed him into the bathroom and shut the door
behind her while he continued undressing. “I’ll talk to you while you’re
cleaning up.”
She winced at her sore neck, knowing it
would get worse as the night progressed and saw his eyebrow arch. Kicking her heels off, Alice hopped up on the
sink and turned her head enough to look in the mirror partially, seeing the
small cut on her cheek through her makeup.
What else would happen to her while being stuck in WCW? Quitting wasn’t an option, she had too many
bills to pay, including her house, which she’d purchased right after signing
with the damn company. Lowering her eyes
from him as he started the shower spray, Alice twisted her fingers together in
her lap and had to take a deep breath to slow her suddenly racing heart.
“Do you think Shane is the one who sent
Page after you? Stalking you and showing
the world your private life the way he did?”
“Wouldn’t surprise me in the least.” He
grunted, pleased with the temperature of the spray, which was lukewarm, and
began shedding clothing, what was left of it, his boots first. Mark smirked when both his Reds, who were
starting to finally merge as the double vision receded, turned her head
away. He contemplated cracking a lewd
remark, making some comment, but if she decided to deck him, it’d probably
actually hurt tonight. “I warned you before.
Nothing is as it seems, especially when it comes to the McMahons.”
“I’m starting to believe that.”
Alice didn’t know what to do because, at
any moment, Undertaker could abandon her.
The man was in no condition to protect her tonight anyway, but she felt
safe with him. They were supposed to be
enemies, but never once had he treated her badly. It could all change in the blink of an eye,
so Alice had to keep her guard up around Undertaker as well as everyone
else. It would be a lot easier to do if
she weren’t so attracted to him. When
the shower sprays turned off and he stepped out, Alice lowered her eyes again,
fighting the desire to sneak a peek as Undertaker stepped out to wrap a towel
around his waist.
“Now darlin,” He drawled slowly, feeling
a bit better. His head wasn’t pounding
as bad; any scrapes that had been bleeding had been tended to and he had rinsed
his mouth out good. The inside of his
lip was cut, which is where all the blood had come from. “If you want to have a
peek, I’m not going to mind.” Mark was male after all, though Red scoffed and
he shook his head, shrugging his shoulders. “Your loss.” His game plan was to
pop some painkillers, he knew his limit and how many he could take without
messing himself up, and get through tonight.
The concussion, well… as long as he didn’t get slapped upside the head
anymore, he’d be fine, right? “Why are you still here, anyway, Red?” He asked,
stepping into the main room, and glanced around for his bag, pinching the
bridge of his nose. Headache. “I doubt
any of them are going to expect you to stay after what happened.” Also, Mark
did not want to see Page get his hands on her, not entirely sure he could
protect her and that made his eyes narrow, ears turning red.
“Right.”
He wanted her to leave, not that Alice
blamed him. The man had been
double-crossed and lured into another trap, this time set by her boss and
Page. Alice did not want to see Page or
be near him, not if she could help it.
She wouldn’t inconvenience Undertaker any longer though and knew she’d
have to find a way to sneak out of the arena.
Looking around the bathroom, she saw there was a window she could climb
out of. It was high, but…she could reach
it hopefully.
“I won’t take any more of your time,
Undertaker. Get some rest.”
Standing up on the sink, Alice took a
deep breath and vaulted herself toward the window, managing to push it open
while hanging onto the ledge alone.
She’d taken her heels off, which were securely dangling on her arm and
managed to make her way through the window.
Undertaker had watched her do this and she smiled at him through the
window before taking toward the parking lot, staying out of sight. After what happened with Page at Smackdown!,
Alice had a contingency plan, a backup, and pulled something out of her dress
in the built-in bra the dress had. One
click later, the rental vehicle was unlocked and she slipped behind the wheel,
pulling her purse and keys out of the middle counsel. Her neck was killing her, but Alice would deal
with it later once she was far away from here, deciding to drive for a little
while to put some distance between her, Shane McMahon, and Diamond Dallas Page.
“What a woman…” Mark muttered under his
breath.
She hadn’t been in his way or a pain in
his ass. He just couldn’t fathom why she
would willingly stick around for the rest of the show after what had happened
to her. Especially when she knew exactly
what Shane and Page were willing to do to her.
He finished dressing and popped those pain pills, figuring he’d need to
go retrieve his chain from where he had dropped it. If he knew Shane McMahon, and he just knew
the McMahons period, Shane wasn’t finished with him, not yet. Well, he could provide a distraction, keep
their minds off his Red.
Chapter 8
Once she found a cheap motel that was a
little over an hour away from the arena and halfway to the next location for
Smackdown!, Alice finally stopped for the night, dragging her belongings
inside. She paid cash for the room and
locked the door, shutting the curtains on the window. Settling down on the bed, Alice rubbed her
stiff neck and turned the television on, eyes widening at the sight of WWF
programming on. Whoever had stayed here
previously was a wrestling fan apparently.
On the screen, Shane McMahon was in the middle of the ring with a bunch
of wrestlers…both WWF and WCW stars.
What was going on now?
“I am personally responsible for the
MERGER of WCW AND ECW – I’m also personally responsible for the NEW owner of
ECW…Give it up for STEPHANIE MCMAHON-HELMSLEY!!”
Vince watched as his baby girl, Daddy’s
little girl, sauntered out from the back with an evil smile on her face, his
eyes nearly bugging out of his head.
They had just taken over all of the wrestlers that used to be in ECW a
few years ago!
“Oh my god…” Alice whispered, covering
her mouth with her hand and felt the shock filter throughout her system,
knowing she had not only Shane McMahon to deal with, but now Stephanie. “Oh
fuck…”
Mark had made himself comfortable, in
front of a monitor, arms folded over his chest, bandana on to hide his lumps
and chew tucked in his bottom lip. He
was feeling a lot better, thanks to the pain pills, and also more annoyed. Just watching this bullshit unfold, Mark
could only shake his head. He got
it. He did. The two were sick and tired of their Daddy
and his antics. Vince had not been doing
himself any favors over this last year, but this… he didn’t see it ending well
for any of the employees because a McMahon, no matter which side of the line
they were on, was always a McMahon.
“Well… fuck…”
~!~
With a pair of jean shorts and a short
sleeved white top, white sandals on her feet, Alice walked out of the motel
room the following morning to make the rest of the trek to Smackdown!. Her elbow needed some air after being
confined in that dress for the duration of the night. Alice still couldn’t believe Stephanie
McMahon-Helmsley was in on this whole elaborate scheme to take over the
WWF! Dropping her key off at the front
desk, Alice headed toward her rental and froze at the sight of Shane McMahon
waiting for her. It looked like she was
facing the music a lot sooner than she would’ve liked. He wasn’t alone either, guarded greys
narrowing on Dallas and immediately touched her elbow as if reminding her what
he’d done to her just a week ago.
“How did you find me?” She asked, slowly
approaching them, and set her bag beside her.
Shane sighed, holding his hand up when
Page went toward her and decided to take a different approach with the redhead.
“You weren’t supposed to be hurt last week during the jump on Undertaker,
Alice. Page got carried away and he’s
truly sorry for what happened, for what he did to you. Listen, you are WCW and I’ve invested my time
and effort into you. I didn’t take
everyone from WCW and you know that.” Sting, for instance, was the perfect
example along with Ric Flair. They were
old geezers and he needed youth and power. “I want us to start over. Dallas wants the same thing.”
“So, you condone beating up a man with 6
guys? That’s the type of company you’re
running, Shane?” She retorted, folding her arms in front of her chest and could
feel the tension rising between them. “I am WCW, you’re right. I wasn’t running, just needed the night to
clear my head after receiving the Diamond Cutter by your…guy. So, was that an accident too, or what’s the
excuse for that happening?”
“This is war, Alice. Casualties will be had, and you attacked me
with a weapon. Page was protecting me…”
Shane didn’t appreciate her attitude when he was trying to be nice to her and
took a deep breath. “Would it make you feel better if he apologized for that as
well?”
“No, not really. I don’t want to work with him, Shane. I don’t trust him…and I don’t really trust
you either.” That trust had been broken a week ago and it would take time to
rebuild it.
“Please don’t make this any harder than
it already is, Alice. You WILL work with
Dallas and make things right. That’s an
order.” Shane stated with finality, not backing down and could see the defiance
in her greys much like the previous night. “By the way, if you EVER hit me with
a weapon of any kind again, it’ll be the last thing you do. Now get in the car. Dallas is driving, give him your keys and you
two play nice.” Shane had his limousine that brought him, deciding to give the
partners some time to work things out.
Did he actually just leave Alice alone
with this psychopath?! Yes, yes he did.
Given that Alice was a little nobody and
she owed a year on her contract, Shane thought he was being quite nice with
her. Especially her little hypocrisy
issues, attacking a man… he rolled his eyes, sliding into his leather seats in
the back of his limo and glanced out the tinted windows at the pair. He had seen how she had handled business in
WCW when she had been working with Chuck and Sean. The woman needed a reminder that, just
because she had been pulled into the big leagues, it didn’t mean she was hot
shit. She’d play along and do it nicely,
with a smile, or he’d fuck her world all to hell.
“So, sugar, are we going to do this or
what?” Dallas could play nice and offered Alice a very broad smile.
Alice was not pleased, and it showed
clearly on her face, the fear combined with anger filling her eyes. When he took a step forward, she took one
back, contemplating how far she’d be able to run before he caught her. Running wasn’t an option; Shane McMahon could
take her to the cleaners because of the contract. Why was he forcing her to be partners with
Dallas? Did the psycho specifically
request her? Squeezing the keys in her
hand, Alice shut her eyes briefly as she tossed them to him and grabbed her
bag, hissing as a sharp pain slid up the side of her neck. Damn Diamond Cutter! A few minutes later, they hit the road with
Alice staring out the window and arms folded in front of her chest, her
stitched elbow clearly visible to Dallas.
After her antics with Taker, Dallas had
specifically requested Shane keep him and Alice together. Shane was an asshole, no doubt about it, but
he had also been inclined to let Alice go to ‘development hell’, just to get
her out of his hair without releasing her from her contract. She obviously didn’t want to be a WCW
Superstar since she refused to go along to get along. Dallas had said he was sorry, put on the
proper face and used the correct tone, but… no, he wasn’t. He had spent months working on Taker, knowing
cementing himself in this forsaken company was taking down the one person who
was deemed untouchable. Physically, he
knew he was the underdog, and that was fine, he had been that way most of his
career, but it was the mental aspect he was focusing on. Taker had a reputation for his mind games,
his inability to be flapped; Dallas intended on changing all that and he was
starting to see Alice as his ticket there.
“Now, sugar, I think you and I got off
the wrong foot and were pages away from each other.” He said quietly, once he
had gotten the car up to speed. “We have communication issues; I’m willing to
work on them. How ‘bout you?”
“No, there is no communication issues
with a man who assaults me twice. I may
be forced to work with you, Page, but that’s it. That’s where it ends. We don’t need to talk and get to know each
other. You’re a psychopath and I see it
clearly now. So, do us both a favor and
leave me alone unless you have something to talk about work-related.” Alice
often spoke her mind and didn’t care what people thought.
She’d been nice enough to keep her
thoughts to herself regarding Page, because he hadn’t given her any reason to
judge him. Despite the rumors regarding
Kimberly, she always believed in giving someone a chance. Page had his and blew it sky high by assaulting
her. She hissed out, rubbing the back of
her neck and couldn’t believe she was stuck in a car for the next hour or so
with the same man who caused her this pain in the first place. If Page thought she’d play ball when they
were out in the ring together, he was sadly mistaken, especially when it came
to Undertaker. Alice would not hurt him,
for anyone.
She was going to be a bitch about this
and Dallas simply nodded, letting her have her say. He knew the type of woman she was. Self-righteous. Hypocrite.
Always had to have the last word and he inwardly chortled; he bet she
was the kind who would spew a ton of words and then bolt out of the room to
make sure she DID have the last word.
Clichéd as fuck. He was willing
to bet money she was just as bad as any other whore out there, get her on her
back and let nature do the rest. When
she cringed, rubbing her neck, he frowned and pulled over. The one good thing out of his marriage to
Kimberly, besides the banging sex, had been her lifestyle. The yoga, specifically.
“Hold still.”
Dallas didn’t give Alice a minute, just
reached over and felt her freeze. Within
seconds, he had manipulated her neck, knowing from experience that instant
relief was the outcome. He had learned
how to do this from years of taking variations of his Diamond Cutter, thanks to
Kimberly and her wellness crap.
“Better?” He asked softly, watching as
Alice began gingerly testing her range of motion, taking note that she could
move her head a lot easier than moments ago. “I’m sorry Alice, I really am.”
Dallas had been caught up in the moment
and gotten a bit too involved in what was going on. She had been in the wrong place, wrong
time. Swallowing hard at his kindness, Alice
didn’t know how to respond to him and had to clench her hands tightly in her
lap the entire time he massaged her neck.
“Thank you, Dallas.” She murmured
quietly, slowly turning her head until their eyes met and drew her eyebrows
together thoughtfully. He could be sweet
one minute and psychotic the next – did the man have a split personality or
maybe he was schizophrenic? Either way,
he terrified her, and she had to learn to get along with him or else she really
would lose her head the next time. “I won’t say it’s okay what you did to me,
but…I’m willing to let bygones be bygones.” Those words left a nasty aftertaste
in her mouth. She still wouldn’t help
him win matches when it came to Undertaker, though. Not that he had to know that bit of information
until the time came. “My neck feels better.” Then, she cracked a small smile at
him to let him know she was appreciative of what he did.
“Good.” Dallas nodded, already guiding
them back out onto the highway, figuring that since she had spent a bit of time
in agony from his Diamond Cutter, she might’ve learned her lesson to steer
clear of him when he was beating down her… friend. Or whatever she and the Undertaker were, his
eyes narrowed briefly before he flashed her a smile. “Now, you already know me
and the Deadman are feuding, and it’s only going to get worse.” He wasn’t going
to touch on the stuff that had happened off camera, figuring he just needed to
let sleeping dogs lay. “I won’t ask you to help, I know now you don’t want to. Just… stay clear, cheer me on, and that’s
it. Is that okay?” Dallas was a very
patient person.
“Yes, I can do that.”
As much as she wanted to trust Dallas and
let her guard down, it wasn’t happening.
Not this soon after being assaulted.
However, he was trying to make friends with her and had helped her with
her sore neck, so she could be friendly in return. Pushing her to do something, she didn’t want
to, didn’t bode well with Alice. Dallas
had noticed that, acknowledged it and would now allow her to be his cheerleader
at ringside, nothing more.
“Undertaker is very intimidating,
Dallas. He’s…helped me, but he is also
the enemy and I recognize that. If you
need my help with anyone else you’re in the ring with, I’ll do it, but…just not
him.” The last thing Alice wanted to do was get on the Undertaker’s bad side
and she also liked him far more than she should. “Thanks for understanding and
compromising with me.” Maybe this partnership would work after all.
Hell, now who was schizophrenic?
He had not missed the way she had said
the Undertaker had helped her, but importantly, he had not missed the TONE
Alice’s voice had taken on when talking about that walking piece of shit with a
goatee. Gross, and upsetting, but he
knew he needed to keep himself in check, so he did. Baby steps.
“How about some music?” Dallas suggested,
knowing she probably didn’t want to talk to him too much and that was fine, for
now. Baby steps, he reminded himself
again. All about baby steps.
He could take all the baby steps he
wanted; Alice would never be interested in him in any manner other than
professionally. Only because she was
forced into it by their boss. The music
of choice was alternative rock, which didn’t bother her. It wasn’t her favorite genre, but she could
handle rock for a little while. Arriving
at the hotel an hour and a half later, they parted ways to go to their
respective rooms after getting their key cards.
Alice had to get changed for the show for the taping of the show that
night and decided to be a little more conservative.
Her elbow would need the stitches taken
out by the trainer, so she decided on a black skirt that went 2 inches above
the knee and a one shoulder black top with the WCW logo on the front. It was something she’d had made prior to
coming on the road. Shane had sent her
some merchandise as a way of welcoming her into the fold. Alice had a few others she had manipulated to
her liking, with some help from her seamstress friend back in Florida. Once she finished dressing, she pulled on her
strappy black heels and did her makeup, once again covering the yellow bruising
as well as the healing cut on her cheek.
“You’re WCW, and you need to be a team
player.” She muttered, staring back in her reflection and heaved a sigh,
knowing she had to keep her distance from Undertaker.
If Dallas knew how she really felt about
the big man, well…he would use her as leverage, if he hadn’t figured it out
already, and that wasn’t an option.
Chapter 9
“Did you two make nice?” Shane asked with
a yawn, sounding bored.
Taking a phone call from Dipshit Page was
not something he had wanted to do, at all.
He was tired; paperwork was a headache, on top of his other physical
issues. Page was useful, sure, but he was
also a bit on the insane side. Shane
just figured he’d channel it and then send the man packing when he had served
his usefulness, unless Page managed to wow him.
“Sure did.” Dallas drawled, noting the
bored tone, and frowned into his mirror, busy trimming his facial hair. “She
seems to have a thing though, for Taker.”
This was why he was suddenly interested
in Page’s call; the man was a card.
Shane didn’t bother trying to explain how his personal train of thought
had been on ‘fire him’ to now ‘exploit and use’. He was a McMahon.
“Oh, really?”
~!~
“Alright…a deal is a deal. I gave you what you wanted tonight,
okay? I gave you EXACTLY what you
wanted. You may have Kurt Angle as your tag
team partner, and maybe you didn’t ask for that, but YOU asked for Shane
McMahon. YOU asked for DDP in the ring
with you tonight and you got them. So
therefore, you’re going to do ME the honors of being on Team WWF at Invasion.”
Vince stated, the cameras rolling to make sure this conversation was captured
and could see the annoyance building on Undertaker’s face. “Right?”
Mark was more than annoyed; he was
getting pissed. He wanted Shane, and
Page, and he wanted them now, without strings.
All things considered, Vince should have jumped at the thought of his
pain in the ass son getting his ass handed to him, but no… A McMahon was a
McMahon. He had no problem being on Team
WWF, at all; his problem was it being ordered basically.
“A deal’s a deal, right?” He remarked
finally, rolling his shoulders, and then bent down until his face was right in
Vince’s, sneering when Vince paled and swallowed hard. “Whatever you say.”
~!~
Undertaker and Kurt Angle against Shane
McMahon and DDP was the main event tonight?
Those were the first words out of Shane’s mouth as soon as she arrived
at the arena with Dallas, who also sported a WCW logo sleeveless shirt. Everyone in the Alliance wore their
respective brands shirts. With Shane out
there, Alice didn’t know if Dallas would inform him of the truce they’d made on
the ride to the hotel. She was not
getting involved in the match at all, so hopefully the boss would just let her
stay backstage.
Stephanie had heard all about the
redheaded black sheep of the WCW women’s division and decided to make her
presence felt. “You must be Alice.” She smiled, extending her hand to the woman
and yanked Alice against her as soon as the woman took her hand. “Are you WCW
or not?”
Shane had informed baby slut sister what
had transpired over the past week, Alice surmised, nodding her head. “Yes
ma’am.”
“Good.
Because we have no room in the Alliance for traitors, Alice. You understand that, don’t you?” Her tone
implied if the woman didn’t play ball and do her job, there would be hell to
pay. “So, we have no problems, right?
You are with Dallas and you will help him and Shane defeat the
Undertaker and Kurt Angle tonight.
RIGHT?”
Lying was the only option. “Yes ma’am.”
Over her dead body would that happen, however.
“Good, glad we understand each other.”
Stephanie patted the woman’s cheek none too gently, the same one Dallas had
struck, and sauntered away to make a phone call to her husband to check on him.
Stupid bitch, Alice thought hotly,
rubbing her cheek while Dallas went off to talk strategy with Shane.
Dallas hadn’t missed the interaction
between Stephanie and Alice; he had sort of been paying attention even as he
was being beckoned to Shane. Though it
would have been rude of him to try saving her, especially since Shane was
wanting to talk business. He seen the
anger flash in Alice’s eyes and knew she had been told something she didn’t
like.
“Come here, Alice,” Shane beckoned her
over next, frowning at the look on her face. “She’s abrasive, isn’t she?” He chuckled,
not even bothering to look his sister’s way.
He had told her about what was going on.
Stephanie was more like Vince than he was… it was kind of amusing and
really scary at the same time. “Now, Dallas tells me you two worked out an
arrangement.” He took a deep breath and shook his head. “I don’t think it’s
going to work, we need-”
“No.” Dallas interrupted, frowning. “She
doesn’t need to get involved, we can handle it.” He personally thought
Stephanie was a hellcat and probably had her husband’s balls in her purse.
Alice blinked at Dallas, not believing he
was defending her against their boss.
Just last night, he’d delivered his finishing move to her and now he was
protecting her. She couldn’t figure him
out and honestly didn’t want to, clearing her throat. “I will help…” She
trailed off, watching both Dallas and Shane’s brows lift slightly. “With Kurt
Angle.” The Olympic Gold Medalist would be easy pickings for a
distraction. Undertaker was off-limits,
she’d made that perfectly clear to Dallas and he agreed. If Shane didn’t, that was his problem since
she wasn’t his valet. He was her boss,
sure, but bosses could only do so much to their employees. Dallas seemed to be onboard with her one
stipulation, surprisingly.
“And why not Taker? He’s the bigger threat…” Shane pointed out,
already knowing the real reason, but wanted to hear the lie come out of her
mouth anyway. She would be punished for
it accordingly, just not now.
“That man could break me in half with his
pinky and I’m not taking that chance.
I’ll help you with Kurt Angle and anyone else you want to take down,
just not him, Shane.”
“But we’d protect you.” Shane pressed,
ignoring Dallas’ warning look and kept his dark eyes on the redhead. “We need
you to be a team player…Undertaker is our enemy – YOUR enemy, Alice. Do the right thing and help us bring them
BOTH down.” He had the same implied tone Stephanie did earlier. “Because
tonight, they ARE going down regardless.
It’d be nice if you showed me where your loyalty truly lies.”
What exactly did Shane have up his sleeve
for tonight’s match?
“We got it, Shane.” Dallas reiterated,
knowing Alice would not bend and gently but firmly placed his hand against the
small of Alice’s back, guiding her away from their boss. “Come on,” He muttered
under his breath, making their way out of the room. “Look, Angle is fine, don’t
you worry yourself about the Undertaker, okay, sugar?” He had made a deal with
her, now hadn’t he?
Neither Shane nor Stephanie had missed
the way Dallas had guided her out of the room, or the way Alice seemed to be a
little more receptive to him. The
siblings exchanged looks, grim smiles, and went back to their respective
business.
“Thank you, Dallas.”
Alice looked up at him, seeing the
concern in his cool blues and tried not to let the sick feeling in the pit of
her stomach form. Something wasn’t right
here. Was Dallas really alright with her
not helping him take out the Undertaker?
Or maybe he didn’t want a woman helping him because of ego. There she went again, trying to figure him
out and Alice immediately stopped herself.
Even being called sugar again didn’t seem to bother her, probably due to
how much this man scared her and she knew what he was capable of.
“You’re starting off the show with Shane
and Stephanie along with the boys from both brands tonight. Do you want me out there? I don’t think Torrie and Stacy are going, so
I can just stay back here if you want during that opening segment…”
Dallas considered it, stroking his chin
thoughtfully before sighing and shaking his head. “No Alice,” He said finally.
“I think you need to go out there, show Shane and Stephanie that you’re on
board.” As much as she could be, he mentally added, that just went without say.
“You’re my valet, you go where I do.” He grinned down at her. “Just… if
anything happens, get out of dodge and, if you can’t, I’ll protect you. Sound good, sugar?”
She highly doubted he would protect her
if it meant saving his own skin, but Alice didn’t say that aloud and just
nodded. “Yeah, sounds good.”
~!~
The opening segment consisted of Shane,
Stephanie and Paul Heyman all talking smack about the WWF and, more
specifically, the owner of the company Vince McMahon. Stephanie spouted about how her and Shane
teamed up because they couldn’t wait for their father to die to hand over the
WWF. They wanted power now, not
later. Ungrateful children…Jim Ross had
pinpointed it as well as Michael Cole, who were the announcers for tonight’s show. Surprisingly, not a single WWF superstar or
Vince McMahon came out to confront of the demon spawns and all was peaceful as
the show began with the first match of the night.
Alice stayed right beside Dallas, not
holding hands or anything, just stood there listening and did her best to put
on a smile, though it didn’t reach her eyes.
God these kids were longwinded, and he assumed it was a McMahon family
trait or something because he had heard Vince drone on and on for a lot longer
than necessary. Dallas glanced down at
Alice, reaching out to tap her fingertips with his own and wiggled his eyebrows
when she looked up at him.
“Don’t look so bored, sugar.” He
whispered in her ear, keeping a smile on his face.
Well… that was odd. It looked like Red and Dallas had made
up. Mark snorted, shaking his head. WCW people… what the fuck?
“Hard not to.” She whispered back, barely
moving her lips and felt like her ears were bleeding at Stephanie’s shrill
voice.
Good god, who the hell would be stupid
enough to marry her? Poor Triple H had
to wear earplugs when they screwed because that voice wasn’t pretty. As long as Dallas kept being a gentleman and
protected her, Alice would be his partner and help him anyway she could…minus
taking out the Undertaker. She was stuck
with him and would make the best of it, already knowing Undertaker would think
of her as a sellout. Honestly, she was
simply being loyal to her company and doing what her boss instructed. Why was she worried about what Undertaker
thought anyway?
Enemy, he was the enemy…a gorgeous enemy
at that.
Once the segment ended, everyone stepped
out of the ring and Dallas helped her out by taking her hand, guiding her down
the steel ring steps before placing a hand on the small of her back. By the end of the night, Dallas would do a
complete 180 during the match with Undertaker and Kurt Angle. Not that she knew of the current storm
brewing and about to hit the WWF locker room like a ton of bricks.
“Yeah, you sure can pick ‘em, Deadman.”
Steve said sarcastically from behind his ‘teammate’, smirking while he shook
his bald head. “You done picked yourself a little WCW whore, who played your
ass like a cheap fiddle.”
“What’re you on about, Austin?” Mark
really wasn’t in the mood.
“Everyone knows about that bitch going
into your locker room with you. You got
yourself some, but apparently, it just wasn’t good enough to compete with Page
because she’s right back out there, holdin’ hands like they’re best friends.”
Steve wasn’t necessarily wrong.
Stone Cold Steve Austin was ENTIRELY
wrong! They were strictly business,
there was no intimacy involved. If Alice
had it her way, she wouldn’t be working with Dallas at all. This wasn’t her choice, however, not that
people knew it besides ECW/WCW stars and everyone was keeping their mouth
shut. Nobody would discuss with her what
happened or question her sanity in front of Dallas. The man was unstable, to put it mildly, which
was another reason why she decided to play nice for now. She felt someone sit beside her and turned
her head to see Shane McMahon, noticing Dallas was nowhere to be found.
“You know, if you do well tonight, I
MIGHT change my mind about leaving you with Dallas. I MIGHT be inclined to even let you choose
who you want to accompany to the ring.
IF you cooperate and do exactly as I tell you for tonight.”
“Dallas and I are fine, and I don’t need
to be coerced into doing something to the Undertaker that’ll get my head
knocked off my shoulders, boss.” Why couldn’t Shane leave this alone?
“Then you’ll be stuck with Dallas for a
LONG time to come, Alice. The choice is
yours. I told you, you’d be protected…”
“And I told you I’m not risking it. I’m not going against the Undertaker, WWF or
not.” She folded her arms in front of her chest defiantly, refusing to meet his
eyes and gasped when he gripped the back of her neck rather harshly. “Let…”
“Then you WILL witness firsthand what
happens when you cross me and don’t do as you’re told, whore.” Shane promised
viciously, releasing her neck, and stalked out of the room before he wound up
throttling her.
Her sore neck was back, and Alice was
thankful nobody else was in the room because she burst into tears.
If Dallas had known that Shane had messed
with his toy, he probably would have laughed and been irritated all at the same
time. He was trying to get somewhere
with Alice, knowing there was just no way she was going to fall at his feet,
figuratively, right away because of what he had done. He was trying to be nice, break her in gently
and didn’t really need assistance. Of
course, if that didn’t work, Dallas was not at all concerned with restraining
his crazy side because, sometimes, a woman needed smacked around to remind her
of her place.
~!~
“Taker, come on, bro, man, buddy, pal?”
Kurt trailed off, clearing his throat when venomous green eyes finally landed
on his face, swallowing down the rest of what he had been about to say. “So…
about tonight…”
Kurt Angle had talent, there was
absolutely no doubt about that. However…
the man was annoying. Gabby. Tried to be buddies with everyone and the
last time they had spoken, Kurt had begun lecturing him about chewing. With that thought in mind, Mark spit a stream
right onto Kurt’s boots.
“Yeah, pal?”
“Ugh that’s disgusting!” Kurt whined,
looking down at his bright white boots that were now splattered with… “Why
would you do that?! Look tonight, Mr.
McMahon and Stone Cold Steve Austin aren’t here, so I’m the leader and…” They
had left actually halfway through the show.
He trailed off, seeing the deadly look that came over Taker’s eyes and
took a step back. They were on the same
team, the same side, and the man acted like HE was the enemy! “Whoever crapped
in your oatmeal, it wasn’t me. I’m your
partner, don’t forget that. Kane and
Jericho will be here in a minute, so we can have a strategy meeting for
tonight.”
Jerichoke he could live without. The man had sound wrestling abilities, but a
mouth that just would not shut up.
Ever. Kane, Glenn, his brother…
his buddy, now that could be interesting and he grinned.
“You are no leader, boy.” Because no matter
how old Kurt was, he looked like a fucking baby face and Mark wasn’t anyone who
looked like a Cabbage Patch doll. “Oh… wait… I think I see a chin hair.”
“Really?” Kurt had been trying to grow
some facial fuzz; he figured it’d get him a bit more respect since all the guys
who were respected had goatees.
Mark leaned in, studying Kurt’s chin
before grabbing it and yanking. “Oh yeah, sure, son.” Laughing, he left Kurt
there rubbing his chin and shook his head.
They were doomed.
The minute Mark was gone, Kurt took off
running to check.
Chapter 10
When the time came for the match, no
matter how hard she tried, Alice couldn’t smile. Dallas had asked several times what happened,
but all she did was mumble ‘nothing’ and eventually, he stopped. Vince McMahon and Stone Cold Steve Austin had
somewhat of a fight in the ring and were gone, so that left Team WWF vulnerable
since Austin was on it. Like a shark
smelling blood, Shane took full advantage and didn’t pay Alice any attention,
focusing on the match. She wanted to
gouge his eyes out with her nails, refusing to get in the ring with him and
Dallas. Simply standing by the
announcer’s table, Alice watched Kurt Angle make his entrance and then
Undertaker.
He rolled in on his motorcycle, looking
handsome as ever and she longed to be on that bike with him, longed for him to
take her far away from here. When he
rolled past her, she couldn’t help giving him a very quick smile before it
vanished again as he finished his entrance.
As soon as the bell rang, the fight was on and Alice merely watched, not
making a single move toward the ring like she should’ve. She had agreed to help with Kurt Angle, but
not anymore. Fuck Shane McMahon and the
war, as far as she was concerned.
Dallas had noticed the smile she had
flashed the Undertaker’s way and tried to squish down the rage that he felt
simmering his blood, slowly warming him up in a way he did not overly
appreciate. He didn’t even wait, as soon
as Taker was in that ring, he attacked, not allowing the other man a chance to
even remove his stupid leather duster.
Dallas immediately went for Taker’s knees, and the back of his head,
hoping to capitalize on what had likely been a concussion.
Well what a cocksucker, Mark thought,
wondering where this mean streak had come from.
“Get over here! Get over here now, Alice!” Shane shouted,
pointing at the ring apron and felt his jaw drop when she shook her head at him
in response. “YOU BITCH!”
Shane hadn’t been paying attention to
Undertaker coming up behind him and received the Last Ride for his troubles,
making Alice extremely thrilled.
Suddenly, the locker room emptied out with ECW/WCW stars as Undertaker
and Kurt Angle began fighting them off, holding their ground. What shocked and exhilarated Alice the most was
when Undertaker, all 300 pounds of him, vaulted over the top rope with ease
like a cruiserweight and crashed on top of all the Alliance members in one fell
swoop. It was amazing to witness, the
crowd roaring in approval. Even Alice
was clapping, the camera giving a closeup of her face while she continued
watching the carnage transpire.
Eventually though, the smile deteriorated
from her face as the numbers game caught up with Undertaker and Angle. Even with Kane and Jericho coming out to
help, they were all four left lying in the ring, staring up at the lights. Alice glared up at Dallas, who leaned over
the top rope screaming at her to cheer them on.
She flat out refused, feeling sick to her stomach and wasn’t surprised
when Stephanie and Paul Heyman joined the fray, all three owners raising their
arms in victory. Alice felt ashamed to
be wearing the WCW logo on her chest and couldn’t wait to be able to take it
off.
Dallas was not amused at all. On the huge Tron, he had seen the Undertaker
flying over that rope and then it had cut to Alice, who had been smiling
broadly, a fire in her eyes as she had watched that dick attack them all. Then she had refused to cheer, at all. Which had not been a part of the deal. Not fuck with Taker, yes, everything else had
been fair game and she wasn’t honoring her end.
While cameras focused on the trio in the ring, he slid out, walking over
to grab her arm, a smile plastered on his face.
Shane caught the look Dallas gave him and gave a barely perceptible nod. Alice was going to learn one way or another,
her ass belonged to the WCW -HIM. And
now, Page, because he had done something very fun after his earlier dealing
with her.
“Let go of me, you bastard!!”
Alice struggled against him up the ramp,
the cameras already stopped rolling and felt him yank her to stand in front of
him, the grip on her arm tightening. She
did the first thing that came to mind and boxed his ears before kicking him
square in the balls, making Dallas drop to his knees in front of her. He would not hurt her again, none of them
would! She was a valet, not a beating
post and could see the fire in Shane McMahon’s eyes. Not thinking twice about it, she ripped the
WCW shirt off her body and tossed it on top of Page, backing up the rampway in
just her black lace bra and skirt, touching her neck as if reminding them what
Dallas did to her. What she’d gone
through since coming on the road with the rest of the WCW crew.
“Fuck you.” She mouthed directly at Shane
before hightailing it to the back, hopping down to walk to the back on the side
and ran straight for the exit. Alice
blinked when someone grabbed her from behind and yanked her into a dressing
room, the light coming on as Torrie stared at her incredulously.
Torrie couldn’t imagine what her friend
was going through and hugged her around the neck, glad she was alright. “You
need to come clean about everything that’s happened with Dallas. Now.” The man had looked downright MURDEROUS
out there while he had a hold of Alice. “Are you okay?”
“No…” Alice dropped to her knees, shaking
her head and gripped her red hair in her fingers. “No, I’m not…”
She was screwed once Dallas and Shane
caught up to her. Torrie knew from
rumors and Kimberly, and what she had seen with her own eyes, what Dallas was
capable of. She hadn’t thought Alice had
been with him long enough to really get a taste, but whatever it had been, it
had been enough.
“We need to get you out of here.” She
said quietly, reaching for a discarded t-shirt and smiled humorlessly. It was a cast-off Undertaker t-shirt,
probably something that hadn’t sold at the tables. “Here, come on, Alice.”
“FIND HER!” Shane was not happy at all.
“Dallas, she’s all yours.” He said, walking besides the limping, near tears
man. “I did the contracts before we went out.”
Looking down at the shirt, Alice wondered
if this was fate telling her something she wasn’t aware of or if it was a
coincidence she now had an Undertaker t-shirt on. Her red hair would be spotted by anyone in
the Alliance, but luckily, Torrie had a secret way out. She would be the diversion while Alice made a
beeline for Torrie’s rental, the keys already in hand. Torrie really was a true friend and Alice
owed her big for this, not knowing what she was going to do.
Somehow, someway, she managed to arrive
outside of the arena unscathed and figured the Alliance was still in the
building. Just as she started for the
rental vehicle, a motorcycle stopped in front of her, Alice’s eyes widening at
the sight of the Undertaker in front of her.
Her makeup was gone, having washed it off after her crying jag with
Torrie and her heels were gone, replaced with sneakers, courtesy of her
friend. They were a lot easier to run
in, in case she had to pound pavement.
“Let’s go, Red.” Mark ordered, extending
a hand to her, and somehow was not surprised that she instantly took it,
pulling her up.
He felt her arms wrapping around him,
followed by a squeeze and he revved the engine, peeling away from both their
respective factions. He knew tonight was
just the beginning of this immense war and had a feeling he and Alice were
going to be caught in the center of it.
So far, Mark was holding his own because it was just the boys starting
to give him grief for dallying with a WCW bitch… he had a feeling she was
getting more than grief.
“Thank you.” She whispered, knowing he
wouldn’t hear her and wrapped not only her arms around his waist, but also her
legs.
It was the only way to keep her legs from
being burned by the pipes below.
Honestly, Alice didn’t mind being this close to him, her red hair flying
behind her in the wind. Undertaker could
take her wherever he wanted, at least she was far away from Dallas, Shane,
Stephanie, and the entire Alliance. It
was wrong to fall for a WWF star and she knew it, but…something told her
Undertaker felt something as well. Why
else would he keep randomly showing up, tonight being no exception. Her trembling slowly ceased until relaxation
took over, the vibration of the bike combined with his body heat doing wonders.
~!~
“A little birdie told me that your Alice
just tumbled down a hole with the maddest of them all.”
Shane really had no time for his sister’s
bullshit, or the wicked smirk she wore while she filed her nails. Sighing, he grabbed a handful of her brunette
locks and ripped her head back, ignoring her laughter. “Enough with your shit,
use your grownup words.”
“Alice was seen taking off with the
Undertaker.”
“Of course she was.”
~!~
Mark didn’t stop for a few hours,
figuring the more space between them and everyone was a good thing. They didn’t need to deal with anymore crap
tonight and something had gone down with her, that was obvious. Finally, he roared into the drive of a bed
and breakfast, the last place anyone would think to look for him.
“You all right, Red?” He asked, after he
had cut the ignition.
“I am now. I wasn’t earlier.” Alice murmured, looking up
at the building he’d stopped in front of and raised a slow brow, wondering why
he’d taken them to a bed and breakfast of all places.
How long had they been on the road? Slowly, she unwound her arms from around him
along with her legs, letting him dismount first. He helped her off by taking her hand and
Alice looked up into his eyes, the moonlight reflecting in them.
“You don’t look too worse for wear, so
that’s a good thing.” This man could take quite a beating; she’d noticed he had
a high threshold for pain. No normal
average man would be able to take the beatings he did without being
hospitalized. “Are you okay?”
“Me?
Yeah.” Mark waved her off dismissively, grinning broadly. “Nothing I
can’t handle.” The numbers game had been vicious, no doubt, but nothing
compared to his prior concussion. He had
spent that night vomiting, only surprised that he had managed to keep it in
check until she was gone. “I’m a bit worried about becomin’ a pain pill addict
if this shit keeps up, though.” Because that was a lot better than an alcoholic
in his book, he had done that one before. Mark gestured up at the large house.
“I bet you’re wondering about this place, huh, Red?” At her nod, his grin got
wider. “Who the hell is going to look for me at a place like this?”
Her assumptions had been spot-on. “I
figured as much.” Alice sounded amused, trying not to let her nerves come out
or show how worried she was, even though her eyes clearly held it.
He lead the way, not releasing her hand
and let him guide her inside the building, grabbing the key to their room. He’d even said ‘their’ room too. Alice had nowhere else to go, knowing going
home wasn’t an option after what she did.
She had effectively left the Alliance, even though Shane still owned her
contract. Not wanting to think about
that, Alice looked around the room and had to admit it had a comfortable homey
feeling to it. It wasn’t frilly and
girly like other bed and breakfasts she’d frequented, so that was a plus.
“Thank you…for bringing me here. I can – um…I’ll pay for half the room, if you
want.” She had her wallet on her, which was stuck on the inside of her bra
currently. Her clothes Torrie would take
care of and she’d grab them once they were back on the road on Friday for the
house shows.
“Why?”
Mark shot her a puzzled look, locking the
door behind them and then walked over to open up the window, inhaling the fresh
air. The room smelled like some kind of
girly, flowery herb and he spotted sachets on the pillows of the king sized bed,
his gaze moving to the jacuzzi in the corner.
He grinned, knowing it would hold him and her, if he was feeling
puckish.
“I booked this room yesterday, didn’t
figure I’d have you with me.” He kicked off his boots, using his foot to push
them beneath the bed and then grabbed the bottom of the black thermal
long-sleeved shirt he had put on before leaving the arena. Mark had basically grabbed it on his way out
the door, pulling it off. “Nice shirt, by the way, Red.” He tossed his own in
the corner of the room, walking over to stand in front of her.
“Yeah well, when you peel your shirt off
in front of thousands of people, tell your boss ‘fuck you’ and then get dragged
into a dressing room by your best friend, who wants to help you escape, and
this shirt is the only thing available to put on, you tend not to worry about
the design on it.” Alice remarked softly, looking down at the design on the
t-shirt and had to admit, she liked it.
She liked this shirt and wasn’t giving it
back to the company, deciding to use it as a nightshirt the next time she was
home. It would go with her other
nightshirts and pajamas she wore.
Finally looking up at him, Alice noticed he was shirtless and felt her
heart rate kick up a notch, seeing the amusement shining in his eyes.
“You’re stuck with me tonight. I’ll figure out where to go tomorrow, but you
have to deal with me until morning, Undertaker.”
“The name’s Mark, darlin’, not Undertaker.”
He corrected, after a long moment, taking her in.
Truthfully, Mark had been a bit… occupied
while the McMahons and Heyman had been celebrating, though he had also known
she was out there with Page. It had
seemed, for a bit, that she and Page were on the same side again. Then, during his midflight, he had glimpse
the Tron and seen her smiling, watching him, and smiling.
“You really did fuck it all up for
yourself, didn’t you Alice.” It wasn’t much of a question and he reached out,
cupping the back of her head, and pulling her up against him.
Chapter 11
“Yeah, I did, Mark…” Alice murmured, not
a single ounce of regret in her eyes or her tone of voice, her hands gently
pressed against his muscular chest. It
was so easy to get lost in this man, he was dangerous and calculating…he could
very well destroy her physically, mentally, and emotionally if she wasn’t
careful. Far worse than Dallas and Shane
ever thought about. “They forced me – Shane did, actually. They forced me to be with Page…and I don’t
wanna be. He scares me…and he’s hurt me
twice. And I know I’m being punished
because I…I won’t help them hurt you. I
made you the only exception and Shane didn’t take kindly to it…”
“No, I’d imagine not.” Mark said slowly,
letting his hands move down to rest on her hips, kneading her gently. “I bet
you smilin’ pissed them off all the more…” He could only imagine the fallout
from this at the next show, she would have Page and Shane both gunning for
her. If Stephanie decided to get her
shrew ass involved just for giggles… Alice was looking at exile or early
retirement. “Why won’t you hurt me, Red?” His voice had dropped to a husky
whisper, applying pressure to guide her forward, only stopping when their
bodies were firmly tucked into each other.
“At first, it was because I didn’t want
to get on your bad side like he did.” Alice admitted, being truthful enough and
slowly slid her hands up his chest to his shoulders and down his arms, her eyes
never leaving his. “But I know it’s more than that. I’m not sure what it is, honestly. I just know I don’t want to hurt you, Mark.”
Why couldn’t they have met normally, like
at a diner or store, some place not associated with professional
wrestling? Why did these feelings have
to be so complicated? Usually, a man
liked a woman, or a woman liked a man – it was cut and dry, but the fact they
were associated with separate companies caused a huge rift. There was a matter of trusting each other
too.
“Why do you keep popping up and saving
me? How did you know I’d be outside of
the arena tonight?”
“I’m a mind reader, darlin’.” Mark teased, grabbing hold of her hands and began
walking backwards, pulling her with him.
When he felt his legs hitting the bed, Mark let himself fall backwards,
taking her with him and caught her before she could nail her face against his.
“I was bailin’, before anyone could jump my ass again and I saw you come flying
out that door, so I swerved to grab you.” He ran a hand up along her face,
threading his fingers through her hair. “Hard to miss you, Red.”
“My hair, I know.” She rolled her eyes
playfully, enjoying being this close to him and idly wondered if Torrie knew
he’d be out there waiting. She had
instructed how to get out of the arena without detection. “I don’t blame you
for bailing. I would’ve too – I did
actually.”
Even though it was the end of the show
and everyone was on their way out of the arena.
Alice had waited just long enough, and Torrie had been the
diversion. She just hoped her friend was
alright and had made it back to the hotel unscathed.
“Thank you.”
Then she did the one thing both her heart
and mind were screaming at her to do and made the first move, covering his
mouth with hers to softly kiss him. Given
that he had pulled her down onto a bed, on top of him no less, Mark really
hadn’t been expecting much in the way of anything besides a knee to the
balls. Even then, he had been doubtful. Something was clearly off with this woman if
she liked him of all people. Kissing him
first…that was just icing on this crazy cake.
Her kiss was soft but firm and he allowed her to set the pace, one hand
burying itself in her hair, the other moving to the small of her back.
The feeling of his mouth on hers, how surprisingly
soft his lips were, made something surge inside of Alice she couldn’t
explain. If Mark didn’t know she liked
him, before the kiss, he was out of his mind too or simply blind. She had gone out of her way and went against
her boss in order to protect him, for reasons she still didn’t understand. All Alice knew was it hurt her to see him in
pain, she didn’t like it and witnessing him being beaten down several times
made her anger at the Alliance heighten.
Hell, as far as she was concerned, she was no longer in the Alliance and
had shown where her loyalty truly lay…with herself. Slowly breaking the kiss, Alice stared down
at him, her hair a curtain of red around them and gently rubbed her nose
against his, breathing a bit heavier than before.
Growling, Mark rolled so she was pressed
with her back to the mattress and he hovered over her, his eyes feasting on the
lovely vision she made. Her red hair
splayed out on the pillow, cheeks flushed and her eyes dark, her chest gently
heaving beneath that Undertaker t-shirt Alice wore. It had to be kismet. Bending down, he caught her full bottom lip
between his teeth and tugged gently, using one arm to hold the bulk of his
weight off of her tiny frame and the other… his free hand was gathering the hem
of that shirt, fisting it. He shifted,
feeling her legs spreading and settled himself between them, kissing her all
over again.
His kiss burned, igniting an inferno
inside of her and turning her blood to molten lava, the t-shirt suddenly
feeling like a nuisance. Alice couldn’t
pull away from his addicting lips, enjoying the weight of him on top of her and
dealt with the current heat. The smell
of him, a mixture of sandalwood, gasoline, and leather…it was intoxicating as
her fingers found the band in his hair, pulling it out to unravel his delicious
red auburn hair, burying her fingers in it as the kiss deepened. This man had invaded her thoughts and dreams
ever since WrestleMania, and she couldn’t explain why. Then the night he stopped her outside of the
arena, rather rudely, that just drew her further to him like a magnet to metal.
“My, you are an eager little thing, Red…”
He murmured against her lips, smirking, and pulled away from her, seeing the
disappointment flashing in her eyes. Oh this woman wanted him and Mark felt his
lips stretching in a grin as he took her in, sitting back so he knelt above
her, his palms skimming down her thighs and then up onto his own. “You sure you
want to walk down this road with me, Alice?” Because if she did, she needed to
be aware there was no turning back, no matter what happened next. Hell, if nothing happened next.
He wasn’t above a one night stand.
Alice’s heart immediately screamed
‘YES!’, but her mind reminded her of the fact they were supposed to be
enemies. Hell, she was more than likely
out of the Alliance now, unless Shane wanted to keep her around just to torture
her. Would Mark protect her? The passion haze that clouded her mind began
dispersing, breaking apart and allowing her to think clearly.
“I kissed you. I don’t kiss men I don’t want or desire.”
Sitting up on her knees in front of him, they were nearly at eyelevel only
because of his hunched position. “But if you’re unsure about this…if you don’t
want to go down this road with me, I’ll understand. What happens between us, stays between us
though. What we do for a living, and who
we work for, have zero to do with whatever happens here. Or anything between us in the future.” That
was her only stipulation; everything else would be worked out later.
Mark studied her thoughtfully, wondering
if she honestly thought they could fool around and not have their work lives
mixed in, to some capacity. He knew that
was fairly impossible, especially given Alice was WCW and he was WWF. Somehow, that would probably come into play
and he really didn’t care at the moment.
He had itches he had gotten scratched, but those had been itches, not
full blown desire and he made his decision.
Moving off the bed, Mark stood up, hands dropping to the waistband of
his jeans, green eyes darkening as he took her in.
“Strip.”
Instead of obeying, she only did it
partially and pulled the Undertaker shirt over her head, tossing it to the
floor, her own eyes turning stormy and chewed her bottom lip, slowly shaking
her head. That left her clad in the
black lace bra and skirt with matching panties beneath, her sneakers already
off. She’d removed them the moment they
stepped into the room. The way his hand
moved down to unsnap his jeans and the sound of his zipper gliding down, just
the faintest sound, drenched her panties.
Good thing she was wearing them tonight.
Sometimes, Alice didn’t, and it just depended on what type of outfit she
had on, such as her jumpsuits. She was
fond of them, had one in every color, though most were back at home in Florida
currently. At his raised brow, a devious
smirk curved her lips and her mouth watered, thoroughly enjoying the view
before her.
“You first.”
“Only if you promise not to faint, Red.”
Mark snickered, having absolutely no
problem in shedding his jeans. He did so
and then rose, rather proud of the way her eyes zoomed in on his erect cock,
the way her mouth dropped into a perfect O.
Mark was a bit on the hung side, he’d admit it, and most women had
issues taking him all the way. He was
pretty sure… he was going to break her, but it would be delicious.
He could break her all he wanted, she
would enjoy every second of it and slid her tongue out to wet her lips. “Not
bad.” She remarked coyly, lowering her voice to a sultry tone, and stood up
from the bed to unzip her skirt, pushing it down her legs.
Alice was a fan of thongs, especially
when wearing a skirt, but she also enjoyed her regular panties too. Currently, she had a black thong on and
turned teasingly to unfasten her bra, looking at him over her shoulder. Before she could fully remove it, Mark came
up behind her to cup her breasts beneath the dangling material and the sound of
his groan filling her ear sent shivers down her spine.
“Now who’s eager?” It came out as a purr.
“Eager doesn’t even begin to describe it,
Red.” He rumbled in her ear, pressing himself against her.
She was quite a bit shorter than he was,
he was basically humping her back and he chuckled, palming her breasts one more
time before stepping away. Mark watched
as she finished slowly, teasingly shedding those underclothes of hers. His eyes strayed to the jacuzzi, it was
tempting, but so was the desire to just pick her up and power-fuck her through
the mattress. Decisions. Decisions.
Then again… they did have all night, providing Alice wasn’t the one and
done type of woman.
No, she wasn’t, not unless he didn’t know
what to do with a woman’s body, how to keep her stimulated for more than one
session. Alice highly doubted there’d be
a problem, not with the way he carried himself and how big he was. She slowly turned to face him, her red hair
hanging down her shoulders and back, covering her breasts as they tried to peak
through the tresses. One hand slid up
his chest before gliding back down with her nails and she enjoyed the red marks
they left behind.
His strong hands gripped her upper arms
to pull her up against him and his mouth lowered, his body bending, to capture
her lips in a searing kiss, their naked bodies pressed together. Somehow, they turned to where she guided him
back down to lay on the bed with her on top, their mouths once again
meeting. Honestly, Alice could spend the
night kissing and caressing Mark’s body from head to toe, wanting to explore
every inch of him.
He had a few decades under his belt,
could definitely hold his own and control himself. So, with that in mind, Mark folded his hands
beneath his head and let Alice have at it.
He somehow got the impression that she had very little control in her
life right now. Mark knew at work she
was cornered and, every time she tried asserting herself, it backfired. Spectacularly. He was also a man; if a beautiful woman
wanted to explore his body, he was inclined to let her. However, when she kissed and caressed just
under his breastbone, he chuckled. He
was a mite ticklish there.
Looking up at him, she slid her nails
along the spot her mouth had occupied seconds ago and enjoyed the sound of his
chuckling. Then she blew raspberries,
another experiment, and heard him chuckle harder, almost a full-blown
laugh. The sound of his laughter was
erotic, low, and deep, much like his voice.
After doing a few other things like nipping, licking, and kissing that
spot, she made her way lower to where his BSK Pride tattoo was, beginning to
trace it with her tongue. While she did
that, her hand snaked down between them to stroke his cock, which was still
hard as a rock and that pleased her immensely.
It told her Mark enjoyed what she was doing to him and loved how his
body responded naturally to her.
“Mmm I do enjoy a man with ink…” She
purred against his surprisingly soft skin and stroked him a little harder,
sliding the pad of her thumb over the tip. “So sexy…”
Wait until she went a little lower… Mark
kept himself pretty tidy and trimmed.
When he was a lot younger, he had been ballsy enough, no pun intended,
to get a tattoo on the pubic bone. It
was tiny, it was a demon head, not great on detail due to size and location and
had been a bad, drunk joke on his part.
It wasn’t noticeable right off the bat because most women tended to gawk
at his cock, not the area around it.
“Mmm…” He propped himself on his elbows,
staring down at Alice and smirked. “Do you now, darlin’?” He hadn’t seen any
ink on her… maybe he hadn’t been looking hard enough.
“Uh huh…if done right, of course.”
Alice was ink free, though she’d always
wanted to get a tattoo. There just never
seemed to be enough time in her hectic life, however. Maybe that could be changed. She did go lower, noticing the tattoo of the
demon head surrounding his cock and giggled seductively, shaking her head.
“Whatever possessed you to get inked down
HERE?” Alice asked almost incredulously, fingering the tattoo to the point of
nearly tracing it and heard him hiss, looking up at him. “Sensitive area,
hmm? Let’s see if we can work on that a
little…” Starting on the left side, she traced it with her tongue, ignoring his
bulging cock for now, too enthralled with tormenting him.
What would push Mark to his breaking
point?
Chapter 12
Oh sweet baby Jesus, virgin Mary, and
that other guy… Joseph! Mark’s forest
green eyes rolled into the back of his head, tempted to reach down, and bury
his hands in her hair, take charge of the situation and bury himself deep in
her mouth and down her throat. When
Alice looked up and murmured ‘well?’, he groaned, fucking tease!
“I was twenty…” He finally managed to get
out, his voice coming out choked, low, rasping. “And drunk… and the idea of a
demon head…” While he was getting head… at the time, it had been hilarious.
Laughing softly, the vibrations of her
laughter also sent tingles throughout his cock, the stroking having ceased
while she paid attention to the tattoo. “Such a naughty man…”
Alice had no idea just how evil and
maniacal this man actually was, not that it bothered her. She had an evil streak of her own, not the
greatest background and history. Druggie
parents, foster homes and working at a strip club about summed up her childhood
and earlier years. It wasn’t until Eric
Bischoff found her at said strip club and offered her a deal with WCW, Alice
started turning her life around. NOBODY
knew about that though. Eric had sworn
to take that secret with him to the grave and, at the time, she trusted him
since he’d reached out to her.
Apparently, her flexibility and the way
she moved on-stage had him convinced she’d be a great addition to the WCW
women’s division. However, the deal had
fallen through and there was no getting out of it until her contract was
up. So, she was stuck in bra and panties
matches, which didn’t happen often, and valeting, showing off her body. Alice was proud of her body, but…she had wanted
to do something other THAN showing sex appeal and making men hard in their
pants.
When Shane McMahon had bought WCW, and
promised them a new beginning, Alice had gotten her hopes up and they were
dashed the moment she was used to seduce her boss’s old man. All she wanted to do was learn how to wrestle
and prove that women were more than eye candy and sex appeal, but at this rate,
it would never happen.
Kissing her way back up his chest,
reluctantly pulling away from torturing him, Alice began rubbing her soaking
sex against his throbbing shaft, both groaning at the friction of the first
touch as her mouth once again crashed on his.
Mark held her still with one hand and used the other to position himself
so his cock was resting upright against her, cocking an eyebrow. She.
Was. Tiny. He didn’t want to
explain to anyone why he had impaled the new hire, baring his teeth in a wicked
grin up at her. He held her by the hips,
lifting her, giving her a second to rethink this decision if she wanted.
“Darlin’…” Mark drawled, watching as she
looked down to take in the view, throbbing against her. “Don’t hurt yourself
now.”
“One thing about me you will learn,
Deadman, I’m not made of glass. I’m
forged out of iron and I can take anything you have to offer.”
Alice only stood at 5’6, 5’8 with heels,
and yet somehow fit perfectly with Mark’s size.
Gasping the moment he began to fill her receptive body, Alice pressed
her hands against his chest and dug her nails in a little, shaking her head
when he asked if she wanted him to stop. “No!” She rasped, shaking her head
somewhat aggressively and took him in completely.
It hurt, she wouldn’t lie. Alice hadn’t had sex with anyone in quite a
while; despite her background, she wasn’t a whore or a slut. In the strip joint, never once did she sleep
with her clients, not even during ‘private’ shows, which consisted of lap
dances. Never any sex…she didn’t screw
someone unless she felt some kind of connection with them. With Mark, there was A LOT of connection and
feeling.
“Oh god…”
Once he was fully sheathed inside of her,
Mark sat still to let her fully adjust to him and she was grateful, the burning
of her insides very slowly vanishing.
All the while, she breathed through it and felt his hands fondle her
breasts, not minding it a bit. With the
burning subsiding, all that was left was the exquisite feeling of him inside of
her and Alice rolled her hips experimentally to get a feel for what she was
dealing with, both of them groaning at the friction it created.
“Oh fuck, you feel so good inside of me,
Mark…”
Better than she could’ve imagined or
dreamt. The fact that she had taken him,
all of him, and still felt like a tight, warm velvet glove wrapped around him
told Mark that his Red either did her Kegels or she wasn’t playing it fast and
loose sexually. He liked that, meant
more for him because he was not someone who shared very well.
“You feel so tight, darlin’.” He grunted,
holding onto her thighs, his fingers gripping tightly as he fought the urge to
flip her over and claim dominance.
Riding him was something she did not
expect to happen. Mark was full of
surprises and she figured he would’ve dominated her the first chance presented
to him. He had amazing control and she
showed just how much she had, both of them still feeling each other out to see
what made the other tick. After a few
more grind of her hips, Alice picked up the pace a little and used his upper
body as leverage, pressing against him to keep from being bucked off. His cock drove up to meet her for every
thrust, their bodies crashing together.
“Yeah…oh yeah…”
He bolted upright, startling her, but
never stopped the thrusting and hooked her arm around his neck to grip the back
of it, his mouth lowering to claim her nipple in his hot greedy mouth. She moaned in satisfaction, burying her
fingers in his hair and tilted her head back, both becoming lost in the moment
and each other. Sex with Alice, his
beautiful Red, was kind of like doing drugs.
Mark could become easily addicted and never want to come down from the
high. He’d fuck her forever just to keep
this feeling going. He had given her
plenty of control, letting her take the reins for a while, which was his way of
letting her know he wasn’t going to dominate her, not just yet anyway. If this became a multi-night affair, they
would definitely be exploring other things.
Showing a little of her flexibility,
Alice moved while he continued plummeting in and out of her, one leg lifting up
to drape over his shoulder and then the other, lying back on the bed with his
hands caressing her outer thighs and finally gripping her hips, their bodies
covered in perspiration. She could see Mark’s
face contort in ecstasy and knew he thoroughly approved of this new position,
meeting him for every thrust he gave her.
This position made him drive deeper inside of her and soon, he’d found
her sweet spot, every thrust pounding at it, chipping away at her resolve.
This climax would be explosive, but Alice
fought it off as hard and long as she could, wanting this to last as long as
possible. Her moans turned to cries, her
hands covering his to lace their fingers together on her hips. Alice
was… bendy, to put it mildly, and when Alice contorted herself into that new
position, Mark had felt like he was going to pound right through her
cervix. She seemed to be enjoying it
though, and he could feel her beginning to spasm around him. He could also see an odd expression on her
face, like she was fighting against her building orgasm.
“Let go,
darlin’,” He urged, purposefully continuing his assault, knowing each thrust
just pushed her that much closer. “Just give in.”
“Oh yeah…Ohh
uhm…M-Mark!”
The hot coil
formed deep in her abdomen was on its last spring and she couldn’t hold back
any longer, nodding her head while squeezing her breasts. She arched her body slightly, finally
shattering into a million pieces against him and felt the warm essence of her
flow over his pulsating cock, wrapping him in a tight warm wet cocoon. She looked up at him, seeing him grit his
teeth and knew he was close to his end, gliding her nails down his chest.
“Your turn, big
man…cum for me…” She urged breathlessly, shivering at the growl emanating from
his chest and nodded her head exigently, sucking her bottom lip between her
teeth.
This would be
explosive all over again.
He’d cum, after he had pushed her back to
that brink again. Given how sensitive
her body was, it wouldn’t be hard, and Mark contemplated her for a fraction of
a second before pulling her off of him.
They both groaned at the loss of contact, but it was short-lived as he
positioned Alice on her hands and knees, one massive hand moving to rest
between her shoulders and he pushed her down, face into the mattress. Quickly, he slid into her again, letting out
a growl as the now familiar, addicting heat of her enveloped him. This position allowed him to penetrate her
even more it seemed, and when he glanced down, her toes were curling.
How the hell could her toes NOT
curl? This man had an insatiable
appetite, one she hoped she could keep up with.
She had challenged him by saying she was forged out of iron and it was
true, for the most part. Sexually,
however, she wasn’t THAT forged, not compared to him. It was obvious he’d had a lot more experience
sexually than her, which she didn’t mind.
Pushing herself up with her hands, Alice showed her own power and kept
meeting him for every thrust, not missing one.
This position was so much better, more intense and made her world spin
off its axis.
“Oh – Ohh Mark! I-I’m there…I’m there again!”
Alice came again, the second climax
rocketing through her body and dug her nails into the bedding as he continued
pounding her relentlessly. Flipping her
red hair to where it pooled over her back and down her sides, her pussy
quivered as his hand came down on one cheek and then the other, squeezing her
flesh in his strong hands. Mark was long
enough that, when he was done turning her ass a shade of red that near matched
her hair, he could reach up and gently but firmly wrap his fingers around her
throat. Alice tensed for a brief moment
and then spasmed hard around him, enough that he needed to catch himself
because it felt like she might suffocate his cock, not an unpleasant feeling,
but one he had never experienced before, not like this.
“One. More. Time.” He managed to grunt
out, sweat beading on his forehead. He’d
climax when she did, just once more.
Alice blinked, gasping for air and didn’t
know if she had another orgasm left in the tank. He was draining her, slowly but surely, and
she didn’t know her limitations when it came to sex. She’d never had a partner like him before,
had never experienced multiple orgasms like this.
“I-I…” Alice couldn’t talk, coughing and
pressed her forehead against the bedding, snapping her head up as a rush of
adrenaline overtook her. “H-Harder…HARDER!!” She growled out and he yanked her
by the throat, being as gentle as he could, given the circumstances, and felt
her back press against his muscular chest.
Never once did Mark stop rocking in and out of her body, both trembling
against each other. “P-Please…” If she passed out on him before he reached his
climax, Alice would never forgive herself and cried out in both agony and
ecstasy, forcing her body into submission. “PLEASE!”
Her begging, for what who knew, she could
have been begging him to stop, or to ease her pain, or for him to cum, but it
was enough. Her screams of ‘please’ sent
him over that cliff he had been walking along. “Fuck Red!” He cursed, hissing
her nickname like it was both a swear and an endearment.
Mark slammed into her one last time,
every muscle in him tense, everything in him straining as he finally gave into
his own release, bellowing her name loud enough to probably wake the
inhabitants of the inn. Spent. Alice was completely spent and couldn’t move
a single muscle after her sweaty body collapsed on the bed in a heap. She turned her head enough to not suffocate
herself, but that was it. Her thighs,
legs, arms…everything had a delicious ache to it, especially between her
legs. All she could do was lay there with
her eyes closed, trying to learn how to breathe again and hoped her heart
didn’t give out on her. She was past the
age of 30, definitely not a spring chicken like she’d been in her 20’s.
Feeling Mark brush her red hair away from
her face, emerald eyes met hers and she could only smile tiredly back at him,
knowing tomorrow she would be incredibly sore.
Mark had pushed her to her breaking point, her limit and she hoped he
continued to do it, having a feeling this wasn’t the only time between
them. He could tell by the way her eyes
seemed hazy, her tired smile, he had worn her out. He also knew they both were going to be
aching in the morning, not only from the night in general but that intense bout
they had just had.
“You stay awake now, Red.” He ordered,
brushing his lips against her jawline before reluctantly pushing himself out of
the bed.
Mark got the jacuzzi going quickly,
adjusting the temperature to something conventionally comfortable and then
turned to bend down and lift Alice up.
He already knew his leg muscles were likely to have cramping issues, he
had climaxed that hard. Maybe a soak in
a hot jacuzzi would take away both their forthcoming aches.
At first, she thought Mark was insane to
keep her awake after all the orgasms he forced her body to have. Then, she turned her head to watch him get
the Jacuzzi going and the smile on her face widened, feeling him lift her from
the bed with ease. The second her body
sank into the hot water, with her seated sideways on his lap, Alice moaned out
in sheer contentment. The hot water felt
incredible engulfing her body whole and Mark’s groans indicated this was just
what the doctor ordered. “So thoughtful.” She murmured, softly brushing her
lips against his and snuggled against his chest, not remembering the last time
she felt this relaxed.
“I lied.” Alice looked up at him, seeing
the questions in his eyes and grinned. “You have to deal with me longer than
just tonight, Deadman.”
“Woman,” He growled, though there was no
real bite to it, his voice low and rough, a sleepy drawl. “I think I just
proved beyond all doubt that I am anything but dead.” Mark laid his head back,
enjoying the jets that shot water at a steady pressure out at them, especially
the one aimed directly at his lower back. “I don’t think I’ll mind having to
suffer with your hellcat ass for a night more or so.” Though, he did have to
wonder how that would play out for either of them if their coworkers should
find out.
Hell, they’d just have to cross that
bridge when they got there.
“Mmm indeed you’re not…” Alice concurred,
giggling softly, and decided not to worry about what came after this.
They would figure it out. She would have to return to the Alliance
because of Shane McMahon, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t do things her
way. Page would not hurt her again, not if
she could help it. The stitches in her
elbow had been taken out prior to the main event the previous night, but she
still had a scar as a reminder of what Page did to her.
“I need to be honest with you about
something, Mark. I’ve never…had that
before, that kind of intensity, in bed with a man before. I’m nowhere near virgin status, but tonight,
it kinda felt like I was.” She half-joked, sliding water up his chest with her
hand and heard him purr in satisfaction.
Warning bells kind of sounded off in his
head and he knew he was an asshole for it.
It sounded a bit like her confession was going to lead to some awkward,
romantic shit and he honestly didn’t know how he would respond to any of it. Their lives seemed a bit complicated without
them mucking it up more.
“Yeah?” He didn’t bother opening his
eyes, just let Alice continue doing what she was doing. “Sounds like you’ve
been with the wrong men then, Red.” Mark was not the wrong kind of man, not in
the bedroom and that wasn’t arrogance, just a fact. He did pop open an eye to stare at her.
“How’re you so damn flexible?”
It was her turn to feel awkward, her
cheeks turning crimson and Alice shook her head, refusing to talk about her
past. “That’s for me to know and you to find out…eventually.”
First, she had to know she could trust
him and that in itself would take time.
Nobody in WCW knew about her past beside Eric Bischoff, so as long as he
kept his mouth shut, which he would since he hated WWF and anything
McMahon-related, everything would be fine.
Alice had no idea why she confessed that last part to him regarding the
intensity of their bout and had felt his body tense against her the moment the
words came out of her mouth. Christ,
it’s not like she was dropping the L bomb on him or something!
“Just so you know, I’m WAY more flexible
than that, big man.” She murmured in his ear, smirking and slid some water up
his tattooed sleeved arm, admiring the detailed ink.
Chapter 13
He had tensed because she had made a
comment about feeling like a virgin during that romp and Mark knew from
experience, women tended to talk like that when they felt something, or thought
they did. Sex itself was great, but the
downside was the fact that people usually mistook it to mean more, or ‘felt’
more right afterwards as they were coming down from the high. He liked Red, a lot, and it went up a few
more notches at her last comment. Mark
groaned, grabbing her arms, and planting her opposite of him, staring at her
intently. Alice seemed to be a little on
the obsessed side with the tattoos.
“Need your own, Red?” He drawled, eyeing
what skin he could see over the roiling water and smirked. “I can think of a
few places and designs.” His dick was attempting being hard again, it kind of
felt weird.
“Yeah, I’ve wanted to get one for a
while, but there never seems to be enough time to do it.” Alice admitted,
reaching up to caress his face with her fingertips and shifted to where she
straddled him. The jets were forcing her
off his lap sideways, but in this position, she had better balance. “What kind
of designs do you think would look good on me?”
There was an innocence in her tone, but
the evil glint in her eyes contradicted it.
Mark seemed to be a master at tattoo designs; she idly wondered if he
designed some of them himself. He was
waking up, a bit. Mark was more relaxed,
less tired, just… comfortable. Shifting
so he could see her better, he raised a handout of the water to trace a finger
along her collarbone.
“Depends.” He rumbled thoughtfully.
“Tattoos are for life, Red, you gotta pick something that means something to
you. Or else…” He smirked. “You wind up
with a demon head near your dick.”
Like his dumbass. Every tattoo since had meant something to him
and still did. Giggling at the demon
tattoo comment, she knew that was probably the only ink he regretted getting in
his life. She found it amusing and
surprisingly sexy.
“True, very true. I have a few ideas in mind, but nothing
concrete. I was thinking of finding a
tattoo artist that free-hands designs. I
explain to them what I want, and they draw it out and I either like it and get
it or don’t.” Alice figured that would be the way to go since she wasn’t an artist. Stick figures would not look good on her and
that was about the only artistic talent she had. “The demon head isn’t that
bad, you know. Nothing like your other
ones, but still not bad. It suits you…”
Her eyes kept following his finger on her collarbone, his touch both relaxing
and igniting her all at once.
“Like I said, I was drunk, and young… and
stupid.” Very stupid. “Seemed like an idea at the time, but…” Mark grimaced,
remembering the days after when he had sobered up. “Trust me, a tattoo downstairs
is not a good idea, especially in this line of business.” He had been a rookie
and, when the older guys had found out what he had gone and done… oh they had
exploited that shit. He had so much
regret. “I know a few artists who do free hand, they’re not cheap,” Good tattoo
artists never were. “But they’re damn good and they’re reputable.” Also another
big thing.
“Everyone makes mistakes when they’re
young. And I will trust any tattoo
artist you go to. Simply because your
artwork is stunning.” Alice had no idea when they’d have time to do it, but
eventually the respective companies would have to give them more than 2 days
off. Not often, but when it came around
again, Alice would be prepared and already had more than enough money saved up
in her bank and savings accounts. “Money’s not a problem either.” She added as
an afterthought, pressing a soft kiss against his Adam’s apple, the side of his
neck and finally his ear, just enjoying being with him.
Page and all the problems to come with
the Alliance, especially Shane McMahon, was the furthest thing from her
mind. The contentment that washed
through him felt alien, foreign, and Mark realized that it was probably
fleeting. But he was the type to enjoy
the moment because they just didn’t come along very often. He held her tight against him, letting his
head rest on top of hers. This wasn’t
something he did often, sleazy motels near bars were more his speed simply
because it meant less hassle from fans and the like; it was sort of just the
lifestyle.
“Now, Red, don’t go getting spoiled on
me.” He teased, hearing her snort, and laughed softly.
“I should say the same about you,
Deadman.”
Alice pecked his eyebrows, nose and
finally kissed him, a soft, pliant kiss, before finally extracting herself from
the Jacuzzi. She felt like a limp
noodle, stretching her arms in the air and wrapped a towel around her
body. It wouldn’t be comfortable to
sleep in a wet bed, after all. After
spending these days with Mark, what would happen when they returned to the
road? The house shows weren’t televised,
but that also meant if Page got his hands on her, he would hurt her before
Monday rolled around. She touched her
neck and then her elbow, plopping down on the bed, already knowing hell awaited
her when she returned to the Alliance.
Her head snapped up when her cell phone went off and Alice grabbed it,
one of the few things Torrie had for her before leaving the arena.
“Hello?”
“Where are you?”
“I don’t think that’s any of your
business, Page.” Shane must’ve given out her cell number to this lunatic. Great. “What do you want?”
“Hmm that’s a loaded question,
sugar. You, of course.” In his bed,
preferably, but they had taken a couple steps backwards tonight. “What happened
to the deal we made?”
Alice scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Angle
wasn’t an issue in the match, it was M-Taker.” She barely caught herself,
having gotten used to calling the man by his birthname instead of his wrestling
persona. “I told you I’d help if you needed it with Angle, but Shane insisted I
hand him a chair to strike Taker…”
“You LAUGHED and CHEERED when that
asshole leapt over the top rope onto all of us!” Page hissed out angrily, still
applying ice to his balls and made a mental note to watch her feet. They were lethal, especially in heels.
“Sugar, you broke the deal and now you need to come receive your punishment.”
“No, I don’t think I will. And punished for what exactly? For not helping you assholes cheat your way
to another lame victory? Get over yourselves
already! I’m not coming back to the
Alliance and I don’t care if Shane has my contract. I’ll find a way to break it and you, Shane
and the rest of the Alliance, including that slut sister of his, can kiss my
ass!” Alice hung up the phone, tossing it to the side and buried her head in
her hands, squeezing her hair between her fingers.
What was she going to do?
See… now that was just rude. If Alice had bothered to be nice… he might’ve
informed her that he now held her contract, or at least, a good chunk of it. Which, in his demented mind, meant that he
owned HER. But… she was a rude little
girl, who needed punished. She had
broken their deal, not him. He had done
what he could and how had she repaid his courtesy? By smiling and cheering on the Undertaker and
nailing him in the balls. He hadn’t
missed the ‘M’ that came out of her mouth either, before she corrected herself.
“Oh my Alice… you’re such a naughty,
naughty girl.”
“Page?” Mark was out of the jacuzzi as
well, wrapping a towel around his waist and using another to towel dry his
hair. Long hair, in a jacuzzi, he had
gotten a good chunk soaked. When she
simply nodded, he sighed. “What’d the witless wonder want?”
“He said…to come back and receive my
punishment.”
Alice frowned, her own hair half soaked,
but it didn’t bother her at the moment.
Nothing did except Page’s words.
What did he mean come back and be punished? What would the punishment involve? She shivered involuntarily, trying to think
of a way out of this mess. The contract
could be broken, right? They were
standard contracts since Shane had only bought WCW a few months ago. A lawyer would be able to help her with this
and maybe she could even leave the company altogether to start over somewhere
else. As much as she wanted to ask Mark
for his help, Alice didn’t want to put more on his plate than he already had
regarding Dallas. No, she’d find her own
way and wondered if calling Eric would help any. Probably not since the man wanted nothing to
do with WCW after he was outbid by the McMahon family.
“Punishment?” Mark echoed, not overly
liking that, and frowned, studying her.
She had royally pissed off Shane and
Shane was a McMahon through and through.
He’d find a way to torture Alice for her insubordination because that
was just the kind of cock bite he was.
Mark had heard enough rumors about Page to be mildly concerned and
stared at her.
“Red… has Page done anything to you?”
Besides the obvious that he had witnessed.
“Not yet, but I know he will if I go back
to the Alliance.” Alice conceded, tears filling her eyes and immediately
blinked them away. Now wasn’t the time
to cry. Now was the time to figure out a
way to get her contract broken. “I don’t want to be anywhere near him. He scares me…and I know, if I didn’t fight
back tonight, he would’ve hurt me again…” Being assaulted had instilled that
fear into her along with the rumors from WCW, which were all true. “His
voice…the sound of it…he’s angry and he’s going to hurt me if he gets his hands
on me again. I need to call a lawyer or
something…” Her background and past would be against her, however, considering
how she’d gotten this job in the first place.
“Call a lawyer for what? To get out of your contract?” Mark actually
felt bad for her. She was beautiful, and
smart, but also… heartbreakingly naďve. “Red… things in the WWF are a lot
different from the WCW. McMahons run
this shit, not… the talent.” He would bet money whatever contract Shane had
gotten when he had bought WCW, hers, had been altered somehow. “Though, you
could do what some of the other women have, sue for your early release, but
those always come with a gag order.” Nicole Bass immediately came to mind.
“So what, I’m supposed to take the abuse
all in the name of my job?” Alice shook her head, refusing to be someone’s
beating post because of a job. There
were plenty of jobs on the planet and no bosses threatened or assaulted their
employees, not without consequences. “And you seem to forget something – Shane
McMahon is the owner of WCW and Stephanie is the owner of ECW. They are three separate companies and Shane
and Stephanie are just using the old man as a platform to promote the Alliance,
as well as trying to drive Vince out of business. The contracts don’t all tie together – Shane
and Stephanie are doing whatever they want, including hurting people and I
won’t be one of them. I won’t be Dallas’
beating post.” Going back to stripping was an option; running away and getting
a new identity was another possibility.
“All right, Red, all right.” Mark held up
both hands in surrender, but his emerald green eyes were lit with concern. She had forgotten what he had told her, one
of the cardinal rules. Nothing was ever
as it seemed in this business, with the McMahons. Alice would wind up learning the hard way and
he already knew his big dumb ass was going to go along for the ride because he
was already invested in her. Damn her
and her stunning looks, interesting personality, and nuclear sex!
“I know what this is about, and it pisses
me off because my personal life shouldn’t interfere with my job. It’s you.” She looked up at him, cracking the
barest hint of a smile. “I won’t help them win against you and Shane is pissed
at me for it. I really don’t think Page
cares, honestly. We made a deal that, as
long as I don’t have to interfere in matches that involve you, I could just
stand there and cheer him on. Well, he
said I broke the deal because I cheered YOU on when you vaulted over the top
rope earlier tonight and slammed into them all.
I couldn’t help it. I’ve never
seen a man your size do something like that in the ring. It was incredible…” Mark was incredible,
period, but that was beside the point.
She would not bend to what they wanted her to do, which was mess with
Mark in the ring. “Maybe I can just…disappear…”
He had been a bit smug, and
disappointed. If that was the first time
she had seen him fly, so to speak, then obviously she hadn’t watched WWF
programming. Mark could get up there and
send himself off like the lightweights, if the occasion called for it. When she mentioned disappearing, he grabbed
her about the waist and fell down onto the bed, pulling Alice with him, a growl
rumbling his chest.
“Why the fuck would you do that, Red?” He
demanded, not amused with the idea. “Just how bad do you think the fallout is
gonna be?”
“I-I don’t know. I’m scared what Page is going to do to me,
though. And Shane and Stephanie, but
mostly Page. He’s psychotic, Mark. He gave me the Diamond Cutter without a second
glance, because I tried to help you…” Grey eyes lowered from his while she
spoke, voicing her fears regarding Page for the first time. “He backhanded me
and couldn’t done serious damage to my face.
If he’s capable of doing both of those things, I shudder to think what
else he could and will do to me. He’s
not right in the head…and he’s extremely volatile and dangerous. And now he has my personal cell phone number,
which Shane probably gave him because I sure as hell didn’t.” She pressed her
forehead to Mark’s, feeling safe in his arms and breathed out a shaky sigh.
Well… Mark thought, reflecting on
everything she had told him, along with everything he personally knew about and
had heard about Page, there was a pretty simple solution to her problem. Idly, he wondered what kind of person Alice
was. If she would put the well-being of
others, even those she didn’t like, above her.
Accidents in this business happened all the time and Page was known to
have some seriously weak knees.
“I could end his career for you.” He
offered finally, knowing he could make it look accidental in the ring.
Grey eyes snapped up to meet serious
emerald, his offer making her heart do a funny flip in her chest. He meant it, he really would do it for
her. Alice had a bleeding heart though,
even for a scumbag like Page and she slowly shook her head, caressing his lips
with the pad of her thumb.
“That’s not the way to handle this and
you’re too professional to do something like that. I would never put that blood on your hands,
Mark.” She softly kissed him, feeling his arms wrap around her to pull her
closer. “I do appreciate the offer though.”
“You’re wrong about that, about me, Red.”
Mark sighed, resting his cheek against the top of her head. She was indeed a bleeding heart, and he would
probably be doing a lot of the women a favor if he removed Page from the
equation. “I’m not that professional, trust me on that.” Mark would be the
first to admit he had done a few very unprofessional things and, given that
Page had trespassed on his personal property and pulled some crazy shit, he had
absolutely no problem putting professionalism aside. “He lays a hand on you
again…” His tone dropped, a flat baritone, dark and cold. “And all bets are
off.”
His protectiveness over her just made her
feelings for Mark heighten. It also made
her feel better about the situation because Mark would protect her. He wouldn’t let any harm come to her,
especially when Page was involved.
However, until she found a way to break her contract or get out of this
mess with Page, Alice was stuck with the Alliance. That didn’t mean she would follow their
orders or help Page in any way, shape or form though.
“If he touches me again, I’ll enjoy
watching you end his career.” She promised, a dark tinge to her own voice and
nestled against him. “I trust you, Mark.” That was a huge step for her to take
since Alice didn’t trust people easily, but this man was different and she
could feel it.
He would never hurt her, not
intentionally.
“Little fool.” Mark mumbled it without
malice, more affectionate than anything, though he did believe the sentiment.
He moved Alice so she was on her side and
lay against her, spooning, draping his arm over her side and didn’t bother with
the light. They were both fools, fucking
around like this, sneaking around more like, when they were on opposites of the
drama going on at work. Mark sighed,
planting a kiss to the back of her neck.
“Sleep, Red. You’re gonna need it.” He had every intention
of waking her up in a few hours.
Chapter 14
By the time Friday rolled around for the
house shows, Alice felt much better about everything and also surprised she
could walk without being bowlegged. The
positions Mark put her in…he had tested out her flexibility quite diligently
and Alice allowed it, enjoying every second at the bed and breakfast. They had driven here together, on his bike,
making a few stops to stretch their legs and sore muscles. Alice loved being on the back of his bike
with him. He even rode with her in front
and let her steer the bike for a little while, on a backroad, much to her
dismay.
Once she got the hang of it though, Mark
told her she was a natural on a bike and…well…that had prompted them to pull
over with her flexibility being useful again.
Roaring into the parking lot, Alice kissed his back and unwound her legs
around his waist before dismounting, wearing a pair of blue jeans and a white
tank top. She’d bought the clothes on
their way here and had gotten a text from Torrie letting her know she had her
belongings waiting at the arena.
“I could definitely get used to riding
with you like this.” They had already decided to share a room together starting
tonight, Mark’s idea, because of Page’s violent tendencies and agreed to meet
in the parking lot after the show was over with.
Snickering, Mark dismounted as well,
stretching, and rolling his shoulders before moving so he was all up in her
space. “Red, before it’s all said and done, you’re going to be more than used
to ridin’.” He drawled, amused when a flush of color lit her cheeks. After everything they had gotten up to these
past few days… the fact that she still got a little flustered was… endearing.
Well, now, that was interesting. Undertaker and the whore, who had verbally
castrated him, canoodling in the parking lot.
Steve’s ice blue eyes narrowed as he stared at them, snorting before
disappearing inside. Traitors had to be
punished.
“Oh really now? You think so, huh?” Alice remarked coyly and
cupped his goatee, pulling him down to be eyelevel with her. “I sincerely hope
you’re right about that.” She kissed him passionately, letting him know she
wasn’t bored or done with him already, not even close. Breaking it, her eyes moved from his to the
arena and groaned, knowing they had to part ways soon. “Do we have to go in?”
At his nod, she grumbled good-naturedly
and took his hand, lacing their fingers together. Mark already had his bag in hand, retrieving
it from the saddlebag. Together, they
headed toward the back entrance and ignored all eyes that turned to them, both
Alliance and WWF, respectively.
Considering how long he had been in this
business, and how well he knew most of the people he worked with, Mark had
known from the get-go when they strolled in, fingers laced, they would be
stirring the pot. He knew Alice was
expecting it, but he also knew she had no idea the depths of the hell they were
venturing into. Ignoring the words
tossed his way, Mark escorted her to the WCW corridor, though when one of the
boys made a comment about her, calling her both a sellout and a whore in the
same breath, he turned and punched the young buck. He had to let go of her to do so, but it was
worth it, seeing the bastard fall backwards onto his backside, hand at his
bleeding mouth.
“Watch yourself, son.” Mark ordered
gravely, tone daring anyone else to say something.
Alice shook her head, laughing softly and
noticed it was none other than Chuck Palumbo who had ran off at the mouth.
“He’ll never learn.” She looked up at Mark, hugging his side and the smile
instantly disappeared from her face at the sight of Shane and Stephanie walking
toward them.
“What the hell is this?”
“Are you two-?” Stephanie was
flabbergasted, staring at the redhead like she’d lost her mind.
“Mark, don’t.” Standing in front of him,
Alice highly doubted Shane would put his hands on her with the Deadman here.
She was mistaken. Shane McMahon was not afraid of Mark ‘the
Undertaker’ Calaway. He reached out and
took Alice by her upper arm, pulling her back with him and Stephanie. “We were
getting worried about you.”
“You could have called us.”
“You two are so full of shit.” Mark spat,
eyeballing Stephanie when she began smiling at him. He did not trust these asshats a bit.
“No, we were.” Stephanie continued
smiling. “We were worried Page got to her before we could.”
That was ominous.
Gritting her teeth, Alice shook her head
at Mark and told him silently not to do anything. “The ring – settle it there.”
She felt the hand tighten around her arm a little more and wondered where Page
was at. That’s who she was actually
afraid of. “Thanks for giving that psychopath my cell phone number, by the
way. Real classy.” She grunted as he
shoved her down the hallway, blocking her from Mark’s view until the door
slammed shut.
“You stupid bitch!” Stephanie shrieked,
immediately hauling off and slapping Alice as hard as she could, watching her
head snap back. She had a lethal slap on
her. “What the hell were you thinking?! Do
you KNOW who he is, truly?” The goddamn Undertaker had abducted her, per Daddy
and Shane’s orders, a few years ago and what happened during those 24 hours,
Stephanie STILL had nightmares about.
“He can’t be any worse than your main man
assaulting me!” Another slap, it was worth it though to see the look of fury on
Stephanie’s face. “And YOUR BROTHER let that happen, by the way!” Another
slap. When Stephanie went to hit her a
third time, Alice had enough and retaliated, driving her forearm right into
Stephanie’s nose.
“FUCK!”
“I’m NOBODY’S bitch, BITCH!”
Shane was laughing at his sister’s
misfortune, but… she was his sister and he retaliated by shoving Alice right
into the concrete wall, hard enough to rattle her bones. He knew she was feeling it and smiled his
oh-so-charming smile. “Now,” He began quietly, adjusting his cuffs and ignoring
the way Stephanie was cradling her probably broken bones. “Let’s get this
straight, whore, you are indeed someone’s bitch.” When she shook her head, he
backhanded her, the side Stephanie hadn’t got, just to ensure even bruising. He was stronger than Stephanie by a great
deal and he would admit, it sent a little tingle up his spine when Alice hit
the floor. “You could have avoided all of this, you know that, right? If you would’ve played the game, you could
have had a promising career.” He clucked his tongue. “Too bad for you.”
“Am I late?”
Alice glared up at him, holding the side
of her face and tensed at the sound of Page’s voice, tears filling her eyes.
“You can’t control me, asshole! None of
you can! This isn’t how you fucking
treat your employees! This is not how
you get someone on your side and to follow you!
I’m not going to be abused by any of you any longer. You put your hands on me again and I will be
calling a lawyer.” She meant it, shakily getting to her feet and squared her shoulders,
spitting blood out right at Shane’s feet.
“Shane…” Stephanie stopped him from
backhanding the whore again, her blue eyes wide. “We really don’t need any
legal issues right now, not with what’s going on with Mom and Dad…”
“Shut up, Stephanie!” Shane hissed, not
believing she just spilled that kind of information to a traitor! “She won’t
say shit or do shit…”
“Well, considering I’ve already spoken to
my lawyer over the last couple days about what’s gone down around here lately,
to me, and with Dallas, I assure you I WILL give you legal problems if you
continue to assault me.” Alice wasn’t stupid and had come with backup, folding
her arms in front of her chest.
“Wait, between you and me, sugar?” Dallas
smiled in confusion, glancing between the three curiously. “We haven’t had any
problems, now have we? I thought we put
that all behind us.”
“The point is,” Shane was not amused with
his sister’s mouth and was tempted to backhand her next. “Bring your lawyers,
dearest.” Because it would not be their first rodeo and he sighed, running his
fingers down her cheek, smirking when she flinched. “What on earth do you think
they’re going to do? Defend a slut? One who refuses to do her job?”
“Try me and watch what happens, McMahon. I will burn your entire fucking world to the
ground and piss on the ashes. I DO my
job, you just don’t like HOW and that’s not my problem. And I’m not a slut just because I’m seeing
someone you don’t like or approve of.
So, you can suck eggs for all I care.” Alice would not back down from
this pathetic excuse of a human being and his wretched sister, her greys
nothing more than steel. “I may be in the Alliance, but you don’t OWN me. I’m not your property, just like every other
wrestling star in the Alliance. You
don’t own anyone and without them, your companies go POOF – up in smoke! Nobody owns me, and I hope the WWF kicks your
teeth down your throats, you ungrateful assholes!” Mark would have a field day
at the fresh bruises on her face when they saw each other later tonight.
Stephanie was laughing as she walked out,
needing to go have her nose checked and potentially set. “You stupid bitch!”
She giggled shrilly. “Stupid, stupid, Undertaker’s stupid whore!”
Shane shook his head, pinching the bridge
of his nose and then smiled at Dallas. “She really doesn’t know what kind of
business she’s in, does she?”
“Nope.” Dallas was chewing gum loudly and
folded his arms over his chest.
The quickest way for Alice to unite them
all would be to proceed through with her threats. He would probably piss himself laughing at
how fast Vince went rushing to save his company’s face by burying her ass. It wouldn’t be the first time, or the last.
“Poor Alice, down the rabbit’s hole you
go.” Shane said quietly, nodding at Page.
“Come on, sugar,” Dallas took her by the
arm. “Let’s go look at that face.”
“Let go of me! LET GO OF ME!!” Alice fought with everything
she had until Page lifted her over his shoulder, smacked her backside and that
infuriated her.
~!~
By the time the night ended, her face was
nothing more than a gigantic bruise.
Alice had run away from Page as soon as the show ended, grabbed her
belongings, and waited outside in the parking lot between two trucks. When she heard Mark’s voice, she slowly
stepped out of the shadows and not even the thickest amount of makeup could
cover up the bruises on her face. Page
had helped with the bruising department, slapping her instead of backhanding,
but it still left marks.
Glenn was the first to notice, his eyes
widening. “Holy fuck.” What the hell did the Alliance do to their own team
member?
Mark whipped around at what Glenn gawked
at and Alice couldn’t look at him, wrapping her arms around herself with her
bag in a rolling luggage behind her. “It’s not as bad as it looks…” It hurt
though, she wouldn’t lie about that.
“Shit honey, don’t lie. We’re not stupid.” Glenn grunted flatly,
sounding a bit offended. He glanced at
Mark, who had gone deathly still and pale under his faint tan. Though… the storm brewing in those venomous
eyes, Glenn actually started to feel pity for whoever was about to have their
ass whipped.
“Who did this?” Mark had known there was
going to be hell to pay, for both of them, but she was a tiny ass woman! Who the fuck beat up a woman? “Tell me, Red.”
He ordered when she began shaking her head, growling. “Don’t fucking protect
them!”
“I’m not!
I’m protecting you!”
It was all because she wouldn’t help
Dallas against the Undertaker this happened to her. The assault was worth it, she’d stood her
ground and fought back as long as she could, but in the end, they had gotten
the better of her. If Mark went back in
there to stir up trouble and destroy Shane, Stephanie, and Page, he would more
than likely be suspended or fired. At
least, that’s what Page had planted in her head and she believed him. Trembling like a leaf, Alice felt him gently
but firmly lift her chin until broken grey met green venom.
“Please, please let’s just go back to the
hotel and relax. It’s been…a long
night…” She was tired, in pain and wanted Mark to hold her in his arms while
they lay in bed together.
“Just tell him the names, dollface.”
Glenn ordered with a yawn.
He looked all casual and relaxed, but his
bright blue eyes were open and on the lookout.
Mark had gotten his own little ‘what the fuck are you doing?’ in the
locker room tonight, but nothing like this.
Mark could hold his own.
“He won’t leave until you do.”
“Woman, let’s get something straight…”
Mark growled, staring down at her. “I don’t WANT your fucking protection. Worry about your damnself and tell me who did
this.”
“No.” Alice was not only defiant toward
Shane, Stephanie, and Page, but also the man standing in front of her. She would give him almost anything in the
world, but there were limitations. “Like you just said, let me worry about
myself.”
She could be stubborn when she wanted to
be; if he didn’t know that, they hadn’t spent nearly enough time together. Mark would never strike her down like a dog,
not the way Page and the McMahon hellion siblings had. Maybe it would be best to call a cab and just
spend the night apart. Hell, Alice could
hopefully find a cab service along with a motel somewhere in the city until
morning. Then she would have to get her
own rental, but that could easily be taken care of as well. Still, she stood there steadfast and waited
to see what Mark would do or say.
“Yeah, you do that, Red.” He nodded
viciously, his teeth gnashed.
“Now Mark…”
“I won’t have it. I’m not going to have you getting your ass
beat over me.” He said flatly. “If that means I have to send you packing,
Alice, I will. You understand me?”
Ouch. “Well, for what it’s worth, Alice,
you’re brave.” Glenn said, watching as Mark stormed away, shaking his head.
“But you’re both stupid.” He sighed, shifting from one foot to the other. “The
fact that he’s so pissed is a good sign.
Means he cares.”
Send her packing? Really?
She’d been assaulted because of her protection of him BEFORE they slept
together and that wouldn’t change now.
The only reason she wasn’t telling him right at that moment was due to
the fact they were still at the arena, where he could go hunt the McMahon
siblings and Page down. Alice would’ve
told him once he was calmer and rational, but definitely not now. Not knowing what to say to Glenn, she pulled
her cell phone out just as a car stopped in front of her. It was Torrie, her saving grace as of late.
“Get in, you’re staying with me tonight.”
Torrie ignored Kane standing there talking to her friend and patted the seat.
“Got a bed with your name on it, sweetie.”
The moment Alice was in the car and they
drove off, she burst into tears, covering her face with her hands.
Torrie had no idea what to say, or what
to do. She wasn’t entirely sure what
Alice was crying about, outside of her shitty work life and Alice did have a
shitty work life. She sighed, reaching
into her purse with one hand and fumbled for tissues, holding them out.
“You’re going the wrong way.” Glenn
pointed out to his friend, who was severely pissed off after seeing Alice’s
wrecked face.
She was terrified of Dallas. Mark was going to start with that son of a
bitch and just work his way through the rest of the WCW crew.
Chapter 15
“Diamond Dallas Page, DDP, the Master of
the Diamond Cutter, will be part of the 5 on 5 Inaugural Brawl at Invasion.”
“And we expect each and every one of you
to be at your absolute BEST. Because
this is our LAST chance. If we don’t win
at Invasion, it’s over for us.” Little did everyone in that Alliance meeting
know, Stephanie and Shane had a trump card up their sleeve NOBODY would see
coming. “Do you ALL understand?”
“Yes.” Alice was personally hoping they
lost so the WWF would be rid of this disease known as the Alliance once and for
all. Nevertheless, she answered along
with the rest of the locker room as everyone cleared out to get ready for the
show that night. She wasn’t surprised to
find Stephanie, Shane, and Dallas, standing in front of her.
“We need to know right now, Alice. Are you with us or not?” Stephanie wouldn’t
slap her again and had warned her brother not to touch the redhead because her
face looked…horrendous, to put it mildly.
It was still bruised and, even with the heaviest makeup, the bruising
shined through. “All you have to do is stand out there for Invasion and help us
win. It doesn’t have to be against the
Undertaker either, he’ll probably have his sights set on Dallas, which is what
we want. Tell us you’re with us.”
For the sake of not having her head
knocked from her shoulders, Alice nodded and locked eyes with Stephanie. “I’m
with the Alliance through and through.” She hadn’t spoken to Mark all weekend
and he hadn’t gone off his rocker on the Alliance apparently. Or he simply didn’t care, she honestly didn’t
know and couldn’t focus on him right now.
“Good, because tonight it’s on Raw Is
War, it’s DDP and Rhyno against the Brothers of Destruction. You best be on your game, Alice.”
“Or else.”
As long as she didn’t have to touch or
help hurt Mark, Alice would do as she was told because she was tired of being
assaulted. “I-I need to get ready for the show.” She muttered, walking past all
of them out the door to the women’s locker room, fighting back tears.
~!~
“They got us facing Rhyno and Page.”
Glenn announced, walking into the locker room he was sharing with Mark without
bothering to knock. He came to a halt,
whistling. Mark was in the process of
changing shirts, and his back was a giant mass of bruises. “What the fuck
happened to you?”
“Steve and his little posse of WWF
supremacists.” Mark muttered, muscles rippling as he pulled the fresh shirt on,
rolling his shoulders. He had gone to
beat some WCW ass and wound up getting his own beat down in the process. That had been a great night all the way
around. “Mind Red, don’t you touch her.”
“I don’t hit women… often.”
~!~
“Are you okay? Did they…?”
Alice shook her head, having told Torrie
everything that Shane, Stephanie, and Dallas did to her throughout the
weekend. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
she stayed with Torrie, thanking her for sharing her hotel rooms. Torrie told her something had to be done
about their bosses and Page, but neither of them had a clue how to stop this
freight train. It would get a lot worse
if WWF lost at Invasion, so both were hoping the Alliance lost. Even though Torrie would more than likely be
out of a job, she didn’t condone her friend being assaulted by their leaders
and Dallas.
“Thanks.” She murmured softly, allowing
Torrie to apply more salve to her heavily bruised face.
Honestly, it looked a lot better than it
had Friday night. Torrie had tossed her
cookies after Alice was asleep and cried for her friend, wishing there were
something she could do to help her.
“I’m okay. They said they wouldn’t hurt me anymore, as
long as I do my job right. They’re
forcing me ringside at Invasion too.”
Torrie frowned thoughtfully. “What are
you going to do about that?”
“Stand there and do nothing when it comes
to Mark. Other than that, I’ll help out
with the others, if need-be and cheer them on, even though I really want them
to lose.”
“You and me both.”
~!~
“You’re not even talking to her.” Glenn
mused thoughtfully, busy lacing up his boots after gearing up, a foot propped
on the seat of a metal folding chair, bent down to handle the laces. One day, when he was old as dirt, he was
switching to Velcro. “So why the fuck do you even care? No pussy is worth getting your ass beat
down.”
Mark grunted, not saying a word, sliding
on his leather gloves.
“Not like you’ve known her all that long
anyway.”
Coming from anyone else, Mark would’ve
taken the words to mean ‘get the fuck over it’ or something. But this was Glenn, and he knew Glenn was
odd. Glenn said things in a way that was
offensive, but… Glenn was feeling him out.
“Mind your business.”
~!~
A knock on the door made both women jump;
Stacy was busy doing something with Shawn Staziak, a nobody that had jumped at
the chance to be part of wrestling history. “I got it.”
She wore a simple black leather skirt and
a WCW sleeveless top that was tied on the side and hung off one shoulder a bit,
simple black heels on her feet. She
wasn’t in the mood to wear anything more stylish, her hair simply braided over
her shoulder, thanks to Torrie. She did
her own makeup, not wanting the makeup artist to see how horrible her face
looked without it right now. Opening the
door, Alice looked up at Dallas and knew it was time to go to the ring,
stepping out to shut the door behind her.
Silently, she followed him and Rhyno to gorilla position and felt her
heart skip a beat at the sight of Mark and Glenn.
“Remember what Stephanie said, sugar.”
She nodded stiffly, stepping away when he
went to wrap his arm around her shoulders and leaned against the wall, keeping
her eyes lowered.
“Remember what I said.” He added, in an
overly sweet tone, walking over to lean into her, forcing her to move so her
back was to the wall. Dallas filled the
gap between their bodies, pressing into her. “You best behave tonight, sugar,
or else… that Diamond Cutter will feel like a lover’s caress…” He whispered
that last bit against her cheek, then dropped a kiss on her temple. Dallas, knowing she was likely to nail him in
the balls, sauntered away and smirked at his partner of the night.
Shuddering, Alice felt like vomiting and
wiped the kiss from her forehead, shooting a deadly glare in his
direction. He was patronizing her and
there was nothing she could do about it!
All she wanted to do was flip them the bird and tear the WCW shirt off,
which she was being forced to wear per Shane’s orders. When Dallas’ music hit, he pushed her none
too gently through the curtain and didn’t see Glenn holding Mark back, too busy
focusing on not falling flat on her face in these heels. Refusing to smile, she walked down the ramp
behind Dallas and simply walked around the ring, staying on the outside. At his glare, she lazily clapped for him and
showed her disgust for the world to see, folding her arms in front of her
chest.
After Rhyno made his entrance, the pyro
on the stage exploded as Kane’s music hit and out he came, stalking to the ring
with purpose. The four posts exploded
again with more fire, which went into Mark’s entrance music by Limp Bizkit. He came out on his bike, circling the ring
and Alice made sure not to be in his way, their eyes locking briefly before he
parked the bike to finish his entrance.
She missed him, feeling her heart ache, and had to fight the urge not to
cheer him on. WWF is where she wanted to
be – Mark is who she wanted to be with – not the Alliance and Dallas. Never Dallas – it’d be a cold day in hell
before that happened.
“Hey, Deadman,” Dallas taunted, standing
toe to chin with the Undertaker. The
match hadn’t started yet, and he had been a total disrespectful cunt by not
letting Kane or Taker do their poses. He
had just slid in and interrupted. “You’ve been making eyes at my woman.”
Making eyes? Glenn cocked his head to the side, eyes
narrowing behind his mask before glancing at Mark. Mark simply stared down his nose, heaving a
sigh and slowly shook his head, lips curving upwards. Well… that wasn’t good. Rhyno’s eyes widened when Page was lifted by
his shirt and tossed back into the turnbuckle.
The steel in her eyes and the stoic look
on her face told the story. She was NOT
Page’s woman and never would be!
Deciding to prove a point, even though it would more than likely cost
her, Alice promptly walked around the ring until she stood in Kane and
Undertaker’s corner. Rhyno gaped while
Page’s face turned a bright shade of red and she waved three fingers at him
before flipping him the bird. The crowd
went berserk, cheering her on and, just like last week, she tore the WCW shirt
off to reveal a Deadman Inc tank top underneath. Alice was prepared this week, enjoying
playing mind games with Page. They were
fun, especially since he royally pissed her off. It was clear as day who Alice belonged to and
she’d just basically slapped every single member of the Alliance in the face
and kicked them in the proverbial balls with that move.
“WHAT THE HELL IS SHE DOING?!”
“That stupid BITCH!”
Torrie was laughing her ass off in the
woman’s locker room, cheering her friend on.
Her little bullshit move made it hard for
Dallas to concentrate. He was supposed
to be wrestling Kane, but he kept glancing over at his whore, who remained
firmly in the Undertaker’s corner. Taker
wasn’t even looking at her, not giving her the time of day, but she was still
there. He didn’t get it!
Mark was well aware of what was going on;
he just wasn’t about to break character at the moment. When Kane switched out with a tag, he
accepted, getting in, and approached Page, an evil grin finally breaking his
stoic expression. Page wasn’t having
it. Shaking his head, he turned and
lunged for Rhyno, tagging in the other man.
What a bitch… that was fine though, he’d
get his chance. Mark went to town on the
other man, noting the size of this beast, his width, and figured he was the
muscle, Page the brains. Damaged brains
but brains. Dallas began working his way
towards Alice, who was moving between turnbuckles the opposite side of him, her
eyes firmly fastened on the men in the ring.
No, on Taker. She was staring at
Taker.
“You fucking whore!” He snarled when he
was within reach, grabbing her about the upper arm hard enough to bruise
her. Dallas began shaking her, rattling
her teeth.
“Hey!”
“Traitor!” He shoved her back into the
steel steps.
“Page!”
He looked up in time to see Taker flying
over the top ropes, swallowing hard.
Her back and head hit the steel steps
with a sickening thud and Alice saw stars, holding the back of her head. When she pulled her hand away to look down,
there was a red substance. Blood. She was bleeding…and seeing double vision,
trying to clear it. Hopefully, that shot
didn’t give her a concussion, but right now all Alice could do was sit there
holding her head and trying not to pass out.
“What a despicable human being to do that
to a woman!! Even if she’s part of the
Alliance, nobody deserves to be treated the way she has!”
“JR, I couldn’t agree with you more.”
Michael Cole sounded disgusted as well, shaking his head.
“Can someone from the back please help
this young lady?! She’s bleeding for god
sakes!!”
Before anyone could come out to help her,
the locker room flooded out with ECW and WCW stars, effectively ending the
match in a disqualification. Chris
Jericho and Kurt Angle quickly joined the fray, but it was no use. There were too many of them! Suddenly, up on the Titan Tron showed Stone Cold
Steve Austin squealing his truck to a halt in the backstage area. He’d been gone for the duration of the show
at some bar, drowning his sorrows since Vince McMahon asked for the old Stone
Cold back for Invasion last week on Smackdown!.
He didn’t need the current Stone Cold, he needed the TEXAS RATTLESNAKE
and the Rattlesnake had arrived with a vengeance.
Working his way through the back, Steve
took out everybody in sight, holding the broken pool cue he’d brought with him
from the bar he’d left Debra, his wife, at.
She wasn’t important right now, kicking ECW and WCW’s ass was! The arena EXPLODED as Stone Cold Steve Austin
made his way down the ramp and slid in the ring, beginning to stun anyone in
his path. There had to be at least 10
stunners given out and the game suddenly changed – the power shifting – as the
WWF stars – all 5 of them – stood in the middle of the ring triumphant while
the Alliance retreated with their tails between their legs.
“THEY’RE ALL TOGETHER!! STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN IS GONNA LEAD US INTO
INVASION THIS SUNDAY!!”
Smiling, Alice fell over and passed out,
blood slowly leaking out of the back of her head.
Yeah, those fucks could celebrate all
they wanted. Steve had led the charge
tonight and he had led the assault on Mark’s person for ‘dallying with a WCW
whore’. Mark knew Steve held a grudge
against Alice for the way she had ‘lipped off’ to the guy. He’d fight with them, but in his book, they
weren’t that much better than the Alliance.
Hopping out of the ring, Mark crouched down by Alice. Her fiery hair was a darker shade of red and
he reached out, hesitating when he seen blood on his fingertips. He waved towards the back, wondering why no one
was out here already.
That would be Stephanie. She wasn’t amused. She was also holding the EMTs sort of
hostage.
Cursing, Mark gently lifted Alice up into
his arms like she was his bride, feeling her long hair brushing against him as
it hung down, blood threading through the tresses and dripping on his
boots. Well, it was an interesting
visual and Glenn felt a bit bad. This
was basically a giant ‘fuck you’ to both Factions, without Mark and Alice even
intending it that way. They had some
dark days and rough roads ahead of them.
He just hoped it didn’t end in a bloodbath and with his friend’s heart
ripped out of his chest, courtesy of the redhead.
Chapter 16
Larry looked up when Taker came stalking
through his door with a woman in his arms and gently lay her on the
bedding. He didn’t have to be told twice
when the big man ordered him to look at her head and closed the door, flipping
the lock on it. Even though she was WCW,
nobody deserved the type of treatment this woman had gone through lately. Larry had seen her more than the
wrestlers! He’d been the one to give her
the salve for the bruising on her face.
Sighing, he got to work and checked the back of her head, feeling the
lump along with the small cut. Head
wounds tended to bleed a lot more than any other part of the body. It was a superficial wound and would require
a few staples to close it properly.
“She has a small concussion, Taker.” He
informed the conscience of the WWF, something JR called him and watch the big
man nod. “I’m gonna wake her up, and it’s not going to be pretty…” Having a pin
stuck underneath the fingernail wasn’t a pleasant way to wake up, but…it had to
be done.
A hiss sounded from her lips followed by
a groan. “Oww…” She mumbled, slowly opening her eyes and saw Larry and then…
“Mark?”
What was he doing here? And why was she in the trainer’s room? Everything was foggy, fuzzy, she couldn’t
remember what happened at the moment.
“My head…”
“Uh yeah, your head.” Larry echoed
flatly, planting his palm on her chest to stop her from trying to sit up.
“No. You lay there. If you sit up, you’re going to wind up losing
your balance and throwing up.” Concussions were always fun, but given how hard
she had hit those steel steps… “I’m calling for a bus; I want her to have an
MRI, make sure there’s no swelling or bleeds.”
Mark nodded, realizing she was going to
need her belongings. “I’ll be back.” He glanced down at Alice, reaching out to
gently touch her chin. “Stay put, Red, I’ll be back.”
Larry watched the big man walk out,
spotting Glenn out in the hallway and made that call before returning to Alice.
“He’ll probably go with you.” He reassured her, then he walked over to lock the
door, just in case.
“You’re really going to walk down that
hall and waltz in for her stuff?”
“Yep.”
“Oh this is going to be fun.” He was
definitely going.
Torrie was already waiting for them as
soon as the knock came at the door, handing over Alice’s bag without
hesitation. “Is she gonna be okay? Can
you at least tell me that much, Mr. Undertaker?” She knew better than to call
him by his birth name, which Alice had during their talks over the weekend.
“She’s on her way to the hospital,
blondie.” Glenn supplied, seeing the true concern and worry in the woman’s eyes
and folded his arms in front of his chest just as Shane and Stephanie stalked
up to them.
Torrie immediately slammed the door shut,
acting like they had inconvenienced her.
“What the fuck are you doing here now,
Calaway? This isn’t your turf…and you’re
really starting to piss me off…”
“Yeah, and what are you doing what that
whore’s stuff?!” Stephanie’s shrill voice demanded, blue eyes narrowing.
Glenn cracked his knuckles, waiting to be
given the word to tear Shane and Stephanie apart.
Whore?
They thought of her as a whore.
Mark knew she had been getting crap since she had been brought into the
WWF, and the majority of it stemmed from her ‘disrespecting’ Shane, by refusing
to seduce his old man. That one incident
had set her down this road with Page, and then… then apparently he had gotten
his hooks into Alice and she had been unable to do anything against him, even
before they had started sleeping together.
He was fed up with their antics and abuse towards Alice.
“Grabbing MY woman’s stuff, got a
problem, son?”
If Glenn were the giggling type, he would
have giggled in sheer delight at the expression on both Shane and Stephanie’s
respective pointy faces. As it was, he
simply prepared for a fight, his eyes going to the people gathering behind the
McMahon’s. Mark hadn’t missed it either
and began grinning, the grin widening when he spotted Page stumbling his
way. That bastard had taken the full
force of his little flight.
“Your woman?” Stephanie scoffed
indignantly, folding her arms in front of her chest. “You brainwashed her
against us!”
Glenn cocked a very slow brow, no longer
wearing his mask since he really wasn’t a ‘burnt freak’ like the fans thought.
“Princess, I’d tread carefully if I were you.” They had to hurry. The bus would be here for Alice any minute
and, if Mark missed it, he knew his friend would be pissed.
“She’s MY woman, understand that,
bro? I own her contract, she belongs to
ME!” Dallas smiled maniacally, trying to get his equilibrium back on track.
“Taker, she’s with the Alliance and she’s
staying with us, whether you like it or not.
And she will learn her place sooner or later. We just have to…break her a bit more.” Shane
laughed alongside his sister, draping an arm around her neck. “So, have all the
fun you want, but in the end, the Alliance will win, just like we will this
Sunday.”
Stephanie really wished her brother hadn’t
said broken because now Taker was staring at her and his gaze was pure
evil. A sadistic smile spread across his
lips and she was transported back to when he was the Lord of Darkness. Her insanity was genetic, sure, but Taker had
been the one to shove her over that brink.
“Shane…”
“You touch her again, and I’m going to
stop playing nice.” Mark warned in a low, calm voice, his face still curled
into a demonic smile. “I’ve already played with the Princess; maybe I’ll give
Marissa a go, hmm?”
And on that note, Shane decided he’d
relocate his own family before messing with these psychos anymore. “You can’t
win.”
“Or simply break the Princess again. I did enjoy hoisting her up over my shoulders
around Mania time. Too bad I didn’t just
drop her to the floor and watch her go splat.” Glenn had a sadistic side to him
too, recalling her screeching while Mark ‘negotiated’ their WrestleMania
matches – his with Big Show and Mark against the Princess’s husband, Triple H.
“Do tell me something Princess, how does it feel being a man-eater while hubby
is away on injury?”
“M-Man – WHAT?!” Stephanie sputtered, her
eyes growing wide and shuddered at the memory of what Kane did to her all those
months ago. “I-I haven’t slept with anyone besides my husband!!”
“Sure you haven’t. That’s why you got a boob job and you flaunt
those things in skimpy outfits now, huh?” Glenn snorted, eyeballing her. “You’d
suck anyone off that brought Jericho down, including RVD.”
“E-EXCUSE ME?!”
Shane stepped up, eyes narrowed.
“Hey! That’s my sister you’re talking
to, asshole! Why don’t you get on outta
here before I send the Calvary in to beat your asses again?”
“And send my best to my woman while
you’re at it, schmucks.”
See, Glenn had given Mark time to calm
down and come out of his ‘special’ place, as he liked to call Taker’s old LOD
persona. Mark’s character was just an
extension of him and, during that period, the Ministry era, he had not been a very
happy, nice guy. Hence the Lord of Darkness
trip. He figured nobody really wanted a
reemergence of that persona, that part of Mark, because it really just hadn’t
been good for anyone. This American
Badass thing, this was truer to who Mark was.
It suited him. And Glenn had
thought, by running his mouth at the pair, Mark had calmed down, then Dallas
had gone and cocked it all up.
“Well, fuck…”
Stephanie began screaming bloody murder,
forgetting sometimes just how fast the Undertaker could move when he was
feeling properly motivated. Dallas had
just gone flying through a door and she pressed back against the wall, staring
out of fearful blue eyes as Glenn started dragging Mark away. He was laughing, Taker was laughing about
this!
“See you soon.” Mark blew her a kiss,
practically howling with laughter when she actually fainted before turning and
heading back to Alice.
HIS woman.
Just as Mark and Glenn arrived back at
the trainer’s room, Alice was on her feet and holding onto the bedding,
ignoring Larry’s warning not to move too fast. “He canceled the ambulance.” She
said by way of greeting, seeing the slightly crazed look in Mark’s eyes and
looked over at Glenn, who had a firm hold of the man’s shoulder. Something bad happened, she could sense it,
but Alice didn’t bother asking about it.
“Take her to the hospital, Taker. She needs that scan to make sure there’s no
internal injuries.” Larry was worried about her ribs.
She had inconvenienced them enough and
frowned, not wanting to ask Mark to take her to the emergency room for the second
consecutive week in a row.
He could see in her face that she didn’t
want him taking her and, when he snorted, she blinked.
Glenn slapped himself in the face when
she stammered out she didn’t want to be a bother again. “Then WHY would the bus
be canceled?”
“She told me to.”
“And since when do you listen to stupid
people?”
“I can’t drive her.” Motorcycle.
“I’ll take you guys.” Glenn had gotten a
truck, because he wasn’t suicidal and didn’t like the cold whipping at him.
“I can just…” Within a second, Alice was
deftly swept up Mark’s arms again, feeling another wave of dizziness hit her
and could only lean her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes.
“No sleeping for at least 2 hours and
make sure you get the scan done. You
could be bleeding internally and could bleed to death if you don’t get checked
out.” Larry informed her, a serious edge to his tone and shook his head at the
stubborn woman.
Glenn lead them out of the trainer’s
room, pulling his keys out while carrying all three of their bags. Once they were outside, Mark slid into the
truck with ease, not releasing Alice, knowing it was his way of keeping her
from falling asleep. A few minutes later,
they were on their way to the emergency room.
The MRI scan took 2 hours and it showed
bruised ribs, but no internal bleeding, thankfully. She would be sore for a little while, but the
ribs would heal along with the back of her head, which was stapled
decently. By the time they left the
emergency room, it was nearing 1 AM and Alice was dead on her feet, once again
being carried to the truck in Mark’s arms.
“Thank you both for helping me tonight.”
She murmured, yawning and closed her eyes, soaking in Mark’s body heat.
“Go fuck yourself.” Glenn chirped in a
very friendly tone, no hint of malice in it. “Next time, take the ambulance and
save me the trouble, yeah?” He liked sleeping and had no patience for stubborn
fools. Which might’ve explained why he
and Mark tended to come together and then drift apart.
“Shut up, Jacobs.” Mark yawned, running
his fingers down her nose. “But he’s right, stop being such a pain in the ass
and do as your told for once.” The woman was way too stubborn for her own good.
“Get some rest, he’s not stopping anytime soon.” Alice was able to sleep now.
“Uh no, no I am not.” Glenn muttered,
shooting his friend a dark look. “Because someone had to fuckin’ threaten the
McMahon family, the wifey, that was rude.”
“Effective. I bet’cha Shane has her and their kids moved
tonight.”
Neither told her what she didn’t already
know. She was stubborn and figured
Torrie would take her to the hospital instead of going via ambulance. However, that would’ve required her going
down to the Alliance wing and…wow, she really wasn’t too bright when she had a
mild concussion. Alice had no idea what
they were talking about regarding Shane and didn’t care, her body already
shutting down on her. She had no qualms
sleeping in Mark’s arms, trusting him completely and anyone he rode with was
alright in her book. Within minutes, she was fast asleep, her chest rising and
falling steadily along with her breathing, her own blood still caked in her
hair. It would indeed be shower time
once she woke up again.
“I’m assuming she’s a fucking wildcat in
bed because she’s not the brightest crayon in the box.”
“She has a concussion.”
“Uh maybe.” Glenn clicked his tongue,
glancing at the way the woman was curled up in his buddy’s chest. “Or she’s
gotten really used to you saving her ass and taking care of her.”
Yeah, Mark had kind of turned into her
knight in shining leather and, the idea that Alice might’ve put off what could
have been potentially lifesaving care, in order to catch a ride via HIM, did
not set well with him. “I’m not doing that great a job though, am I?”
“No, you’re not.” His tone was flat. Glenn had seen what was happening to her;
situations Mark couldn’t or wasn’t able to save her from. “Which makes you both
dumb.”
Glenn Jacobs, ladies and gentlemen, the
weirdo who laughed at inappropriate shit and said, ‘fuck you’ as a hello.
It wasn’t Mark’s fault any of this was
happening to her. Alice had made the
decision not to interfere with him during matches prior to them sleeping
together. She was smart, but also hated
relying on people since she’d been dependent most of her life. Making her own meals, learning how to clean
at a young age, learning how to work on her broken down beat-up cars…the
wrestling business was fairly new to her.
She’d only been in it a short time and WCW had never abused their
employees, to her knowledge anyway. Everyone
had been nice there besides a select few people steered clear of and one of
them was Page.
Kimberly had been part of the Nitro Girls
and they’d gotten married, no kids, and Dallas had…problems. Rumors around the locker room was Dallas had
abused her physically, mentally, and emotionally, to the point where Kimberly
finally turned on him on national television, not scripted, and left the
company shortly after. Dallas was
possessive of what he felt was his and seeing Kimberly in skimpy outfits
dancing with other women on national television did not set well with him. He had tried to get her to stop being a Nitro
Girl, but Kimberly refused, and the abuse soon followed along with drugs and
alcohol. Those were just the rumors, so
Alice could only imagine what the poor woman had actually gone through at the
hands of her psychotic husband.
Chapter 17
“Why the fuck would you bring us here?”
Mark had fallen asleep, cradling Alice on his lap and, when he woke up, it was
because sunlight was hitting him in the face.
He had shifted in his seat to find Glenn grinning at him. “Seriously?”
“Who the fuck is gonna look for you at MY
house?” He was the 7-foot weirdo, who lived in a cabin in the woods. It was like a really bad horror movie, but…
locals steered clear, which was all he wanted, some peace and privacy.
“Besides, it ain’t like you weren’t planning on skipping house shows anyway.”
That was true, and there was no way Alice
could perform anyway.
“W-What’s going on?” Alice was awake as
well and immediately regretted opening her eyes, shielding them from the
sunlight. Her head was pounding a
relentless drum in her skull.
“My place. Smackdown! is tonight, but after what
happened to you last night, you two need some time off. I could use it too before Sunday at
Invasion.” They would take the rest of the week off and arrive on Sunday for
the pay-per-view event. “We’re in Tennessee.”
Alice looked up at Mark, seeing him shrug
and looked through the windshield at the large log cabin staring back at them.
“Nice place…” She didn’t know if it was prudent or allowed to call him by his
birth name like Mark.
Glenn shrugged modestly and stepped out
of the truck, heading up the steps to unlock the door, sweeping up a beautiful
brunette in his arms seconds later.
Even with a concussion, it didn’t take
Alice long to discover the woman in Glenn’s arms was his wife, especially since
she had a beautiful diamond rock on her left ring finger. “Have you been here
before?” She asked, looking at Mark and hissed at how sore her back was.
Damn steel steps – damn Page!
“Lots of times.” Mark said with a
nonchalant shrug. “Glenn likes to pretend he’s a bootlegger, so I come out here
to have my benders.” Glenn made some badass homemade, illegal as fuck,
Tennessee Rye. “That’s his wife, Teresa.
She’s quiet.” Which was weird because Glenn was not; the two were polar
opposites, but maybe that’s why they worked out so well.
“Teresa, this is Alice. She’s the one I
was telling you about.”
Teresa nodded, studying the other woman
thoughtfully. “What’s wrong with her?”
She flinched when Glenn began laughing his ass off while explaining. “That’s
not funny.”
“I know, I know.”
“He means well, he’s just… crazy. Mark,
bring her in, we’ll get a bed made up, maybe have a look at her back.”
“Please, don’t go to any trouble. Just a bed is fine.” Alice made her way up
the stairs and groaned when Mark swept her up for a third, possibly fourth,
time. She was losing track and felt
helpless, shaking her head while Mark merely kissed her temple.
“Yeah, don’t mind her. She’s a stubborn bi-woman.” Glenn caught
himself, knowing better than to call a woman anything bad in front of his wife.
“Sorry, muffin…”
“Mmmhmm…” Teresa glared at him playfully,
accepting a soft kiss and turned her attention to Mark. “Just use the same room
you always do, Mark. Make yourself at
home, both of you. I was just getting
ready to make some breakfast.” It was nearing 7 AM and she hadn’t expected to
have a house full, or her husband home, until tomorrow.
“Alice, stop telling people to not go
through any trouble,” Mark ordered softly, no longer amused with her
independence.
Being a survivor, relying on oneself was
fine, but then there were times when one needed to cut the drivel. He carried her down the familiar hallway,
halting in front of ‘his’ room and nudged it open with his foot. Setting her down on the feather tick
mattress, Mark shook his head when she sank into it and began piling feather
down pillows behind her back, gently.
These fucks were country through and through.
“Red, you keep saying you’re protecting
people, or you got it, or you don’t want to make trouble… and when ya do, you
tend to make trouble.” He said gently, sitting on the edge of the bed and
stared down at her. “Stop fighting and let people help, okay?” Like him, for
example.
“Okay.”
Alice needed him, reaching out to take
his hand in hers and leaned back against the pillows. The feather mattress and pillows felt
wonderful against her aching body, especially her back, which was heavily
bruised. Page had put his full force and
most of his strength into that shove that sent her crashing against the steel
ring steps. She immediately sat upright,
as much as she could and fingered her braided hair, eyeing the dry blood with a
groan in both pain in her back and the fact she was dirty. Extremely dirty – this blood had to go.
“I need a shower. Will you help me to the bathroom please?” She
could not get out of this bed without his help unless she wanted to injure
herself further.
“Um no, no he will not.” Glenn said from
the doorway, smirking and carried a large, old-fashioned basin of warm water, a
bottle of soap, and a sponge. “Teresa sent this, says you would want that shit
out of your hair.” He hadn’t really noticed it before, but he also hadn’t been
paying her that much attention once they had gotten on the road. “Go see my
wife, Calaway, she wants to uh, talk to you.” Actually, she wanted to rub salve
on his back because Glenn had told her about Mark’s own beating. “I got Red here.”
“Be nice, man.” Mark gave Alice a
reassuring look before stepping out, shaking his head.
The staples…Alice shut her eyes as the
realization crashed over her. A shower
was out of the question until her head injury healed, which meant she couldn’t wash
her hair the normal way. Alice didn’t
know Glenn well, so to say she was nervous was an understatement.
“Thanks…”
Carefully, she pulled the tie out of her
hair and began to unravel it until the braid was completely out. This would take some time since her hair was
long and thick. There was a reason Glenn
offered to do this for her and sent Mark packing, so Alice braced herself for
whatever was about to come out of the big man’s mouth. Stay away from Mark would probably be on the
top of his list along with stop being stupid.
Humming under his breath, Glenn gently but firmly pulled Alice away from
the pillows and reached under the nightstand into the open cavity and pulled
out a few of the guest towels. He draped
one on the bed, covering the pillows, glad he was a big boy because that meant
they got the big, fluffy towels, then handed her one.
“I got it.” Glenn watched Alice
curiously; she seemed to be waiting for something and he cocked a brow, working
her hair loose gently. She had undone the
plait, now it was… well, her hair was as interesting as she was. “Stop being
stupid.” He ordered when he realized what she was waiting on, laughing.
“Mark already told me that.” Or rather
demanded it.
She cracked a small smile at him and
turned her head while he dipped her hair into the basin to start washing
it. Nobody had ever done this for her
before, so it was definitely a new experience.
Once her hair was full drenched, it came time for the shampoo and Alice
couldn’t take the silence between them anymore.
“So, do you mind if I call you Glenn or
do you prefer Kane?” The last thing she wanted to do was piss this monster off
and figured he had a preference regardless of his wife.
“My name is Glenn.” He said with a
snicker, wondering why she thought she needed to ask. “Kane is a character;
unlike Marky boy, I can separate the two.” Kane was a psycho monster with a
fire fetish. Glenn was just a little on
the crazy side and didn’t play with matches.
Also, he was handsome. “I’m thinking, Alice,” He said slowly, his large
fingers gently parting her hair near the staples, an area he would not be
washing. “You should probably just quit your job.” Because she really sucked at
it. Valets were not meant to get their
asses handed to them. “Or we could take out Page for you.” He repeated Mark’s
offer, shrugging when she stiffened. “What?
He’s obviously a problem and Mark likes you. I like Mark, it’s a circle jerk of favors.”
“If only I could, but it’s not that
simple, Glenn.”
Page had informed her, after slapping her
around a few times privately, he owned her contract. It was still a WCW one, but his name was on
it as the sole owner. Shane had
basically sold her off to a psychopath and, unless Page handed over the
contract, she couldn’t quit unless she wanted to be taken to the cleaners in
court.
“You and Mark can do whatever you want to
Page, but that doesn’t change the fact he…he has my contract.” She finally
admitted, feeling his hands stop and looked over her shoulder at him with a
solemn nod. “I still have a year left on it and it can’t be broken. It’s iron-clad.” According to Stephanie,
Shane, and Page anyway. “And you’re right, I do suck at my job, but it’s not
what I thought it would be either. So, I
got screwed when I first signed with the company and when Shane McMahon bought
it.” Glenn resumed washing her hair. “I like Mark, too.”
“Hope so.” Glenn muttered or else he
would have wrung her neck right here and now while he had the chance. “We’ll
figure it out. Always a way around shit,
just gotta be patient and find it.”
Well, so much for Mark using the McMahons
as that way. He could terrorize them
easily if he set his mind to it; they had families and he had already broken
Stephanie once, but Page was a whole new ballgame. How did you out-psyche a psycho?
~!~
“She worth it?” Teresa asked quietly,
standing on a small stepstool in the kitchen with Mark bent over the sink,
cleaning and tending to his back. “Because these are belt marks.” She had heard
his little rundown; his coworkers didn’t find him dallying with an ‘enemy’
amusing and had jumped him.
“Hope so.” Because it was a bit late if
it wasn’t.
~!~
“I brought some breakfast. Go away.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Glenn bounced off the bed
and skirted his wife, leaning over to drop a kiss on her head.
“I figured you might need help cleaning
up under your… clothes.” Why hadn’t those idiots changed her? She was soaked in blood on her back, dried
and probably itchy.
“Thanks.” There was no way in hell she’d
allow Glenn to help her clean beneath her clothes and breathed a little
easier. Carefully, Teresa removed the
Deadman Inc blood tank top and tossed it aside along with her bra, beginning to
wipe the dried blood off of her back. “How long have you been married to Big
Red out there?”
“Hmm…about 4 years now…” Teresa had to
think about it for a minute, nodding. “Yeah, it’ll be 5 years in December this
year, so 4 ˝ actually. Or close to it.”
She smiled softly, admiring both Teresa
and Glenn to keep a marriage going that long considering he was on the road
over 300+ days out of the year. “Do you travel with him sometimes?”
“Yeah, occasionally, but right now with
Shane and Stephanie being assholes to Vince, he doesn’t want me on the
road. He doesn’t want me to be a
target.” Teresa couldn’t wait until this Alliance crap was over with so she
could go back on the road with her husband.
She missed him. “So why are you in the Alliance anyway?”
“I signed with WCW back in 1999 and when
they closed their doors, Shane McMahon got all the contracts. He voided them, made up new ones and didn’t
show me what an asshole he was until AFTER I signed on the dotted line.” Before
she’d even come on the road, Shane had faxed her the new contract along with
other WCW stars. “And then he handed my contract over to Diamond Dallas
Page…who is the sole owner of my contract now.
So even if I wanted to quit and leave, I can’t.”
“Oh wow…” Teresa blinked, not knowing
what to say and finished up the woman’s hair along with her sponge bath,
deciding to let her clean up downstairs herself.
~!~
He found Mark sitting at the table,
stabbing eggs. “They that bad, huh?”
Mark grunted in response, trying to focus
on eating, but every time he thought about what Dallas and the Alliance did to
Alice, his blood boiled.
Silence reigned between them until Glenn
couldn’t take it anymore. “She really is against you ending his career, isn’t
she?” Glenn mused, on his third plate of food while Mark was being pokey and
still on his second. His wife was a damn
fine cook and, the fact that she had managed to whip up eggs, ham steaks and
biscuits, in vast amounts, on such notice… he’d have married her again if he
could. “Why not just do it and let her deal with it afterwards?”
~!~
“So, this Diamond Dallas Page owns your
contract, but…does that contract state you HAVE to accompany him to the
ring? Or is it just a standardized WCW
contract?” Teresa asked curiously, helping the woman in a fresh orange tank top
since it was warm in Tennessee and dark blue cotton shorts. She’d already gone to the bathroom, with
help, to wash downstairs while Teresa busied with pulling clothes out for her
to change into, including fresh undergarments.
“No, it’s standardized, as far as I
know. I don’t think any clauses can be
put into it without my consent.” It was HER contract after all, regardless of
who had a hold of it. “What are you trying to say?” Her brain was still
somewhat fuzzy from the concussion, but she could see the gears turning in
Teresa’s head. No wonder her and Glenn
made the perfect couple – she was just as devious as he was. “Ohh…”
“Understand what I’m saying now? Instead of being Page’s valet, why not just
switch to Mark? He could protect you
better that way…” She held her hand up. “And don’t think for a second he
wouldn’t, even if you didn’t do this because he would. So, you can save him the hardship of chasing
you down at the arenas and going into the Alliance part by simply staying with
him on and off the road. Could build
your relationship too.”
“But I’d still be employed by WCW…”
“Doesn’t mean you can’t accompany a WWF
superstar to ringside now, does it?” Teresa had a valid point and she knew it,
grinning from ear to ear. “Now come on, you need to eat something.” She had
also braided the woman’s hair again, wondering how the hell she managed to put
up with it.
Alice would have to discuss this
possibility with Mark, not wanting to interfere with his wrestling character or
force him to do something he wasn’t comfortable with. “Okay…”
“Don’t think I’m not considering it,” Mark
grunted, reaching for the mug of coffee Glenn had been nice enough to pour for
him. He checked it for poison, just in case, eyeing his friend suspiciously.
When Glenn simply smiled, he took a drink and swished. “Huh.”
“Don’t worry, I didn’t dunk my balls in
it.”
Chapter 18
“Wait, you did what?” Mark demanded when
Teresa came walking out into the kitchen, carrying a load of dirty clothes that
looked like Alice’s. He followed her to
the cabin’s mudroom / laundry area, frowning.
“Just gave her some advice is all.”
Teresa said serenely, flashing him a smile. “I was a lawyer you know, I do know
a bit about contracts.” She hadn’t liked working in a boring law office,
reviewing boring contracts, so she had quit, but… it had just come in handy.
“Why don’t you go talk to her?”
“She’s interfering again, isn’t she?”
Glenn sighed when Mark nodded and snatched his wife up, loving her giggles. “Go
on, Mark, I’m about to bend her over the washer.”
“Oh for fuck’s sake…”
“Mmm, you better do more than that,
baby…”
~!~
Sitting with a plate of food in front of
her, Alice looked up when the door opened and took a bite of ham steak, trying
it for the first time. “What’s wrong?” She asked softly, seeing the perturbed
expression on Mark’s face, and blinked when he informed her what Glenn and his
wife were doing in the laundry/mudroom. “Oh – oh geez…”
She laughed and grimaced due to her back
and ribs, taking another bite of food.
He sat down beside her and pulled her back along with her plate to be
closer to him. Alice side-eyed him,
wondering what was on his mind and continued eating, knowing he’d tell her when
he was ready.
“She’s a really nice person; I don’t
blame Glenn for marrying her.”
“She’s usually pretty quiet,
soft-spoken.” Mark said, perching himself in the overstuffed corner chair and
stretched his feet out to rest on the footstool, having taken his boots off in
the mudroom, which he now may never walk into again. He could only imagine what those two got up
to in this place of theirs. “But she’s… a card.” Which was an understatement of
mass proportions. “She was smirking when she came out, so what’d you two
chit-chat about?”
“Just told her what happened, the
predicament I’m in and…she gave me advice on how to handle it. Advice I’m thinking about taking.” Alice
replied nonchalantly, enjoying the delicious homecooked meal for a change
instead of fast food. Being on the road
as much as they were, it wasn’t often they got homecooked meals. Finishing up, she turned and hissed out,
nearly dropping the plate and Mark was on his feet instantly to take it from
her. “Damn it!” Page had done a number on her back; the salve only did so much,
but nothing could be done for her bruised ribs. “Sorry…”
“Shut up.” He rolled his eyes, though
there was no bite to his tone. “Why are you apologizing for something that’s
not your fault?”
Mark would never understand this woman
and he took the plate, popping it on the dresser. He wasn’t venturing out of this room for a
while, not unless he needed to piss. It
struck him… that Glenn really needed to add on to this cabin of his, add
another bathroom because there was only the one. Probably Glenn’s way of ensuring they didn’t
get many visitors.
“He’s such an ass…” He muttered to
himself.
“It’s a habit of mine. You’re right, this isn’t my fault. He had no right putting his hands on me and
he did it anyway.” Mark sat down next to her on the bed, making her rise just a
little because of his weight and Alice slid her hand up his arm, finally
resting her forehead against his bicep. “You said you wanted me to stop and
start letting people help me. Well, I’m
asking for your help now. Teresa found a
loophole for me with my contract. So…and
it’s okay to say no to this…I was wondering if you’d be okay with me being your
valet from now on. Just because I have a
contract with WCW doesn’t mean I can’t go out there and cheer you on, which is
what I really want to do anyway.” The Alliance was using WWF programming as
their main platform until they figured out a way to get rid of WWF all
together, which would never happen. “She said you can protect me better that
way if I’m near you and you don’t have to track me down…”
Goddamn Teresa was a smart bitch, not
that he would ever call her that to her face.
She might’ve come across quiet and reserved, but no woman in her right
mind would marry Glenn unless she was fierce.
Teresa’s fury, especially when it came to someone screwing with her
husband, or calling her bitch, was unmatched.
“Standard contract?” Mark asked, gently
wrapping an arm around her, and leaned backed, letting her adjust herself into
his side. “Which means as long as you’re valeting for someone…” She wouldn’t be
in breach of her contract and no new amendments could be made without her
approval. Clever. “Yeah.. I suppose…
I’ll take you on.” He drawled playfully, though inside he felt so much relief. Now… it would be dealing with his own
coworkers… he’d handle them.
Alice noticed him grimace a few times and
frowned, wondering what kind of injuries he had. If he were injured and carting her around,
she would find a way to kick his backside.
That was the pot calling the kettle black since he’d basically told her
not to be stupid, but here he was doing the same thing!
“Take off your shirt.” She ordered softly
but firmly, sitting up a little ignoring her own pain. At his raised brow, Alice plucked at the
shirt he had on and drew her eyebrows together, pressing on his chest. Another grimace. “You’re hurt, aren’t you?”
It wasn’t a question and the worry seared through her when he tried denying it,
pressing on his chest again, this time in another spot. “I’m not asking again,
take your shirt off.” She had no idea about the beating from Austin and some of
the WWF guys. “If I’m not allowed to be stupid and play the martyr game,
neither are you, Deadman.”
“Oh trust me darlin’, I’m not playing any
game and I’m not taking off my shirt. I
got my ass handed to me.” He informed her, rolling his eyes and shook his head
when she tugged at the t-shirt. “Knock it off, Red, I’m not playing, it stays
on. I wasn’t defending you, or
protecting you, when it happened. Austin
led the boys in a sneak attack and beat me down. I’m fine, just sore is all.” He wasn’t hiding
it, but wasn’t showing her his lovely bruises and welts either.
“Because of me…because we’re together,
right?”
Huge tears slid down her cheeks as Alice
stopped tugging at the t-shirt, not wanting to hurt him further. Why couldn’t people just let them be
happy? Did it really matter which side
they were on? WWF or the Alliance had
nothing to do with how they felt for each other. The business isn’t what made her gravitate to
Mark and she knew the same went for him.
It went deeper than that and she felt terrible he’d been beaten down
like a dog because of his association with her.
Alice had mouthed off to Austin because he’d been a douchebag by
manhandling her and she didn’t regret putting the bald-headed son of a bitch in
his place.
“This is gonna get worse if I become your
valet. So much worse…”
“Yeah, because of you.” He conceded, not
about to lie to her too much, if he could avoid it.
Lying on this would have been
stupid. Alice would know the truth. She had pissed off Austin, which Austin would
take out on him, at least until he thought he could get his paws on her. Then the boys thought Mark was a traitor
because he was fucking her, helping her, being with her.
“And it is going to get worse, but we’ll
weather it, Red. Promise.” He dropped a
kiss on her head. “Just chill out, I’ll take care of you.”
“I’m sorry that happened to you.”
It physically and emotionally hurt her to
see him in pain; Alice wished she could do something for him, but he wouldn’t
let her see his back or his chest. She
would take care of him the best way she could, but until this whole Alliance
against WWF situation ended, they would be in for some very hard times. Alice trusted him wholeheartedly, but he was
only one man and she had a feeling Glenn would be helping them in the days to
come. Right now, they were far away from
the business and in seclusion, together again, so she would embrace the moments
they had like this as much as possible.
“I missed you.” She confessed in a
whisper, feeling the exhaustion overtaking her again and snuggled against him
without hurting each other. “And I promise I’ll be honest with you from now
on. I was planning on telling you what
happened Friday night and who hurt me, but…you were so full of rage and I
didn’t want you getting hurt by going to the Alliance. I didn’t want anger blinding you, Mark.” She
looked up into his eyes, grey mixing with emerald and brushed her lips against
his. “Not still mad at me, are you?”
“Not right now, but if you pull that shit
again, I probably will be.” He answered honestly, smirking when she pulled a
face. “Darlin’, I’m not a nice person and you withholding info on me, best way
to set me off. I can be a total prick,
just so you know.” She deserved to know what she was getting herself into. “And
I don’t like being coddled, or protected, which by the way, I think your way of
doing that shit sucks.” Mark was probably digging himself a grave here. “Now,
anything you’d like to tell me off about?
Or about yourself?”
“I don’t coddle you. Protecting you involves me not helping the
Alliance win when it comes to you.
That’s it, that’s the gist of my ‘protection’ and you’re right, it
sucks. But it’s all I can do. I’m not a burly guy like you are, I can’t
knock people’s heads off or fly over the top rope to take out a coalition. The only thing I can do is stand my ground
against those fuck heads of the Alliance.
And showing I care about you and worry about you is not coddling either,
so you can kiss my ass if you don’t like it.
I’m going to care about you and worry about you, even if you don’t want
me to. So, you might as well get used to
it.” Alice wasn’t afraid to let her mouth run away with her when it came to
Mark because, unlike Page, he wouldn’t harm her physically. “And I can be a
bitch when I wanna be, so be a prick all you like. I can handle it and more.” Now wasn’t the
time or place to tell him about her past.
Maybe one day she would, but not until they had established something other
than a half-baked or half-ass attempt at a relationship.
“Mmm, fair enough.” He rumbled in
amusement, knowing they were both probably too damn stubborn for their own
good. “But if I ever catch you trying to protect me by purposefully putting
yourself in harm’s way, you’re not going to like what I do, Red.” Mark was
giving her warning now, before they went any further down this road. “You’re
not built to take the punishment like me, or the others, so don’t even
try. Got me?”
Meaning, if she went in the ring during
one of his matches with him being beaten down, which would probably happen, she
wasn’t allowed to interfere. He wanted
her to stand there and watch; that didn’t set well with her, but at the same
time, it protected her. It was his way
of protecting her.
“You’re referring to the Diamond Cutter
incident, aren’t you?” She mumbled quietly, watching him nod and heaved a sigh,
lowering her eyes to her lap. “Okay – fine I see your point. You win, I’ll…let you handle it. I won’t try to save you anymore.” It had been
the kendo stick shots to Shane McMahon that really ignited the hatred between
her and the owner of WCW and Page.
“Good.” He nodded, satisfied and it
showed in his tone. “I’m tired, Red.”
Mark felt the wear of the last week starting
to come down on him. His back hurt,
moving hurt, and adrenaline wasn’t here to kick him up and get him going. Yawning, he shifted gingerly, she knew he
hurt, so he didn’t bother trying to sell her otherwise, until he was laying
down, still cradling her against him.
“I am too.” Caressing his face with the
back of her hand, Alice could already feel her body relaxing against him and
soon sleep followed.
If Glenn and Teresa were still going at
it, neither heard a thing as they both slept in each other’s arms deeply.
~!~
By Saturday, Alice’s back felt marginally
better and she could walk a straight line without losing her footing. The concussion was more than likely gone and
the staples in her head would be able to come out in another day or so. Thank goodness because she missed taking a
shower, hating sponge baths with a passion.
Currently, she sat outside in one of the lounge chairs in front of the
pool, wearing a white string bikini, her hair braided, thanks to Teresa. The woman wasn’t as quiet as Mark claimed and
they had a blast together, hitting it off.
Glenn and Mark were chopping wood for a bonfire they planned on having
tonight and the women enjoyed the sight of their men working their arms.
Both were shirtless, sweaty, and looked
delicious. Most of Mark’s bruises and
lacerations were healed up, though there were a few yellowish spots on his skin
where the bruises had been. Still, he
was the sexiest man Alice ever seen and she thoroughly enjoyed watching him
work his body, sliding her sunglasses down her nose enough to watch alongside
Teresa. When the men stopped to look at
them, they pretended to talk about something and laughed together, waiting
until the men went back to work before ogling them all over again.
“You got to take that broad and
leave. I don’t like her.”
“Because Teresa is all… giggly and
laughing?”
“Yeah, exactly.” Glenn grunted, his curly
hair pulled back into a sloppy bun at the base of his neck, sweat rolling down
his bare chest and arms. “When women are like that, they’re plotting and
planning. And you know my wife…”
“Your wife is a bitch.” Mark let out a string
of curses when Teresa’s empty Bud Lite bottle nailed him in the kneecap with
expert precision. “THAT COULD HAVE SHATTERED, YOU BI-” And he swallowed that
down because she had access to more. “I’m sorry.”
She cocked an eyebrow.
“Ma’am.”
“Good boy.” Glenn snickered, knowing
better and shook his head. “Man,
you know she hates that word.”
“And you better get used to Alice being
around, Glennie.” Teresa informed him coolly, winking over at her newfound
friend. “Because I gave her my number and, after this Alliance shit is over
with, I will be coming back on the road with my sexy husband.”
“And we WILL be hanging out together and
talking.” Alice added, feeling like her old self again the longer she was here
and away from the wrestling business. At
the arenas, she felt like a scared little girl and hated that feeling because
she was a 30-year-old grown ass woman. “I really like your wife, Glenn.”
‘Get her out of here.’ Glenn mouthed, not
meaning it and couldn’t remember the last time he’d saw his wife so…open and
full of life. She really was usually
quiet, but Alice had stirred something inside of her…brought out an inner fire,
and Glenn would be lying if he said he didn’t like it. “You girls enjoying
yourselves over there sunbathing? Mind
helping us?”
“Now why would we do that when we’re
enjoying watching the two of you work up a sweat?”
Chapter 19
“Mmmhmm…” They toasted each other, having
longnecks and once again began watching the man candy in front of them. “Do you
think Glenn would mind if I offered him a tongue bath?” She asked Alice
quietly, leaning over to where only she could hear.
“Hell, I was thinking of offering Mark
the same thing.”
“You know, if they get too mouthy, we
could just bury them in the backyard.
Wasn’t Teresa bitching about how dead your soil is?”
“She was. Then she made me add amend…
shit, stuff.” Glenn saw where this was going and smirked, glancing at the
gorgeous women sunbathing. “Bet they would make real good fertilizer, minus
that tanning oil shit. Smells like coconut
and hookers.”
“I’ll give you $100 to go ask your old
lady how much.” Mark began outright laughing when Glenn started shaking his
head no. Seven foot just about and
whipped to hell and back by a short little woman.
The tanning oil made them bake in the
sun, but it also protected their skin from drying out as well. Coconut oil was a beautiful thing and it
smelled heavenly. Alice raised a brow at
Mark’s booming laughter while Glenn kept shaking his head repeatedly before
flipping the Deadman off. That sent both
women in a fit of laughter themselves and they stood up, deciding a dip in the
pool was in order.
“I gotta tell you, Resa, I never want to
leave here.” Alice crooned, floating in the water on her back.
“Yeah well, you’re gonna have to
eventually, Allie.” She grinned, floating alongside the redhead, and sighed in
contentment. “I’m a lucky woman having a man who gives me anything I want. I told him a log cabin was fine and all, but
I wanted an inground pool and he did it, no questions asked.” It was the only
NON-southern, hillbilly thing the house had. “What do you think they’re talking
about over there?”
“Knowing those two, do you really wanna
know?”
“Nope, I’ll pass, thanks.”
By the time the men were finished, they
had cut several more cords of wood and Glenn was pretty glad for sunblock,
which he had applied quite liberally and repeatedly. He wasn’t fixing to go to work as Kane with a
sunburn… no. “Well thanks man, that’ll do us when winter gets here.” He said
after a moment, surveying the work he had done by himself and then what he and
Mark had just added to it. “I’ll think of you whenever I’m warming my ass.”
“You do that.” Mark wiped sweat off his
forehead, turning towards the inground pool and stretched, eyes on Alice. She was healing up quite nicely. “Think your
wife would get pissed if I shucked the pants and dived in?”
“Well… that or she’s gonna take
pictures.” It was pretty hot out.
Both Alice and Teresa squealed out when a
bare-assed naked Mark cannonballed into the pool, sending waves over them, and
forcing them under water. Alice came up
sputtering, coughing a little and glared playfully at a grinning Mark, shaking
her head. Teresa, on the other hand, did
not find that so amusing and proceeded to dunk Mark from behind, catching him
off-guard since he’d been entranced with Alice.
She laughed, clapping her hands and covered her face when Glenn next
dove into the pool. He was also naked as
a jaybird!
“Oh my god, can’t you guys go get some damn
trunks on?” The last thing she wanted to see was Glenn’s lower regions,
especially in front of his wife, who had joined her husband while Mark
continued snorting water out of his nose. “Feel better?” She asked once she was
in front of Mark, her braid floating in the water behind her.
“No, that fucking burns.” He grunted,
ignoring her, and focused on the lovely sensation going on in his nose. Coughing, he finally looked down at Alice,
grinning as he wiped water off his face and pulled her up against him. “And no,
we can’t get trunks on. That takes time
and we’re hot now.”
“And neither of you wear underwear?”
Teresa was in the safety of Glenn’s arms, where Mark couldn’t retaliate. She already knew her husband didn’t, not
often, but Mark would.
“You’re not up for the Brothers of
Destruction?” Glenn began laughing his naked ass off when Teresa started
sputtering, listening to her tell him how much he needed Jesus and whatnot.
Alice laughed at Teresa’s response,
however her eyes never left Mark’s, not for a second. Being pressed against his naked body with
just the thin material of her bikini separating them made her body temperature
skyrocket. She was more than hot now, she
was scorching and slid her arms around his neck while they floated in the water
together, his arms wrapped firmly around her waist.
“You totally ruined my plan…our plan,
actually.” She side-eyed Teresa briefly, who was busy being preoccupied by her
husband’s tongue down her throat and immediately looked back at Mark. At his arched brow, Alice leaned up a little
where her mouth hovered over his ear. “I was going to offer you a tongue bath.”
Then she kissed the pulse point on his neck and felt his arms tighten around
her.
He growled, burying his face in her neck,
and inhaled. She smelled like chlorine,
sun, and that tanning oil. It was a
weird combination, it worked he guessed. “You still can, Red.” He informed her,
kissing his way up her jawline. “Later.”
He wasn’t about to let her over-sexed ass
pull him out of this pool, not just yet.
Having Glenn right there with his own wife was also a great deterrent
for his dick. Having Glenn there made it
stay down.
“Off with you, seductress.”
“Yeah, no shit.” Glenn grunted, moving
backwards before his wife could grab him by his tenders. “Evil. Evil.”
“And here I thought you offered the
Brothers of Destruction.” Alice waved her finger, clicking her tongue in a
chastising manner and smirked at Teresa’s giggling behind her. “All talk, no
action. All bark, no bite.”
“Hey!
The only woman I bite is my wife.” Glenn growled, folding his arms in
front of his chest, and puffed it out a little.
That just made Teresa laugh harder. “Mmm
he does bite rather well, I must say.” She winked and smirked at Glenn’s groan,
shrugging her shoulders.
“I’ll take your word for it.” Alice had
zero interest in Glenn, her attention firmly on the man with the long auburn
hair and stunning emerald eyes. “I really don’t want to go back tomorrow…”
“I know, but remember what I told
you. You found your loophole and Mark is
onboard with everything, including Glenn, so if Mark doesn’t have a match that
night and Glenn does, you can just accompany him to the ring. That way, you’re covered either way. And if neither of them have matches, hide, or
leave the arena. It shouldn’t happen too
often.”
“I’m seriously gonna miss you. You’ve helped me so much these last couple
days and I really appreciate it.”
Teresa could tell she meant it and
smiled, hugging her briefly. “We all need help sometimes.”
“I’m worried my wife is going to turn
into a lesbian and leave me for Alice.” Glenn said, sounding both annoyed and
amused as he and Mark went out to the deep end of the pool.
It went over HIS head. There had been no point in having a pool if
he couldn’t have water he had to tread in.
Teresa hadn’t been amused the first time he had tossed her in that side.
“We’re sharing a valet, remind you of
anything…”
“God, what was her name…” She hadn’t been
a valet and this had been back before Teresa… and before Glenn had actually
made it as Kane. “Candy? No… Mandy?”
“Fuck if I remember, but she did have a
really neat mole between her shoulder blades.”
Of ALL the many things to remember about
that woman, he went with the mole? “You’re fucked up.”
Besides Torrie, Alice didn’t have any
friends because of her hectic traveling schedule and what she did for a
living. It was nice to have someone who
actually knew a thing or two about the legal world. Teresa was a godsend in Alice’s eyes and, if
she was into women, she would’ve tried snatching her away from Glenn. She’d never done girl on girl action besides
stripping, but even then, it was all for show.
There was no kissing, just touching, and Alice quickly figured out she
enjoyed men only. There was nothing
wrong with women loving women and men loving men, but it just wasn’t her cup of
tea.
She was shocked Mark had agreed to let
her valet him to the ring along with Glenn.
Since he was on a slightly lighter schedule these days, Mark didn’t
always wrestle, and Alice knew Shane would try to find his own loophole within
her iron-clad contract. So that’s why
Teresa suggested enlisting Glenn to help and she was sure the woman had
convinced her husband to do it. Again,
she owed Teresa and would never be able to fully repay her.
The only problem Glenn had with Teresa’s
little plan was the fact that now he would have a giant bullseye on HIS
ass. It was one thing to walk down the
WCW corridor with Mark, that was him just being with his buddy. Letting Alice come out with him would be
pushing that tentative line he was walking and he and Mark were discussing
that, quietly, treading water together and speaking in hushed whispers about
their game plans.
“It is so cute… they’re practically head
to head, whispering sweet nothings, naked…” Teresa mused, leaning back against
the edge of pool, and let her feet dangle, wondering just what those two were
up to. “We could always break your leg, then you could stay here.” She offered
sweetly.
“As tempting as that offer is, I’ll have
to decline. I like using both of my
legs. And I think you should watch out
for Mark. He might steal Glenn away from
you.” Alice sat beside her, moving her feet back and forth in the water,
looking away from the men to stare straight ahead.
Teresa merely snorted, chuckling and
didn’t bother with a response.
In truth, she didn’t want to involve
Glenn in this mess, but something told her it would happen anyway because him
and Mark were a current tag team, of sorts.
They had matches together lately, and it would look weird for her to
come out with just Undertaker and not Kane for singles matches. Alice had to remind herself this was for the
best and she was being protected, remembering what Mark told her.
Let people help…
“Okay, here’s the deal.”
Glenn and Mark swam over to the women,
but were both considerate enough to fold their hands over their respective
packages out of respect. He was pretty
sure they could still see a bit. He
would be the first to volunteer that he was hung, he had even measured it,
grinning broadly before clearing his throat.
“Mark’s already told you, don’t be stupid
out there, so now I’m telling ya. Don’t
be stupid. Don’t go out of your way to
provoke our opponents, and don’t think for a second that you’re going to put
yourself in harm’s way to save him, or me, if you’re so inclined. Else wise… we’re breaking your legs and benching
you.”
“He’s a mind reader…”
“Well, not both your legs.” Mark was
serious and wouldn’t do this again and again; he liked Alice not beaten up.
“I don’t enjoy being beaten up either, so
I’ll let you guys handle the hard stuff and trust you’ll protect me. I already know you don’t like cheating to
win, so I’ll stand out there and cheer you on.” While also trying to avoid Page
from making a grab at her or any of the other Alliance members. This would prove to be very distracting to
Mark and Glenn, but at this point, there were no other options. “Thank you for
doing this, Glenn. I’ll say it again,
you don’t have to. I’ll find a way to
escape the Alliance when Mark doesn’t have matches…”
“No, it’s better if you’re out there with
either him or me.” Glenn had come to terms with helping, which had to be his
beautiful wife’s big heart and influence.
He was sure of it. “I don’t mind helping, just listen to what I say, and
we won’t have any problems. And no, I
don’t like cheating. I don’t need to
cheat to win.” He snorted, arrogant to admit he could beat anyone, including
Mark, on the roster.
Maybe this would work after all, Alice
thought, feeling much better about the situation.
“All right.” Teresa hoisted herself out
of the pool, gesturing at Alice to follow her. “We need to go get supper
started.” Which meant checking the steaks she had set to marinating earlier in
the day and getting the pasta salad and other things going. “You boys finish
up, put on some damn clothes, and get my grill going. We’re going to need to run to town, beer run.”
“Yes ma’am.” Mark and Glenn said
together, the men grinning sweetly at her when she rolled her eyes in
exasperation.
Emerald eyes followed Alice’s delicious
backside as she climbed gracefully out of the pool. Winking at Mark over her shoulder, Alice took
the towel Teresa handed her and dried herself off, feeling his eyes devouring
her whole. She wrapped it around her
waist and walked inside to go change out of her bikini. There was no way she was cooking in a bikini
and Teresa did the same thing. Walking
out in a black jersey dress that went to mid-thigh, Alice began cutting up
vegetables for the pasta salad while the men fired up the grill as instructed
and then they changed to go on the beer run.
Steaks, mashed potatoes, pasta salad and deviled eggs were on the
menu. This was their final night in
Tennessee before having to leave in the morning to go to Invasion in Cleveland,
Ohio. After the pasta salad was made,
Alice peeled potatoes while Teresa walked out to slap the steaks on the
grill. The men were back in record time
with beer and a few other things in hand, all four wanting to enjoy their final
night relaxing before chaos hit.
While the women did what they were doing,
Mark and Glenn began dragging out the picnic table and stacking wood by Glenn’s
‘little’ bonfire pit. “You are fucking insane.”
“Hey… we’ll soak the area down with the
hose, ain’t no trees around, and Teresa always makes me leave the hose nearby
on, just in case.” Glenn liked BIG fires. “It’ll be fine.” He snorted, tipping his
head back and inhaled, growling hungrily. “Time off is supposed to be relaxing…
not working.” His wife had him doing chores all day long, not that he overly
minded; he liked taking care of her. “You ready to get back to it, man?”
“I’ve got a list of people I’m planning
on hurting, so… yeah.”
Dinner was delicious, and the sun had
started setting on the horizon. She
helped out with cleaning up, refusing to let Teresa do it on her own and then
they ventured outside where the rather large bonfire had begun. “Wow…”
Alice stayed back a little and sat down
on one of the huge blankets that were strewn on the lawn. She smiled, folding her legs to the side, and
felt Mark settle behind her, leaning her head back against his chest. His hand splayed on her side, caressing her
through the jersey material of her dress and tilted her head back a little to
look at him. They hadn’t had sex since
the bed and breakfast due to fighting, miscommunication and being injured. He brushed his lips against hers and she smiled,
moving her head back to stare at the crackling flames. They didn’t have to get too close to feel the
heat because that fire was RAGING. Glenn
and Teresa both seemed okay, like it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, so
Mark was going to trust his friend’s slightly demented judgment. Though, he did note that there was indeed a
turned on hose nearby.
“Everything is going to be fine.” He
whispered against Alice’s ear, nipping immediately after and smirked when he
felt her shivering.
Mark knew that was all him, it wasn’t
cold out here. He let his hands move,
fingers beginning to bunch that jersey dress of hers up, well aware they
couldn’t be seen. Glenn and Teresa were
on the opposite side of the large fire.
The huge bonfire wasn’t the only fire raging outside that night. Alice was smoldering, her body begging for
Mark’s attention and shut her eyes as his lips and tongue continued teasing her
neck and ear. She didn’t stop him, the
jersey dress now bunched around her hips and his fingers brushed against her
soaked panty covered sex. He was
purposely teasing and tormenting her, making that raging fire inside of her
grow out of control.
Chapter 20
“Mmm how can you be so sure?” Alice
breathed out, hissing out at the slight pressure of his fingers before they
drifted back up beneath the dress, caressing her flat soft stomach.
Chuckling, he let his fingers trace the
soft lean curves of her stomach and hips, teasing her purposefully as he gave the
column of her throat his attention as well. “Trust me, Red.” He whispered
huskily, breath hot against her skin. “We’ve got this.” She needed to stop
worrying, for tonight at least. Mark
pressed his palm flat against her abdomen, feeling her muscles tightening
beneath his touch and began sliding downwards.
His fingers delved beneath the waistband of her panties to cup her sex.
“Mark…” Her voice held a sense of urgency
mixed with warning, not wanting Glenn and Teresa to catch them in the act.
She had an overwhelming need and hunger
for this man, gasping as his middle finger slid up her quivering slit. The warmth of his hand seared her body, every
part of her breaking out in goose bumps and a tingling sensation rushed through
her abdomen. Pushing everything else in
the back of her mind except Mark, she gave him her undivided attention and
arched her neck to give him further access to her flesh. Her hair was still in the braid from earlier,
so all he had to do was move it to the other shoulder out of his way.
“Mmm…”
He wasn’t a complete asshole and kept an
eye and an ear cocked at Glenn and Teresa.
Mark could hear them talking, laughing, and knew they were
occupied. If Glenn stood up, Mark would
see him, the jackass was huge. Testing
the waters and seeing how she would react to a little public, outdoor
indecency, Mark tilted his hand, sliding a finger into her receptive
warmth. He felt her instantly clasping
around him and her fingernails digging suddenly into his wrist. Some people got off on being outside, where
they could get caught.
If they were caught, Glenn would never
let them live this down, but the exhilaration she felt with him was too strong
to stop. She didn’t want him to
stop. Biting down on her bottom lip
hard, she muffled her moans as much as she could while his finger went to work
on her sex, curling to hit her sweet spot.
Mark wanted her to climax out here, in front of the raging fire, while
they’re friends were just on the other side of it. Alice could feel alarm bells ringing in her
head, but they weren’t nearly loud enough to stop this moment. She nodded when asked if she enjoyed this, if
she enjoyed the possibility of getting caught and reached around to feel his
hard cock through the confines of his tight jeans.
What she wouldn’t give to throw caution
to the wind and fuck him right here in front of this fire under the moon and
stars. Her wish came true because Glenn
suddenly stood up, pulling a giggling Teresa with him. Mark could smell the beer wafting from those
two, glad he hadn’t decided to enter the drinking challenge Glenn had thrown
his way. He was no lightweight, but his
friend was a master.
“If we come back within an hour, it’s
because I popped my cork too soon.” Glenn’s dark laughter echoed throughout the
night as he hoisted his woman up over his shoulder and carted her into the
cabin.
As soon as that door shut behind them,
Mark had Alice down on that blanket.
Alice laughed, and that laughter quickly
turned to moaning as Mark’s head buried between her thighs, her panties long
gone. It didn’t matter if the fire raged
out of control and engulfed them, she would not deny this man anything he
wanted and craved from her. While he busied
himself between her thighs, she managed to pull the jersey dress up over her
head, showing more of her flexibility, revealing no bra. Mark looked up at her briefly before going
back to snacking on her pussy, holding her lower half down with his large
forearm while she squirmed, arching her body.
Burying her fingers in his hair, Alice didn’t care who heard her and
became lost in the sensations he forced her body to feel.
“Oh Mark…”
The way Glenn had that fire going, Mark
had no doubt it would burn well for a while.
He was betting the other man had thrown a few logs on before he had gone
inside. Smirking, he kept at his little
snack, suddenly feeling her fingernails in his skull followed instantly by a
gush of her sweet nectar coating his tongue.
He kept going, refusing to let her calm down, and rode out that orgasm;
she wasn’t done, not yet.
Much like their first time together, by
the end of this session, Alice was completely spent and drained of energy. They hadn’t gone back inside, spending hours
in front of the slowly dying fire pleasuring each other before ending own
raging desires, fulfilling what they both craved. Mark currently lay on top of her, resting his
ear over her pounding heart and her fingers lazily glided through his
hair. They were both naked, under the
stars and moon with the much smaller firelight reflecting off their glistening
skin.
“Is Texas like this?” She asked randomly,
watching his head lift to look up at her. “I live in Florida, in the city, so
I’ve never had an experience in the middle of nowhere like this before. It’s really nice…”
“Is Texas like Tennessee?” He repeated,
shaking his head, eyes fastened on the sky above. The view was spectacular. “No… at least not
where I live, and the climates are totally different. Florida is humid.” He sometimes liked
Florida, such as in the winter, when his dry skin needed all that extra
humidity. “He’s got more trees, and we don’t have mountains or valleys like he
does.” Mark could not believe she hadn’t been out in the sticks before,
wondering if she was a born and bred city girl; somehow, it wouldn’t surprise
him. “I live in the country too.” Eventually, he’d take her there and show her
his place. It was not as… rustic, as
Glenn’s.
“I’m sure it’s just as beautiful as this
place, if not more.” Throughout traveling, Alice had been to every state within
the country, but never had time to appreciate the beauty each one had. She was always on the go, moving from place
to place, doing her job, and going back to Florida every occasionally. “I live
in Miami.” She confessed, figuring he’d want to know that information
eventually and felt him roll to where he was on his back with her head on his
chest now. “It’s okay, I guess…”
The humidity sucked, but it was something
she’d gotten used to. Florida was not
her favorite state and, sooner or later, Alice planned on moving out of state
somewhere else. Considering Alice seemed
to purposefully withhold bits of information, he had been filing them away as
she revealed new tidbits. She didn’t
know him that well, he supposed she was entitled to her privacy, not that he
wasn’t curious.
“Miami, huh?” Gross, he personally
thought Miami was a cesspool of drugs and murder, and his hold on her tightened
briefly until he realized what he was doing and let up. “Born and raised there,
Red?”
“Not exactly.” Alice shook her head,
resting her chin on his chest and wondered if telling him about her past would
bite her on the backside. “I was originally born in…Chicago.” Talk about a cesspool…it
was way worse than Miami and felt his hand stroke her back, urging her silently
to continue while comforting her at the same time. “I also lived in several
other states before finding myself in Miami.
Texas wasn’t one of them and neither was Tennessee, unfortunately.”
Maybe it would be best if he knew the true reason why she signed with WCW. He was protecting her, but would he think of
her differently if he knew the truth and about her past? “Were you born and
bred in Texas?”
So, she had moved around quite a bit,
living in several different states was not a usual thing, Mark surmised. Maybe she was an army brat, he mused. “Yep,
born and bred.” He answered after a moment, pushing himself upright to take a
look at the fire. If he let it go, it’d
die out in about an hour. Mark had no
intentions of leaving it alone until that point, and it was still nice out here
with her. He wasn’t in any hurry.
“Pretty normal upbringing actually, seems weird, don’t it?”
“No, not really. That’s good you had a normal upbringing.”
At least one of them did. She watched him toss a few more logs on the
fire to keep it going and smiled, knowing he didn’t want this night to end any
more than she wanted it to. Once they
went back on the road, there wouldn’t be any time to be together like this
except in stuffy hotel rooms, besides their days off.
“I was a foster baby. My parents died shortly after I was born
and…I was tossed around every foster home imaginable. When I was 16, I managed to get emancipated
by the state of Florida because I had a…job.” Alice swallowed hard, feeling his
arm snake around her body again to pull her closer against him. “I lied to the
government about what kind of job it was or else I would’ve been stuck in the
foster care system until I turned 18.
I…couldn’t handle it anymore, the constant rejection of nobody wanting
me and my schooling began to fail, so I dropped out. I’m a high school dropout and I never went
back for my GED or anything.”
A 30-year-old woman without a high school
diploma was pathetic, but in her line of work, prior to Eric Bischoff
discovering her, Alice didn’t need it.
Well, that was unexpected, and Mark was fairly sure she could see the
shock on his face before he arranged his expression into something calm and
neutral. Alice seemed smart, most of the
time, but he hadn’t pegged her for a foster kid. He had to wonder what kind of job she had
actually held.
“What did you do for a living at 16,
Red?” He asked casually, wondering just what job a 16-year-old held, especially
without being in school. The foster
system seemed royally fucked up.
Lowering her eyes from him, Alice could
feel the tears building in her eyes and suddenly pushed away from him, shaking
her head. “No.” She’d barely known him 2 weeks and had told him far more than
she should’ve. “I’m sorry, but…I can’t talk about it.”
Stripping was not one of her finer
choices in life, but for a 16-year-old there wasn’t a lot of options out there
for her. Her foster parents were strict
Catholics and took the faith a little too seriously. It wasn’t for her, nor the punishments they
gave her when she didn’t obey them.
Shuddering at the memories, Alice swiped her jersey dress from the grass
to slip it back on, only for Mark to stop her and pulled her back down on the
blanket.
“I don’t…I’m afraid to tell you because I
don’t want you to look at me any differently.
I did what I had to do to get out of the foster system…”
“Darlin’, unless you were involved in
child or animal porn, there’s not much you’re gonna tell me that’s going to
make me look at you different.” Mark assured her, quite serious.
A lot of the women in this business had
dabbled in porn. Be it acting or
pictures, at one point or another, or some had even done worse. It was a hard life, wrestling, especially for
the women who seemed to sell every last inch of themselves just to get a foot
hold.
“You don’t have to tell me, Alice. It’s your business, but don’t ever be afraid
to tell me either.”
“It’s not porn. Even I have higher standards than that.”
Alice slid her hands up and down his
chest, which was also a soothing mechanism for her. Life was indeed hard and hers was no
exception, but the way he looked at her now…she never wanted to lose that or
what they had. The feelings stirring up
inside of her for him were growing stronger and now that they’d found a
loophole in her contract Page had in his grubby hands, they would be spending a
great deal of time together in the coming months.
“I was a stripper. The owner forced me to lie about my age; I
was…advanced as far as my body was concerned at that age.” Big tits and nice
ass with a toned body and zero brains. “He helped me get started and…I made
enough money to get out of the foster home I was in.” Alice took a deep breath,
enjoying Mark hovering over her because he made her feel safe and gave her the
courage, somehow, to confess everything to him. “And I did that until I turned
29…when Eric Bischoff found me and offered me a contract to work for WCW. I didn’t have any wrestling experience, I
didn’t even know what wrestling was, but he said I had the body for it and…I
was desperate to get out of the stripping scene. I never…slept with any of the clients, it was
all just showing my body off for money.
The owner tried getting me sleep with them, but I refused. When I signed with WCW, I was supposed to
start training with a few of the girls they had in the company, but…it was all
a hoax, a fluke, a lie. And I’d already
signed my contract, so I was stuck. Eric
is the only one who knows about this, as far as I know. He promised he wouldn’t breathe a word about
it to anyone in the company and Shane and Page haven’t mentioned anything to me
about it, so I’m hoping Eric kept his word and his mouth shut.”
Bischoff would hold onto that information
and keep it guarded, unless there was a price he set for it and then he’d wind
up bought. Just how it worked, and Mark
wasn’t surprised at all that she had been a stripper. Alice definitely had the body for it. Mark was, however, relieved to know she
hadn’t slept around; the woman had some morals, her own weird ass moral conduct
and standards and he liked that. And
her. Quite a bit more than he probably
should’ve.
“Thank you for telling me.” He rumbled
softly, knowing it must’ve been a bit hard for her to confide in him and he
kissed her gently. “Explains the flexibility.”
Rolling her eyes, she smacked his chest
playfully and shook her head, not believing that’s the only thing he was
focused on from that entire confession.
Typical man. “You are such an ass.” She brought his mouth down on hers,
kissing him passionately and felt him draw her closer, only breaking the kiss
when they both needed oxygen to breathe properly. “Thank you for not judging me
and…accepting me for who I am.” Alice rubbed her nose against his gently.
“Ass.” She giggled when he growled, smacking her backside and wiggled her
backside against his hand, forcing him to do it again.
“I’M the ass because YOU’RE
flexible? Explain how that works to me.”
Mark laughed, rolling her onto her back and began tickling her.
Spanking her ass was all well and fine,
but the echo was insanely loud out here.
Last thing he needed was Glenn coming out thinking something was
happening, and he snorted at the thought.
After she had threatened to pee on him, Mark stopped and brushed his
lips against hers, smiling at how soft and pliant she was.
“Now it’s your turn.” At his cocked brow,
Alice smiled softly and caressed his face with the back of her hand. “You’ve
heard a great deal about me tonight, so I want to hear about you. How did you get into wrestling in the first
place? What was your upbringing like
since you said it was normal? All of it,
I wanna know everything you’re willing to tell me about you.”
She really liked him and, since he’d
heard her darkest secret, he could reciprocate the notion. He went into a long-winded explanation about
his childhood, how he grew up in Houston, Texas, where he currently resided. His father had died at an early age and his
mother followed when he was 26. So
technically, he was an orphan, like her, and had no siblings besides Glenn, who
he’d adopted as his brother both on and off-screen. As far as how he’d got into wrestling, Alice
was shocked to learn he’d been 12 hours from gaining his degree, only to give
it all up, a full-ride basketball scholarship overseas, to pursue the life of
professional wrestling. And he didn’t
regret it one bit, enjoying his career for the most part.
“Wow, you’re very brave for doing
that. I could never do something like
that.” Hell, she’d never entertained the thought of college considering she’d
never gotten a high school diploma.
College was not in the cards for her.
“I’m brave for quitting college?” Mark
echoed, sounding confused and then he realized Alice didn’t have the upbringing
most kids had, like he had. So… he had
to reset his assumptions and preconceptions of what was normal. “Darlin’, I
worked for WCW for a bit and they told me I’d never make it. I’m telling you, that right there was a ‘fuck
me’ moment, made me wish I’d never dropped out.” He had always thought about
going back, finishing off those hours, but… the last thing he wanted to do on
his downtime was schoolwork.
“No, you’re brave for taking a chance at
something you really love. Even if you
didn’t love it at the time, I can see you do now. WCW didn’t know what they had in you, it’s
their loss and you made yourself a star, despite them. They can never take that away from you
either.” Alice smiled at him, admiration shining in her greys and felt his
forehead rest against hers, his hands sliding up her arms to lace their fingers
together. “You got out before they completely fucked you over, I didn’t. And you can always go back to college to
finish those 12 hours, if that’s all you really need.” At his snort, she
laughed and shrugged, knowing it was always an option for him.
“I’d rather spend my free time fucking
you, Red.” Mark informed her huskily, laughing when her cheeks flushed.
He loved that. It was weird; she was no virgin in the
bedroom; she had been a stripper, but when he said something that like out of
the blue, just a hint of pink would creep into her cheeks. Mark idly wondered how she’d feel if he asked
her for a private dance, knowing now that’s where that flexibility of hers came
from, and felt his cock stirring to life again at the thought.
“Mmm, same here, big man…” Reaching
between them, she managed to wrap her hand around his hardened cock and
smirked, knowing he was ready for another round. “Fuck me, Mark…” She wrapped
her legs around his waist, gasping at the feeling of his cock brushing her and
knew their talking had come to an end.
It was time for some more action.
Chapter 21
“Relax.”
“Easy for you to say. Easy for you BOTH to say.” They weren’t the
ones walking into the lion’s den to inform the Alliance what she planned on
doing with her contractual obligations.
“Mark is going with you. Want me to come too?”
Glenn didn’t blame her for being nervous
after everything Shane McMahon and Page had put her through lately. Hell, she still had staples in her head from
Tuesday, but hopefully those would come out either tonight or tomorrow at
Raw. Alice looked up at Mark, who was
driving and felt his hand squeeze hers, letting her know silently everything
would be alright. Who the hell would
think to jump the Brothers of Destruction?
Shane wasn’t that stupid.
“If you don’t mind, Glenn, that would be
great.”
Well, all of the Alliance versus the
Brothers of Destruction… Mark could see them trying and maybe getting some
licks in… no, they’d get their asses kicked if those boys got froggy enough and
he knew it. Sure, he and Glenn would do
some damage, but the numbers game always caught up, no matter who it was. But he and Glenn walked her down that hall,
both of them imposing in their own rights and he had noticed their own WWF
coworkers eyeing them all suspiciously.
Mark was betting Austin would try to jump him in a hallway again. WCW boys… he was betting the fact Kane and
the Undertaker, with chains around their necks, would be intimidating enough to
keep them at bay.
Shane looked up when the door opened and raised
a slow brow at the sight of not only the redhead pain in his ass, but the
Brothers of Destruction. “Easy boys, easy.” He stood up from the bench, having
a feeling he wouldn’t like what came out of Alice’s mouth. “You should be in
the women’s locker room getting ready for tonight’s Inaugural Brawl, whore.”
“Watch it McMahon, that’s my woman.” Dallas ordered, sauntering over and made a
grab for her, only for Undertaker to step in his way. “She’s not yours…”
“Actually, yes I am.”
Dallas scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Stop
playing hard to get and come here, Alice.
NOW.”
“No, I don’t think I will.” Stepping in
front of Mark, Alice folded her arms in front of her chest with a serene smile
on her face. “I’ve come to inform you, all of you, that as of tonight, I will
no longer be valeting for the Alliance.”
Dallas started laughing, along with the
rest of the locker room. “Since when do YOU call the shots? Do you forget who owns your ass, sugar? I DO!”
This was going to be beautiful to pop his
rancid bubble. “Yes, I do, and it’s not you, as much as you want it to be,
Page. Even though Shane handed over my
contract, it’s still a WCW contract. My
contractual obligation states that I am to valet wrestlers to the ring. It does NOT, however, state a SPECIFIC
wrestler. And since the WCW/ECW brands
are using WWF as a televised platform, I can valet anyone I want to the ring
that works for any of the 3 brands.
Sorry to burst your bubble there, Dallas, it’s been fun.” Not really.
“But I’m tired of being assaulted and found two big guys that just happen to
need my assistance. So, if you’ll excuse
us, we’ll be leaving to go get ready for tonight’s main event.”
Stephanie, Shane, and Dallas had all
their jaws dropped to the floor, knowing everything Alice just spouted out of
her mouth was the truth. “WHAT?!”
“And what happens if I fire you?” Dallas
asked when he had regained his tongue, halting them before they could leave.
“You’d have no business on the road with your pimps.” Because that’s obviously
what they were, pimps, and she was a whore.
“Only legal spouses are allowed to travel
with superstars, on all brands.” Shane pointed out quickly. This hadn’t always been the rule, but…
problems had arisen with girlfriends, so Vince and the board had put this one into
effect. It also cut down on travel costs
as the performers were allowed a daily stipend for meals, room, and travel.
“Or… maybe I’ll send her to Florida for
training…”
“You are just bound and determined to
make me kill you, aren’tcha Page?”
“Go right ahead then, fire me. I won’t go to Florida and, if I do, it’ll be
going home and being far away from your stupid ass. So, the choice is yours, Page. Either deal with the fact I’m NOT valeting
you to the ring anymore, or any of the stupid Alliance, or let me finish off my
contract obligations MY way and valet who I want to the ring. The choice is really quite simple.” Alice
challenged, watching his face slowly turn beat red and smirked, knowing she had
Dallas, Shane and even Stephanie by the proverbial balls.
“You won’t get away with this…” Dallas
couldn’t believe this was happening, knowing the contract was iron-clad and
without her consent, no other changes could be made to it. “You’re MINE!”
“No, I’m not and I never was. So, make your decision and let me know. I’ll be happy to go home, go for it. Fire me.”
“Page, let her do what she wants.” Shane would
lose out on a lot of potential mind games with the Deadman if she were fired.
“If she wants to valet Rigamortis and the Big Red Retard to the ring, instead
of sticking with the Alliance, so be it.
WWF will never accept her and sooner or later, they’ll tire of her too
and she’ll come crawling back to us on her hands and knees.”
“Don’t hold your breath, McMahon.” Alice
muttered, seeing Page was slowly losing his temper and waited for him to utter
the words ‘You’re Fired’, begging for it.
She’d rather be out of the wrestling industry than be assaulted on a
weekly basis by this nut job.
Dallas took a deep breath, forcing
himself to pull it together. “Fine.
Valet for whoever you like, sugar.” He then flashed her a brilliant
smile. “Eventually, you’ll fuck up. You
always do. You’re just a fucking whore,
a leach. You clung to Sean and Chuck and
now you’re doing it with another tag team.” He sneered, shaking his head and
then clucked his tongue. “I’m done trying to help you, Alice; a whore will be a
whore.”
“Well said, and we all know she is
definitely a whore.” Stephanie said, waving a hand at the three. “You’re
dismissed.”
Glenn’s head was tipped to the side, blue
eyes amused. “Seriously?”
“We’re not playing games with you,
Jacobs.”
“You’re not?”
“They’re not?”
“GET THE FUCK OUT!”
Alice cackled and bowed her head with her
hands clasped together, greys eyes flashing wickedly. “Oh, thank you, kind
master. Your generosity means the world
to me.”
Snorting, she flipped them the double
bird and walked out with Mark and Glenn, all of them laughing together. That had gone down a lot better than she
hoped. Teresa had warned her Dallas
would try to threaten her, a scare tactic, by firing or sending her to
developmental. He had talked out of his
backside and since when did assault help a person? She didn’t understand that one. That man was crocked in the head! After stopping at wardrobe to pick up her
outfit for the evening, which was from the WWF seamstress, Alice walked inside
Mark and Glenn’s locker room, feeling relief coursing through her. She would let them use the bathroom first,
thankful they had their own along with private showers and sat down while they
strategized for the match tonight.
Nobody else besides the Alliance knew she would be valeting the Brothers
of Destruction tonight, but ultimately, it was Mark.
“Well if it ain’t our favorite boys and
their slut.” Steve Austin burst through the door, flanked by a little posse,
who did not approve of the Undertaker turning sides… or tricks. “So… what’s the
game plan, Deadman?”
Mark rolled his eyes. “I was thinking
pizza.”
“Oh yeah… remember that diner? With the deep dish? We could take Red and go get some after the
show.”
“Hey, I like pizza.” Kurt volunteered,
frowning when Steve shot him an exasperated look. “What?”
“We’re not talkin’ ‘bout fuckin’
pizza. You goin’ to sack up and stand by
your teammates or not?”
“Sure.” Mark stood up, towering over all of
them, minus Glenn, but Glenn remained seated.
Smirking, he approached Steve. “I. Got. Your. Back.” Each word was
accented with a poke to the chest. “You can count on that.”
Remember what they said, let them handle
the business and keep quiet, Alice mentally coached, flipping through the
latest WWF magazine. She didn’t pay any
of the other men any attention, already dressed in her red leather dress with
black shiny knee-high boots. The dress
went to mid-thigh, enough to cover her backside and on the front, it had
Deadman Inc in white and black jewels.
Her hair was left down due to the staples, which she still had to have
Larry look at before the night was out.
After the show would be better to do it, even though she felt the
slightest twinge whenever she moved her head.
“Hey! You’re seriously letting HER go out there with us?” Kurt demanded, pointing at the redhead that had warped Undertaker’s mind. “She’s the enemy, what if she t