Solace

 

Chapter 1

 

It was not a good night.

 

Anisa wanted to kill someone.  From the moment she walked into the arena, the production manager, Rick Heidman, came up to her with the night’s work she had to do.  Anisa didn’t mind it if Rick didn’t treat her like a doormat half the time, but it also came with the territory of being his assistant.  Basically, anything Rick needed done that he couldn’t do, Anisa had to cover it.  She had a lot of love for Rick, but sometimes he rubbed her the wrong way and reminded her of an older brother picking on a younger sister.  Tonight, it was Anisa’s responsibility to go to every wrestler’s dressing room to let them know when their segments were for the show.  She also had to make sure every single employee in the company scrawled their signature on the sign-in sheet, which severely annoyed her to no end.  How hard was it to scrawl a signature on a piece of paper, honestly? 

 

Sometimes it felt like Anisa worked with a bunch of children who didn’t know their heads from their backsides.  It was bad enough she loathed talking to about 80% of the WWE roster because they were douchebags and didn’t know the meaning of the word respect.  Not to mention they couldn’t wrestle out of a paper box.  However, this was her job and Anisa loved it for the most part, so she did whatever necessary to maintain her position in the company.  Rick handed her a small packet with a clipboard that had every employee name on it.  She had to go down the list to see which employee hadn’t signed off on the paper and then report back to Rick once it was completely filled out.

 

Oh the joys!

 

“I’m sorry, Ani, but Vince is changing everything at the last minute again.” Rick sounded annoyed, so that made her feel a little better. “And let every employee know who didn’t sign the sheet if they don’t start following protocol, their asses will be written up.”

 

Anisa rose a slow brow at him, wondering if Rick was serious and could tell by the slight fire in his brown eyes he wasn’t messing around. “Got it, anything else?” She suddenly felt obligated to help him since he looked ready to keel over due to all of the last minute changes with the shows lately.

 

Rick shook his head with a sigh and planted a hand on her shoulder. “Thanks again, honey.  I owe you a beer for this.” He turned and walked off to start making changes, popping two aspirin to try curtailing a building headache that would turn into a migraine.

 

“You owe me several.”

 

Rick waved his hand over his head, acknowledging he heard that and agreed.  Shaking her head, Anisa looked down at the list and wasn’t the least bit surprised to find the first name on it was John Cena.  The man could not remember to sign-in for the life of him, no matter how many times he was reprimanded for it.  If his very existence was at stake and the only way to save it was to sign on this piece of paper, Cena would’ve been dead already.  He was the epitome of irresponsible and had zero respect for any of the company’s policies, always doing things his way.  This would not be fun at all, but it was her job and Anisa would do it to the best of her ability – unlike others.

 

Standing outside John Cena’s dressing room, Anisa immediately heard grunting through the door and pinched the bridge of her nose.  Apparently, he was getting an impromptu workout from his current girlfriend and WWE Diva, Nicole Garcia-Colace – one half of the Bella Twins simply known as Nikki.  Anisa had the unfortunate task of interrupting them and rolled her eyes, pounding a few times on the door.  The grunting immediately turned into cussing and shuffling around, amusing Anisa to say the least.

 

“Cena!  Rub it out already and open the door!” She called through it, adding more fuel to the fire and simply stood there while chaos ensued behind the door.  Anisa could be a complete bitch when the situation called for it.

 

5 minutes later, the door ripped open and Cena stood there scowling darkly, the paper instantly flashing in his face. “Look…”

 

“Sign it and have your little girlfriend do the same.”

 

“Shit girl, you totally iced my flavor!”

 

“Not my fault you can’t handle your responsibilities.  Now sign it or Rick will have both of your asses.” Anisa ordered, watching John scrawl his name on the paper agitatedly and then handed it over to Nicole, who did the same.  Smiling sweetly at Nicole’s icy glare, Anisa took the paper once the Diva handed it back to her and tucked it under her arm securely. “And now back to your…session or whatever it was you were doing.  Have a nice night.”

 

“Bitch.” Nicole muttered, slamming the door shut and went back to the task at hand with her boyfriend.

 

“Of course I am.”

 

“And that’s why I love you so damn much.” Mia Malik crowed from behind, having witnessed the whole exchange and tossed an arm around Anisa’s shoulders. “That was very well done, if I do say so myself.”

 

Mia Malik was a beautiful woman with long black hair that hugged her waist to perfection and deep brown eyes.  She had thick eyelashes Anisa would’ve killed for along with an outstanding body.  Mia was also full-blooded Indian, though she rarely followed her culture, just the style, and had been disowned for her career choice.  None of it bothered her because wrestling was her passion, she was good at it and enjoyed all the traveling, seeing the world.

 

“I swear, it’s like pulling teeth to get them to follow ONE company policy.” Anisa grunted, cracking a small smile up at her good friend and they began walking down the hallway together. “So, what’s up with you?”

 

“Just finished a workout and got to undress Joe with my eyes again.  I swear, that man drips sexuality and he doesn’t even have to try!” Mia groaned, burying her head in Anisa’s shoulder with a pout. “Not fair at all.”

 

Anisa couldn’t help laughing at her friend’s distress and shook her head, shoving Mia playfully off of her. “M&M, you need to suck it up and just tell the man how you feel.” Mia had a huge crush on Joe Anoa’i –He was 1/3 of the group known as the Shield along with Jonathan Good and Colby Lopez, who portrayed the characters Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins- ever since he came into the company, which was over a year ago. “Otherwise you’re gonna become a stalker and nobody wants that label – nobody sane anyway.”

 

“That’s easier said than done, Nis.” She grumbled, turning the corner with Anisa since she had nothing to do for an hour. “I’ll figure out what to do.  It’s just gonna take me a little time…”

 

“You’ve been saying that for over a year now, you know that right?” Anisa pointed out the obvious and glanced down at her paper, rolling her eyes at the next name on the list. “Great, you might wanna run and duck for cover.  I have to go visit…Curtis now.” That name left a bad taste in her mouth and Mia grew somewhat pale in the face.

 

Joseph Curtis Hennig was the late great Mr. Perfect Curt Hennig’s son and completely different from his father, having zero class or respect for the wrestling business his father helped build.  Everyone called him Curtis because he looked like his father and there were too many Joe’s on the roster already.  He wasn’t bad looking, but lately he’d been giving Mia a hard time and pestering her about going on a date with him.  The man didn’t understand the word no or any part of the concept apparently.  Mia wanted nothing to do with him because her heart and mind belonged to Joe Anoa’i, who didn’t even know it.  She told Curtis countless times she wasn’t interested, but the man was unwavering and stubborn, refusing to leave her alone.

 

“I-I’ll be okay…” Mia hoped, not wanting to leave Anisa alone to deal with this douchebag and looped her arm through her friend’s. “I’m here in case he tries intimidating you.”

 

Anisa smiled appreciatively and squeezed Mia’s arm, letting her know everything would be fine.  They arrived at Curtis’s dressing room and Anisa reluctantly knocked on the door, watching it open a few seconds later.  Curtis stared down at first Anisa Brooks and then the gorgeous Mia Malik, already feeling his dick jump in his trunks at the sight of her.

 

“What can I do for you ladies tonight?” He asked in his best suave voice, never taking his eyes from Mia and smirked, folding his arms in front of his bare chest.

 

The way he looked at her friend didn’t bode well with Anisa, especially since it made Mia extremely uncomfortable. “I’m here to inform you per Rick that if you don’t start signing in like you’re supposed to, you will be written up.” She slapped the paper against his chest and planted her hands on her hips, not afraid of anyone on the roster. “Now sign it and stop perving on Mia.  She’s not interested in you or did you forget?”

 

Curtis scowled at the smart-mouthed woman and snorted, scrawling his signature on the paper. “Rick needs to take it easy before he has a stroke or something.  It’s not a big deal to sign a stupid piece of paper.” He thought the sun shined out of his backside because of who his father was in the company. “And I’ll look at anyone I want, it is a free country after all, Anisa.  Isn’t that right, cupcake?” He directed that to Mia, always using that term of endearment with her.

 

“No it’s not and stop calling me that, Curtis.  I’m not your cupcake, get it through your head.” Mia was fed up with walking on eggshells around this idiot and folded her arms tightly in front of her chest. “I don’t appreciate the way you look at me.  I’m nobody’s piece of meat.  And for the last time, I don’t want you in any way, shape or form.  I’m in love with someone else, so the sooner you accept that and leave me alone, the better off we’ll both be.”

 

“Is that right, cupcake?” Curtis took a step forward and glared down into the defiant dark eyes of Mia, squaring his shoulders. “You have no idea what you’re turning down.  I’m giving you too many chances enough as it is and you still refuse to admit how you really feel about me.” He shook his head sadly and gritted his teeth, suddenly grabbing her upper arms roughly. “You’re in love with me, admit it!”

 

Mia gasped at the tight grip on her upper arms and shook her head, spitting directly in Curtis’s face. “Fuck you!” She spat vehemently, trying to break free from him, but it was impossible since his hands felt like iron cuffs. “Let me go right now!”

 

“Let her go, asshole!  What the hell is wrong with you?!” Had Curtis completely lost his mind putting his hands on Mia like this?  Anisa didn’t know what to do and closed her eyes when a voice sounded behind them, relief washing through every part of her body.

 

“You’ve got 3 seconds to put her down or else I’m putting your ass to sleep, Hennig.”

 

Curtis mentally cursed at the sound of Phillip Brooks’ voice and knew he’d been caught red-handed manhandling Mia, immediately releasing her.  She stumbled back against Anisa, trembling from head to toe and felt comforting arms wrap around her.  Mia already knew her upper arms would be bruised, which meant a change of wardrobe was in order before the show that night.  She had a match against Brianna Garcia-Colace –Brie Bella- in single’s competition for the #1 contender slot for the Diva’s championship, currently being held by WWE Diva AJ Lee.

 

Phillip could tell this confrontation shook the girls up and felt the anger welling up inside of him. “Take her to Michael and tell him what happened.  I’ll deal with this asshole.” He watched the women take off down the hallway with Mia leaning against Anisa and waited until they were out of sight before turning his hardened hazel eyes on Curtis.

 

“Look man…”

 

Not bothering hearing the crap spew out of his mouth, Phillip throttled Curtis and slammed him against the wall, making his head bounce off of it harshly. “Let’s get one thing straight right now: The next time you put your hands violently on a woman who works for this company, you’ll be put to sleep PERMANENTLY.” He squeezed Curtis’s throat harder and drove his knee into the man’s abdomen, making him double over in pain. “And remember one thing, when pussy like you fucks with my family, you’ll pay the price.  See you in the ring tonight.” Clapping Curtis on the shoulder, Phillip took off down the hallway toward the trainer’s room to check on the girls.

 

Inside the trainer’s room, Michael was showing the newest addition to the medical team, Krystal, around the office while they had a moment to themselves.  That was until the door opened with both Anisa and Mia walking inside, a pained expression on Mia’s face.  Michael immediately got to work and instructed Krystal to roll over the tray along with retrieving ice for Mia’s upper arms.  Krystal silently did as she was told, glancing at the two women and knew they worked for the company, but she hadn’t met them yet.  Just as she pressed the ice to the raven haired beauty’s upper arm, the door crashed open and an auburn haired woman rushed over to them with wide leaf green orbs.

 

Coralie Rose worked for the WWE ring crew, setting everything up and taking it down on a daily/nightly basis.  She had a half sleeve of tattoos on both arms, some on her legs and back with a few piercings, including her tongue.  Tattoos and piercings were her addiction like Phillip, which was one of the reasons they were together.  Coralie, Mia and Anisa were great friends and had been for a few years, but Anisa had been in the company the longest.

 

“Are you alright, Mia?” Coralie asked, frowning at the deep bruising already forming on her friend’s upper arms and wanted to kill Curtis for doing this. “Phil told me everything already and had a promo to cut, so he asked me to check on you.”

 

“I’m fine, just sore.” Mia looked up at Anisa and knew Curtis’s actions had scared the hell out of her. “Nis…”

 

“Don’t worry about me.” Anisa assured her, sharing a worried look with Coralie and glanced at the woman currently treating Mia. “I haven’t seen you around here.  She new, Mike?”

 

Michael nodded with a smile, trying to lighten the mood a bit. “She is Paul Levesque’s sister and training to be part of the medical staff since we’re shorthanded ever since Larry retired.”

 

Mia smiled up at the shy woman and could instantly see the family resemblance, but there was one difference she noticed. “At least you don’t have your brother’s big honker.”

 

That got a round of laughter going in the trainer’s room, especially when Krystal agreed with Mia with a silent nod.

 

Chapter 2

 

After what happened to his sister and Mia, Phil was irate and used that to his advantage while cutting a backstage promo that would air later that night on Raw.  Sometimes wrestlers and Divas did them live, but the majority opted for taped in case they messed up their lines.  Phil did both, depending on his mood and had to start over several times because cuss words kept flowing from his mouth.  On the 5th take, he finally nailed it and stalked away down the hall with his manager on-screen and good friend behind closed doors hot on his trail.

 

“Alright Punk, what the hell was that about?” Paul Heyman demanded, using Phil’s in-ring name since that’s how most WWE Superstars referred to each other.

 

“Nothing Paul, I’m fine.” Phil blatantly lied, halting when Paul stepped in front of him with narrowed eyes. “What?”

 

Their relationship, both personal and professional, dated back to the ECW days.  Extreme Championship Wrestling was an organization Paul Heyman made into one of the most energetic, dangerous and brutal wrestling companies to date.  It was the top 3 along with WWE –WWF at the time- and WCW –World Championship Wrestling- which went out of business after Vince McMahon bought it out in 2001.  Paul was known as Paul E. Dangerously and managed some of the most well-known talent that fans still recognized to this day.  Just weeks after WCW was purchased by WWE, ECW filed bankruptcy and folded.  In 2003, WWE finally bought out the ECW rights to their content and began slowly reintroducing the product to fans before Vince McMahon decided to bring it back to life in 2006.  That’s where Phillip Brooks and Paul Heyman met since Paul served as the on-air ECW Representative, but behind the scenes he wrote all the scripts and submitted them to writers for possible changes – with Vince McMahon’s approval of course.  Their friendship flourished over the year and Paul Heyman was one of the only people Phil trusted in the company.

 

From the moment Paul met Phil, he knew the kid had something special and unique aside from any other wrestler.  He fought tooth and nail for Phil, going head-to-head with Vince McMahon begging him to give Phil one chance.  It took a while to convince the company of Phil’s raw talent and wrestling ability, but all paid off in the end since Phil had been champion for 434 days – a record setting reign.  He recently relinquished the title to the returning Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view, an arrangement Phil and Paul did not agree with, but it was the only way to set up his impending match with Mark Calaway.  As much as it pained Phil to give up the WWE championship, his personal vendetta against Mark overshadowed everything else because he never defended his sister’s honor.  This was his way of doing it and Phil planned on doing everything in his power to break the Streak at WrestleMania.  Stephanie and Paul –Most people called him Hunter since that was his wrestling name back in the day- gave Mark full creative control over the match, but Phil wouldn’t go along with it.  Once they were face-to-face in the ring, all bets were off and if Mark wanted to keep his Streak alive, he would have to fight for it.

 

“Talk to me, son.” Paul hated seeing Phil in turmoil, placing a hand on his shoulder and they walked slowly down the hallway.

 

“I know he’s supposed to be your new boy, guy or whatever, but Curtis has A LOT to learn about respect.” Phil growled, not wanting to cause friction between him and Paul.

 

Paul frowned deeply, wondering where this sudden animosity for Curtis came from. “What happened?” He asked again, this time in a resigned voice and listened to Phil, sadly shaking his head throughout the explanation. “Damn it…”

 

“I want a match with him, Paul.” Phil wasn’t asking and stopped to look down into his friend’s eyes. “I know he hasn’t made his – wait, will this be his third or fourth debut in the company?  Doesn’t matter, he sucks and it doesn’t matter who his father is.  I will end him if he fucks with my sister or any of her friends again.”

 

Needing to diffuse this situation quickly, Paul diverted Phil’s attention from Curtis’s small indiscretion, in his eyes at least, to another adversary. “Punk, you need to focus on Taker right now.  Don’t worry about rookies.  Direct all of your anger on Undertaker and make him pay for what he did to your sister, for all the pain and heartache he caused her.” It was a sneaky trick, but Paul didn’t want to lose the opportunity to work with Curtis. “Worry about one thing at a time.”

 

Phil knew Paul was right and gritted his teeth, hazel eyes igniting at the mention of his ex-brother-in-law. “Pass the threat to your guy and make him leave Anisa and Mia alone then.” He walked away from Paul to head to the trainer’s room, leaving his friend/in-ring advocate staring after him.

 

Paul had to talk to Curtis before Phil ended up ripping the man apart.

 

Before his promo, Phil sent a quick text to Coralie asking if she would check on his sister and Mia in the trainer’s room.  Coralie responded with a simple ‘yes’, not questioning why he wanted her to go there.  It was one of the many reasons Phil loved her so much.  She never questioned anything he did or asked of her, not unless it really bothered her for some reason.  That didn’t happen often, thankfully.  Phil rounded the corner and nearly slammed into another friend of his, Randy Orton, and his beautiful wife Ryanne who had recently joined her husband on the road.  Her hair was naturally dark red hanging down to her waist, hugging it perfectly and she had captivating emerald green eyes.  They’d been married for 5 years and Phil had actually been the Best Man in their wedding while Coralie was one of Ryanne’s maids of honor.  The girls instantly clicked the moment they met when Ryanne came on the road with Randy right after they were married.  Coralie had been on the ring crew in the company since before Phil debuted and the moment they met, sparks flew instantly.  It didn’t take long for Phil to ask Coralie on a date and they’d been together ever since, in no rush for marriage and neither wanted kids.  They were comfortable with the way things were and didn’t care about pieces of jewelry or paper to prove their love for each other.

 

“Hey man, where’s the fire?” Randy greeted, his arm wrapped around Ryanne’s shoulders.

 

“On my way to the trainer’s.”

 

Ryanne noticed the urgency in Phil’s voice and frowned, wondering what was going on. “Phil, is everything alright?” She asked softly, reaching out to place a hand on his shoulder. “What happened?  Is it Cora?”

 

Phil shook his head, knowing how protective Coralie and Ryanne were over each other. “No.  She’s there though.  It’s my sister and…Mia.” Ryanne knew them as well, but wasn’t nearly as close with them as Coralie.

 

“Are they alright?”

 

“Yeah, but Mia got roughed up a little by an asshole.” Phil clenched his fists at his sides, not wanting to lose his temper in front of Ryanne. “Anisa was just scared, I think…”

 

“Tell us what happened.” Randy urged, blue eyes widening as Phil ranted and raved about a rookie named Curtis Henning putting his hands on Mia. “Wait, wasn’t he part of the Nexus shit?  Didn’t they call him Michael McGully or something?” He couldn’t remember and honestly didn’t care, feeling his own temper slowly rising since he thought of Anisa and Mia as sisters.

 

Phil nodded in confirmation. “They sent him back down to developmental because he couldn’t hack it in the ring and changed him or something.  I don’t know.  I’m gonna rip him apart if he touches either of them again.”

 

Randy and Ryanne could only watch Phil walk away, looking at each other worriedly.  One thing Phil didn’t sugar coat was how protective he was over Anisa.  They were two peas in a pod, only 3 years apart and had been through hell together since he basically had to raise her.  Their parents were heavy alcoholics and did drugs, so Phil was the one who made sure Anisa was clothed and fed.  It was one of the main reasons Phil lead a straight edge lifestyle with zero alcohol and drugs, no smoking.  Coralie was the same way, tattoos and piercings being their outlet.  Anisa enjoyed wine on occasion and a cigarette every once in a while, but she stayed away from heavy drugs and liquor, refusing to end up like their parents.

 

Arriving at the trainer’s room, Phil knocked once and walked in, spotting Coralie and Mia instantly.  There was no sign of Anisa, however.  Coralie looked up with concerned leaf green eyes and signed with relief at the sight of her boyfriend, heading over to him.  She knew his temper could be volatile, especially when it came to Anisa and was glad he hadn’t let it fly off the handle.  Coralie reached up and hugged him around the neck, feeling his arms encircle her waist instantly.  Phil breathed her in, closing his eyes to relish the feeling of Coralie against him and felt himself calming down.  He kissed the side of her neck and the top of her head before finally pulling back to brush his mouth against hers.

 

“Where’s Nisa?” Phil asked quietly, not releasing his hold on Coralie.

 

“She had to get back to work.  I’m still on a break and promised her I’d stay with Mia as long as I could.” Coralie caressed his face tenderly with the back of her hand. “She was a little shook up, but assured me she’s fine.”

 

Phil nodded, trusting Coralie completely and turned his attention to the other woman in the room he didn’t recognize. “Who is that?” He raised a brow, keeping his voice down while the woman walked over to Mia to exchange ice packs on her upper arms.

 

“She’s the new trainer on the medical team.  Larry’s replacement.” Coralie stepped out of Phil’s arms and took his hand, guiding him over where Mia sat on the bedding. “Krystal, this is my boyfriend Phillip Brooks.”

 

Krystal swallowed hard, recognizing the man instantly and took a silent breath to slow her racing heart.  It would definitely take her time to get used to everyone, especially the muscular wrestlers.  She watched his tattooed fingers attached to a large hand outstretch and hesitantly took it with her own, somehow maintaining her composure.

 

“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Brooks.” She said in a quiet polite voice and released his hand, turning to continue working on Mia.

 

“Just Phil.  Or Punk, whichever you prefer.” He wrapped an arm around Coralie so she didn’t feel threatened in any way, knowing she had a slight jealousy issue. “How are you doing, sis?”

 

Mia smiled up at her adoptive brother. “I’m fine, Philly.” She giggled at his eye roll and smacked his arm with a smirk. “Nis is too.  She feels really bad she had to leave me here, but Rick was on her ass about that sign-in sheet.  I swear, sometimes I wonder if he has a stick permanently shoved up his ass.”

 

Krystal’s hazel eyes grew wide at Mia’s blunt mouth and walked away to grab some salve for her bruised upper arms. “That shy shit needs to end if you’re gonna last around here, Krystal.” Phil felt he had to say something, to warn her before the vultures in the WWE swept in and devoured her whole.

 

“I-I’m sorry?”

 

Chuckling, Phil left Coralie by Mia to join Krystal and picked up the cloth she dropped on the floor. “You need to get over your shyness.  This company is no place for shy people unless you want everyone to walk over you.  I’m not telling you this to be a dick.  I’m trying to help you, give you some advice since I’ve been here for a while and know how things operate.”

 

“She won’t have to worry about that happening, Punk.”

 

Krystal bit her bottom lip at the sight of her big brother and current boss, Paul Levesque, walk into the room with a stack of papers in hand. “What did you need, bro?” She asked in a stronger voice, appreciating Phil’s concern for her wellbeing.

 

Phil felt his eyes nearly fall out of his head as soon as the word ‘bro’ came out of Krystal’s mouth. “Wait a minute, you two are…”

 

“Brother and sister, yes.” Krystal finished his statement and hugged Paul quickly to let him know she was alright.

 

“Came to talk to the injured.” Paul answered his sister and nodded at Phil, heading over to where one of his top Divas sat. “How are you feeling, Mia?”

 

“Besides achy and a bit shaky, fine.” Mia knew better than to lie to the boss and sighed as Krystal began rubbing salve into her bruised upper arms.

 

Paul nodded in understanding and handed over some paperwork. “Fill these out and return them immediately so they can be filed.  Then we’ll do an investigation on Mr. Hennig regarding this situation.” His voice held authority and proficiency, keeping it even along with his hazel eyes. “Are you sure this is what you want to do?”

 

Phil watched Mia take the paperwork with a nod and knew this incident would be swept under the rug because of who Curtis Hennig’s father was.  Anyone who came into the company through family got free passes and Phil was tired of it because it meant people like him were shafted.  There was nothing to be done though and at least the complaint would be filed in case Curtis tried attacking Mia again.  As much as Phil wanted to say something or ring Paul’s neck, he valued his job far too much at the moment and knew Mia could take care of herself.

 

Once Krystal finished with Mia, Paul pulled her to the side away from everyone in the office and could tell she wasn’t comfortable. “Are you alright, Krys?” He asked softly, rubbing his hands up and down her arms trying to relax her somehow.

 

“I’m fine, Paul.” Krystal murmured, folding her arms in front of her chest and cracked a small smile at him. “I’m enjoying my first night on the job.  Just trying to get used to everyone.” She had a healthy fear of people larger than her for personal reasons and Paul knew what they were.

 

“That’s why I’m asking.  I don’t want you to be uncomfortable and if anyone messes with you…”

 

“Come to you straightaway.  I know, Paul.” Big brother kissed her forehead and left while Krystal cleaned up for the next injury to come waltzing through the door.  Just as Mia, Phil and Coralie left to do their jobs, Krystal had her back to the door and didn’t realize her next patient had entered the room until a deep voice resonated through the room.

 

“I need my knee checked out when you have a minute.”

 

Krystal turned around and locked eyes with chocolate brown, feeling her heart suddenly skip a beat.

 

Chapter 3

 

Anisa felt horrible for leaving Mia with Coralie in the trainer’s room, but she had a job to do and Rick was blowing her cell phone up.  She sent him a quick text explaining what happened without going into too much detail and he replied with a simple ‘hurry up’.  Typical Rick.  He didn’t care about anyone except himself and getting his work done at her expense.  Glancing down at her list, Anisa quickly figured out where she had to go next and headed in that direction with a resigned sigh.  Would these men never learn?  On her way to her destination, Anisa was stopped by the Orton’s, both of them having worried expressions on their faces.  This wasn’t good.

 

“Hey Viper.” Anisa greeted uneasily, hugging him and then gave one to Ryanne. “I didn’t know you were bringing your gorgeous wife on the road.”

 

“Yeah well…it was a last minute decision.” Randy rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly while keeping his arm around Ryanne’s waist.

 

Ryanne smiled, though it didn’t quite touch her emerald eyes. “I just wanted to spend some more time with my hubby.”

 

“Glad we ran into you actually because Phil is on a rampage after what happened with Axel earlier.” Randy changed the subject off of them swiftly, more worried about his friend. “You need to check on him and make sure he doesn’t do something that could potentially destroy his career.”

 

Anisa groaned, scrubbing a hand down her face. “He has a temper when provoked, especially when it comes to me.  Thanks for informing me.  I’ll try to hunt him down while doing my job and trying to get this stupid sign-in sheet filled out.”

 

Placing a hand on her shoulder, Randy gave her a sympathetic look before walking away with Ryanne.  Anisa still had several more signatures to get before she could even think about tracking down her brother, so she had to hurry.  There was not a doubt in her mind Phil planned on hurting Curtis and that couldn’t happen.  The man hadn’t made his WWE debut as his new character yet and if that was ruined…Anisa cringed at the repercussions her brother would suffer all because he was defending her.  Curtis hadn’t laid a hand on her, but the fact it was Mia, who they both considered family, was enough of a reason for Phil to destroy the man.  She really had to hurry up with the sign-in sheet, report to Rick and then haul her cookies to find her brother.

 

~!~

 

Bare from the waist up, stormy grey eyes stared hardening down at the petite woman in front of him with enchanting brown orbs.  He’d never seen an eye color quite like hers because it was like a caramel brown and her black hair looked to be spun out of pure silk.  It just enhanced her beauty.  He recognized her as being one of the WWE Divas on the roster.  Mia Malik.  It didn’t matter how beautiful she was or a coworker, he would find out her true intentions if it was the last thing he did.

 

“What do you want?” He barked in a low rough voice, trying to put the fear of god into her just in case the Diva tried playing a prank on him.

 

He was monstrous, standing at 6’3 and weighed a solid 265 pounds.  If he wasn’t so intimidating, Mia would’ve thought he was quite beautiful.  He had long black hair that hung down his broad shoulders and back, every movement he made muscles rippling.  What captivated her most were his grey eyes, not remembering ever seeing that eye color on a man.  It didn’t help he was half naked, black cargo pants hugging his backside and muscular thighs perfectly.  Mia had enough drama tonight from Curtis Hennig and really didn’t need anymore, her hand extending to hand over black wrist wraps.

 

“You…um…left them in the workout room and I figured you’d want them back.” She stammered quietly, trying to learn how to breathe again while his huge man towered over her.

 

“Bro, who’s at the door?” A gritty voice called out and another man appeared moments later, placing a hand on his friend’s shoulders. “Relax big man, she’s not gonna do anything, right darlin’?”

 

She nodded immediately, wondering what possessed her to come to this locker room of all places. “I swear, I’m just returning these because I know how frustrating it can be losing gear.” Mia was a wrestler after all just like them.

 

The blue eyed dishwater blonde chuckled and patted the grey eyed Neanderthal on the chest, backing him up a little more into the locker room. “Don’t be scared, his bark is worse than his bite.  Believe me, he bit me when I first met him and I got rabies.  We’re not going to hurt you, I promise.”

 

“That’s not what I’ve heard.” Mia mumbled through clenched teeth, still holding onto the black wrist wraps.

 

Anisa watched the entire scene unfold, shaking her head in disbelief and wondered what Mia could’ve been thinking coming here.  She watched as Jonathan Good and Leati Joseph Anoa’i –They were 2/3 of the faction the Shield and their wrestling names were Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns- began shoving each other back and forth dangerously close to her best friend.  Sometimes Anisa speculated if she worked for a kindergarten instead of a multi-billion dollar corporation with how the wrestlers acted.

 

A voice cleared behind both Jon and Joe, their heads snapping to the side to stare at the beautiful honey blonde standing in the doorway of their dressing room.  Jon immediately released Joe’s head and straightened himself out, a smirk curving his lips while blue eyes glowed back at her.  He did an elevator scan up and down her body, thinking he wouldn’t mind getting to know Anisa Brooks on a more personal level.  All good things came to those who waited and it would happen eventually.  Jon just didn’t know when and where.

 

“I didn’t realize you were having a party.” Anisa was down to earth for the most part and enjoyed screwing with her coworkers from time to time, but honestly the Shield scared her a little.  She would never admit that openly though. “Are you alright, Mia?”

 

Mia had never been so happy to see Anisa in all her life, immediately nodding and moved to stand beside Anisa. “I’m fine, Nis.”

 

“Good, wouldn’t want to make trouble for one of our own now, would we boys?” Anisa eyeballed Joe skeptically, watching his grey eyes cast downward and smirked.

 

“Wasn’t planning on it.” Joe replied gruffly, eyeballing Anisa and wondered what she wanted.

 

Jon’s eyes never left the production assistant and folded his arms in front of his bare smooth chest. “To what do we owe this little visit from you, Ms. Brooks?” He was more interested in what type of panties woman Anisa was and if she hid a thong under those black dress pants she wore.

 

“Well before I get to that,” Anisa paused, turning to look at Mia and noticed the black wrist wraps in her hand. “Are those the reason you came here?”

 

Mia nodded, smiling sheepishly.

 

“Hand them over and then I have a favor to ask.”

 

Mia could see the worry swirling through Anisa’s eyes and had a feeling it had to do with Phil, immediately doing what she wanted. “Try not to leave them lying around again.  You never know who to trust around here.” She stated truthfully, knowing these men had only been on the roster for a short period of time and Joe snatched them from her, their fingers brushing together. 

 

Instantly, a shot of electricity zipped up her arm and a warm feeling pooled deep inside of her.  Mia could tell Joe felt it too, but he tried not to show it and stormed back into the dressing room past Jon, leaving just the 3 of them out in the open.  Sighing with disappointment, Mia turned her attention back to Anisa and tried to stop her hand from tingling.

 

“What’s going on?”

 

“Excuse me for a minute.” She directed that at both Jon and Joe, stepping away with Mia. “I need you to track down my brother.”

 

“Let me guess…” Mia grumbled, her assumptions dead-on and watched Anisa nod. “He’s going after Curtis isn’t he?”

 

“Track him down and tell him we need to talk.  Try to dissuade him from going after Curtis, please.  You’re like a little sister to him so hopefully he’ll listen to you.” Anisa was desperate now since she still had more signatures to get and it seemed everywhere she went tonight took forever and a day to get them.  It was like the universe was out to personally make sure she never stopped Phil in time from destroying Curtis Hennig.

 

“I’ll do my best.” Mia would try not to let Anisa down, but at the same time she knew how stubborn Phil could be when the situation called for it.  She took off down the hallway, leaving Anisa alone with Jon and suddenly wondered if that was the best idea.

 

Turning her attention back to Jon, Anisa couldn’t help thinking what a gorgeous man he was.  More importantly, why did Jonathan Good have to smell so amazing?  His scent literally made Anisa heady and intoxicated.  A mixture of cigarettes and musk, something she couldn’t quite put her finger on.  It’d been such a long time since she last had sex and Anisa wouldn’t mind going several rounds with this man.  He would more than satisfy her, there was no question about it.  Business had to come first, however.  Stepping past him into the Shield locker room, Anisa gestured Jon to follow and closed the door behind her, putting on a brave front.

 

“Gentlemen, I know you guys have been on the main roster for about 4 months or so and WrestleMania time is coming up.  I know you have to keep tabs on your workout regiments and also have your personal issues outside of the ring.  BUT,” She paused, holding up the sign-in sheet with stern midnight blues. “You also have to abide by the rules and follow protocol of the company.  This is the 3rd time you forgot to sign in when arriving at the arena and you know how fickle the bosses can be.  If Rick and I don’t get your signatures, then we’ll have our asses chewed out by the bosses and therefore we’re forced to chew yours out or turn you in.  Now, I don’t want to do that.  I actually like the new blood coming in here.  So PLEASE, I am asking you gentlemen to remember to sign in from now on.  It takes literally 3 seconds out of your day.  Do we understand each other?” Anisa noticed the 3rd member of the Shield, Colby Lopez –Seth Rollins- was nowhere to be found so she would have track him down to relay the message.

 

Joe nodded mutely while Jon kept the cocky smirk on his face, both men having very different thoughts about the honey blonde. “Sometimes its 3 seconds too long, but I’ll make sure to work it into my busy schedule, darlin’.” Jon knew he was pushing his luck with her, but he’d never stop using his pet name for women.

 

Smiling back at him with mischievous midnight orbs, Anisa took her pen and slowly glided it down his chest while locking eyes with him. “See that you do, Ambrose.” She pressed the sign-in sheet against him next since Joe already scrawled his signature on it and stepped away when Jon took it, watching his hand swiftly move to sign the paper. “Thank you.  Pleasure doing business with you, gentlemen.”

 

“Wait!” Jon stopped her from leaving, raising a brow at her sweet smile and slid his tongue over his top lip. “We owe you an explanation on why the big man didn’t treat your friend with more respect.”

 

Anisa snorted, rolling her eyes and snatched the sign-in sheet from Jon. “Okay, I’m curious.  What was that about anyway?”

 

Glaring at Jon for his big mouth, Joe sat down in a metal folding chair and slid his wrist wraps on. “We’ve been having break-ins in our dressing room lately.  People on the roster have been fucking with us.  Putting shaving cream in our bags, boots and anything else.”

 

“Changing our shampoo to hair dye.” Jon scowled, remembering walking out of the shower room with bright BLUE hair.  It took two bottles of dye to get his hair back to its normal color – or as close to it as he could get.

 

“Cutting holes in our ring gear.” Joe had nearly went out to the ring a few weeks ago with a hole in the crotch of his cargo pants and luckily Sandra, the WWE seamstress, managed to fix them in time for his match. “Just random shit.” Joe suddenly remembered another prank and shuddered. “They even let ring rats into our dressing room one night and we barely escaped with our lives.”

 

“Big man had to kick the door down because they locked us in and took all of our clothes so all we had were towels.  There had to be at least 10 sluts trying to rip us apart.” Jon shook his head, tearing a hand through his dry curly dishwater blonde hair. “We’ve had enough of the shit, honestly.”

 

“So that’s why you thought Mia was screwing with you.” Anisa surmised, finally understanding where they were coming from and didn’t blame them a bit. “Well, she’s not disrespectful and malicious like that, so you won’t have to worry about her doing anything at least.  I wouldn’t either, just so you know.  I have entirely too much to do with my job to worry about pranking coworkers.  Speaking of my job, I gotta jet, but I would report the incidents if you haven’t already and keep your door locked whenever you leave the room.  Have a good night, guys.” Winking, she walked out and closed the door behind her.

 

Jon grunted, looking at one of his partners and best friend. “She’s got quite an attitude on her.  Who does she think she is?”

 

“Not only does she make sure we look good in the company and keep our asses in check with shit we forget, but she’s also the ex-wife of Mark Calaway.” Joe informed his stable mate, not believing how disrespectful Jon just was to Anisa.

 

“WHAT?!” Jon blinked, gaping. “She was married to…”

 

Joe nodded, looking completely serious. “Yes, the Undertaker.”

 

Quickly composing himself, Jon cleared his throat and began doing pushups to prepare for their match that night. “I could take his old wrinkled redneck ass.” He grunted, looking straight ahead with a determined look on his face.  She will be mine soon enough, he thought, convinced he could coax Anisa Brooks into his bed with little trouble.

 

“Bro, you are out of your mind.  Taker doesn’t have the rep he does for being an old wrinkled redneck.  And I wouldn’t mess with his woman, even if they are divorced.” Joe strongly advised, already knowing Jon wouldn’t listen and do what he wanted.

 

“Yeah well, I love a challenge.”

 

 Chapter 4

 

Not as tall as other wrestlers she encountered, his arms looked ready to burst out of the short sleeved black top clinging to his muscular frame.  Krystal had a hard time breathing, feeling like the oxygen had been sucked from her lungs.  She wasn’t sure if it was his hypnotic chocolate eyes or his two toned hair – a quarter of it dyed blonde on the right side of his head.  Maybe it was the soft beard surrounding his chin, cheeks and mouth.  He was encased in a pair of black cargo pants, black boots - his tactical vest attachment back in the locker room.

 

He won’t hurt me, Krystal mentally coached, sucking her bottom lip between her teeth and gestured to the exam table. “Have a seat.” She murmured quietly, waiting for him to do so before grabbing her tray rolling it over. “So what’s wrong with your knee exactly?”

 

“You’re not gonna ask me what my name is first?”

 

Krystal swallowed hard, trying to avoid eye contact with him and failed. “Alright, what’s your name?” She asked softly, looking up into his chocolate eyes.

 

“Colby.” He extended his hand, a gentle smile curving his bearded mouth. “Colby Lopez.  I’m 1/3 of the Shield.”

 

Now she felt like an idiot, remembering seeing the Shield on Raw a few months ago since she watched the product on a weekly basis. “I thought you looked familiar, but I wasn’t sure.” Krystal hated lying, but she’d already made a fool of herself enough in front of this man and didn’t want to expand it. “Seth Rollins, right?”

 

Colby grinned, throwing up a thumbs up and chuckled when she blushed. “You got it, sweetheart.  And what’s your name?” He hoped that wasn’t too forward.

 

“Krystal.” She wished her cheeks would stop turning into tomatoes, but had a feeling they wouldn’t stop burning until after he left. “Krystal Levesque.”

 

That last name caught Colby’s attention immediately. “Levesque?  As in Paul Levesque?” How the hell was this beautiful woman related to the boss?!

 

Krystal cleared her throat and lowered her gaze to the floor, an awkward feeling filling the room. “Yes.  He’s my brother.” A lot of people would assume she got the job because of Paul, so she was prepared to deal with the backlash, not wanting to hide who she was related to. “Now, what’s wrong with your knee, Rollins?”

 

Raising a dark thick brow, Colby didn’t expect her to use his wrestling name and knew he must’ve struck a nerve by asking her too many questions. “I cut it the other night at a live show and need the stitches looked at.”

 

He took a hard fall on the announcer table at the hands of Stephen Farrelly –Fans knew him as Sheamus- and the edge ripped through his cargo pants slicing his knee open.  The injury required 10 stitches and Colby knew they weren’t ready to be taken out yet, but he had to heavily bandage his knee so he could wrestle that night.  They had a six man tag team match and he refused to miss it just because of a small laceration.  Colby owed Stephen one for not realizing how close to the edge he was and planned on paying the man back in their match.

 

“Alright, let’s have a look.”

 

Krystal squatted down in front of him and quickly peeled away the bandage on his knee, examining the stitches.  Michael must’ve done them and he did exceptional work, though she wouldn’t have used a band-aid since they weren’t 100% reliable.  She cleaned the stitches and cringed when Colby sucked in a sharp breath, trying her best not to cause him further pain.

 

“Sorry, I know it’s tender.” She apologized, finishing up and then pulled out a small bottle of liquid band-aid, spreading it over the stitches. “You’ll be able to take a shower without irritating the stitches.  They’ll need to stay in at least a few more days and then they can be removed.”

 

“Thank you.  Those bandages are irritating as hell.”

 

Colby hadn’t showered and ended up nearly getting stuck in the tiny bathtub the hotel offered.  Luckily, he was flexible and managed to push himself out of the tub without needing assistance from his stable mates.  That would’ve been an embarrassment Colby could never live down and they’d never let him forget it either.  Now that this beautiful new trainer showed him a loophole to take showers, he was forever in her debt and planned on repaying it.

 

“You’re welcome.”

 

Standing from the table, Colby brushed against Krystal accidentally and felt a spark ignite between them.  He could feel the apprehension and fear from her, but there was something else Colby couldn’t put his finger on.  Krystal was stunning from the top of her chestnut hair to the tips of her red and white tennis shoes, her hazel eyes drawing him in like a magnet to metal.  Taking a chance, Colby reached out to run a long finger down her cheek, cracked a small smile and walked out without another word, closing the door behind him.  Krystal exhaled slowly and touched her burning cheek, every part of her body flushing with warmth.  There was definitely an attraction to the smallest member of the Shield and Krystal had no idea where it stemmed from.  If she was being honest with herself, Krystal had a small crush on Colby from the moment she first saw him debut back in November with the other members.  She loved how meticulous he was in the ring, making every move a work of art and his ring gear did nothing to quell her desire.  Now that she knew he had an injury while wrestling, Krystal planned on watching his match that night to make sure everything went smoothly.

 

~!~

 

After searching high and low for her brother with zero luck, Anisa finally gave up heading in the direction of the exit for some much needed air.  He was nowhere to be found and Mia had searched as well, asking anyone she came across of Phil’s whereabouts.  They both assumed he left the arena since all he had was a promo to cut that night.  Hearing a deep voice call her name from behind, Anisa stopped as a smile flittered across her mouth and turned to stare at her good friend, Glen Jacobs, who was also close with her ex-husband.  Luckily their divorce hadn’t swayed Glen one way or the other and he remained neutral with them.

 

“Oh, hey Glen.” Anisa turned to face her good friend, Glen Jacobs, who was also close with her ex-husband.  Luckily, their divorce hadn’t swayed Glen one way or the other, he remained neutral. “What’s going on?”

 

“Anisa,” Glen sighed heavily, hating to be the bearer of bad news, but he wouldn’t let Anisa be blindsided either. “It’s about Mark.” Tracking her down hadn’t been easy and lady luck was on his side when he spotted her walking down the hallway.

 

Midnight blue eyes instantly narrowed. “What about him?”

 

“He’s coming back for WrestleMania.  The doctors have cleared him and…I just didn’t want you to be surprised.  He’ll be here next week to start his feud with your brother.” Phil hadn’t told her judging from the bewildered expression on Anisa’s face and Glen felt like a major jackass now. “I didn’t…”

 

“Wonderful.” Anisa muttered, taking a deep shaky breath and forced a smile. “Thank you for telling me, Glen.  At least I know you’re not completely on his side, even though you’re best friends with the idiot.  I’ll try to stay out of his way as much as I can.” That would be close to impossible.

 

Glen nodded, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Not a problem.  I gotta head out for my match.  Take care, Anisa.” He walked past her down the hallway toward gorilla position, snapping his mask on.

 

Watching him walk away, Anisa really needed some air now more than ever.  With WrestleMania on the horizon, everything was super hectic in the company, so it was nice to step out for air whenever she had the chance.  It also made her think about the past, opening the wound Mark Calaway caused her all those years ago.  It was going on 4 years since their divorce, which happened in 2009 after 2 years of marriage.  730 days too long in her eyes.  It was exact because their divorce had been finalized on their wedding anniversary.  Mark had been sweet and rough around the edges at first, the perfect bad boy with a big heart.  Anisa had no idea what drew her to him because Mark had a playboy reputation.  Not to mention he was still technically married to his second wife, Sara, while they started seeing each other.  They were legally separated, so that was good enough for Anisa and that should’ve been her first sign not to get involved with him.  Lesson learned: Don’t ever get involved with a married man – legally separated or not. 

 

In spite of all the warning signs, Anisa found herself wanting to get to know him, which led to falling in love and marriage.  Mark hadn’t waited past 24 hours before asking Anisa to marry him and they eloped to Vegas the same night his divorce to Sara was finalized.  Maybe it was their huge age difference since Anisa was 26 and Mark was 41 going on 42 when they got hitched.  That was a 15-16 year difference, but at the time it didn’t bother them and age was just a number, at least in Anisa’s eyes.  Sex was incredible with Mark and they connected on all levels, always communicating in the beginning.  But once the honeymoon phase ended, everything fell apart and Anisa was left with her heart in shambles.  The simple fact was Mark couldn’t keep his dick in his pants and blamed Anisa for not keeping him satisfied like a good wife should.  The moment he started training ex-WWE Diva Michelle McCool, Anisa knew her marriage was over and Mark found his next bride.  Sure enough, shortly after their divorce, Mark proposed to Michelle and they were married in mid-2010.  At least he waited past 24 hours before popping the question to Michelle unlike he did with her.  Mark was forced to pay her half of everything he had since they didn’t sign a prenuptial agreement.  She took everything with a big ‘fuck you’ grin on her face, not ashamed since she’d wasted 2 years of her life on him.  As she signed the dotted line on the divorce papers, Anisa vowed to never get involved with another WWE wrestler and had stuck with it.

 

Until Jonathan Good.

 

“Are you alright, Anisa?”

 

She was in such deep thought about Mark, Anisa didn’t realize she wasn’t alone outside.  Jon had been out there having a pre-match cigarette, something he always did.  It wasn’t the healthiest habit, but a vice he refused to give up unless absolutely necessary.  His attention had snapped to the back door opening and watched Anisa for a few minutes, trying to determine if it was smart to approach her or not.  She didn’t look angry, just stood there with a stoic expression on her beautiful face and arms wrapped around herself, eyes closed.  There was something about her posture that screamed agitation or maybe…sadness?  Jon couldn’t pinpoint it, usually an expert at reading women and what they wanted, but for some reason he couldn’t with Anisa.  Looking up at the blue eyed hunk who was the mouthpiece for the Shield, Anisa felt her heart rate accelerate slightly.  He was gorgeous and she absolutely loved his haphazard hair that was currently dry instead of slicked back, fighting the urge to run her fingers through it.

 

“Yeah, just a little annoyed.” She admitted, noticing the cigarette dangling between his fingers. “Do you have another one of those I can bum off of you?  I left my pack at the hotel.” After finding out about her ex’s impending return, Anisa needed a nicotine fix to calm down.

 

“Sure.” Jon pulled out his pack and slid one out, holding it out to her mouth.  A second later, he procured a lighter and lit the tip, contentment searing through Anisa as a sigh escaped her lips after the first drag. “Better?”

 

“My hero.” Anisa crooned playfully, midnight blues no longer holding the sadness they had moments ago. “What do I owe you for helping me out?”

 

Jon chuckled, shaking his head and took another drag of his smoke. “Just the pleasure of gaining another smoke buddy.” He winked, pale blues glittering under the dim lighting of the parking lot the arena provided. “Come sit down with me and enjoy that smoke more.  You’re far too beautiful to look that annoyed.”

 

He placed a hand on the small of her back, hoping she didn’t turn around and belt him for touching her.  Somehow, Anisa looked as though she had a mean right hook.  Jon guided her over to the equipment trunk and took another chance, gripping her hips to lift her up on it, joining her a second later.  He wasn’t too close where he’d invade her personal space though, not wanting to make Anisa uncomfortable.

 

“Now relax and tell Dr. Good all about your bad day.”

 

“That reminds me of that song Dr. Feelgood.” Anisa giggled softly, blowing smoke out of her nose and mouth, leaning back to rest against the other larger equipment trunk stacked behind them. “Well Dr. Feel Good,” She smirked, deciding that would be Jon’s nickname from now on and flicked some ash away. “I was just informed that my douchebag ex-hubby will be gracing us with his presence next week.  Thank god he’s only part time now, if you can even call it that.  He should just retire and go be with his new wife because this business doesn’t need him anymore.  I shouldn’t be annoyed, but I am.  He just annoys me in general.”

 

“You’re allowed to be annoyed.  All ex’s are annoying, that’s why they’re ex’s.  You just kinda have to find a voice where you can blow off steam and feel a little bit sane, even a bit insane too.” He said truthfully, always straight with people because sugar coating wasn’t in his forte. “It sucks because you have this really great job and the next thing you know you’ve got what you think is the most amazing love of your life.  Only it turns out he’s a cheating has been asshole.  Now you’re divorced and stuck working with or around him.  Been there done that, believe me it gets easier eventually.” Jon inhaled and let the smoke filter through his big body before releasing it above their heads, not wanting to blow it in her face.

 

“So you were married to a coworker at one time?”

 

When Jon clarified it was just his ex-girlfriend, Anisa felt marginally better.  Taking another drag, she couldn’t help thinking how sexy Jonathan Good looked whenever smoke filtered out of his mouth and nose.  It was possibly the sexiest thing she’d ever seen in her life.

 

“Well Dr. Feel Good, you’ve certainly made me feel better about dealing with my ex and I appreciate it.” She placed a hand on his arm, giving it a gentle squeeze. “How much do I owe you?” They laughed together and it was the first time in a couple years Anisa felt completely comfortable with a wrestler.

 

“Glad I helped.  Just remember, you don’t have to deal with the idiot all on your own.” Jon hopped off the equipment trunk and held his hand out for Anisa, helping her down. “And you don’t owe me anything, darlin’.  Just keep that smile on your face and that’s payment enough for me.”

 

“Alright, see you later, Dr. Feel Good.” Winking, Anisa headed back into the arena to check-in with Rick, wondering what she was doing with Jon.

 

Hadn’t she learned her lesson with Mark?  Nope, apparently not because Anisa found herself aching to feel Jon’s lips on hers and his hands anywhere on her body.  She wanted his cock buried inside of her and to scream his name as she came in waves.  Blinking, Anisa needed serious help having dirty thoughts like that and mentally berated herself, trying to push the curly dishwater blonde in the back of her mind so she could focus on doing her job.

 

Chapter 5

 

“Just what do you think you’re doing, Anisa Kareen Brooks?”

 

Anisa groaned when she heard Mia bust out the full name and knew she’d been caught red-handed with Jon. “I keep asking myself that and, honestly, I don’t know.  I have no answer.” She sighed, slowly looking up into Mia’s stern dark eyes. “He’s very hot…”

 

“And a wrestler.”

 

“But…”

 

“A WRESTLER.” Mia emphasized, planting hands on her hips with an arched brow.

 

“But…”

 

“You swore off ALL wrestlers and made it clear to me, if I saw you going back on your vow about dating wrestlers, I was to stop you at all costs.” Mia reminded her, keeping her voice even and dared Anisa to contradict what she said. “I’m doing just that.  Get him out of your head because it can never happen.”

 

“What about casual sex though?  I don’t want a relationship with him, but I just know being fucked by that man would be worth every second.” Anisa sighed wistfully, suddenly needing another cigarette.

 

Mia tapped her chin thoughtfully in contemplation. “If it’s JUST casual sex, then you need to make it clear that’s all you want.  THEN I’ll back off.”

 

“Fine.” Anisa grumbled, trudging over and tossed her arms around Mia’s neck. “Thanks, what would I do without you?”

 

“Not sure.  I’m gonna go shower and change, then we can head back to the hotel.” She walked away, leaving Anisa standing in the hallway.

 

Anisa knew she was in trouble because trying to forget Jonathan Good was easier said than done.  What was she going to do?  Could she just have casual no-strings attached sex with Jon?  Would he even go for that?  Scrubbing a hand down her face, Anisa was more than ready to end this night and turned around, spotting Phil headed her way.  Suddenly, Jonathan Good was the last person on her mind as she quickly closed the distance between them and slapped him across the face.

 

“You son of a bitch!”

 

Phil stumbled back in shock and held his blazing cheek, staring at his sister perplexed. “What the FUCK was that for?!” He growled, gritting his teeth and could see the anger coursing through her cold midnight blue eyes.  They were practically black with rage and Phil suddenly realized she already knew what he was about to tell her. “Anisa…”

 

“How could you keep something like that from me, Phillip?!” She demanded, shoving him and ignored Coralie running up to them.

 

“What the hell is going on here?”

 

“Stay out of this, Cora!” The siblings shouted at the same time, eye contact never breaking.

 

Phil didn’t blame his sister for being upset about who his opponent was at WrestleMania. “I didn’t know how to break it to you.” He frowned, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. “That’s why I tracked you down to tell you…”

 

“Oh sure because disappearing after the incident with Axel was the right thing to do, huh?” Anisa shot back angrily, clenching her fists at her sides so she didn’t strike her brother again. “What the hell were you thinking?  We were looking all over for you and you were nowhere to be found!!  I thought you were gonna kill a coworker because of your overprotectiveness!  I’m not a porcelain doll, Phillip!  I can take care of myself and don’t need you defending my honor!”

 

Hazel eyes narrowed as Phil folded his arms in front of his chest. “And what would you have me do?  Sit back and watch while a fucking asshole breaks my sister’s heart?  I have to do something about it!”

 

“No you don’t!  It was 4 years ago!  Get over it, I did and I’m happier without him!  So just STOP being overprotective!” Anisa blinked, feeling huge tears slide down her cheeks and angrily wiped them away. “And what’s worse is you couldn’t even tell me about it.  I had to hear it from Glen fucking Jacobs, of all people!  I KNOW you’ve known about this for a while and I KNOW you requested this match too, so don’t try denying it!  The least you could’ve done is been honest with me, but apparently you think I’m a fragile idiot that can’t handle it.  I’ve got news for you, Phillip, you have NO idea what you’ve gotten yourself into at WrestleMania.  NONE.  So good luck, break a leg, whatever.  I’m leaving and going back to the hotel.”

 

“Anisa…” Coralie didn’t take offense to being shouted at because, clearly, both siblings were upset with each other.  Her cool leaf green eyes turned to Phil after watching Anisa stalk down the hallway, shaking her head. “You didn’t tell her about your match with Calaway?”

 

Phil lowered his head in shame and couldn’t look his girlfriend in the eye. “I was trying to find the right time…”

 

“Goddamn it, Phillip!  I told you to tell her MONTHS ago when you found out you were dropping the title to Dwayne!  How could you keep this from her?” Coralie gripped his hair since his head was lowered enough and forced his eyes to raise to meet hers, frowning at the heartbreak in his. “What am I gonna do with you?”

 

“I don’t know.” He whispered, pressing his forehead to hers and wrapped his tattooed arms around her waist, kissing her softly. “I should’ve let you tell her when you offered.  I thought I could do it, but more time passed and things came up…”

 

Coralie understood, but Phil had a lot to make up to his sister and she hoped the damage could be fixed. “Come on.  Let’s get on the bus so I can give you a rubdown and then we can figure out how to make this up to your sister.” She suggested, grabbing his hand and guided him out of the arena, already having their belongings on the bus.

 

“Thanks babe, I love you.”

 

“Love you more.”

 

~!~

 

Guilt tore through Anisa while she walked down the hallway and rounded the corner, nearly slamming into someone. “Whoa!” She stared back into a pair of startled hazel eyes and quickly noticed it was the new member of the WWE medical staff. “Oh my god, Krystal, are you alright?  I’m so sorry for scaring you.”

 

“No problem, no harm done.” Krystal assured her with a smile. “I’m just glad you weren’t a wrestler cause then I’d be seeing stars right now.”

 

“And possibly planets.” Both girls laughed the incident off and Anisa hooked her arm through Krystal’s, beginning to walk again. “So how are you liking the WWE?  Crazy atmosphere isn’t it?”

 

Krystal nodded, looking straight ahead and kept her eyes peeled for any sudden movement since people liked barreling around the hallway corners. “Yeah it is.  Does it ever slow down?”

 

“After WrestleMania, it will be less hectic.  This is the biggest and busiest part of our season though and everything has to be perfect.” Anisa explained, wondering why Paul hadn’t warned his sister about WrestleMania season. “Your brother didn’t tell you any of this?”

 

“No…” Krystal frowned, having the same train of thought Anisa did without realizing it. “I wish he had though.  Might’ve prepared myself a bit better.”

 

“Don’t worry, it’s almost the end of February and then we just have until mid-April to go before the chaos dies down.” Anisa enjoyed this time of year, but at the same time she missed having her days off to go home.  During WrestleMania season, employees were lucky if they got a day off a week to go home to their families. “We really should get together and have coffee sometime.  I know it can’t be easy being new to the company and I’m someone you can trust.”

 

Krystal appreciated her honesty, finding it refreshing and heartfelt. “I’d like that.  Thanks Anisa, it means a lot to me that you want to be friends.”

 

After what happened to her in high school, Krystal didn’t trust anyone easily and had issues talking to strangers.  The bigger the person, male or female respectively, made her anxiety a lot worse.  However, somehow Krystal knew she could trust Anisa along with Mia and Coralie, who she got to know a little while icing down Mia’s upper arms.  They were all very welcoming and polite, but Coralie and Mia warned her about some of the other Divas that were less than tolerable.  So at least she was prepared to deal with them when they needed her assistance.

 

“Not a problem and if anyone gives you problems, don’t hesitate to turn them in.” Anisa advised and stopped outside of her small office, releasing Krystal’s arm. “Let me grab my things and we can walk out together.”

 

“Alright.” Krystal appreciated that considering it was going on 10 PM and the parking lot was dark, not a lot of light.

 

Looking around the hallway, Krystal leaned against the wall so she wasn’t in anyone’s way, avoiding being trampled at all costs.  Paul had called and informed her he left the arena with Stephanie, wanting to make sure she got back to the hotel safely.  Krystal assured him she’d be fine and not to worry about her, the call short and brief.  He was a completely different person wearing a suit and tie than the Paul Levesque she grew up with.  She supposed that’s what the wrestling business did, it changed people – some for the better and others for the worse.  Every hair on the back of her neck stood up when a deep raucous voice bellowed down the hallway and Krystal recognized it instantly just as Anisa walked out of her office.  Anisa noticed the look on Krystal’s face and frowned, looking to her left spotting the Shield headed their way.

 

“They’re harmless, sweetie.” Anisa assured her, but Krystal shook her head and backed away down the hallway.

 

“I-I’m sorry, I have to go.” She bolted down the hallway as fast as she could just as Colby, Joe and Jon approached Anisa, not daring to look over her shoulder.

 

“Hey, was that the new medical girl?” Colby spotted Krystal’s retreating form and wanted to go after her, but he didn’t want to scare her either.

 

Anisa wasn’t stupid or blind, cottoning on quickly that something must’ve happened between Colby and Krystal. “Out with it, Rollins.” She ordered, folding her arms in front of her chest.

 

“Oh shit, you’re in trouble now, bro!” Jon crowed, clapping Colby on the shoulder while having his arm draped around Joe’s neck.  He was an inch taller than the Enforcer of the Shield, but Joe was slightly more muscular.

 

Joe growled, shoving Jon away into Colby and it started a shoving match between them. “Hey bro, you started it!”

 

“No you did!”

 

“No YOU!”

 

“Enough you guys, I’m finishing it.” Anisa ordered, cutting them off and took Colby’s hand, dragging him away from Jon and Joe for the moment. “What happened?”

 

A sheepish smile crossed Colby’s mouth as he lowered chocolate orbs to the floor, finding his shoes more interesting than Anisa. “I uh…might’ve accidentally scared her by barging in the trainer’s room to get my knee checked out.” He was naturally hyper, so if someone didn’t know Colby’s personality, they would safely assume he had several screws loose.

 

“First the Ape scares my best friend and now you scare the new girl?  Seriously, what am I going to do with you idiots?” Anisa pinched the bridge of her nose, feeling a headache coming on and heaved a sigh. “You will make it up to her, Rollins, do you understand me?  I don’t care what you have to do.  That is not only Larry’s replacement on the trainer’s team, but she’s also Paul Levesque’s sister.  If you want to make it longer than a couple months in this company, you WILL do whatever necessary to get in her good graces.  Do I make myself clear?”

 

Colby felt like he’d just been scolded like a 5 year old with his hand caught in the cookie jar. “Yes ma’am.” He mumbled, shoving his hands in the front pockets of his black skinny jeans. “I’m sorry, I really didn’t mean to scare her.”

 

“I know you didn’t.” Anisa patted his shoulder to let the two tone haired man know she understood. “You – what the hell are you two doing now?” She directed that at Joe and Jon, who had Joe currently in a headlock.

 

“Andy Dalton would wipe the fucking floor with Kaepernick!”

 

“Are you for real, bro?” Joe growled and tried getting out of the headlock, gritting his teeth. “Kaepernick would crush him with one arm tied behind his back!”

 

“Oh really?”      

 

“Yeah!”

 

“How about I pop your head off your fucking shoulders?”

 

“Bring it on, Curly Q!”

 

“Fine, Fabio!”

 

Were they seriously arguing over NFL football teams and calling each other names?  Anisa officially had enough for tonight and shook her head, planting her hands on her hips while Colby erupted in laughter behind her, unable to help it.  This was ridiculous, how old were they?  Maybe Jon wasn’t ready for a casual sex relationship, but then again they were men with egos the size of Alaska – possibly bigger.

 

“Dr. Feel Good, he’s turning red…” She pointed out, not moving to try breaking them up.

 

“Dr. Feel Good?” Joe echoed and roared with laughter along with Colby, forcing Jon to break the hold instantly. “Holy shit, my side hurts!” He’d taken an RKO by Randy Orton during their match that night and landed on his side instead of his stomach since it was done at an angle.

 

“I can make it hurt worse for you, fucker.” Jon grumbled, his electric blues locking with amused midnight and couldn’t believe the fortitude this woman had to call him that in front of his brethren. “Shut up, Colbs!”

 

“He’s the one they call Dr. Feelgood!  He’s the one that makes ya feel alright!  He’s the one they call Dr. Feelgood!” Colby sang horribly, belting the lyrics out and made a beeline down the hallway when Jon launched at him, his laughter echoing behind him.

 

Jon would never live this down and shot a playful glare at the honey blonde, closing the distance between them. “Did you really have to do that?” He asked rhetorically, glad pure amusement shined in her eyes instead of the sadness earlier.

 

“It just slipped out…” Anisa tried not to giggle and took a step back from Jon, only for him to take one forward. “Maybe I should’ve warned you ahead of time I planned on calling you that.”

 

“Uh huh.” Jon kept stalking her until her back hit the wall, both of his hands planting on either side of her head while two different shades of blue swirled together. “So what do I get as restitution for being embarrassed?”

 

Anisa smiled, planting her hands against his leather jacket covered chest and dug her nails into the material a little. “You get to think about me every time you’re called Dr. Feel Good and be happy with that.” She shoved him away with a smirk, noticing his pale blues darkened instantly. “Have a nice night.”

 

Unbeknownst to both of them, glacial blues watched their every move and noticed the obvious attraction between Jonathan Good and Anisa Brooks. “How very…interesting…” His soft chilling voice resonated around the others behind him, an evil smirk curving his lips. “I think it’s time to inform our leader of what’s transpired.” They all chuckled evilly and watched as the call was made, listening to every word from their leader.

 

“Do not let Anisa Brooks out of your sight.”

 

The call ended abruptly.

 

Chapter 6

 

What made her body decide to get up at 5 AM when she just crashed at 2?

 

Anisa tossed and turned for 2 hours after getting back to the hotel at 11 PM the previous night.  Then she took a hot shower thinking it would make her sleepy, but it didn’t.  She laid in bed staring up at the ceiling and couldn’t get Jonathan Good off her mind.  Her body ached for him, especially between her thighs and Anisa realized what her problem was.  She craved the touch and feel of a man, the drought going on for far too long.  Shortly after her divorce was finalized from Mark, Anisa slept with a random man she met at a bar after a Raw show one night.  It’d been 4 years since she last had sex, not a one nightstand type of woman, but Anisa made sure to take care of her needs herself.  Deciding it would have to be one of those nights, she slid from bed and went to her luggage, unzipping the front pocket to pull her current sexual partner out.

 

The blue dragon.

 

Sliding her panties off along with her bra, -Anisa rarely wore anything else to bed unless she had a sleepover with one of the girls- she bent her knees planting her feet in the comforter and turned her vibrator on.  Her eyes closed as soon as the vibrator came in contact with her throbbing clit and deep moans spilled from Anisa’s mouth.  She envisioned Jon on top of her at that moment, his strong muscular body rocking in sync with hers and his mouth devouring her neck.  He had an incredible back she wouldn’t mind digging her nails into while he powered in and out of her.  Gliding her hand down the side of her neck to her collarbone, Anisa grabbed hold of her breast and plucked her nipple before rolling it between her fingers.  She slid the vibrator up and down her clit faster, the pulsations flooding through her body and made her toes curl, quickly shattering like a mirror being dropped 7 stories.

 

“JON!” Anisa cried out, arching her back while hot juices flowed from her body and her breathing was incredibly ragged, body coated in a fine sheen of perspiration. “Mmm Jon…” She moved the vibrator from her sex and set it on the bed beside her, feeling the passion haze lift from her brain.

 

Had she really just masturbated to Jonathan Good?  Anisa scrubbed a hand down her sweaty face and glanced at the clock, seeing it was a little after 1 AM.  Another shower was in order and then she had to get some sleep for the trip to Smackdown! that day.  Keeping the water as cold as she could stand it, Anisa scrubbed herself from head to toe and could feel fatigue from her earlier activities setting in.  That’s exactly what she wanted.  Another 10 minutes and Anisa was out of the shower in bed, a fresh pair of panties and bra on, snuggling under the comforter with a content smile on her face.

 

When her eyes snapped open at 5 AM, Anisa gave up the sleep fight and decided to go out for a much needed run.  She ran whenever something weighed heavily on her mind and currently her thoughts consumed her with Jonathan Good.  Her heart screamed go for it while her mind bellowed how big of a mistake it would be getting involved with another wrestler.  It depended how involved she became though because Mia had been on board with the whole casual sex only idea.  Every woman had needs that needed fulfilled and Anisa desperately craved the feeling of male companionship.  Anisa didn’t know if she was casual sex only material though, not sure if her conscience would get the better of her or, worse, her heart betrayed her by falling in love with Jon.  Sighing heavily, she shoved ear buds in her ears and turned the music up full blast before beginning her morning run away from the hotel, not spotting lust-filled eyes watching her every move.

 

He recognized the honey blonde anywhere.  Jon had been watching Anisa Brooks as of late, even before he knew about her marriage to Mark Calaway.  What a cheating douchebag!  How could any man give up such a beautiful and vivacious woman like Anisa?  He could tell she’d been hurt before and now he knew who was responsible for the pain.  How Mark could let her slip through his fingers was beyond him.  Anisa more than likely vowed to never get involved with another wrestler and who could blame her?  Jon certainly didn’t.  That wouldn’t stop him from luring her into his web; Jon just had to figure out how to let her know he was completely different than her asshole ex-husband and appreciated what he had in his life.

 

Their talks and run-ins at the arena lately told Jon she felt something for him.  The way she ran the pen down his chest at Raw and then last night at Smackdown! calling him Dr. Feel Good in front of his brethren.  Oh how he wanted to tan her beautiful backside for that stunt!  Jon would have his chance, just needing to be patient and watched her run down the street, wondering if she’d want a running partner.  He wouldn’t mind, even though he was a smoker.  Only when Anisa fully disappeared from sight did Jon walk back into his hotel room and decided to go get some breakfast since he wasn’t going back to sleep.  The midnight blue eyed beauty refused to leave his mind.

 

After 2 hours of running, Anisa spotted a small diner and felt her stomach rumble, desperately needing sustenance.  Wearing dark blue cotton pants and a short sleeved matching top, Anisa wiped the sweat from her face with the towel around her neck she always had with her during runs.  Her honey blonde hair was pulled up in a high ponytail that swung lightly with every step she took, no makeup on.  The waitress greeted her with a smile and directed Anisa to a table, taking her beverage order before walking away.  Anisa didn’t mind eating breakfast alone and sipped her coffee, just trying to cool down from her 2 hour run.  While looking over her menu trying to decide what to eat, the bell dinged overhead signaling another person or party entered the diner.  A few seconds later, she heard the low gritty voice that could only belong to one man and looked up from her menu into pale blue eyes.

 

“This seat taken?” The small diner called out to Jon for some reason and she was sitting in a booth alone looking more gorgeous than ever.

 

“Are you stalking me?” Anisa asked with a smile, pleasantly surprised Jon would walk into a place like this.  Then again, she didn’t know much about him.

 

Jon smirked at her wit and folded his arms in front of his chest. “I was just about to ask you the same thing.”

 

“Take a seat, Dr. Feel Good.  I haven’t ordered yet.” Anisa gestured to the booth seat in front of her and Jon took it, once again two shades of blues mixing together. “I thought I was the only one who got up at the ass crack of dawn craving breakfast.”

 

The scent of lilacs filtered through the air as Jon inhaled as much as he could, knowing it came from Anisa.  Ever since he watched her smoking, he couldn’t get the image out of his head.  It was a turn-on to watch her blow smoke out of her nose and mouth at the same time.  Most women who smoked smelled like they smoked 20 packs a day and when it came to kissing, it was like swapping spit with an ashtray.  Jon always carried some type of peppermint gum because he didn’t want his breath to reek of cigarettes.

 

“Negatory.” Jon chuckled, leaning back against the booth and ordered a pot of coffee when the waitress came back to take their order. “Give us a few more minutes.  I just got here.” The waitress nodded and bustled off to wait on her other customers, leaving them alone. “And are you kidding?  My favorite meal of the day is breakfast.”

 

Fate was NOT fair!!  What the hell was going on?  The only thoughts currently swimming through her head were all NC-17 rated border lining XXX.  His yellow polo clung to his muscular chest, arms and back, showing the outline of his shape.  The blue jeans hugged his hips, backside and thighs, molding to his body perfectly.  Jon had incredible arms.  Actually, he had an incredible everything and his hair currently hung swept on his forehead in wispy dishwater blonde curls.  Anisa suddenly realized what a mess she looked and chewed her bottom lip, lowering her gaze back to the menu instead of at him.  If Jon touched her once, Anisa would jump on him without a second thought, no matter if they were at a small diner.

 

“So, do you mind if I ask you a personal question?” Jon asked after a few minutes of silence between them, trying to get her to look up at him and smiled when she did. “I’m sure he was probably a smooth talker, but how did you meet Taker?  I mean, what drew you to him?  When he’s here in the back, he doesn’t say shit to anyone.  He sits and talks with Kane for hours.  He did show up when we were still at FCW for a week of training and didn’t say much.  Yes, it was sort of impressive, but he didn’t seem that thrilled about being there.  I’m just trying to figure out what a beautiful vivacious woman saw in that guy?” He cleared his throat, not meaning to say all of that in a rush. “I mean, I’m sorry if I spoke out of term, but I just don’t see it.  He seems like a controlling dick.”

 

Anisa didn’t expect to hear all of that, but she wasn’t angry at his inquisitiveness and smiled genuinely, letting him know she didn’t mind him asking about her marriage to Mark. “Believe it or not, Mark was amazing at first.  He actually approached me, which is something the man NEVER does, one night after a show.  It was back in 2007 when he was red hot and at the peak of his career.  He’d just won the Royal Rumble, his first ever in his career, and was celebrating with a couple drinks.  He spotted me at the bar and said he noticed me around the company a few times – really laid on the charm.  Now keep in mind this is when Mark was still full-time with the company and actually had a passion for wrestling.  Nowadays, he’s an old fart selling his motorcycles like it’s nobody’s business because his wife doesn’t want him to be the badass biker everyone knows him as.  Who Mark is now isn’t who he used to be.” Anisa looked away from Jon to stare out the window, a deep frown marring her face. “I don’t even recognize him anymore with his grandpa looking hats and the grey in his beard.  He just doesn’t care anymore about how he looks.  He let himself go completely and maybe it has to do with the fact he has 4 kids to deal with.  He was upset with me when I refused to not only have a baby with him, but quit my job with the WWE.  That’s what he wanted from me.  Can you believe that?  He gave me an ultimatum and I told him I would never give up my job for a man, no matter who he is.  A week later, I found him in bed with Michelle McCool in our hotel suite and I filed for divorce the next day, after getting over the initial shock from what Mark did.  I didn’t give him what he wanted, so he got it somewhere else.  I’m not a stay-at-home mom/wife type.  I like adventure, danger and exploration and all Mark wanted was a stay-at-home wife that he could knock up with several kids and then divorce her too and go onto the next mid-life crisis.  God, he’s such a fucking idiot.”

 

“I just don’t get it.” Jon shook his head, trying to digest all of that newfound information. “Why would you try to force someone you supposedly love to do something they don’t want to?  Or for that matter, make them stop doing what they love to do?  He really is a controlling dick.” Jon took a long drink of his coffee and could see the pain in her midnight eyes, wishing there was something he could do to wash it away. “I can only imagine what the fuck you think of the rest of the cocksuckers you have to work with in the company because of what one dick did to you.” Reaching out, Jon took one of her hands in his and brushed his thumb gently over her knuckles. “Hell, you probably swore off all wrestlers and employees, right?”

 

How did he pinpoint that so quickly?  Dr. Feel Good was very sharp minded and a man with a brain was definitely a turn-on.  Why the hell did he have to be so adorable? “I did…” Mia’s words burned in her mind about the casual sex clause and Anisa suddenly found it hard to breathe, her heart pounding furiously in her chest. “But that doesn’t mean I won’t have a little fun with a wrestler again, if the right one comes along.” Her midnight blues singed with need and lust while staring at Jon across the table, their hands still entwined.

 

The waitress came over to set their food down before Jon could answer that question and he reluctantly released her hand to eat.  The whole time they kept stealing glances at each other and Jon was thankful for the tight jeans he wore.  Making small talk during their meal, Anisa found out that Jon lived in Las Vegas, a place she surprisingly pictured him in, but he was originally from Cincinnati, Ohio.  Once they were done eating, Jon insisted on paying for it and guided Anisa out of the diner, stopping her from walking away by taking her hand.

 

“Want a lift back to the hotel?” He asked, not thinking about the fact he had spied on her from his balcony earlier that morning.

 

Anisa didn’t want their time together to end, so she nodded and didn’t pull her hand away from him.  They talked more on the ride back to the hotel and Jon played some heavy metal, surprised the honey blonde beauty didn’t mind.  She bobbed her head to the music along with him, both of them laughing and having a great time.  Jon pulled into the hotel parking lot 20 minutes later and cut the ignition on his vehicle, turning to face her.

 

“Thank you for the ride, Dr. Feel Good.  I’ll see you tonight at the show and don’t forget to sign-in.” Anisa reminded him, shivering when he brought her hand up to his mouth, brushing his lips against her knuckles. “Quite the charmer.”

 

“I try.” Jon grinned, not wanting to let her go, but he knew they both had to hit the road soon. “And I won’t.  I’ll come to you personally to sign-in if you want.”

 

“Sounds good, drive safe.” She leaned over to kiss his cheek and stepped out of the vehicle, waving over her shoulder at him before making a beeline into the hotel to get ready to hit the road with Mia.

 

All the while, her hand would not stop tingling from Jon’s touch and kiss.

 

Chapter 7

 

“So I had breakfast with Jon today.”

 

Mia nearly rear-ended the vehicle in front of her, head snapping to the side to stare wide-eyed at her friend. “WHAT?!” Did she hear Anisa correctly?

 

“Jesus woman, do you enjoy giving people whiplash?” Anisa exclaimed, narrowing eyes on her best friend while clutching her heart through her shirt.

 

“Do you enjoy saying shit that shocks me while I’m driving?” Mia retorted, rolling her eyes and tried getting her own heart to dislodge from her throat. “So what happened?  Did you make a date or something?”

 

Anisa shook her head and looked down at her clasped hands, still not believing what happened only 2 hours ago with Jon. “No, though I did ask him if he was stalking me.  I went for a run this morning to clear my head and ended up getting breakfast alone at a little diner.  And he walked in, asked to join me and that’s pretty much it.  What was I supposed to do, say no?”

 

“I suppose not…” Mia ceded, knowing there was no use in arguing because Anisa was a grown woman capable of making her own decisions.  She just didn’t want her friend to get hurt again at the hands of another wrestler. “What did you two talk about?”

 

“He asked about what happened with Mark.”

 

Mia blinked, glancing over at Anisa momentarily before turning her eyes back to the road. “Wow…” What else could she say?  How did Jon find out Anisa had been married to Mark Calaway anyway?  More importantly, what were the Shield member’s intentions with her best friend? “Did you tell him?”

 

“Yeah.  He asked what drew me to Mark and…I told him.  I don’t know why I did it either.  Surprisingly, I feel completely comfortable around Jon and that scares me because I haven’t felt this way about a guy since Mark.” Anisa scrubbed a hand down her face and leaned her head back against the seat, shutting her eyes. “I’m tired of being scared to move on with my life all because of a controlling dick.” She used Jon’s term of endearment to describe Mark without realizing it.

 

“Sounds like Jon isn’t interested in a casual sex arrangement if he’s asking about your past.” Mia pointed out, taking the ramp to get on the expressway and put the pedal to the metal full throttle since they were an hour behind schedule already.

 

“Probably not.” Anisa noticed a new sparkle in Mia’s eyes and decided to switch topics off of her. “So, why can’t you wipe the smile off your face, even after you nearly killed us?”

 

It was Mia’s turn to look sheepish, sometimes hating how observant Anisa was. “I got a bouquet of beautiful lilies sent to my hotel room this morning…from Joe Anoa’i.” The flush in her cheeks erupted and took over her whole body.

 

“The Ape?  Seriously?” Anisa was bewildered, not thinking Joe Anoa’i had a soft bone in his body.  Apparently she was wrong.

 

“They came with a card that simply said ‘I’m sorry for my rude behavior.  Thank you for returning my wrist wraps.  I hope you let me make it up to you.  J.A.’  I swear, I thought my heart would leap out of my chest.” Mia confessed, a full-blown smile on her face now. “What does he mean by he wants to make it up to me?”

 

This was a first for Mia since she was a firm believer in not mixing business with pleasure.  That’s one of the MANY reasons why she kept turning Curtis down, though the man didn’t understand the word no.  A few other wrestlers had asked her out on a date, but Mia politely turned them down.  She wasn’t interested in a relationship because of her career, wanting to put her full focus and energy into it.  However, all of her reservations and feelings changed the moment she laid eyes on Joseph Anoa’i.  She wasn’t sure if it was his long ravenous hair or the way his grey eyes turned stormy with intensity every time he changed from Joe Anoa’i to Roman Reigns.  His body was ripped beyond belief and his Samoan tattoo that covered his whole right arm set her desire on fire for him.  Not to mention he had the most perfect mouth she’d ever seen on a man and the neatly trimmed goatee surrounding his mouth just added to the sexiness he possessed.  Nobody compared to that beautiful man and if Mia had half the chance to be with him, she would jump on it.

 

“He likes you.” Anisa bluntly replied, folding her arms in front of her chest. “And you like him, it’s obvious.  A man doesn’t send a woman flowers just to say sorry.  He did it for a deeper reason.  Just…be careful and don’t jump into this without getting to know him first, M&M.  I don’t want you getting hurt.” They were protective of each other, especially with the Curtis situation and Anisa’s past being married to Mark.

 

“Now who’s being overprotective?” Mia smirked, reaching over to take Anisa’s hand and squeezed it gently, letting her know how much she appreciated the worry. “I don’t even know what’s going to happen between us, honestly.  I do know I’m going to thank him personally for the flowers.”

 

“Nothing wrong with that.” Anisa was truly happy for her friend and hoped things did work out with Joe.  She knew Jon and Joe were best friends, brothers even, so maybe Anisa could try getting some insight from Dr. Feel Good on Joe’s feelings for Mia. “And if you can be overprotective over me, then I can damn sure return the favor.”

 

Mia rolled her eyes, waving Anisa off dismissively with one hand while keeping the other one on the steering wheel. “Whatever, I wasn’t married to a douchebag coworker like you were, so I have a right to be overprotective, wench.”

 

“Speaking of the douchebag, Glen told me he’s returning next week to start his feud for WrestleMania.” Anisa frowned, thinking about the fight she had with her brother and knew they’d have to make amends eventually.

 

“Who is stupid enough to go after the Streak this time?”

 

“My asinine brother.” Anisa could feel tears building in her eyes and blinked them away, refusing to cry over him. “I gave him a piece of my mind last night over it too.  He’s known for god knows how long about it and didn’t have the balls to tell me himself.

 

“Lord, do I even wanna know how that went?” Mia was almost afraid to ask, cringing at the heartbreak in Anisa’s voice. “What did he say?”

 

Snorting, Anisa flexed the hand she slapped Phil with and gritted her teeth, trying to keep her temper in check. “He didn’t know how to break it to me and he has to do something about Mark breaking my heart.  And I know he’s the one who asked for the match based on what he said.  Mark didn’t come to him, Phil saw his opportunity and fucking took it.”

 

“Didn’t he promise you he would leave Mark alone?”

 

“Yes and he’s breaking his promise to me now after 4 years.  Why he can’t let it go and move on is beyond me.  I understand he’s pissed at Mark for what happened and I’m his little sister, so he feels like he has to defend me, but honestly I’m better off without that piece of shit in my life.  And it hurts me he couldn’t even be honest with me about the match – I had to hear it from Mark’s best friend instead of my own brother.” Shaking her head, Anisa finally let the tears release and felt them flow down her cheeks, angrily wiping them away. “They are going to maim each other at WrestleMania and I’ll be forced to watch it.”

 

Mia hated seeing Anisa cry and wished there was something she could do to stop this match from happening, not knowing how to respond to what she heard, so she remained quiet.

 

~!~

 

Colby wasn’t having a good day.

 

From the moment he woke up, everything had gone wrong.  Room service for breakfast took nearly 2 hours to arrive and it was ice cold, so he didn’t bother eating.  Then the shower door broke, so Colby couldn’t bathe prior to leaving the hotel.  Halfway to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, where Smackdown! was being held, his rental car decided to blow all 4 tires and in turn forced Colby to call a tow truck.  It was a miracle he made it to Oklahoma City in one piece!  Even though Colby was close friends with Joe and Jon, he preferred to travel alone.  Maybe that wasn’t a good idea after all the hell he’d gone through in one day.  By the time Colby arrived in Oklahoma City, it was a little after 4 PM and he had just enough time to check into the hotel, grab his gear and head to the arena.

 

He didn’t bank on the hotel losing his registration, however.

 

“For the FINAL time, my name is Colby Lopez and I’m a WWE wrestler!” The receptionist was getting on his last nerve. “Goddamn it, are you DEAF?!”

 

Maryann, the Shield’s current assistant, would pay for not doing her job properly.  It was her responsibility to make sure the Shield had their flight arrangements, hotel registrations and car rentals among other things set up.  The bitch was too busy enjoying being fucked by wrestlers though and when it came to doing her actual job, she failed at every turn.  The hotel was filled to capacity, no vacancies, and Colby didn’t know if Joe and Jon had arrived yet since they normally traveled together.  They had talked about splitting a suite to give Maryann less to deal with and Colby was regretting not jumping on that opportunity.

 

At that moment, Krystal walked into the hotel with her luggage in hand and noticed Colby yelling at the receptionist.  He looked ready to blow a gasket and Krystal knew that wouldn’t look good for the company.  She had to do something.  Walking over, Krystal placed a hand on Colby’s arm and flinched when his head snapped toward her, a growl escaping him.

 

“Mr. Lopez, you need to calm down.” Krystal had no idea where her bravery came from and snatched her hand back, acting as if she’d just gotten burned. “Your blood pressure is gonna go through the roof.” Cool hazel eyes moved to the receptionist standing behind the desk, an annoyed look on her face. “What’s going on here?”

 

The receptionist was at the end of her rope and thoroughly annoyed, folding her arms tightly in front of her chest. “Ma’am, I’ve tried several times explaining to this gentleman that his reservation isn’t in our system and-”

 

“THAT’S HORSESHIT!” Colby exploded, slamming his fists down on the counter and knew he was on the verge of being ejected from the building. “I’M WITH THE WWE!!  I SHOULD HAVE A ROOM!!”

 

“Sir, please lower your voice or I will have to call security to escort you from the premises.”

 

Colby would kill the snarky lady along with the security guards if they tried tossing him out, chocolate brown pure black with rage. “Look, my personal assistant is named Maryann Spinster and she’s the one who deals with all of our reservations.  If you’ll just tell me what room she’s in…”

 

“I’m sorry sir, I cannot do that.”

 

If this lady wasn’t careful, she’d be dragged across the counter and beaten to a pulp by Colby.  Krystal quickly covered his mouth with her hand before he could say another word. “Shut up before you get yourself in trouble.  My brother wouldn’t appreciate if you got a bad reputation.” She hissed quietly and turned kinder eyes onto the receptionist. “Would it be possible for him to stay with me tonight?  I know I’ve got 2 beds and he needs his sleep.” Neither one of them had time for Maryann’s irresponsible crap; Krystal would make sure she called Paul regarding this matter. “Please inform Maryann that when she’s decided to do her job, Colby will be in my room.  Come on, let’s get upstairs.”

 

“You want me to stay with you?” Colby questioned, not sure he heard her right and couldn’t believe the sudden attitude she had.  Did she bump her head or sprout a set of balls overnight?  Either way, it was a major turn-on and Colby found himself glaring at the receptionist on his way to the elevator. “Thank you.” He murmured once the doors closed, leaning his head back against the wall closing his eyes.  His head throbbed with a vengeance, which would cause a huge migraine to form. “You don’t have to do this, but I appreciate it.  I hope you got some kind of aspirin because my head is killing me right now along with my knee.”

 

“Don’t worry about it.” Krystal replied in a softer voice, keeping her eyes lowered from his. “I’m sorry about telling you to shut up.  That was rude of me.  I could just see both of you getting mad at each other and the anger should be directed at your assistant instead since this is her fault.” The doors to the elevator opened and Krystal stepped off with Colby, leading him down the hallway to her room. “I want to check your knee, sit down and relax.” She ordered once they were inside, the door closing behind them.

 

Colby took the Advil liquid gel pills she handed him for his headache and laid back on the bed, propping the pillows up.  Silently, he watched Krystal walk around the room gathering things and clearing out some space for him, not believing how thoughtful she was.  He did sit up and removed his shirt, muscles rippling tossing it right on top of his bag so he didn’t make more of a mess.  Krystal sat down on the bed and gingerly rolled up his jean covered leg until she came in contact with his knee, taking the bandage off.  Surprisingly, Colby hadn’t ripped his stitches, so she cleaned the wound and went to rewrap it, but he stopped her shaking his head.

 

“What is it?”

 

“I need a shower.  The one at the hotel this morning broke and I don’t wanna do it at the arena.” Colby hoped she didn’t mind him hogging the shower and saw the soft smile grace her face, breathing a silent sigh of relief. “I won’t be long…”

 

“Take your time.  I took one this morning before leaving and don’t need one.” Krystal patted his knee just under the wound and stood from the bed, helping Colby stand up so he could go into the bathroom.

 

Once the bathroom door closed, Krystal had to learn how to breathe again and sank down on the bed, trying to get her nerves under control.  What the hell possessed her to let a stranger share her hotel room with her?  Krystal sighed, hoping if the roles were reversed Colby, or anyone for that matter, would do the same for her.  It wasn’t his fault Maryann was incapable of doing her job, having been warned by Paul about her and a few other people in the company.  Speaking of Paul…Krystal whipped her cell phone out and walked out on the balcony, shutting the sliding glass door before dialing her brother’s number.

 

“Krys, everything alright?”

 

“Yeah, I made it to Oklahoma City safely, but I have a problem I need to tell you about.  It’s about one of the assistants – Maryann Spinster?”

Paul sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Out with it.  What did she do now?”

 

Krystal told her brother everything that happened, but left out the part about Colby sharing her room and all Paul said was he’d take care of it before ending the call abruptly.

 

Maryann Spinster’s WWE career was living on borrowed time.

 

Chapter 8

 

Negative.

 

That was the story of Ryanne’s life. 

 

All she could do was stare down at the small white stick in her hand with the negative sign in it and could feel tears sliding down her cheeks.  Coming on the road with Randy hadn’t been an easy decision to make, but Ryanne was out of options at this point.  They had been married for 10 years now; together since they were in high school.  High school sweethearts in other words.  There were ups and downs, but every couple had them and only the strong ones survived.  They were definitely a strong couple and loved each other deeply, supportive in anything their spouse did.  Ryanne had her own design company for decals that was successful and Randy was one of the top WWE Superstars. 

 

Even through all of their happiness and love, something was missing – the sweet cries of a baby made by both of them.  Babies weren’t in their immediate future because they both had careers and dreams to pursue, so the baby talk didn’t start until a few years ago.  Between going into the marines and ending up in jail for 8 months to becoming one of the biggest stars in WWE, a baby was definitely the last thing on their minds.  Randy didn’t propose to Ryanne until 2001 and they were married in a huge ceremony in 2002, a day Ryanne would never forget as long as she lived.  Normally, newlywed couples have kids on their minds and want to start their family right away, but that wasn’t an option for Randy and Ryanne.  Randy was on the road 280+ days on the road and Ryanne had just started her decal business, something to keep her busy while he gone from home.  It wasn’t until 2 years ago in 2010 that they sat down and had the talk about finally extending their family.

 

That’s when the nightmare of trying began.

 

After a year of trying, whenever Randy was home, Ryanne finally decided to get herself checked out along with her husband.  Randy wasn’t thrilled about having his sperm checked, but he did it for her and Ryanne loved him for it.  His sperm turned out perfect and Ryanne had no problems the gynecologist could find.  Something wasn’t right though because it’d been 2 years and nothing.  Ryanne understood she’d get pregnant when the time was right, but waiting killed her and she was starting to give up on the hope of having a baby.  It destroy her and Randy if it never happened.  Not only had this subject added more stress on both of them, but now Ryanne’s marriage was strained since both were frustrated they hadn’t gotten pregnant yet.  Again, one of the main reasons Ryanne decided to take an extended leave from work to travel with her husband on the road.  Maybe they weren’t having enough sex to get pregnant, so every chance presented Randy attacked her or she attacked him.  Wiping tears away, Ryanne couldn’t look at the pregnancy test any longer and tossed it in the trash, needing to get back to Randy before he hunted her down.

 

She wasn’t expecting to run into Coralie.

 

Coralie frowned at the tear stains on Ryanne’s face, not expecting to see her in here since Randy had a bathroom in his dressing room. “What’s wrong, Ry?” The dam burst and Ryanne covered her face with her hands, unable to talk. “Oh sweetie, what happened?”

 

Wrapping her arms around Ryanne, Coralie tried comforting her the only way she knew how, hating seeing one of her friends in pain.  When Randy and Ryanne decided to try for a baby, they agreed not to say anything to anyone until the pregnancy happened.  Ryanne hated breaking her word to Randy, but keeping this bottled up for 2 years was too much.  She had to tell someone and knew she could trust Coralie since they’d been friends for a long time.

 

“Sorry…” Ryanne mumbled, letting Coralie wipe her tears away and went to the sink to splash cold water on her face.

 

“What’s going on, woman?  Talk to me.” Coralie urged again, leaning against the other sink with her arms folded in front of her chest. “Do I have to kick Randy’s ass?”

 

Ryanne shook her head, shutting the water and looked up at Coralie with guilt ridden red rimmed emerald eyes. “No.” She murmured quietly and glanced around the bathroom to make sure they were alone. “Randy and I didn’t want to say anything…”

 

“Say what, sweetie?  What aren’t you telling me?”

 

Taking a deep shaky breath, Ryanne spilled everything to Coralie about her and Randy trying to have a baby.  She included their appointments to check themselves out to be on the safe side.  Coralie felt horrible for her friends because she could tell how badly Ryanne wanted a baby and would be a great mother.  Not to mention, Randy would be a terrific father.  Coralie pulled Ryanne into a tight hug, trying to will the tears in her eyes not to fall.  The last thing Ryanne needed was an emotional friend to contend with, especially since she required the attention and comfort at the moment.

 

“W-What am I going to do?” Ryanne stammered in a shaky sob, staring back at her reflection since she currently faced the mirror while hugging Coralie. “What if I can’t get pregnant?”

 

Coralie was at a loss for words, not sure what to do or say to make Ryanne feel better about the situation. “Well…” She had to think of something fast. “You both got checked out and were fine, right?”

 

“Yeah…”

 

“Then it’ll happen when it’s supposed to.  You just came on the road with Randy, so you have to give yourself time to adjust to the schedule and hectic traveling.  Once things settle down and the stress is out of your life, everything will fall into place like it should.” That was the best Coralie could come up with and she hoped it made Ryanne feel even a smidge better. “You gotta keep your faith.”

 

Sniffling, Ryanne pulled back from the embrace and once again ran the water in the sink to soak her face. “I know, but it’s been 2 years we’ve been trying and my faith is starting to disappear.  We wanted more than one child too, but I’m afraid we may only be blessed with one.”

 

“You should be thankful for what you have.  Hell, I can’t have kids at all and it took me a long time to get over that fact.”

 

Coralie had to have a hysterectomy at the age of 17 due to cervical cancer.  It spread too far and would’ve kept going had they not taken drastic measures.  She still had to have chemotherapy treatments for 2 years and managed to beat cancer, graduating with valedictorian status from high school.  It still pained her to know she’d never be able to give Phil children, but fortunately he didn’t want any.  Luckily, her sex drive hadn’t been affected from the chemotherapy and losing all of her lady parts at such a young age, thanks to estrogen pills she had to take on a daily basis.  They basically helped her maintain a hormone balance along with giving her the estrogen her body needed.  Telling Phil hadn’t been easy, but he was very understanding and proved to her with actions instead of words how much he loved her.

 

“You can’t?” Ryanne frowned, turning the water off and looked back at her friend, seeing the sad smile form on Coralie’s face. “Why not?”

 

“Hysterectomy at 17 due to cervical cancer.  They had no choice, all of my woman parts had to go.  I would’ve died.” Coralie hadn’t spoken about her past in a while and cleared her throat, trying not to get choked up about it. “So see?  There are worse things in life that happen.”

 

Ryanne felt like a bitch for crying to Coralie about her issues, lowering her eyes to the floor. “I had no idea, Cora…” She murmured quietly, surprised when Coralie lifted her chin up until watery emerald met leaf green.

 

“I’m fine with it.  And besides, if Phil and I ever did want to have a baby, there’s always adoption.  You need to think about that too.  Adoption is not a bad thing.  I know you want to give Randy everything his heart desires, but sometimes that’s not an option.” Coralie said truthfully, placing her hands on Ryanne’s shoulders and gently squeezed.

 

Smiling genuinely, Ryanne cupped her friend’s face and kissed her forehead before embracing her. “Thank you, Cora.  You always manage to find the silver lining in things, no matter how bad the situation is.”

 

“Yeah well…” Coralie broke the hug just as the bathroom door opened and the smile instantly vanished from her face. “Go talk to Randy and let me know what he thinks about my suggestion.”

 

Anisa didn’t expect Coralie and Ryanne to be in the bathroom and turned to leave, but Coralie stopped her.  She had no right being angry with Coralie just because she was Phil’s girlfriend.  It wasn’t fair to her and Coralie was Anisa’s friend before she decided to have a relationship with Phil.  Sighing, she reluctantly turned back to face Coralie and didn’t know what to say, deciding to let Coralie do the talking.

 

“I know you’re mad at your brother…”

 

“I have no brother.” Anisa cut her off, the words leaving her mouth before she could stop them.

 

Coralie didn’t blame Anisa for being angry at Phil and didn’t know how to make things right between them. “Phil loves you so much, Nisa.  He’s still your brother, no matter how angry you are at him.” She held her hand up before Anisa could interrupt again. “Yes, he should’ve told you about Calaway and kept his promise to you to leave the idiot alone.  I get that.  But put yourself in his shoes for a second.  You’re an older brother with a younger sister, your only family basically, and some asshole comes along and breaks her heart.  And she demands you not go after the asshole because of his reputation in the company all 3 of you work for.  Now tell me honestly, what would you do?  No wait, what did you feel like when Curtis hurt Mia last night?”

 

“I wanted to kill him…” Anisa muttered, feeling the rage at Phil slowly dying inside of her and being replaced with remorse.

 

“Exactly!  Because he hurt someone you consider family.  Well guess what, that’s what Phil has felt like for the past 4 years every time he sees that dickhead.  Be thankful he held out for 4 years only because the dickhead doesn’t come on the road often.  You really need to give your brother the benefit of the doubt.  He loves you and only wants to protect you.” Coralie didn’t believe in beating around the bush and said what was on her mind a lot, whether people liked it or not.  Sometimes the truth hurt.

 

“He still should’ve told me what was going on instead of letting me find out from Glen Jacobs.  I’m not a porcelain doll and I wish he’d stop treating me like I’m breakable.  I’m not pissed that he asked for the match with Mark so much as keeping it a secret from me.  Tell me honestly, how long did he know about the Mania match?” Anisa challenged, folding her arms in front of her chest.

 

Coralie hated being in this position, but she refused to lie to Anisa, not even for Phil. “Months.” She admitted, scrubbing a hand down her face. “His excuse is he didn’t know how to tell you and tried finding the right time.  I offered to tell you for him, but he wanted to do it.  Now he’s regretting that decision.”

 

“I bet he is.” Anisa wanted to bash Phil’s skull in to knock some sense into him. “I’ll make things right with him, but not right away.  I need time to forgive him for being an idiot.  I hope that doesn’t interfere with our friendship, Cora.”

 

Smirking, Coralie yanked Anisa into a bone crushing hug and planted a wet kiss on her cheek, laughing at Anisa’s squeal of protest. “We’re sisters from another mister, woman.  Don’t forget that.  I may not be your official sister-in-law, but we are family regardless.  And you take as much time as you need.  I just wanted to make sure you understood where your brother was coming from.”

 

Anisa wiped her cheek off groaning and nodded, suddenly feeling her bladder screaming out at her to be released. “I do.  But don’t tell him that.  I want him to stew on this for a while and make him think about what he did.”

 

“Evil, I love it.  I’ll talk to you later.” Coralie laughed and walked out of the bathroom to head back to work, feeling better after talking to Anisa.

 

Rounding the corner of the hallway, Coralie nearly collided with a brick wall and barely escaped impact.  Looking up, leaf green eyes shot open at the sight of Jon Huber, who was known to the WWE universe as Luke Harper – 1/3 of the estranged Wyatt Family.  He had dark cold eyes and long dark brown hair that looked almost black, a bushy beard surrounding his mouth.  He stood at 6’5 and weighed 275 pounds, the size extremely intimidating.  Currently, he had another filthy looking white loose beater on with scruffy blue jeans that looked like they had stains on them.  Phil had problems with the Wyatt Family dating back to when the current leader, Bray Wyatt –His real name was Windham, but everyone called him Bray and that went for his cronies- was lashed with a belt on national television by Phil.  Even though it was scripted to happen, at the time, Phil took it too far and purposely hurt Bray, leaving strap marks on Bray’s pale skin.  Ever since, Bray had been out to hurt Phil and seeking revenge along with his goons Luke and Erick Rowan – his real name being Joseph Ruud.  The hallway was abandoned, not one other person in it currently and Luke knew exactly who he almost bulldozed over.  Silently, he backed up Coralie until her back hit the nearest wall, towering over her with pursed lips.  Coralie wasn’t sure what he wanted and tried not to be intimidated, but it was hard considering he could crush her with his pinky.

 

“What do you want?” She finally spoke, breaking the silence between them and saw something ignite in Luke’s dark sinister eyes. “I have to get back to work…”

 

An evil chuckle escaped his mouth as Luke continued staring hardening down at her and suddenly reached up to wrap a hand around Coralie’s throat.  He didn’t squeeze though. “Tell your precious boyfriend he’s about to be taken down by the Devil and sent to hell.  So if you need a replacement, I’m more than happy to oblige.” His mouth was right by her ear and Luke could feel how badly she was trembling against him. “Mmm…”

 

Coralie was officially scared to death and wanted to fight back, but knew that wouldn’t be a wise decision.  It was an intimidation tactic from him and worked like a charm.  Luke stood there for a few minutes longer, not saying another word and finally pulled back, releasing her slender throat.  Not wasting a second, Coralie sprinted away from Luke Harper as fast as she could down the hallway, her heart beating a furious tattoo in her chest.  The whole time thinking what Luke meant by what he said regarding Phil and Coralie could only hope her boyfriend would be alright.

 

Chapter 9

 

Whistling echoed around the shower room as Joe finished his shower, rinsing the shampoo out of his hair.  He couldn’t wipe the smile off his face.  Joe thought long and hard about how he could make things up to Mia, deciding flowers were the best route to go.  It was a start and Joe could only hope she liked white lilies.  For some reason, she looked like the type of woman who enjoyed lilies and they were almost as beautiful as her.  She was an Indian beauty with caramel colored skin that looked soft to the touch and long thick raven hair spun out of silk.  Her deep brown eyes and naturally long black lashes added to her beauty – it was no wonder the WWE had snagged her up to be a WWE Diva the first chance presented. 

 

Mia had been in the company longer than Joe and from the moment he laid eyes on her, he wanted her.  Why hadn’t he pursued her?  The only excuse Joe could come up with that made sense was he didn’t want any distractions and dating a coworker didn’t seem like a smart thing to do.  Now that Joe was established in the company in one of the most dominant teams in WWE history, he started having a change of heart regarding Mia.  He just had to figure out how to approach Mia since scaring the hell out of her didn’t work.  Since the Shield’s locker room had been ransacked lately, the men didn’t know who to trust, but that was still no excuse to treat Mia the way Joe had.

 

Shutting the shower off and stepping out, Joe wrapped a towel around his waist hanging low on his muscular hips.  He brushed his hair out and then cleaned his teeth before readjusting the towel, walking out of the bathroom into the dressing room area.  Just then, the door opened and Joe’s head snapped up from sifting through his bag for his ring gear, grey locking with deep brown.  Colby and Jon were down in catering thankfully or else this would’ve been incredibly awkward.  The last person Joe expected to see was Mia and he didn’t know what to do or say.

 

“Uh…”

 

Water rivulets slid down his muscular chest and Mia followed them with her eyes, feeling her mouth go dry.  She was suddenly thirsty, a flood of warmth rushing through her from head to toe.  He was a Samoan Adonis with a body chiseled out of stone and looked majestic – the closest to perfection Mia would see from a man.  She opened her mouth to speak and closed it, feeling her cheeks begin burning a deep crimson red.  All she wanted to do was thank Joe for the flowers, but now…now her brain had dove into the gutter and Mia couldn’t pull herself out.

 

“I – I just…”

 

Joe heard the stammer and shakiness in her voice, not wanting the Indian goddess to be nervous around him.  While she did a sweep of his practically naked body, Joe did one of hers and could already feel his cock rising against the towel.  Mia wore a pair of black pants that hugged her hips perfectly along with a turquoise halter top, exposing her shoulders.  Her long black hair was currently up in a tight bun on top of her head, a few tendrils framing her face and wine colored knee high boots completed her outfit.  She hadn’t changed into her wrestling attire for the show that night, so either Mia didn’t have a match/promo or she hadn’t changed yet.  A smirk curved his sensual lips as Joe slowly moved toward her, like a predator stalking its prey.  Mia smiled nervously, taking a step back with each one he took until she hit the wall with Joe towering over her and tried slowing her rapid heartbeat.  Smoldering grey consumed her as his large hands planted on the wall on either side of her head, his head lowering until their noses brushed together.  Mia snaked her tongue out to wet her lips and that was enough invitation for Joe to make his move. 

 

Before Mia could decipher what was happening, Joe captured her mouth with his in a soft heated kiss that made her toes curl in her boots.  She returned the kiss with equal amount of passion and buried her fingers in his long black wet tresses, pressing her body closer to his.  Without breaking the kiss, Joe slid his strong hands down her sides, hips and grabbed her outer thighs, lifting Mia up against the wall until her legs wrapped around his waist.  She instantly felt his erection come in contact with her pant covered sex and knew she’d need a change of panties once this moment ended.  Mia slid her hands up and down his chest, loving the feeling of his muscles rippling beneath her touch.  His tongue kept brushing against her lips and Mia finally gave Joe access, a deep throaty moan following as soon as their tongues touched for the first time.

 

Only when they both needed oxygen to breathe did Mia break the kiss, both of them breathing erratically.  Joe went to attack her neck and Mia stopped him, their eyes locking once again.  The thought of having sex with him in the Shield dressing room wasn’t appeasing, especially since the 2 other members could walk in on them at any moment.  Mia also refused to have sex with him this soon, but that didn’t mean she was done with him.  Catching her breath, Mia pressed soft kisses against Joe’s neck, starting from left to right and smiled at his groan, the bulge behind that towel hardening more.

 

“I have a question for you.” She said gently, pulling back to look into his grey orbs again.

 

“What is it?” Joe rumbled, not able to keep the huskiness out of his deep voice and stroked her sides with his thumbs in circular motions.

 

His voice alone sent shivers down her spine, but Mia somehow maintained her composure. “Do you have a match tonight?” It took a lot of control on her part to keep her voice from shaking.

 

That was a weird question from Mia, but Joe wouldn’t deny her an answer. “No baby girl, just a promo with my bros.” He quirked a thick black brow down at her, seeing the evil glint flash in her brown eyes. “Why?”

 

“Set me down and I’ll tell you.”

 

Joe could tell something was on her beautiful deviant mind and did as Mia wanted, setting her back down on her feet.  He blinked when she pushed him against the wall, flicking her tongue over each of his erect pectorals.  A growl escaped Joe, his grey eyes widening not expecting her to do that.  His gaze snapped down to Mia, watching her mouth travel lower down his toned stomach and her nails slid down Joe’s sides just to add to the sensations.

 

“Mia…” Joe groaned out when he realized what she was doing, her soft hands on his towel ready to yank it away. “Baby girl…”

 

“Just relax, Joe.  I promise you’ll enjoy this.” Mia assured him and removed the towel, tossing it over her shoulder eyeing his hardened cock hungrily.

 

Was this really happening?  Joe had to pinch his arm to make sure he wasn’t dreaming and shut his eyes when her tongue slid across the tip of his cock.  Mia lowered to her knees, the desire overtaking her body and gripped Joe’s muscular backside, digging her nails in the meaty flesh.  Her tongue continued swirling around the head of Joe’s cock and Mia could taste the pre-cum, which ignited her blood further.  It’d been a while since she gave oral to a man and Joe was huge compared to any other men she’d been with.  The size alone scared her, but Mia went too far to pull back and wouldn’t stop until she properly thanked him for the flowers.  His long nimble fingers delved into her bound hair and Joe leaned his head back against the wall, gritting his teeth at her sweet mouth devouring him.  Mia took him in her mouth as far as she could go, thanking the stars above she didn’t have gag reflex or else this would’ve ended badly.  Joe didn’t care that she only got a quarter of his cock in her mouth, just the fact she was doing this blew his mind.  He was engorged and the vision of her mouth wrapped around his cock would be an image Joe would forever sear into his memory.  To add even further pleasure to the moment, Mia began massaging his balls while driving his cock in and out of her mouth, head bobbing repeatedly.

 

“Mia, oh fuck…” Joe growled, tightening his hands in her hair and heard her whimpering, hoping he wasn’t hurting her. “Oh yeah, give it to me – I need it, baby girl!  Make me cum…” Was he begging this petite woman to end his suffering?

 

He was close.  Mia could feel his balls tensing along with his thighs and increased the pace, humming to send vibrations throughout his 6’3 frame.  That was all Joe could handle, not able to hold back his orgasm any longer and waited for her to drive him into her mouth one final time before exploding.  Mia clutched his backside to the point of leaving half-moon crescent shapes in his skin and swallowed every drop of his essence.  He tasted better than Mia could’ve hoped for or imagined and loved the sound of her name bellowing out of his mouth.  Not pulling back until Joe’s cock went limp in her mouth, Mia released him and stood up wiping the corners of her mouth just in case.  It wouldn’t do her any favors to go out to the ring for her segment with cum surrounding her mouth.

 

“Thanks for the flowers, handsome.” Mia sent him a quick wink over her shoulder on her way out the door and headed to the women’s restroom to straighten herself up.

 

All Joe could do was watch the Indian goddess leave, standing there dumbfounded and breathless over what just happened between them.

 

~!~

 

“Are you kidding me?”

 

Anisa felt like blowing her brains out with a shotgun, not believing she had to once again track down employees for their signatures.  What was so hard about taking 3 measly seconds to sign-in and follow WWE protocol?  Pinching the bridge of her nose, Anisa was pleasantly surprised to see the Shield hadn’t forgotten to sign in, but…another group had.  The Wyatt Family.  Bray, Luke and Erick.  Nobody called them by their real names because they fully believed in their characters, not to mention all 3 preferred their character names instead of their birth ones.  It reminded Anisa of her ex-husband since Mark absolutely loathed being called by his birth name by his coworkers and peers.  Very few people were allowed to call him Mark and she’d been one of them, even after they divorced.  Sighing, Anisa didn’t want to deal with the Wyatt Family, but Rick would have a conniption fit if she didn’t get them and do her job.  She had no choice in the matter and took a deep breath, deciding to get them out of the way first.

 

Swallowing hard when she arrived at the Wyatt Family dressing room, Anisa knew she couldn’t show them nervousness or they would eat her alive.  She squared her shoulders and brought her hand up, knocking on the door with great reluctance.  A few seconds later, it opened revealing Erick Rowan with his bald head and ginger beard, intense eyes staring down at her through the infamous lamb mask he always wore to the ring.  Personally, Anisa didn’t get what a lamb had to do with the Wyatt Family’s image, but she kept those thoughts to herself.

 

“I need your signatures.” She congratulated herself for keeping her voice even and strong, though Anisa’s insides were quaking.

 

Erick raised a brow down at the petite honey blonde under the lamb mask and could tell she refused to step into the locker room.  Smart woman, but in this case she really didn’t have a choice.  Grabbing her upper arm, he ignored her gasp of protest and yanked her into the dark room, shutting the door behind them.  The only light Anisa could see was the infamous lantern the Wyatt’s always made their ring entrance with.  Adjusting her midnight blue eyes to the darkness fairly quickly, Anisa noticed Bray sitting in the middle of the room in the rocking chair, which creaked softly while he moved back and forth in it slowly.  The sound sent chills of fear down Anisa’s spine, but she had to stay strong and focused, folding her arms in front of her chest.

 

“What pray tell brings you to my domain, sweetheart?” Bray’s smooth calm voice asked, eyeballing her through ice blue eyes.

 

Anisa stepped forward and handed over the clipboard with the sign-in sheet attached, feeling it slip from her fingers. “You need to sign it along with Erick and Luke.” She could feel either Erick or Luke standing directly behind her, not able to determine who it was because both of them were tall. “We’re not tolerating employees not to follow the policy anymore and anyone who doesn’t start signing in when they get to the arena will be written up.” Rick’s words, not hers and Anisa hoped they didn’t kill the messenger since that’s all she was.

 

An evil laughter resonated around the dressing room as Bray continued rocking back and forth in his chair, not bothering to look down at the paperwork in his hand. “You know, sweetheart, you’re awfully brave to come here by your lonesome without your overprotective brother.” Long dark brown curls hung in his face, his patent fedora dangling off the back of the rocking chair.

 

Feeling hot breath on her ear and neck, all Anisa wanted to do was escape the dressing room in one piece and could swear she saw lightning flashing through Bray’s eyes. “I can take care of myself, Mr. Wyatt.” She informed him coolly, goose bumps popping up all over her body and watched him stand up, squaring his broad muscular shoulders to tower over her.

 

“She’s as stubborn as Punk’s little girlfriend.  Mmm how I enjoyed cornering her earlier tonight.” Luke taunted, unable to resist since Anisa was the sister of Bray’s worst enemy in the company currently.

 

Anisa could only imagine what happened and felt sick to her stomach, keeping her gaze solely on Bray. “Sign it so I can be on my way.”

 

“Hmm you didn’t say please…” Bray enjoyed toying with her a little and could see the resolve in her midnight eyes, perfect vision through the darkness.

 

Taking the pen off the clipboard, Bray scrawled his signature on the paperwork and then handed it to Luke, demanding him to sign it.  Erick followed and handed it back to Bray a few seconds later, who in turn extended the clipboard to the honey blonde.  Anisa took it, muttered a quick ‘thank you’ to keep everything professional and hightailed it out of the locker room, evil laughter echoing behind her.  Anisa did not stop or look back, rounding the corner and slammed right into a brick wall of flesh, every part of her shaking like a leaf.

 

“No!” She cried out when a pair of hands reached out to grab her and snapped tear-filled midnight blues open, relief flooding her body at the sight of Jonathan Good.

 

Jon quickly regained his bearings and had to check on Anisa to make sure he didn’t hurt her. “Jesus Anisa, what happened?” He demanded, seeing how shaken up she was and blinked when she threw her arms around his neck, clinging to him for dear life.

 

Anisa was thankful it was Jon she ran into and not someone who hated her because of her relation to Phil, refusing to let him go.

 

Chapter 10

 

Phil had just finished taping his hands and drew the patent X mark on each knuckle when his locker room door swung open.  He stood at the sight of Jonathan Good carrying his trembling sister and immediately rushed over to her.  Her face was buried in Jon’s chest and her fingers clutched his tactical vest to the point of her knuckles turning ghostly white.  Anisa was scared out of her mind and Phil had to find out what happened, shooting a glare at Jon.

 

“What the fuck happened to her?” Phil demanded, extracting his sister from Jon’s arms and held her close to him, feeling Anisa cling to him as if he was her lifeline.

 

Jon ignored Phil’s attitude toward them since they weren’t the best of friends.  He respected the man professionally though. “I don’t know.  She rounded the corner in the hallway and slammed into me.  I checked to make sure I didn’t hurt her, which is why I brought her here instead of the trainer’s.  Figured it’d be best to bring her to her brother.” He explained, concerned pale blues focused solely on Anisa, genuinely worried about her.

 

Noticing the worry from Jon made Phil uneasy, but he wouldn’t be rude to a coworker who cared for his sister – not yet anyway. “Thanks for bringing her to me.” Phil gently set Anisa on the couch and noticed how pale she was, walking away to grab her a bottled water out of his personal cooler.

 

“Not a problem…”

 

Jon didn’t want to leave Anisa, but he had a feeling Phil wouldn’t let him stick around to make sure she was alright.  She was in good hands, though Jon had second thoughts about bringing her to Phil.  He would’ve much preferred taking her to the Shield locker room where he could keep a close eye on her.  Whatever or whoever scared her deserved a 6 inch hole drilled in their head and if Jon found out who was responsible, he’d make sure they received the maximum punishment.  Giving one last long lingering look at Anisa, Jon turned and reluctantly left Phil’s dressing room to go get ready for the Shield segment that night.

 

The Shield and Phil didn’t see eye-to-eye on many things just like the Wyatt Family.  They were both enemies of Phil’s for different reasons – the Shield on a professional level and the Wyatt Family was personal.  Anisa knew if she spoke a word while Jon was in the locker room, her brother wouldn’t appreciate it, so she opted to keep her mouth shut until the Shield member left.  Sipping her water slowly, Anisa felt her heart rate slow down and drew her knees up to her chest, still curled up.  Phil sat down next to her, placing a hand on her pant covered knee and she finally looked up at him with a deep frown.  She could see the questions swirling through his hazel eyes and heaved a shaky sigh, knowing there was no use in trying to lie to him.  Phil could read her better than most because of how close they were.

 

“Did Ambrose hurt you?” Phil demanded in a gruff voice, every part of his body tensed and coiled ready to pulverize whoever scared his sister this badly.

 

“It wasn’t him.” Anisa assured him softly, not surprised at all by Phil’s question the least bit.

 

“Then mind telling me whose ass I have to kick?”

 

Hesitant, Anisa could feel tears burning her midnight blue eyes and lowered them to her lap, pressing the bottled water to her forehead.  She was still angry at him for keeping his WrestleMania opponent a secret – for going behind her back instead of being straight with her.  Coralie’s words flooded through her mind and Anisa knew she had to forgive her brother because they really were all each other had.  If they were going to make things right between them, it had to be now since Mark Calaway was on his way back to the WWE in less than a week.  Mark would love for the siblings to be at each other’s throat and if it meant Anisa being the bigger person in order to refuse her ex-husband that satisfaction, she would.

 

“Stop being overprotective of me, Phillip.” Anisa ordered, not giving him a choice anymore and managed to keep the tears in her eyes. “I know you love me and you want to protect me.  And I love you for it, but I’m not made of glass.  I can fight my own battles, especially when it comes to Mark.”

 

Phil cringed as soon as that name left her mouth, already feeling his blood begin to boil. “Anisa…”

 

“No, you have to hear me out and listen to what I say.” She cut him off, raising her hand when he opened his mouth to try contradicting her. “I’m not pissed at you for breaking your word going after Mark so much as you keeping WrestleMania a secret from me.  I’m not a little girl anymore and I’m tired of you treating me like one, Phillip.  I’m a grown woman and I should have a say in what I can and can’t handle.  I feel like you don’t trust me when you keep secrets and I thought we were close enough to be truthful with each other.  Coralie knew before I did, so that tells me you trust her more than your own sister.  It hurts.”

 

Up until now, Phil thought he was doing the right thing by making the challenge to Mark for WrestleMania.  He thought he was doing it for his sister’s honor.  However, that wasn’t the only reason why he wanted to face his ex-brother-in-law on the grandest stage of them all.  Point blank, Phil wanted a shot at Mark’s undefeated WrestleMania Streak – which was 20-0 so far.  He wanted to be the guy that broke it because not only would it catapult his career to a new level, but also take away something precious from Mark.  So it was a win-win situation and Phil would be lying if he said fighting for Anisa’s honor hadn’t been on the forefront of his mind when making the challenge. 

 

“It’s not all about you, Anisa.” Phil spoke after collecting his thoughts and stood up from the couch, scrubbing a hand down his face. “Part of it is, but not the whole reason.”

 

“I don’t care what your reasons are.” He didn’t understand and Anisa felt drained, tired of fighting with her brother over her ex-husband. “You kept it from me, that’s what bothers me about it.  Whatever your reasons are, they don’t matter to me.  You are a grown man capable of making your own decisions.  I was wrong to make you promise me not to go after Mark because he is an icon in this business.  It’d be insane for you not to want to wrestle him because of a personal vendetta.  I just wish you were honest with me about it, that’s all.” Anisa lowered her head, not able to hold back the tears anymore and felt them slide down her cheeks. “I’m sorry about hitting you last night…”

 

There were very few things in life that could drive Phil to his knees and Anisa crying was at the top of the list. “Don’t cry, sis.” He wasn’t above begging at this point and lowered to his knees in front of her, taking both of her hands in his. “I can’t stand seeing you cry, you know that.  I’m sorry I wasn’t honest with you.” He’d do anything to get her stop crying and moved to sit on the couch beside her, wrapping his arms around her letting her head rest on his chest. “Don’t apologize for slapping me, I deserved it for not telling you.”

 

Anisa knew crying bothered Phil and she tried stopping, but it was useless.  It took her a little while to calm down, but the tears finally ceased and Anisa pulled away from her brother to rub her red-rimmed eyes. “I wanna know why you challenged Mark at WrestleMania.  I want the truth this time.”

 

Phil wouldn’t make the same mistake twice and heaved a sigh, admitting everything he’d been thinking. “If I can break the Streak…”

 

“Do you have any idea how hard that’s going to be, bro?  I have all the faith in the world in you, don’t get me wrong, but…Mark’s Streak is all he has left to stay in this business.” Anisa knew it was pointless to argue with Phil on his decision to face Mark since it was signed and sealed to happen. “Just be careful, please.  He’s a different animal at WrestleMania and I don’t want your personal feelings interfering with the match.  I want you to be safe.  Can you promise me that much?”

 

“I’ll do my best not to get hurt, but you know shit happens when we’re out there.” Anisa would have to accept that because Phil didn’t know what would transpire between him and Mark once the lights were on bright in front of thousands of people.

 

Maybe telling Phil what happened with the Wyatt Family wasn’t the smartest idea considering they’d just made amends.  Bray and his cronies hadn’t made their debut yet, but the bosses wanted them backstage to watch and learn how things ran during shows.  They were also taping video vignettes in certain cities the WWE performed in order to gear up for their debut.  Since they were part of the main roster now, they were required to sign in like everyone else, even though their debut wouldn’t be for several months.  July was the latest rumor Anisa heard, but the month changed on a daily basis, so it would happen whenever the bosses wanted.

 

“So, are you ready to come clean about what scared the shit out of you earlier?” Phil hadn’t forgotten how shaken up his sister was in Jon’s arms, not sure if he liked Anisa hanging with one of the Shield members.

 

What Luke had said about Coralie chilled Anisa to the bone and that’s what made up her mind to tell Phil what happened. “I had to go to the Wyatt Family dressing room because they didn’t sign-in and you know how anal Rick is about that.”

 

Phil groaned, already not liking where this was going and squeezed her hand gently. “Go on.” If Bray -Windham, whoever the man was- laid a finger on his sister, Phil would make sure he never made his second debut in the company.

 

In 2010, Bray had debuted for a short period of time as Husky Harris during the Nexus –a heel stable formed from the television show NXT, season one to be precise, that came in and terrorized the WWE- period.  He interfered at the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view in John Cena’s match with Wade Barrett, the leader of the Nexus at that time –His real name was Stuart Bennett- and helped him defeat Cena.  With Cena’s loss, he was forced to join the faction, which was the stipulation of the match.  It was Bray’s way of trying to get into the Nexus group, but Barrett refused him.  Barrett then had a change of heart and inducted them into the group a few weeks later.  However, at the start of 2011, Phil ended up becoming part of the storyline by taking over the Nexus group and exiling Barrett from the group.  Each member of the Nexus was put through an initiation and Bray’s was being lashed by the rest of the group with Phil watching on.  3 weeks later, Bray was punted in the skull harshly by Randy Orton and sent back down to developmental for a complete character change since Husky Harris didn’t work.  Now he was Bray Wyatt, the leader of the Wyatt Family, and Phil knew eventually Bray would come for his revenge for what happened in Nexus.

 

Anisa explained everything that happened with the Wyatt Family, shivering involuntarily at the feeling of their hot breath on her neck.  Phil didn’t miss the shiver and clenched his fists, knowing this was his fault his sister was being targeted.  It wasn’t a secret they were siblings, everyone knew about each other on the roster.  They were one big dysfunctional family, in a sick and twisted way.  This wasn’t good, Phil had to do something to keep Bray from going after Anisa, but he didn’t know what yet.  He would figure it out, refusing to let his sister pay for his past actions against the man.

 

“They freaked me out more than anything and when I ran into Jon, I thought they’d come after me.” Anisa felt stupid for how she reacted and now Jon probably thought she was an emotional lunatic. “Anyway, enough about me there’s something else that happened you need to be aware of.”

 

What else could there be?  Phil braced himself for whatever his little sister was about to tell him. “What is it?” He asked in a low voice, seeing the hesitation in her midnight eyes and hoped Anisa didn’t clam up on him.

 

“Luke apparently had a run-in or something with Coralie earlier tonight.  He said he enjoyed cornering her and that I’m as stubborn as Coralie.  I didn’t know how to respond, so I didn’t say anything.  But judging from the look of murderous intentions on your face, I’m gonna assume Coralie didn’t tell you about it or hasn’t had a chance yet.” Anisa regretted opening her mouth because Coralie and Phil more than likely hadn’t seen each other since arriving at the arena.  They both had jobs. “You need to give her a chance to tell you before blowing your stack, bro.”

 

She was right, no matter how much Phil wanted to go pound Luke Harper’s face into mush. “I will.  We’re meeting in catering in about an hour.  If she doesn’t tell me there, I’ll wait until we’re back at the hotel, give her some time to mellow out and then see if she tells me.  One way or another, she’s going to tell me what the fuck happened.” More occurred with Luke than Anisa knew of and Phil planned on finding out everything on what happened to his girlfriend. “I’ll handle it, don’t worry.”

 

“Please don’t tell her where you found out if she doesn’t tell you.  I don’t want her angry at me for telling you.”

 

“I won’t, you have my word.” Phil promised, hugging his sister and kissed the top of her head. “You feeling better now?”

 

Anisa nodded, cracking a small smile and was glad she told Phil how she felt about hiding things from her. “Thanks for listening and understanding why I was upset.  I should really get going and check in with Rick before he has a coronary.  He’s probably sent a search party after me already.”

 

“Probably.” Phil shrugged, not overly concerned with Rick right now considering what he just found out about his girlfriend. “If you see Coralie, send her to my room.”

 

“You got it.” Anisa stood up from the couch, dropping a kiss on Phil’s practically bald head before heading out the door to finish doing her job.

 

All she really wanted to do was end the night and go back to the hotel for some much needed rest and relaxation.

 

Chapter 11

 

Colby Lopez wouldn’t leave Krystal’s mind.

 

No matter how hard she tried, the two toned haired man would not leave her thoughts and Krystal had a hard time focusing on her job.  It was hard to believe she’d invited him to share her hotel room since Maryann had screwed up.  Krystal had no idea what possessed her to offer him a place to stay and chalked it up to sympathy.  Colby was on the verge of being kicked out of the hotel because of Maryann and that was unacceptable, even though the receptionist would’ve had every right doing it.  Krystal could see the headline on the various wrestling magazines, groaning at how much negative attention he’d get.

 

COLBY LOPEZ THROWN OUT OF HOTEL FOR TEMPER TANTRUM!

 

The amount of hell and questions thrown at her brother would’ve more than likely gotten Colby fired if that ever happened.  So in a way, Krystal saved everyone a major migraine and possible firing.  One night with Colby Lopez sharing her room wouldn’t be that bad, though Krystal hoped her nerves could handle it.  Tomorrow, she was going home for 2 glorious days off and looking forward to it, ready to get some proper rest in her comfortable bed.  The door opening to the trainer’s room jolted Krystal out of her deep thoughts, wide hazel eyes turning to stare at a monstrous man.  His name was Ryan Reeves –The WWE fans knew him best as Ryback- and Krystal personally thought he looked like a steroid freak.

 

“May I help you?” Krystal asked politely, taking a tentative step back when Ryan took one forward, a cold smile spreading on his face.

 

Plopping down on the medical table, Ryan slapped his thigh harshly gesturing to his knee and flashed too white teeth at the new trainer. “My knee, sugar.  I need it taped up for my match.”

 

Michael was currently retrieving more equipment from the truck in the back of the arena, so Krystal was the only trainer available.  Swallowing down her fear and apprehension, she grabbed the tape from the tray and kneeled in front of Ryan to start working on his knee.  It didn’t feel tight or anything, but if he needed it taped Krystal couldn’t and wouldn’t argue with a man his size.  Ryan realized the chestnut hair beauty was exactly eyelevel with his wrestling attire covered crotch and couldn’t stop the smirk from crossing his mouth.  He wondered if she would be up to giving him some attention to another place on his body that currently throbbed, snaking his tongue out to wet his lips.  What happened between them didn’t have to leave this room, but it’d been a minute since Ryan had a woman thoroughly suck him off.  Something told him the new trainer would be too intimidated to deny him what he wanted and if Ryan had to bully her into it, he would.

 

“W-What are you doing?” Krystal demanded shakily when she felt his hand clamp down on her head, every part of her body breaking out in goose bumps.

 

“Relax sugar, I’m just holding on since it hurts…” Ryan lied, not hiding the huskiness that entered his voice and tightened his fingers in her beautiful soft hair. “How about…?” Just then, the door swung open and Ryan released her chestnut locks instantly at the sight of Michael.

 

“Sorry about that, Krys.” Michael grunted, setting a few boxes of medical supplies on the table and realized what was going on. “Ryan, what’s going on with your knee, pal?”

 

“H-He needed it taped…” Krystal stammered, not hiding the trepidation in her voice and stepped back as Michael walked up to take her place. “I-I’m sorry…” Feeling his grimy fingers buried in her hair made her extremely nauseous, but Krystal wouldn’t abandon Michael since they were busy tonight.

 

Michael wasn’t stupid, not buying that for a second and pulled up a stool to sit on. “Let’s have a look.” He didn’t mean to take over for Krystal, but Ryan was lying and Michael wouldn’t tolerate any of the Superstars intimidating his new trainer.

 

Ryan sat there, suddenly feeling nervous and faked a wince when Michael pushed on a certain spot on his knee. “Damn!” He growled, zero pain his voice and Michael didn’t say a word, pressing on another part of the ligament. “Well?” He demanded impatiently, shooting a glare at Krystal while Michael’s head remained lowered.

 

“There’s nothing wrong with your leg.  Leave now and if you ever come in here without an injury or legitimate reason again, I will report you to Paul and Stephanie.” Michael wasn’t intimidated by any of the Superstars, especially this idiot and pointed at the door. “Lying about an injury is very serious considering there are OTHER Superstars who are actually injured, Ryan.  Think about it the next time you try pulling a stunt like this.”

 

Krystal noticed Michael hadn’t mentioned her relation to Paul and was thankful for it, watching Ryan storm out with a deep scowl on his face. “Thank you, Mike.” She murmured once they were alone and walked over to the sink, splashing cold water on her face.

 

“I’m sorry I wasn’t here sooner, Krys.” Michael placed his hands on her shoulders, noticing how pale the woman’s face was and she was trembling from head to toe. “Why don’t you go outside for some air?  Take a break, I’ll take over for a few.”

 

“A-Are you sure?” Krystal stammered with wide hazel eyes and didn’t hesitate when Michael assured her with a nod, flying out of the medical room as fast as she could.

 

Once outside, Krystal burst into tears and wrapped her arms around herself, trying to will the nausea away.  All she wanted was to leave and go back to the hotel after that unfortunate run-in with Ryan.  The man gave her the creeps and the fact he touched her without her consent both scared and angered Krystal at the same time.  She suddenly wished Colby was outside with her at that moment, knowing he could calm her down.  Krystal wondered if she should tell Paul about Ryan and decided against it, not wanting to cause him further problems than what he already had on his plate.

 

~!~

 

Maryann was all smiles walking down the hallway toward the bosses’ office, fixing her blouse after having a quick romp with one of the wrestlers on the roster.  Justin Gabriel was a nice slice of heaven and could pound her into oblivion anytime he wanted.  She’d gotten the message from Stephanie and Paul that they wanted to see her to talk about her progress as the Shield’s personal assistant.  Personally, Maryann thought she did flawless work and hoped they gave her a raise, feeling nothing except excitement about the meeting.

 

How very wrong she was.

 

“Oh…hey boys.” Maryann greeted in a surprised tone when she walked inside the bosses’ office and spotted the Shield waiting with Paul and Stephanie. “What’s going on?”

 

“Sit down, Maryann.” Stephanie ordered, folding her hands on the desk with a tight smile on her face. “We have a few things to discuss.”

 

Joe, Colby and Jon all had smirks on their own faces, thankful to Stephanie and Paul for letting them sit in on this.  Colby was ticked off because he had to stay with Krystal Levesque, something Paul and Stephanie didn’t know about.  He told them he’d found another place to stay for the night and not to worry about it, not wanting to drag Krystal into this.  Jon and Joe both agreed it was time for Maryann to go, so the Shield ended up having an impromptu meeting with the bosses regarding Maryann’s status with the company.  They basically ratted her out, being a bunch of narks and wanted her out, deciding they could handle their own arrangements if need-be.  Stephanie and Paul were appalled at hearing all of the things Maryann had done and how many mistakes she made, agreeing with some of their top talents that it was time for her to be let go.  They had given her chance after chance and Maryann blew it every single time.

 

“So it is with DEEP regret that we have to let you go.” Stephanie’s statement cut into the Shield’s thoughts, 3 pairs of eyes focusing on what was going on. “We wish you luck in your future endeavors.”

 

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN I’M FIRED?!” Maryann exploded, standing up from the chair screaming at the top of her lungs. “THIS IS ABSURD!!  I’VE NEVER DONE ANY OF THESE ACCUSATIONS!!  I DEMAND TO KNOW WHO TOLD YOU THIS!!”

 

Whistling, all 3 men Maryann had screwed over time and time again waved their fingers at her, watching her jaw drop to the floor.

 

“Bye bitch.”

 

“Hope you enjoyed your whoring around while it lasted.”

 

“Do yourself a favor and keep your legs closed before you end up having a demon spawn to punish the world with.”

 

Security guards rushed into the office, dragging a kicking and screaming Maryann out with the Shield members poking their heads out, laughing.

 

“Good riddance.”

 

~!~

 

“My head is killing me for some damn reason.” Colby groaned, rubbing his temples and leaned his head back against the elevator wall while going up to Krystal’s floor. “I think the bitch rattled my eardrums with her screaming.”

 

“I have some Tylenol in my room, just hang in there.” Krystal had been outside when Maryann was tossed out of the arena on her backside and honestly thought nobody deserved to be fired more.

 

Once inside, Krystal set her things down and retrieved a bottled water with two extra strength Tylenol, walking over to the bed Colby sat on handing them over. “Thanks.” He grunted, popping the pills without thinking twice and laid back on the bed, thankful Maryann was gone for good.

 

“You’re welcome.”

 

Colby sat up to remove his t-shirt and tossed it in the corner on his bag, propping pillows on the headboard because it would help with the headache.  He hoped the Tylenol kicked in, certain he could still hear Maryann’s screeching voice ringing in his ears.  Focusing on Krystal to get his mind off of the throbbing pain in his head, Colby silently watched her walk around the room gathering things and clearing out some space for him, not believing how thoughtful she was.

 

“Do you want a shower?” Krystal offered once she finished moving things around and looked back at him on the bed, suddenly needing to learn how to breathe again.

 

“I took one at the arena.  You go ahead, take your time.”

 

Colby had to bite back a smirk, noticing how breathless she sounded.  What he wouldn’t give to watch her under those shower sprays…Colby slapped himself mentally and flicked the television on, trying to get his mind off the beautiful chestnut haired beauty that just disappeared in the bathroom.  Krystal closed the bathroom door and leaned against it, trying to get her breathing and heart rate under control.  He smelled so divine and taking his t-shirt off to expose that amazing bare chest just about killed Krystal.  Turning the sprays on as cool as she could stand it, Krystal showered and stepped out a half an hour later, pulling on a pair of black cotton shorts and matching tank top.  She walked out and sat in the middle of the other bed in the room, pulling the towel off her head before starting to brush the knots out of her hair.

 

“How’s the headache?” She asked, genuinely concerned about him. “Is it gone yet?”

 

Holy shit did she have amazing legs, Colby thought, reluctantly pulled his gaze away her soft skin to look up in her eyes.  The cotton shorts and tank top she wore left plenty to the imagination and stoked Colby’s fire in ways a woman never had.  He could tell she was having issues with the knots in her hair, but didn’t say anything because he didn’t want to upset Krystal.  Women could be very fickle about their hair; he learned that from his mother.

 

“Getting better.” He murmured quietly, not minding the small lamp on the nightstand because it was closer to her than him. “I’m almost done watching this and then I’ll hand the remote over to you.  Thanks again for letting me stay here.  I hope your brother doesn’t skin me alive for it.”

 

Krystal waved him off dismissively. “Don’t worry about it.  I don’t watch much television at night unless it’s NCIS or MASH.  And I don’t think Paul will bother you.  It’s not like we had a choice in the matter.  I’m not going to tell my brother about this, so feel free to do so if you want.” She finished brushing her hair and came to the conclusion the headache Colby was battling would not give up without a fight. “Sit up for a minute.”

 

“What?” Colby blinked, taken aback by her request and looked at her skeptically, obeying her command.

 

Krystal stepped up on the bed and sat down behind him with his pillow in her lap. “Lean back.” She ordered softly, reaching forward and pulled the holder out of his two toned hair, gripping his strong shoulders.

 

Guiding him back against her until his head rested on the pillow, Krystal began combing her fingers through his beautiful hair before gently beginning to massage his temples.  All she wanted to do was will the headache to go away before it turned into a full-fledged migraine.  Colby was in heaven.  He couldn’t remember the last time a woman pampered him like this.  The feeling of Krystal’s fingers running through his hair around his temples just made him completely melt against her.  Colby was pure putty in her hands and she could mold him however she wanted.  He knew she was new to the company, but the feeling of her against him in this close proximity was overwhelming.  Her scent of gardenias permeated the air and it made Colby hungry, having been a while since he last had sex.  Krystal would probably slap him silly if he asked her to have sex with him, but at the same time it looked and sounded like she could use a stress reliever.

 

“You have magic fingers.” Colby rumbled, not bothering to hide the full huskiness in his tone and smirked when he felt her shiver against him. “Cold?”

 

“No, you’re warm enough.” Krystal bit her bottom lip and continued working his temples, not realizing this was soothing her as much as him. “When I was going through all my medical training, I did some massage therapy classes because I know the most common injury in sports is a head injury.  You’ve got a certain pressure points in your hands that, if the headache is excruciating, you can rub or pinch really hard and the headache goes away almost instantaneously.  I like to do the scalp and temple massage first.  It tends to work and relax you at the same time.” Looking down at his stress free handsome face and into his chocolate eyes, Krystal smiled softly. “Colby, thanks for making my second night not so terrible.”

 

Colby smiled back and reached up to squeeze her wrist gently since her hands were occupied. “Not a problem, sweetheart.  Thanks for letting me stay here with you.”

 

Silence ensued between them as Krystal put on a movie and Colby ended up falling fast asleep from her head massage.  Instead of moving, Krystal snuggled down against the pillow with Colby’s head on her stomach, falling asleep with her fingers in his hair.  It was the best night sleep each had gotten in a long time.

 

Chapter 12

 

“So you and Coralie talked?”

 

Phil glanced over at his girlfriend standing outside of his luxury tour bus. “She’s upset about it, but…you were right, she didn’t keep it from me.  We went to dinner and I could tell she was upset.  As soon as we came back to the bus, she burst like a geyser and told me what happened.”

 

“Good, I’m glad.” Anisa was glad Coralie came clean to her brother because it showed they had absolute faith and trust in each other. “Did you hear about Maryann?”

 

“Only she got fired.” Phil chuckled, knowing almost everyone in the company hated Maryann, even the wrestlers she managed to coax in her bed. “What happened?”

 

“I don’t know, but apparently she kicked and screamed bloody murder.  I could hear her with Rick and we were on the other side of the arena.” Anisa shook her head, pulling on the road driving to the hotel through an earpiece. “Did you hear her?”

 

“I must’ve been out for my match or something when it happened.” Phil looked up when Coralie walked back on the bus and mouthed ‘Anisa’, watching her nod before heading to the back. “Fuck, she’s been crying…”

 

Coralie didn’t cry often, so Anisa knew what happened with Luke terrified her possible future sister-in-law. “Go be with her, Phillip.  She needs you right now.  Call me tomorrow once you get home.”

 

“Alright, I love you sis.  Don’t forget that.”

 

“Love you too, bro.  Night.”

 

Anisa had never been so happy to see a hotel in her life.  From dealing with Rick’s attitude to be scared by the Wyatt Family and making amends with her brother, Anisa was more than ready to call it a night.  She thought once she got up to her room and showered, it wouldn’t be hard to crash out.  WRONG!  Anisa lay in bed staring up at the ceiling and could not fall sleep for anything.  Normally, she fell asleep with the television on, –it was a habit Anisa had for most of her life- but tonight for some reason so many thoughts occupied her mind.  Jonathan Good was on the forefront of her mind like he had been throughout the night and it frustrated Anisa to no end.

 

“Fuck it.” She grumbled, tossing the blankets off of her and decided a swim was in order.

 

Swimming was her vice.  Whenever Anisa didn’t have cigarettes or sex, the water was her second home.  She grew up in Hawaii, thanks to her family being stationed there in the military, so surfing came second nature to her.  It was huge in Hawaii.  The hotel kept the pool open 24/7 whenever the WWE was in town because some of the Superstars liked using it after shows.  It was a way to calm them down and work out excess adrenaline.  Anisa didn’t care who the hell was in the pool, she had to do something to tire herself out enough to sleep.  6 AM came early and she had to be at the airport by 8 AM to catch her flight home at 9.  It was already going on midnight, so maybe an hour of doing laps in the pool would tire her out enough to sleep for 4-5 hours.  Changing into a turquoise colored bikini, the top tied around her neck and had a keyhole cut in the center of her breasts, showing just a gander of flesh.  It still left plenty to the imagination though.  She tossed her hair up in a neat bun on top of her head and went down with towel in hand, taking the back staircase.

 

Pale blue eyes moved to the door of the pool room and Jon instantly zeroed in on Anisa.  After coming back to the hotel from the show, he needed something to calm his hormone enraged body down.  Imagine his surprise that Anisa also enjoyed swimming, though he wondered what made her come down for a late night swim.  Jon did his best to control how far his eyes widened at the sight of her somewhat skimpy bikini.  It was official, he’d died and gone to heaven.  He left the lounge chair and padded over to where she was, her beautiful back facing him so Anisa had no idea he was there.

 

“I thought I was the only one who swam this late at night.”

 

Anisa didn’t jump, hearing someone walk up behind her and set her towel down on a chair along with her key card on the table. “Nothing like it in the whole world.” Passion laced her voice as Anisa turned around to face Jon, giving him a quick scan with her eyes.

 

The way his navy blue swim trunks hugged his hips, ass and thighs, showcasing his bare muscular chest and incredible arms.  Walking past him with a smile, Anisa dove into the deep end and began doing laps while Jon climbed up on the diving board.  She looked up from the water just as his body leaped in the air and sliced through the water perfectly.  Anisa groaned and had to go under water to hide it, resurfacing a few seconds later.  Without Mia here to be her voice of reason, Anisa knew if Jon touched her once, she would jump him without hesitation.  Jon noticed Anisa resting on the side of the pool and swam over to join her since they were the only two in the room.

 

“So, mind if I ask you something?”

 

“Why do you insist on asking permission to ask me a question?” Anisa retorted, shaking her head and turned to where her back was against the wall of the pool. “You can ask me anything, Jon.”

 

Jon chuckled at her sassiness and moved to be in front of her, boxing Anisa in against the wall with his hands holding onto the wall since they were in the deep end. “Did you mean what you said this morning?” He stared deep into her midnight eyes and felt his heart rate accelerate slightly at her confused expression.

 

“You’re gonna have to be more specific, Dr. Feel Good.  We talked about several things.” Anisa reminded him, her elbows resting on the wall while moving her legs back and forth under the water.

 

He smirked at her nickname for him and moved closer, running a finger down her cheek. “About having a little fun with a wrestler if the right one comes along.” Jon couldn’t get that statement out of his mind the entire night, even before she slammed into him in the hallway scared to death.

 

Anisa’s heart began pounding in her chest and knew her grace period to think about having a fling with Jon was over.  It was now or never – do or die – sink or swim, figuratively speaking. “If I meet the right wrestler that can change my mind, sure.  Know anyone who’s interested?” She couldn’t stop the flirtatious edge from entering her voice and saw the pale blue in his eyes into something more intense.

 

Pinning her further against the wall, Jon took a chance and slid his hands down her sides under the water, their noses practically touching. “Do I know anyone interested?” He scoffed, not believing she was toying with him like this and decided to give her a taste of her own medicine. “Of course I do.  I heard Swagger has the hots for you.”

 

“WHAT?” Anisa exclaimed, seeing the amusement in his eyes and smacked his shoulder, the sound resonating around the pool room. “You JERK!” She retaliated by pinching his nipple, laughing at his growl and stuck her tongue out. “Turnabout, Dr. Feel Good.”

 

That was the wrong thing for Anisa to do.  Jon was a very touch orientated person and that simple pinch opened up all of his senses.  Chuckling, he pushed his body against hers and lowered his head, capturing her mouth with his in a soft passionate kiss.  His hands left her sides to cup her face, hoping Anisa didn’t nail him in the balls for kissing her.  It wasn’t a rough passionate kiss Anisa had pictured coming from Jon, but she enjoyed it nonetheless.  Every part of her body screamed at her for some kind of release, anything at this point.  She hadn’t had sex with another man since her marriage to Mark because Anisa didn’t trust any man enough.  Jon was only in the WWE for a short period of time and, somehow, Anisa felt completely safe and trusted him.  She wouldn’t let him kiss her or press his body to hers if she didn’t.  No other wrestler had been able to break through the concrete steel walls the way Jon had.  The way he held her face in his strong hands as if he was afraid to break her warmed Anisa’s heart further.  She slid her hands up his muscular chest to his shoulders, not minding her back dug into the concrete wall of the pool.  Only when they were both breathless and Anisa was nothing more than putty in his hands did the kiss break, their heated gazed searing each other’s insides.

 

“I have a confession to make.” Anisa said breathlessly, feeling Jon lift her through the water to wrap her legs around his waist, pinning her further so she couldn’t escape from him.  Not that Anisa wanted to because she definitely enjoyed being nestled between his legs. “It’s been…a while since I had sex.  My divorce with Mark lasted longer than I thought it would.  It was finalized in 2010 and I didn’t feel right having sex with someone else until I was a free woman.” She pressed her finger to his lips so Jon couldn’t speak. “I’m not saying I don’t want this, I’m just saying it’s been a while since I’ve let another man this close to me, much less kiss me, the way you just did.”

 

Jon wrapped an arm around her waist, keeping his eyes locked with hers and rolled his lips together.  She tasted incredible and her lips were so soft against his.  He brushed his mouth against her forehead and then her cheeks, chin and then finally claimed her lips tenderly.

 

“I’m not trying to rush or push you into something you’re not ready for.  If you’re not ready, I can wait.  I’ll do whatever you want, darlin’.  The way I see it, we’ve got 2 options.  I can either take you back to either of our rooms and romp all night long or just hold you in my arms, if that’s what you want.  Or maybe a 3rd option, we go to our separate rooms and take whatever we’re feeling REALLY slow.  I ask you on a date before fucking you raw, but that’s entirely up to you.”

 

“You’re killing me.” Anisa whispered, pressing her forehead against his and felt her inner demons battling fiercely, raging war. “Why do you have to be so wonderful?  I swore and vowed I would never engage in another relationship with a wrestler as long as I lived.  And up until this point I kept my vow and I haven’t been attracted to anyone…until you.  What is it about you that’s so different from every other wrestler on the roster?” Her thumb brushed across his mouth gently. “Mia told me to offer you a casual sex only type deal, but…that’s not me.  That’s not who I am.  I mean, I wouldn’t mind having casual sex with you, but I’d feel low if I went that route.  And she’s absolutely gonna kill me if she finds out I’m actually putting my faith and trust into another wrestler.  So, can I trust you, Jon?  Or am I wasting my time here pouring my heart out for no reason?”

 

“There’s only one way you will ever know if you can.”

 

Jon carefully moved both of them through the water until they were in the shallow end of the pool and lifted her, walking up the steps toward their towels.  He moved his close to hers before going to the diving board.  Placing Anisa on her feet, Jon wrapped her towel around her body and wrapped his around his waist, reaching his hand out to her.  Anisa had no idea what he was doing and stared at his hand for what seemed like ages, furrowing her brows together thoughtfully.

 

“Your choice, come with me now or we go our separate ways until you are ready.”

 

Before she second-guessed this, Anisa took his hand and let Jon guide her out of the pool room toward his.  Once inside, Jon immediately retrieved one of his t-shirts for her and a pair of shorts with a drawstring so they wouldn’t be too big on her.  Anisa looked at the clothes with a raised brow, wondering why he wanted her to wear them and Jon merely pushed her in the direction of the bathroom gently but firmly.

 

“Go change.” He ordered with a smirk. “I’ll still be here when you come out.”

 

Once she disappeared into the bathroom, Jon changed into a pair black basketball shorts and pulled a cigarette out, opening the window so he didn’t smoke Anisa out.  He had a hard time wrapping his mind around the fact Anisa actually came back to his room with him.  Taking a couple drags, Jon heard the bathroom door open a few minutes later and turned to face her, grinning at how big his clothes were on her body.

 

“Cute and definitely a little big on you.” He complimented, flicking his half-smoked cigarette out the window and walked over, lifting her in his arms placing Anisa on the bed, joining her moments later.

 

The shorts and t-shirt were huge, so Anisa kicked the shorts off after she was beneath the blanket, hoping Jon didn’t mind.  His t-shirt came down to her knees, making it look like a nightgown.  It’d been so long since a guy just wanted to hold her instead of trying to get in her panties.  Mark never wanted to just hold her, always about sex.  They had to have sex at least once a day and sometimes Anisa wasn’t in the mood for it, forcing herself a lot.  Jon wanted to gain her trust fully before they just hopped into bed together and that meant the world to her.

 

“You’re very sweet, Dr. Feel Good.”

 

Jon chuckled in her ear and Anisa snuggled further against him, resting her head on his chest.  She could hear his heartbeat and draped her leg over his, strong arms tightening around her a little more.  His fingertips ran up and down her t-shirt covered back lightly, but it wasn’t sexual.  It was soothing and relaxing as Anisa felt her eyes slowly drift shut.

 

“Just letting you know, that’s your new nickname from me.”

 

“You can call me whatever you want, darlin’.  I don’t care.” Jon murmured in her ear, burying his nose against the top of her head and inhaled her intoxicating scent, relaxing him instantly falling asleep shortly after Anisa.

 

Chapter 13

 

Leaving Jon the following morning was difficult for Anisa, but he promised to text and call constantly over the 2 days.  It was way too soon for either of them to go home with each other, both wanting to take things slow.  It wasn’t in Jon’s nature to wait for a woman to have sex with him.  He was used to women flocking to him in all directions and it’d gotten worse since his debut in WWE.  Anisa was different though, especially after Jon heard what happened in her marriage to Mark Calaway.  There was no way he’d push her into a sexual relationship.  For some reason, Jon legitimately liked her and wanted to get to know her better.  He wanted Anisa for more than a fuck buddy and Jon hadn’t felt that way about a woman in a long time.  One engagement to a porn star had screwed Jon up about women and for a while he used them for strictly sex, not wanting a relationship.  Now however, he felt ready to move on and open his heart to Anisa, hoping she felt the same way about him.  Taking his hand the previous night and sleeping in his arms was a big step for both of them, so Jon wasn’t about to push his luck by asking her to come home with him. 

 

All good things came to those who waited.

 

Throughout the 2 days apart, Anisa texted and talked to Jon the phone, skyping at night when they were both settling down for the night.  Jon was easy-going, had a great sense of humor and amazing to converse with.  Not only did he make her laugh until her sides hurt, but Jon was smart as a whip and could be serious when he had to be.  Anisa couldn’t remember the last time she enjoyed talking to a man on the phone so much since Mark wasn’t a big conversationalist.  It was refreshing to talk on the phone with a man instead of using sex for communication.  Anisa managed to get everything she wanted done along with her packing for the next stretch of days she’d be on the road.  It was the first time she was excited to go back to work all so she could see Jon again.

 

Anisa found out a lot about Jon, asking questions whenever he would and sometimes initiating them.  He couldn’t always be the one to ask after all.  Jon’s favorite food was greasy cheeseburgers, favorite movie was anything action-packed with adrenaline and one of his favorite bands was Deftones – anything heavy metal or rock he enjoyed.  There were other things Anisa learned about him that she filed away in the back of her mind for a later date.  One subject they spent an extensive amount of time on was if they were dating or not – what was their label?  Jon made it clear he wanted her as more than a friend and fuck buddy, but the ball was entirely in her court.  If Anisa wanted to be his girlfriend, great, but there was no rush to label them.  Both decided to call it hanging out, enjoying each other and dating slowly.

 

“So miss me yet?”

 

Anisa smiled softly into the phone since they were skyping while she cleaned up the kitchen after making a quick dinner. “That’s a loaded question, Dr. Feel Good.” She wouldn’t dignify it with a response.

 

Jon laughed, his chuckle low and somewhat gritty like his voice. “Fair enough, Ani.” He started calling her that, needing a nickname for her since she had one for him. “I’m gonna sound like a fucking chick right now, but I miss you.” He sighed, running his fingers down the screen of his phone.

 

“I know, but we’ll see each other tomorrow.”

 

“Hallelujah!” Jon crowed, not believing he survived the past 2 days without physically seeing and touching the honey blonde beauty. “What have you done to me, woman?  Fuck.”

 

Anisa giggled, pouring herself a glass of wine and put the bottle back in the fridge. “I haven’t done anything to you.” She replied innocently, batting her eyelashes and laughed harder when Jon growled.

 

“You are a horrible liar, darlin’.” Jon injected a hint of huskiness in his voice and watched her cheeks pink up slightly. “Hey, I gotta question for you.”

 

“Shoot.” Anisa began walking from the kitchen into the living room to sit on the couch and froze at what Jon asked her.

       

“Share a room with me on the road.”

 

Anisa had to clutch her wine glass tightly so she didn’t drop it and felt the breath temporarily leave her body, midnight eyes wide. “T-That’s not a question, Jon.”

 

“Okay, so it’s more of a request.” Jon amended, noticing how pale she’d gotten and frowned, cursing for springing this on her over a Skype talk. “Fuck Ani, I’m sorry.  Forget it.  Damn it, I’m such an idiot…”

 

Shaking her head, Anisa quickly found her voice again when Jon began berating himself. “Jon calm down, you’re fine.” Was she ready to share a room with him?  What if things didn’t work out between them?  Everything could fall apart in the blink of an eye and…Anisa was being just as silly as he was now. “I’d really like that.”

 

Did Jon hear her correctly?  Anisa actually wanted to share a room with him? “Are you sure?  I don’t wanna push you…”

 

“You’re not.” Anisa surprisingly didn’t feel an ounce of remorse or fear at the thought of sharing a room with Jon. “I mean, we want to get to know each other better and it would save us some money to bunk together since we’d end up doing it anyway.  What better way to do it than staying on the road together?  We’ll see each other’s flaws and decide if we can deal with them or not.  If things don’t work out, one of us just leaves and gets our own room.” She sat down on the couch and took a long swig of her wine, trying to slow her racing heart.

 

She made it sound so simple, it amazed Jon and his body ached for her, wishing they could sleep in each other’s arms that night.  Wow, he really did sound like a chick and needed serious mental help at these feminine thoughts!  What the hell was wrong with him?  Jon had to pull himself together before he messed this up with Anisa.  There’s no way she’d want a girlish man on her arm and the thought made Jon nauseous.  He had to say something manly quick, racking his brain trying to come up with something.

 

“So, your tits look good in that top.”

 

Anisa blinked and then laughed, rolling her eyes. “Typical male looking at my chest instead of my eyes.  I suppose I can’t fault you for it.  And thank you, now put a shirt on and stop flexing that delicious chest at me.”

 

Mission accomplished, Jon thought with an inner sigh of relief, and felt more comfortable while continuing to Skype with Anisa.

 

On 2 hours of sleep, Anisa made her way to the airport with coffee in hand and a mile wide smile on her face.  It was a beautiful Friday morning and the weekend was full of house shows, which were a lot easier than Raw and Smackdown! because they weren’t televised.  If Rick tried forcing her to track down employees to sign-in again, she was shoving the sign-in sheet down his throat.  Jon sent her a text right before she got on the plane and they planned on meeting up at the arena since his flight wouldn’t get in until 2 hours after hers.  He lived all the way in Vegas while she was in Atlanta, Georgia.  Phil was located in Chicago and, as much as Anisa loved the Windy City, she needed a change of scenery and always loved Georgia since she went to college in that state.  Atlanta was like a second home to her, Chicago would always be the first.

 

After checking in the final hotel room she would have to herself, Anisa took a quick nap since Jon was flying and ended up passing out for several hours.  It was past 2 PM when Anisa finally woke up and blinked at the clock before looking down at her phone lying beside her.  The blue light was flashing, letting Anisa know she missed calls and text messages, not surprised most of them were from Jon.  A couple were from Mia needing to talk to her for some important reason and one from Rick asking when she’d be at the arena.  She answered the text messages while undressing and jumped in the shower after sending Jon the final one, letting him know she was alive and would see him in a little while.

 

Wearing a pair of light grey dress pants with black pumps and black/grey striped top, Anisa rushed inside the arena at a quarter to 3.  The live show began at 5, always earlier than televised events because sometimes they went over the time frame.  Anisa winced at her bandaged thumb while walking as fast as she could to the trainer’s room to get a new bandage.  She’d been an idiot over her 2 day break and cut her finger with a butcher knife, thankful she hadn’t sliced her thumb completely off.  That was the night Anisa figured out she couldn’t talk to Jon and cook at the same time because he was too distracting.  Knocking on the door, Anisa pushed it open and smiled at the sight of Krystal, noticing Michael was nowhere to be found.

 

“Hey girl, what’s up?” Krystal greeted, walking over to embrace Anisa gently and frowned at her bandaged thumb. “What did you do?”

 

“A moment of sheer stupidity.” Anisa rolled her eyes, not having a problem with making fun of herself. “I cut it while cooking.  Shows just what klutz I am.”

 

Krystal chuckled, waving the honey blonde off dismissively. “Please, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve burnt myself taking food out of my oven.” She turned her arms over and showed Anisa a few scars she’d suffered. “I swear my oven hates me.  And it’s my 3rd one in the past year.  I just can’t seem to find one that works for me or maybe I’m stupid when it comes to ovens.  We all have our demons when it comes to the kitchen, you are not alone.”

 

Anisa found herself liking Krystal with every day that passed.  She was down to earth, friendly, kind and didn’t think she was better than everybody else.  Walking over to the medical table, Anisa hopped up on it while Krystal pulled a stool over and began unwrapping her thumb carefully.  Krystal noticed the smile etched on Anisa’s face and wondered what had the woman so happy, not realizing she had the same goofy expression on hers.

 

“So, how are you liking working for the WWE?” Anisa asked, wincing slightly as Krystal dabbed her cut with some peroxide to keep it sterilized.

 

“Sorry.” Krystal blew on it a little to try to lessen the sting and figured talking would take Anisa’s mind off of what she was doing. “Surprisingly, it’s a lot easier than I thought it’d be.  I’m starting to relax a little more and everyone’s been super friendly.” She refused to bring up what happened with Ryan Reeves, wanting to forget about it.

 

“Hmm anyone particular more friendly than others?” Anisa asked innocently, a smirk curving her mouth when Krystal’s cheeks flushed crimson. “HA!  I knew it!  You’ve got goofy smile going!  Spill it woman, I want details!”

 

Krystal laughed at Anisa’s exuberance and didn’t mind it, beginning to wrap her thumb slowly. “There might be.” She decided to play hard ball a little. “Tell you what: You tell me why you have the same goofy smile on your face and I’ll tell you about mine.” It was only fair in Krystal’s mind.

 

“Promise not to say anything?”

 

“You have my word as long as you don’t tell anyone about my business.”

 

Anisa accepted that and told Krystal everything that happened with Jon, having to explain who his character was on the roster.  Krystal wondered how close Anisa was to the Shield boys because there’d been a certain member of that group refusing to leave her thoughts.  He started haunting her dreams at night now and it was making her extremely frustrated.  Maybe she could get some insight from Anisa on Colby, but Krystal would have to be careful how she asked questions.

 

“So you two are…”

 

“No.” Anisa shook her head, the smile not leaving her face. “We’ve decided not to label what we are yet and just enjoy each other.  Now you.”

 

Krystal sighed exasperatedly and groaned when Anisa pinched her arm, knowing she had to come clean. “It’s Colby Lopez.” She admitted softly, lowering her hazel eyes to the floor chewing her bottom lip nervously. “He’s been very friendly to me and…we’ve slept together.”

 

“Whoa!  What?!”

 

“No – no not like that!” Now Krystal was extremely embarrassed and had stuck her foot figuratively in her mouth. “He had to share my room with me the other day because the Shield’s assistant, Maryann I think her name was, screwed up his hotel reservation.  He was about to rip her head off and I cooled things off.  The last thing my brother needs is problems with his wrestlers because of incompetence.”

 

Colby was tight-lipped about his personal life and only shared details with his closest friends, a group Anisa wasn’t part of yet.  If things worked out with Jon, she definitely would be though. “So, did anything happen between you two?” She had to ask, curiosity burning a hole in her stomach.

 

“He had a headache after the show on Tuesday and I ended up helping him get rid of it by massaging his head.  It was nothing, but…he’s so sweet and I can’t stop thinking about him.  I’m in so much trouble.” Krystal grumbled, feeling Anisa clap her on the shoulder and both girls laughed.

 

“You and me both, sweetie.”

 

Just then, a knock at the door came and the man of the hour walked in looking sexy as ever.  That was Anisa’s cue to leave, but once again she shot Colby a warning look that clearly said do not hurt Krystal or his balls would be gone.  Colby smiled back at her with a wink and waited until Anisa left the room before turning chocolate eyes on the chestnut haired beauty.  He didn’t have time to dick around and closed the distance between them, taking both of Krystal’s hands in his, their eyes searing each other’s souls once again.

 

“Have dinner with me after the show, please.”

 

Krystal blinked, eyebrows drawing together in confusion and swallowed hard at the intensity in his chocolate orbs.  They weren’t dating yet, but it was obvious that’s what Colby wanted from her or else he wouldn’t ask her out.  Colby wanted to thank her properly for what she did for him and figured taking Krystal on a date was the best way to go.

 

“Colby…”

 

“Don’t answer me now.” Colby leaned down and brushed his lips against her cheek, not releasing her hands. “Think it over for a couple hours.  If you accept, meet me in the parking lot after the show tonight.  If you don’t come, I’ll have my answer.  I just hope I’m not disappointed.”

 

All Krystal could do was watch Colby walk out of the trainer’s room and touched her burning cheek, not knowing what to do.  Paul had warned her away from wrestlers before she took this job.  She wondered if her brother would fire her if she got involved with any of the talent.  Krystal had some serious thinking to do and cleaned up the mess she’d made with Anisa just as Michael walked through the door to start the night off.

 

Chapter 14

 

Shame and humiliation.

 

Those were the top emotions Mia had felt ever since her blowjob assault on Joe.  Dark eyes looked in every direction while Mia ventured down the hallway of the arena, looking for Anisa and Joe, both for different reasons.  She wasn’t ready to face Joe yet and hadn’t talked to anyone about what she did.  Every time Mia tried calling Anisa, her cell phone went to voicemail so she either shut it off for the 2 days she was home or she was talking to someone else.  Mia didn’t like Anisa shutting her phone off, but at the same time she understood why.  Sometimes people just needed time alone to relax and rest up since their job required tons of traveling.  At the same time, however, Mia was going through a major crisis that required Anisa’s immediately attention being the best friend and all.

 

“Shit!” Mia cursed, ducking behind an equipment trunk at the sight of Joe coming down the hallway.  She could only pray he didn’t see her, eavesdropping on the conversation he was having with Jonathan Good.

 

“So what’s going on with you, big man?  Why are you walking around acting like someone killed your dog?”

 

No matter what he did, Joe couldn’t get the Indian beauty off of his mind.  Working out, sleeping, spending time with his family during the 2 days off…she was everywhere it seemed.  Her scent refused to leave his senses, which drove him mad further.  His mother, Patricia, had pulled himself aside during his small break and asked what was bothering him.  She could read him better than anyone in the family.  Joe wanted to tell her, but at the same time that wasn’t something a man talked about with his mother.  He simply told her he had a lot on his mind and not to worry about it, leaving to go home before she could grill him for more information.

 

Joe sighed, scrubbing a hand down his face and shrugged. “I don’t know, bro.” That was a lie, but he didn’t know if telling Jon what happened with Mia was the right thing to do. “Look, something happened I don’t feel right talking about it, but…it’s fucked with my mind and I don’t know what to do about it.”

 

Jon raised a brow, biting into a sandwich. “That’s vague, you gotta give me something more than that.” He said through a mouthful of food.

 

“I can’t.” Joe had too much respect for Mia to tell everyone under the sun what happened between them. “I just gotta work it out on my own.”

 

“Then how am I supposed to help or try giving you shitty advice?” Jon retorted, raising a brow at his best friend and took another bite of his sandwich. “Girl?”

 

They stopped right where Mia hid, the equipment being the only thing that separated her from being caught by 2/3 of the Shield.  Her heart broke at the hurt expression on Joe’s face and knew she was responsible for it.  She was being a coward and hated herself for it, though Mia’s respect for Joe soared since he didn’t tell one of his closest friends what happened.  It showed she could trust him.  Mia had no idea what possessed her to give Joe head, wondering if it had anything to do with him in just a towel.  The lust had overtaken every speck of her mind and heart, both of them on the same page as soon as their lips touched.  Joe did kiss her first and attacked her neck, a very sensitive area on her body.

 

“Don’t worry about it.  Just keep that goofy ass grin on your face and keep pretending there’s nothing going on between you and-”

 

“HEY!” Jon cut him off instantly, shaking his head. “We don’t say her name out loud.  It’s bad enough I told you and if Lopez finds out, he won’t let me live it down.” He was closer to Joe than Colby and trusted the big man with any secret.

 

Joe chuckled ruefully, knowing Jon had a very good point and clapped his shoulder as they continued walking down the hallway. “Fair enough, bro.”

 

Once Mia was sure Joe was gone, she stood up from behind the equipment trunk and hopped over it, going in the opposite direction to continue her hunt for Anisa.  Jon had another woman in his life -Unless he swung the other way, which was doubtful- and Mia had to warn her friend, not wanting Anisa hurt again by another wrestler.  Surprisingly enough, she found Anisa outside sitting on an equipment trunk with her eyes closed, letting the wintry air blow over her.  They were in Toronto, Canada with about a foot of snow or more on the ground and Anisa had no coat on.  Mia frowned, knowing Anisa would catch pneumonia if she stayed out here too long since the temperature was in the 30’s.  They weren’t fully outside, but it was enough to where they could feel the chill.

 

“Nisa?” Mia called out, not wanting to scare her friend and frowned when Anisa didn’t respond. “Anisa??” No reaction. “ANISA!!”

 

Nearly jumping out of her skin, Anisa snapped her midnight eyes open to stare back at her best friend and clutched her chest through the long sleeved top she wore. “WHAT?” She shouted back, blinking and breathing heavily. “Why are you screaming at me?”

 

“I just said your name 3 times and you were in la-la land.” Mia retorted, hopping on the equipment trunk beside her friend. “What the hell is going on with you?  I’ve been trying to contact you the past 2 days and searched everywhere for you tonight.”

 

Anisa didn’t realize how deep in thought she was about Jon and had come outside for some fresh air because Rick was driving her crazy. “Sorry, just got a lot on my mind.  What’s up?”

 

Not buying that lame excuse for a second, Mia decided to come back to the subject after she talked to Anisa about her problem. “Something happened between me and Joe during Smackdown!...”

 

“Alright…” Mia had her undivided attention. “Go on.”

 

Frowning, Mia lowered her dark eyes to the ground and wrapped her arms around herself, taking a deep breath. “We – uh – well I – uh – and then it just…” She wasn’t making sense, but Mia was trying to talk without stammering like a moron.

 

Anisa could tell how nervous her friend was and took both of her hands, forcing those dark eyes to lock with concerned midnight blue. “Mia, we’ve been friends for a long time and you can tell me anything.  You’ve never been this flushed before, not to mention stuttering.  Now take a deep breath and tell me everything.”

 

Slowly, Mia came clean about everything that happened between her and Joe.  She didn’t hide anything from Anisa, they were always completely honest with each other.  Surprisingly, Anisa didn’t react the way Mia anticipated and accepted the tight embrace when her arms wrapped around Mia’s shoulders.  Mia couldn’t help crying, huge tears sliding down her cheeks while clinging to Anisa for dear life.  Pulling back after a few minutes, Mia wiped her tears away and sniffled, taking the tissue Anisa procured from her pocket, blowing her nose since it was stuffed up.

 

“I’m so stupid.  He kissed me and I just…”

 

“You followed instincts just like he did.” Anisa refused to let Mia berate herself a second longer. “You both gave into your desires.  He obviously wanted you in any way or else he would’ve stopped you from giving him oral sex.  So, do you feel ashamed because you’re scared what he thinks of you now or are you avoiding him because deep down you know how you really feel about him?”

 

Anisa could read people well and currently Mia was a wide open book, looking defeated and vulnerable. “Both.” She whispered, afraid of using her normal voice for fear of it cracking. “He probably thinks I’m nothing more than a whore now.  And my feelings don’t matter because at this point, I ruined my chance with him.”

 

“Are you sure about that?” Anisa wrapped an arm around Mia’s shoulders and felt her friend nod, crying harder.  She wondered if there was a way to find out through Jon how Joe felt about Mia. “Look, everything will work out like it’s supposed to.  You just gotta have a little faith.”

 

Mia had to change the subject and suddenly remembered another reason she had to track Anisa down. “Enough about that, I need to tell you something else I overheard tonight.  Because the sooner you find this out, the sooner you can move on and forget about dating a wrestler.”

 

Now Anisa had a frown on her face, folding her arms in front of her chest. “What are you talking about?”

 

Oh god, did Mia somehow figure out what happened between her and Jon?  She listened intently while Mia explained what she overheard Jon and Joe talking about, not able to stop the smile from forming on her face.  Mia was confused and stopped talking, noticing the demeanor of her best friend change drastically.  What was she smiling for?  Mia just told her Jon had another woman in his life, assuming, and Anisa was staring at her with a goofy smile on her face!  What did Mia miss?

 

“You have nothing to worry about, sweetie.” Anisa assured her, hopping off of the equipment trunk and rubbed her arms to try warming up.

 

“What do you mean?” Now Mia was more perplexed than ever. “I just told you…”

 

“It was me.” The truth would come out eventually and Anisa didn’t want to hide it from the one person she trusted with her life on the roster. “Look, you had your thing with Joe and you enjoyed yourself.  Well, something happened between me and Jon Tuesday after the taping.  No, it wasn’t sex.  Yes I enjoyed it and I’m not going into details yet.  All you need to know is I’m happy and I know what I’m doing.  So please don’t try to convince me not to see him because we’ve spent the last 2 days doing nothing but talking, texting and Skyping.  He’s a great guy and the goofy smile on my face is because of him.  If you want, I’ll ask Jon how Joe feels about you, if you’re still interested in the big man.”

 

Mia had no idea what to say or do, finding herself nodding and parted ways with Anisa, both of them promising to get together for breakfast tomorrow morning.  Anisa felt better now that Mia knew what was going on and went back to her office, needing to put a thicker sweater on.  She blinked when she arrived at her office and saw 3 dozen of the most beautiful flowers she’d seen in her life.  They were all roses – different colors and all real.  Purple, red, blue, burnt orange, yellow…it was a masterpiece and must’ve cost a fortune.  Lifting one of the beautiful cobalt blue vases from the floor, Anisa inhaled the roses and walked into her office to set them on her desk.  She retrieved the other two vases and set them in front of her desk since it was rather small.  Noticing a card sticking out of the second bunch, Anisa opened it and couldn’t stop grinning at what it said.

 

Hope these brighten up your night, darlin’.

See you soon.

 

Your Secret Trustworthy Admirer

 

Short, sweet and to the point, Anisa thought, setting the card by her laptop before walking around to sit down.  No matter how hard she tried focusing on her work, Anisa couldn’t help glancing at the roses every few minutes and wondered where her secret trustworthy admirer could’ve gotten the roses.  If these weren’t all from Jon, Anisa was in serious trouble so she could only hope it was him and not some psycho stalker.

 

“Well, somebody is pretty special.”

 

Looking around the roses, Anisa smiled at Coralie and pushed the vase carefully to the side. “Hey girl, what’s up?” She greeted, closing her laptop and leaned back in her chair.

 

“Oh nothing, just wanted to talk to you for a minute.  But first…” Coralie walked over to get a closer look at the roses and smirked at Anisa. “Who are these from?”

 

“A trustworthy secret admirer, I guess.” She handed over the card, knowing telling Coralie about her and Jon was out of the question. “Beats the hell outta me.  So what did you wanna talk about?”

 

Coralie could tell when Anisa was lying, but she didn’t have time to grill her friend right now. “I just wanted to let you know I’m not mad at you for telling Phil about what happened with…Luke.” She shuddered as soon as that name came out of her mouth, a bad taste instantly forming. “But I am curious how you found out what happened.”

 

“I had to go get signatures from the Wyatt Family and…they scared the hell out of me, to be frank.” Anisa was thankful Coralie wasn’t angry with her because it’d been a momentarily relapse in judgment on her part. “I told Phil about this already.  I know I didn’t exactly do you any favors by telling him about Luke and I’m sorry about that.”

 

“No it’s fine, I would’ve told him eventually since it scared the shit out of me.” Coralie waved her off dismissively, glancing at the flowers again in thought. “These aren’t from…you don’t think…?”

 

Now Anisa hadn’t thought about the possibility of the flowers being from the Wyatt Family and swallowed hard, midnight eyes widening slightly. “I doubt it, but then again, it’s possible.  There’s no way to find out for sure though.” She was 95% sure these were from Jon, but using the Wyatt Family was a perfect cover.

 

“They’re beautiful, but…you need to be careful around those assholes, Nisa.  If they got to you once, they can get to you again.  And you’re Phil’s sister, they know that like everyone else on the roster does.” Coralie pointed out, frowning at the flowers and wondered if she should mention them to Phil. “Just come to me if you need to deal with them again and watch your back with them.  Did they…say anything to you?  What did they do that scared you so much?” Phil had told her about Anisa’s small freak-out and it was one of the main reasons she came to check on her friend.

 

“Just that I was brave to come there without my overprotective brother and basically gave me a hard time with the signatures.  Childish shit now that I think about it.  And Luke told me he enjoyed cornering you earlier that night.  I was more scared for you than anything because I thought he did something to you.  He was very vague.” Anisa tore a hand through her hair, having taken it out of the bun she had it in due to an approaching headache. “I agree, we both need to watch our backs with them.  Who knows what they’ll try next.  I’m glad you’re okay though and he didn’t hurt you.”

 

“You and me both.” Coralie agreed, talking with Anisa for a few more minutes and left since she had to go back to work finishing up the set for that night’s live show.

 

Chapter 15

 

Ever since Monday night, Ryanne had barely said 3 words to Randy and he was starting to worry about her.  Something happened to upset her that night, but every time he tried asking about it, Ryanne quickly changed the subject.  It was infuriating and frustrating to say the least.  Lack of communication and honesty were a few of the problems their marriage had along with the pregnancy issue.  Granted, Randy wanted to be a father more than anything and knew Ryanne wanted to be a mother, but they couldn’t change what the fates handed to them.  Randy tried mentioning the possibility of adoption to Ryanne a few weeks prior to her coming on the road with him and she snapped on him.  She accused him of losing faith in her ability to get pregnant and he shouldn’t give up so easily.  He hadn’t mentioned it again, but Randy wondered if adoption was their only option – that or a possible surrogacy.  They had to do something before their marriage ended up in shambles and ended up divorced.

 

Ryanne holed herself up in their bedroom with the door locked over the past 2 days and Randy knew she’d been crying.  Ever since Monday, she’d been severely depressed and Randy wished he knew why so he could try helping her through it.  Ryanne was shutting him out, breaking her husband down mentally, physically and emotionally.  He chalked it up to Ryanne having her period and left her alone to let her work it out on her own since she didn’t need his help.  With no other options, Randy decided to talk to his friends about this situation and hoped they could help him somehow.  Phil was his best friend, but he didn’t know the first thing about kids and fertility issues, so Randy went to two people he knew would understand this predicament.

 

Stephanie and Paul.

 

“Hey, you guys got a few minutes?” Randy asked, poking his head in the office after knocking on the door, a tentative smile on his face.

 

Stephanie could instantly tell something was bothering Randy and waved him inside. “Always Randy, have a seat.” She held Paul’s hand who sat next to her, both of them looking back at their fellow employee and friend. “What’s on your mind?”

 

Rubbing his palm against his workout shorts, Randy didn’t speak at first trying to gather his thoughts.  This was a difficult situation to talk about and Randy was   thankful the Levesque’s gave him all the time he needed.  Softly, he told them everything regarding him and Ryanne – why she suddenly joined him on the road.  Stephanie was good friends with Ryanne and Paul had practically treated Randy like a younger brother, possibly even a son.  They were family and right now Randy needed their help more than anything to try salvaging his broken marriage.  Stephanie and Paul listened silently with Paul holding her hand, squeezing it gently because he knew this was a sore subject for them.

 

“I just don’t know what to do anymore.  And I know it’s messing with my career because I’ve made a few mistakes in the ring lately.” Randy put his head in his hands, willing the tears burning in his eyes not to fall. “I feel like I’m failing her and nothing except her getting pregnant will help.  I’m sorry to come to you guys with this, but…it’s been eating me up for a while now.  We’ve been trying for over 2 years now and have been tested by several fertility specialists.  Nothing is wrong with us, so I don’t know why the hell we can’t get pregnant!”

 

Stephanie stood and walked around her desk, taking her chair with because squatting in a skirt wasn’t happening. “Randy, when Paul and I first started trying to have a baby, it was difficult for us.  I know that’s hard to believe considering we have 3 beautiful girls now, but…it was.  It took 3 years for us to conceive and it put a strain on our marriage much like yours is now.  But we pushed through the bullshit and realized that if we couldn’t have kids, there were other options.”

 

“I’ve tried mentioning those, but Ryanne always shuts me down.  She doesn’t want to believe she can’t get pregnant and I look like an asshole for suggesting adoption or anything else.  I’m just scared of losing her.” Randy finally looked up at Stephanie and looked at Paul, digesting the information he just found out. “So what was the problem with you guys, if you don’t mind me asking?”

 

“We tried for a year straight and when nothing happened, I decided to go to a specialist about it.  Turns out I had a hormone imbalance that required taking pills to fix the issue.  And it took a while to balance myself out again.  They told me I may not be able to get pregnant for 5 years.  And we had all the tests done to check ourselves out like you guys did.  2 years after I started taking the pills, I ended up pregnant and it was the happiest we’d ever been.”

 

Randy hoped it was something as simple as that and suddenly had an idea, looking at Paul this time. “Your sister, Krystal, is it?” Paul nodded. “Since Ryanne doesn’t have a lot of friends on the road, maybe they could hang out and talk.  We’ve been constantly snapping at each other and I think some female interaction besides being around me will help her.”

 

“I’ll talk to her about it.” Paul wouldn’t make any promises, but he didn’t see a problem with Krystal and Ryanne hitting it off.  They were both new to the company and maybe they could help each other open up more. “Don’t give up on your wife, Orton.  Things are rough right now, but they’ll get better.” He placed his hands on Stephanie’s shoulders and dropped a kiss on her head. “If you love each other enough, you’ll get through it.”

 

Randy thanked them for listening and left the office feeling marginally better, only to run into Coralie a few minutes later. “Where’s the fire, Brooks?” He smirked at her playful glare and groaned when she socked him in the shoulder. “Damn woman, you been working out?”

 

“You could say that.” Coralie laughed, leaning against the wall with Randy so they weren’t blocking the middle of the hallway. “How are you doing?  I just saw you come out of the principal’s office.”

 

Randy and Coralie were like brother and sister, always picking on each other, but when life got too real, they helped one another too. “Had to talk to Steph and Paul about some personal things.” He didn’t know if Ryanne told Coralie about what was going on.

 

“How’s Ryanne doing?  I haven’t heard from her in a couple days and was worried about her.” Coralie didn’t dare mention the pregnancy test to Randy, not wanting to drive the dagger in their marriage any deeper than it already was.

 

Heaving a sigh, Randy shrugged his shoulders and tossed his hands in the air. “I don’t know anymore.  She’s shutting me out and I’m at the point where I’m ready to give up.  I asked Paul if he could talk to his sister about hanging with Ryanne, having a day out together or something while we’re on the road.  I know she misses home and being around me all the time is driving her crazy.  Maybe it’ll get her spirits back up.” Leaf green eyes glittered at those words and Randy groaned, wondering what was cooking up in Coralie’s brain. “Cora…”

 

“That’s a fabulous idea, Randall!” She smacked him harshly on the shoulder, beaming from ear to ear and rubbed her hands together. “I’m thinking we have a girl’s night out.  Just me, Ryanne, Krystal, Mia and Anisa.  It’ll give us all an opportunity to get to know each other and I know a few of those girls could use some fun.” Several ideas began swirling through Coralie’s mind as she walked away from Randy to track her friends down, leaving him standing there.

 

Randy could only hope the women didn’t get too crazy and shook his head, a small smile curving his mouth for the first time in months.

 

~!~

 

Gossip about the flowers Anisa received spread like wildfire throughout the arena.

 

Anisa was busy at work when a knock sounded at her office door, a bright smile forming at the sight of Jon. “Well hello there, Dr. Feel Good.  Did we have an appointment I forgot about?” She closed her laptop as Jon walked around the desk to stare down at her, his hands reaching out to pull her to her feet from the chair.

 

“No, I figured I’d squeeze you in for a quick session.” Jon smirked, rubbing his nose against hers and softly captured her mouth with his, his hands sliding down her arms to wrap around her waist.

 

Anisa missed being this close to Jon, burying her fingers in his still dry hair and loved the feeling of the curls, opening her mouth as soon as Jon’s tongue swiped across her lips.  They both groaned at the contact and Jon suddenly lifted her, planting Anisa on her desk standing between her thighs.  It was nice to kiss without any pressure to give Jon sex, his actions telling Anisa all she needed to know.  Yes, he wanted her and the feeling was more than mutual, but they were both willing to wait, to take things slow so neither got hurt nor had regrets.  Only when they both needed air to breathe did Jon break the kiss, his normal pale blues now blazing with blue fire.

 

“So, I have something to tell you and I don’t know if you’re gonna like it.” Anisa spoke once she could talk without breathing heavily and smiled at Jon’s raised brow, turning slightly to gesture to the colorful roses in her office. “It seems as though I have a secret trustworthy admirer and they sent me these incredible flowers.  So you might have some competition.” Her finger slid down his tight black sleeveless wrestling top slowly, two different shades of blue mixing together.

 

“Is that so?” Jon chuckled, looking at all of the colorful roses and reached up to stroke her cheek tenderly with the back of his hand. “I think if my competition is smart, they’ll give up or I’ll have to fucking rub them out.” His mouth sealed to the side of her neck as Jon held Anisa close to him, taking his time to taste her succulent skin. “I win every time.  People counted me out my whole life, darlin’.  Just when you think I’m gonna lose, it doesn’t happen.  I love disappointing my haters.”

 

Anisa bit back a moan, his hot breath puffing against her neck and ear lighting her body ablaze. “Mmm I’ll have to tell my secret trustworthy admirer to bugger off then since I’m spending the night with you.” She pulled back to softly kiss him, stroking the back of his neck lovingly and Jon yanked her flush against his body to where her legs wrapped around his waist. “I’ll never count you out either.”

 

Truthfully, Anisa couldn’t remember the last time she felt this happy and content with a man.  Mark never made her feel this special and appreciated.  Her marriage had been based on mostly sex and that was the only time Mark showed her any kind of affection.  Once the sex was over, he never held her in his arms the way Jon had a few nights ago after their swim.  What had Anisa been thinking giving Mark the time of day?  Every time she saw Jon, her heart fluttered and butterflies erupted in her stomach.

 

“All kidding aside, thank you for the roses.  They’re spectacular.”

 

Glad she loved them as much as he enjoyed sending them to her, Jon admitted only to himself he had reservations doing it.  He didn’t want to push her and figured Anisa deserved a little romance in her life for a change.  These roses were just to the beginning of a night full of surprises because Jon had also sent flowers to the production truck and more at the hotel waiting for her later that night.  All he wanted to do was show Anisa he was in this for more than just sex, no matter how long it took for them to come together.

 

“As long as you’re happy, my job is done.”

 

“I have another confession.” Anisa said once they stopped kissing again, her lips swollen from Jon’s and never wanted it to stop.

 

“Damn woman, what is it now?  I knew it, you’re married with tons of rug rats aren’t you?” Jon joked, not moving from his spot and loved how Anisa had the same type of dry sense of humor he did.

 

Anisa laughed softly, shaking her hand and caressed his broad shoulders. “No, but I did tell Mia about us.  I didn’t tell her we’re together – together because we’re taking things slow.  I didn’t really give her room to say much else after telling her either, just that I’m happy and I know what I’m doing.”

 

She honestly thought Jon would have a problem with telling people about them, didn’t she?  Jon brushed his mouth against her forehead and hugged her close, resting his cheek on top of her head. “I don’t care who you tell about us, Ani.  Scream it from the rooftop of every arena if that’s what you want.  Whatever makes you happy is all I care about.” He felt his cell phone vibrate in his pocket and knew it was either Joe or Colby letting him know to get back to the dressing room to prepare for their match. “I need to get going, but we’ll see each other tonight?”

 

“Absolutely.” Anisa pulled Jon against her before he could back away, kissing him soundly again. “I think for now it’d be best to tell our close circle of friends until after Mania.”

 

The last thing Jon needed was being on Mark’s radar and Anisa knew it would happen if her ex-husband found out about them.  It was best to wait until after WrestleMania to come clean about them being together.  Mark would cause a huge fiasco and spectacle, not to mention try to destroy Jon’s WWE career before it had a chance to begin.  So for now, the less people who knew, the better.

 

“Leave now before I end up keeping you hostage in my office the rest of the night.”

 

“Meet me in the back of the arena after the show.” He pecked her lips quickly and walked out of the office, forcing himself not to go back to her.

 

It was going to be hard to concentrate on the match tonight, but Jon would do it.  It was a good thing it was Friday and just a house show.  Technically, he could mess up all he wanted since it wasn’t televised.  At the same time, Jon took pride in his matches, no matter how mediocre they might be, and was a complete professional once he stepped through the ropes.  In the back of his mind, however, Anisa was there and would always stay if Jon had his way.

 

Chapter 16

 

It seemed like the house show would never end for Krystal. 

 

Countless Superstars needed medical treatment after matches.  It was WrestleMania season, so everyone added intensity to each move and took more risks.  Thankfully, Colby wasn’t one of the injured parties along with the other Shield members, glad they were smart when it came to their bodies.  Krystal weighed the pros and cons throughout the night regarding going on a date with Colby.  Why he would want to go out with a shy woman like her was beyond her comprehension, but Krystal felt flattered nonetheless.  He was gorgeous, out of her league and the sweetest man she’d ever met.  However, Paul was a huge obstacle to overcome since he didn’t want his sister dating any of the Superstars.  When Paul came to her with this job offer, they both agreed it would be in Krystal’s best interest not to mix business with pleasure.  She didn’t think any of the wrestlers would appeal to her…until she met Colby Lopez.

 

What to do - what to do, Krystal thought while stitching up Anthony Carelli’s forehead –Fans knew him best as Santino Marella- from a laceration he sustained thanks to being posted during his match.  The Superstars didn’t blade anymore because of the new health and safety policy WWE had.  If a Superstar bled, it wasn’t scripted and a complete accident – unless it was deliberate then they were fined heavily with a possible suspension.  Nick Nemeth –Fans knew him as Dolph Ziggler- had been overzealous with a move that sent Antony face first into the steel ring post, splitting his eyebrow open.  10 stitches later and a denial of painkillers, Krystal sent Anthony on his merry way, realizing he was her final patient for the night.

 

“You’re doing a good job, Krys.” Michael clapped her on the shoulder gently with a friendly smile. “Go get some rest, see you tomorrow.”

 

“Are you sure you don’t need my help closing?”

 

“Nope, get outta here.” Michael gave her a gentle nudge towards the door and closed the door as soon as she was in the hallway.

 

Krystal huffed indignantly, rolling her eyes and reluctantly walked away from the door down the hallway, checking her watch.  It was just after 10 PM, so Colby was waiting for her in the back of the arena.  Krystal suddenly stopped walking and leaned against the wall, closing her eyes to try fighting off a panic attack.  Colby had no idea what he was getting himself into and she wasn’t referring to her annoying big brother either.  If he wanted to be with her truly, Colby deserved to know the truth about everything.  Making her mind up, Krystal quickly pulled out a makeup compact mirror to give herself a quick onceover, knowing there was no time to fix anything besides her hair.  She pulled the tie out of her hair and flipped it over, smoothing the top back as much as possible before rebinding it.  Once she finished, Krystal stood upright again and her beautiful chestnut hair was in a fanned style on top of her head.  It would have to do.  Her outfit was black pants and a white WWE short sleeved shirt that had a logo on the top left corner embroidered, black tennis shoes on her feet.  Pulling her black winter coat on, Krystal couldn’t stall any longer and slowly made her way to the back exit.

 

When 10:30 rolled around, Colby started wondering if Krystal had declined his date offer.  He gave her the benefit of the doubt because being a trainer was very stressful and time-consuming, so he didn’t expect Krystal to meet him at exactly 10 o’clock on the dot.  Chocolate eyes glanced at the back door one final time, that glimmer of hope burning deep within Colby as it opened only to extinguish when there was no sign of Krystal.  She wasn’t coming.  Colby looked like a fool standing outside in his black winter coat waiting for a woman that didn’t want to be with him.  Shaking his head sadly, Colby turned and began walking across the parking lot toward his rental car to head back to the hotel, feeling completely rejected and stupid.