Disclaimer: The only things I own in this story are Tara and Oz. Hope you
enjoy!
A/N I: I've been reading fan fiction for a while now, and I've not seen too many Chris Benoit stories. Most people I know don't like him that much, but I just find something sexy about the man. Plus he's one of my favorite wrestlers, so it fit. Hope you all enjoy!
*****
Win a Date With...
*****
Buzz.
Tara groaned and rolled over. Her room was pitch black, and she found it hard to open her eyes. She flung a hand over to her bedside table and hit the alarm clock, before finally finding the power to open her tired green eyes. Reaching up with the same hand she used to shut off her alarm clock, she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and focused her gaze on the bright red, digital readout. A muffled gasp escaped her lips and she immediately shot up. It was already 9:15 in the morning. She was already fifteen minutes late for work, and she had just woken up.
"Damnit," She cursed, flipping on the lamp beside her. She ran her fingers through her short, tousled hair before tossing the covers back and swinging her feet over the side of the bed. She stood up and grabbed her cell phone, punching in some numbers before pressing it to her ear.
"Hey, David." She said into the phone. She paused for a moment as the voice on the other end spoke. "I know, I need to be more punctual." Another pause. "I'll be there in half an hour." She sighed and rolled her eyes as David spoke more. "What do you mean, you're going to dock half of my pay today?!" Her voice came out high-pitched. "Fine." After that, she hit the 'off' button on her phone and threw it down on her bed. She cursed to herself again before standing up and making her way into the bathroom that was connected to her room. She turned the shower on and let it heat up as she picked out her clothes. A short, black pleated skirt, a pink tank top shirt to go over a black fishnet top, and black platform mary janes. She returned to the bathroom and took a quick shower. Glancing at the clock after she got out of the shower, she realized that she had only ten minutes to finish getting ready and leave.
"This is one of those times I'm really glad that I have short hair." She said to herself as she dried her chin-length honey brown hair. After it was dry, she flipped it out and sprayed it. Another look at the clock told her she had two minutes to put her makeup on. A light amount of foundation and blush, silver eyeliner, clear lipgloss and she was ready to go. She grabbed her black and hot pink messenger bag and stuffed her cell phone into it. She picked her keys up off of the kitchen table and was about to walk out of the door when she heard a small mewing sound.
"Oh! Oz, I'm sorry sweetie." She cooed as her cat weaved himself through her legs. He purred as she quickly poured cat food into his dish. After returning the cat food bag to the table, Tara walked out of her apartment, closing and locking the door behind her.
*****
"David, I'm here!" Tara called as she stepped into the small tattoo parlor. She walked into the back room and threw her bag down on the small table, where David was sitting, sipping on a cup of coffee. A newspaper was spread out in front of him.
"Finally." David muttered, rolling his eyes. Tara rolled her eyes toward the heavyset man as she rolled the fishnet sleeves up to her elbows and washed her hands.
"What time is my first appointment?" She asked.
"In about five minutes." David replied, his watery blue eyes not moving up from the paper.
"Who?" She said, taking a pair of rubber gloves out of the supply case.
"Christie." David grunted. Tara rolled her eyes again and made her way back into the main part of the parlor. The bell over the door gave a distinct 'ding' as it opened, and a girl with long, blackish-purple hair walked through the door. She had pale skin, and a labret piercing.
"Hey Tara," The woman said with a smile. "Came to get my dragon finished."
"Alright Christie, just go back into the normal room and lay down on the table, I need to get the ink and needles ready." Tara told her with a smile. Christie returned the smile and walked into a small room connected to the main room, and Tara returned to the back. She grabbed the colors of ink that she needed. David shot her a look as she walked back into the small room, where Christie was laying topless on her stomach. The outline and details of a dragon was present, covering her back from the middle of it down. It had a bit of shading around the wings, but other than that, was unfinished.
"Alright, let's get started. We should be finished today." Tara told Christie, as she readied the right color onto the needles. She began filling in the colors in the right places, making a rainbow-like pattern over it. After she was finished, she cleaned off the tattoo area, rubbed an antiseptic ointment on it, and bandaged it.
"All done!" Tara said. Christie sat up and slid her shirt back over her head.
"Thanks, chick. How much do I owe you?" The dark-haired girl asked. Tara told her, and Christie thanked her before leaving. Tara took the gloves off of her hands and returned to the small back room, which was now empty. She grabbed her bag and keys, deciding it was time for her to take her lunch break. She drove through a Taco Bell and returned to the tattoo parlor, opting to stay in her car and listen to the radio as she ate.
"Alright, this is for all you wrestling fans out there!" The excited voice of the DJ blared through her speakers as she bit into a taco. She chewed the bite in her mouth before putting the food back into the bag and listening to the radio intently. She had been a big wrestling fan for a while now, and wanted to catch what they were talking about.
"This is a once in a lifetime chance, folks...to win a date with a surprise superstar!" Tara felt her mouth drop open. Win a date with one of these men? This was like a dream come true! She pulled the cell phone out of her bag and readied the number to the station on it; all she had to do now was press 'send'.
"All you have to do is answer this trivia question..." Tara strained her ears even though she didn't need to as she waited for the question.
"Who left as the WWF Champion the night of the famous Undertaker versus Undertaker match?" The DJ asked, enunciating every word. Tara sucked in a breath. She knew this! She quickly hit the 'send' button on her phone and was awarded with...a busy signal. Her heart dropped as she heard a girl's voice come through the speakers.
"Um...was it Diesel?" The girl asked in a high-pitched voice.
"Incorrect!" The DJ replied, rather chipperly. Tara hit 'send' again and heard a ringing sound. Yes! She had gotten through!
"Hello, you're on the air!"
"The answer is Bret Hart!" Tara basically screamed. "He beat Owen Hart in a Steel Cage Match to retain his title!" Her heart was pounding in her chest.
"Correct!" The DJ's loud voice boomed. Tara squealed and began bouncing up and down in her seat. "Stay on the line and we'll be right back to you with details." He said. Tara couldn't stop smiling as she waited for the DJ to come back on the line. A few minutes later, another voice came through the earpiece.
"Hello, miss." The man said. His voice was much calmer than the DJs. "I'm going to need your first and last name, please."
"Tara Reynolds." She replied.
"Alright, Tara..." The man trailed off. "Your date will be next Saturday. I'll call you back early that day with details of the date and who your date will be." Tara nodded, even though the man couldn't see her.
"Will I need to go buy something formal? Because I don't own anything formal." Tara asked.
"No, nothing too formal needed. Semi-formal is fine." He replied. They talked for a few more minutes before they hung up. Tara checked her watch and realized that she had about two minutes of her lunch left, so she finished her food and went back inside.
"Tara," David said, calling her over. She dropped her trash into the trashcan and walked over to the heavyset man. "I need you to do a piercing in about half an hour." A girl named Lauren wants a bar through her cartilage." Tara nodded and went to the back to wash up. About fifteen minutes later, the girl showed up. She was a small girl that looked timid. Tara checked her license and had her sign a few papers, before leading her into the same room she had done Christie's tattoo in earlier. She sat the girl down in a chair and marked the point of entrance and exit on her ear. Tara then had the girl watch as she took the needle out of a sterile package.
"Take a deep breath," Tara told her. She lined the needle up and pushed it through the skin, resulting with a scream from the girl. She was in tears by the time Tara put the barbell through the piercing. Tara inwardly rolled her eyes; she didn't think that if the people couldn't take it, they shouldn't get it done. She offered the girl a smile and told her to go up front to pay. She had to do a few more piercings throughout the day, until she finally was allowed to go home.
*****
-THE FOLLOWING FRIDAY-
"Hope," Tara groaned to her blonde-headed friend. "I don't know what to wear tomorrow!" She was laying belly-down on her bed, while Hope searched through her closet.
"How about this?" Hope asked, holding up a pink skirt with thin black pinstripes and a pink mesh top. Tara stood up and took the clothes from Hope, looking them over.
"I don't know..." She said. "I was thinking something maybe a little more toned down for this. I don't know exactly where we're going to go."
"Alright," Hope said, retreating back into Tara's closet. "I've got an idea." The tall, tanned girl emerged from the closet once again, this time empty handed. "We need to go shopping for this occasion." Tara sent a smile to her friend before hopping up.
"Sounds like a plan to me." Tara grinned. She went to her closet and pulled out a pair of black tennis shoes. Hope had already gone into the living room. She tied her shoes and grabbed a black zip-up jacket before meeting Hope.
"Let's go." The taller girl said. Tara smiled and took her car keys off of the kitchen table, before leading the way outside.
They arrived at the mall about a half an hour later. They made a few stops in a few stores, before Tara finally found the perfect outfit. She dropped Hope off on the way back to her apartment.
"Hey, Ozzie." She said as she entered her apartment. The fluffy white cat mewed and sat beside his bowl, which was empty. Tara filled it with cat food, earning her an appreciative meow. She grinned at the little furball before walking into her room and grabbing her pajamas. She then made her way into her bathroom, where she took a shower and changed. Oz was lying on her bed, asleep, when she entered her room. She smiled at the cat as she turned her lights off and climbed into the bed.
*****
Her phone ringing woke Tara up early the next morning.
"Hello?" She said groggily into the mouthpiece.
"Good morning Ms. Tara!" Said a chipper voice on the other line. Tara rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and sat up.
"Morning," She replied. "How are you today?"
"Fine," He said. "I have the details of your date." Tara smiled.
"Alright." She said.
"You will be going to a small restaurant overlooking the beach," He said. "If you two would like to do anything else, you get to pick where to go."
"Who's my date?" Tara asked eagerly. She heard a chuckle on the other line.
"Your mystery date is..." He trailed off. "Chris Benoit."
'Benoit?' Tara thought to herself. True, Chris Benoit was one of her favorite wrestlers...she had no doubt whatsoever in her mind that he was the best technical wrestler in the business. But...how would he fare as a date? She had never met the man in real life, so she didn't know if his on- screen persona was anything like the real him. But she knew that on- screen...he seemed a bit insensitive and was focused all on work.
'Ah well.' She thought. 'Guess I'll find out later today!'
"Great. What time do I need to be at the restaurant?" Tara asked.
"We'll be sending a limo to pick you up around six, and you'll meet Chris at the restaurant."
"Awesome." Tara said.
"Well, that about wraps it up, then! Have a fun time tonight."
"Thanks!" Tara said before hanging up the phone. She was wide awake now. Glancing at the clock, she saw that it was only ten in the morning.
'I think I'm going to call Hope and get her to go out to breakfast with me.' The short girl thought to herself, standing up and stretching. She grabbed a pair of army green pants and a red t-shirt with the word 'Mysterious' written across the front in silvery letters. She threw it on and slipped on the same pair of tennis shoes she'd worn the day before, pinned her short hair back with a few bobby pins, and brushed her teeth. She didn't even bother putting on makeup. She grabbed her car keys, purse, and cell phone, fed Oz, and went out to her car. She got in and started off towards Hope's house, waiting about five minutes before flipping open her phone and dialing Hope's number.
"Hello?" She answered, apparently still sleeping.
"Rise and shine, Hopey darling! We're going out to breakfast!" Tara said in a chipper voice. She heard Hope groan on the other line.
"Alright..." She said.
"I'll be over in ten." Tara said before hanging up. She turned up the radio as she continued towards Hope's house. She parked in the small driveway once she arrived, next to Hope's car, and let herself into her house.
"You up, Hopey?" She called from the bottom of the stairs.
"Yes, I'll be down in a minute." Hope called from her room upstairs. Tara sat down on the blonde's couch and flipped through a magazine until Hope came down, dressed in jeans, a blue shirt, and tennis shoes.
"Where do you want to go eat at?" Tara asked, standing up. Hope stretched as they walked out of her front door and got into Tara's car.
"I don't know. Somewhere with waffles." Hope replied.
"Waffle House it is." Tara replied with a grin. Hope rolled her eyes with a groan.
"You love the Waffle House, don't you?" She asked the shorter girl. Tara laughed and they sped off towards town.
*****
"Hello dears," Said their server as Hope and Tara sat down in a booth at the Waffle House. "What can I get you two to drink?"
"I'll take a coffee, two cream and sugars please." Hope told her.
"Grapefruit juice." Tara said. The waitress nodded with a smile and went off to get their drinks.
"Tara hun, I love you to death, but you are weird." Hope laughed. "One...you're like obsessed with the Waffle House. You eat hear at least twice a week, don't you?" Tara nodded with a laugh and took a sip of her grapefruit juice that the waitress had just brought to her, along with Hope's coffee.
"And two...you like grapefruit juice. That stuff is nasty." Hope said.
"No its not! It's yummy." Tara said, taking another sip. The waitress had returned by then, and was waiting on their order.
"I'll have waffles with strawberries and whipped cream, please." Tara told her. She nodded and wrote it down on her pad.
"Make that two." Hope added. The waitress smiled at the girls and walked off with their orders.
"I found out who my date is." Tara told Hope, grinning.
"Who is it?!" Hope asked, before sipping on her coffee.
"Chris Benoit." Tara replied.
"Seriously?" Hope asked. "I hope he's nothing like he is on- screen...he's kind of...um...intense."
"Yeah, I know it." Tara said. Their food had been brought out, so she took a break to bite into her waffles. "I think it'll turn out good though."
"I hope so." Hope said. They talked about the date for the rest of the meal, then Tara paid.
"At least let me pay half," Hope said. Tara shook her head.
"I woke you up early, I'm paying." Tara said, paying the check. They walked out of the restaurant and headed to Tara's house, where Hope was going to help her get ready.
*****
They arrived at Tara's house at nearly one. Tara got her new outfit and got into the shower, as Hope got all of Tara's makeup out and began sorting through it. Tara came out about a half an hour later, wearing a pink tube-top dress that came to her knees and that had a black satin ribbon around the waist. A pair of black, stiletto-heeled shoes with straps around the ankles and beadwork on the back. They added about three inches to Tara's normal 5'1" frame.
"You look great." Hope said, gawking at her friend. Tara smiled.
"Thanks. I think I'm just going to fix my hair like normal." She said.
"It always looks good that way." Hope replied.
"Alright, I'm gonna go fix it, I'll be back in a minute." Tara told her. Hope nodded and Tara walked back into the bathroom. She brushed her hair out, dried it, and flipped it out with a curling iron. She then sprayed it and returned to her bedroom.
"Look good?" She asked Hope, gesturing to her hair. Hope smiled and nodded at the girl.
"Wonderful. Now come here, let me do your makeup." Hope grinned. Tara smiled and sat down beside her friend. Hope spread a light amount of foundation over her smooth skin. She brushed on some light pink colored blush and lined her green eyes with silver eyeliner.
"These colors look really good on you," Hope said as she applied light pink eye shadow to her eyelids, then coated her lashes in mascara. She lined her lips in a soft, rosy red color, then spread the color over her full lips and covered them in clear gloss.
"You look gorgeous. Seriously, you are such a knockout." Hope said. "Benoit is going to shit his pants when he sees the girl he has a date with." Tara smiled at her friend and stood up, walking over to her full- length mirror. She looked at herself from the front and both sides.
'Wow,' She thought to herself. 'It's amazing what a little makeup and some new clothes can do for a girl.' The dress and heels actually added a sense of height to the small girl.
"Do you think it looks a little trashy, cause of the tats?" Tara asked. The tattoo of a butterfly at the nape of her neck and the one of a light pink and white lily that decorated her right ankle were clearly visible.
"No. Hun, believe me, you look absolutely stunning." Hope reassured her. Tara nodded and glanced at the clock. It was already 5:45.
"Almost date time," Tara started, letting out a deep breath. "And the nerves begin to kick in." She shook her head as she made her way into her kitchen. Oz was laying on the kitchen floor in the middle of a cat nap.
"Wake up Ozzie, it's time to eat." She cooed to the fluffy white cat. His ears perked up and he stretched before standing up, his bottlebrush tail swishing back and forth. Tara took a can off of the fridge and opened it with the can opener, before dumping the wet cat food into Oz's bowl.
"There you go sweetie," She said to the cat, bending down and stroking his shiny fur. Just as she stood up, her doorbell rang.
"Oh God...they're here." Tara said. She rushed back into her room, grabbed her purse and cell phone, then walked back into the living room.
"I guess this is it," She said to Hope. Hope smiled.
"Knock him dead, girl. I'm staying here, I want details when you get back."
"You know it. Bye." Tara smiled before opening her door and stepping out into the hallway. A man, about six feet tall, was waiting. He was wearing a suit and held a pink rose.
"Tara, I presume?" The man asked. Tara nodded.
"That'd be me." She replied, smiling. The driver smiled back.
"I'm Edward, and I'll be your driver tonight. Mr. Benoit is waiting at the restaurant, and asked me to give this to you at your door." He handed her the rose.
"Thank you," She said, graciously accepting the long-stemmed rose. Edward nodded and led the short girl to the elevator, then down to the black stretch limo. He opened the door for her and she climbed in the back.
"If you open up the compartment to your left, there should be some champagne, if you'd like." Edward told her before closing the door and getting into the drivers seat. They took off towards the restaurant. Tara decided not to have anything until they arrived at the restaurant. The trip took only about twenty minutes until Edward stopped the limo and let Tara out of the car. Rose and purse in hand, she offered a nod to Edward before making her way into the restaurant, which was called 30 Degree Blue. The Panama City Beach native knew this restaurant well; it was a very nice, smaller restaurant. She took a deep breath and pushed the door open. It was dusky outside, and there were candles lighting every table. She immediately knew where she needed to go: a small table was set up near the back, and she saw Chris Benoit sitting there, sipping at a glass of water. She took another deep breath and began to slowly walk towards the table. Chris glanced up and saw her walking towards him, and immediately stood up to greet her. He offered her a smile, which she returned almost shyly. She was just a few steps away from him when she felt her heel catch on the carpet. She felt herself jerk forward and almost fall. She closed her eyes and waited to hit the ground, when she felt a pair of strong arms circle around her waist. She cracked an eye open and looked up at Chris.
"Wow," She said out loud. "Smooth way to introduce yourself, Tara." Chris grinned and helped her steady herself.
"I'd say. It's not every day I have a pretty girl fall right into my arms." Chris replied. Tara laughed and offered her hand.
"Tara Reynolds." She said. Chris took her hand in his.
"Chris Benoit. It's very nice to meet you, Tara."
"It's very nice to meet you, too." Tara replied, looking over the taller man. He was dressed in black slacks and a blue button-down shirt.
'He looks really handsome,' Tara thought to herself. Chris moved behind her and pulled her seat out. She sat down and he pushed her up to the table before returning to his own seat. A waiter came over and took their drink orders.
"Did you like the rose?" Chris asked, looking at Tara. She still had the rose in her hands.
"Yes, it's beautiful." Tara replied with a smile. "One of my favorite colors, too."
"Really?" Chris said. "Wow, lucky guess." He grinned. The waiter then brought their drinks back out. Tara took a sip of her white wine.
"How do you like living in Florida?" Chris asked. "It must be nice to live on the beach."
"Yeah, it is. It's really nice to go out at night when no one's around. Well, when it's not tourist season, at least. We get a lot of people here over spring break especially. It's a total party town, then." Tara laughed. "I never party that much though. I usually just stay at home with my cat over spring break. We get a lot of drunk college kids in the parlor around that time of year." Tara trailed off. She realized that she was rambling on, so she decided to quiet down for a moment. Chris smiled at her.
"At the parlor?" He asked.
"Yep. I work at a tattoo and piercing place about fifteen minutes away from here." Tara replied.
"Interesting line of work." Chris said. Tara nodded.
"It is. It's a bit odd, but I love it. Especially tattoos, I think they're a great form of expression."
"I saw the one on your ankle." Chris told her, taking a sip of his wine. "Do you have any others?"
"Oh yeah." Tara laughed. She turned slightly so he could see the butterfly on her neck. "That one, plus two on the small of my back, one on my hip bone, one around my bellybutton, and one near the middle of my back." Tara told him. They continued talking over their dinner. After they were done, Chris paid and he and Tara returned to the limo.
"Do you want to go to the beach?" She asked him. "Just to go walking. I doubt many people will be out right now, not too many tourists are in town and it's getting late."
"Sure," Chris replied. Tara told Edward where to go. They arrived in less than five minutes. Tara had already taken off her shoes and left them in the car. Chris did the same and they walked down onto the beach. It was nearly empty. It was dark outside, and the moonlight was shining on the gulf waters.
"Do you still live in Edmonton?" Tara asked as they walked down the beach, the surf just meeting their feet.
"No, I moved to Atlanta just recently." He replied. Before Tara had a chance to even notice it, Chris had reached down and taken her hand in his. She smiled.
"Atlanta's a fun place." She said. Chris nodded in agreement.
"What made you decide to start wrestling?" She asked after a moment of silence. Chris looked thoughtfully up at the sky, before turning and looking at the short girl.
"I don't know, really. I was a fan when I was a kid, and once I tried it....it was just addictive. I couldn't get enough of being in the ring. It was like a calling. Showcasing this talent that you're blessed with....it's really an amazing feeling. Especially when the crowd is roaring....they can be chanting your name or telling you to get your ass out of the ring, but it doesn't matter. It's just such a rush to be in front of thousands of people a night, and to have them recognize you in some way." He said. Tara smiled.
"That's one hell of a reason." She grinned. Chris returned the grin and slid his arm around her waist as they continued to walk down the beach. They walked and chatted for a while longer, before Chris checked his watch.
"God....we better get back. It's almost midnight." He said. Tara reluctantly agreed. They returned to the limo and back to her apartment building. They arrived and Tara grabbed her rose and purse. To her surprise, Chris got out of the limo to walk her to her door.
"I had a really great night. Thank you." Tara told him when they were standing in front of her door.
"I had a great night too. You are one amazing girl, Tara." Chris said, before leaning in. He placed a soft kiss on her lips. Tara was surprised at first, but then returned the kiss.
"I want to keep in touch with you. To see if maybe we can turn this into something." Chris told her. Tara's breath caught in her throat. She really wasn't expecting that. Nodding, she grabbed a scrap piece of paper and a pen out of her purse. She wrote her cell number and handed it to Chris. He tore the blank part of the paper away from her number and wrote his number on it.
"Goodnight Chris. I'll talk to you soon." Tara told him. He smiled, leaning in and kissing her again. After that, he walked back to the elevator and returned downstairs. Tara smiled before unlocking her door and walking inside.
*****
A/N I: I've been reading fan fiction for a while now, and I've not seen too many Chris Benoit stories. Most people I know don't like him that much, but I just find something sexy about the man. Plus he's one of my favorite wrestlers, so it fit. Hope you all enjoy!
*****
Win a Date With...
*****
Buzz.
Tara groaned and rolled over. Her room was pitch black, and she found it hard to open her eyes. She flung a hand over to her bedside table and hit the alarm clock, before finally finding the power to open her tired green eyes. Reaching up with the same hand she used to shut off her alarm clock, she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and focused her gaze on the bright red, digital readout. A muffled gasp escaped her lips and she immediately shot up. It was already 9:15 in the morning. She was already fifteen minutes late for work, and she had just woken up.
"Damnit," She cursed, flipping on the lamp beside her. She ran her fingers through her short, tousled hair before tossing the covers back and swinging her feet over the side of the bed. She stood up and grabbed her cell phone, punching in some numbers before pressing it to her ear.
"Hey, David." She said into the phone. She paused for a moment as the voice on the other end spoke. "I know, I need to be more punctual." Another pause. "I'll be there in half an hour." She sighed and rolled her eyes as David spoke more. "What do you mean, you're going to dock half of my pay today?!" Her voice came out high-pitched. "Fine." After that, she hit the 'off' button on her phone and threw it down on her bed. She cursed to herself again before standing up and making her way into the bathroom that was connected to her room. She turned the shower on and let it heat up as she picked out her clothes. A short, black pleated skirt, a pink tank top shirt to go over a black fishnet top, and black platform mary janes. She returned to the bathroom and took a quick shower. Glancing at the clock after she got out of the shower, she realized that she had only ten minutes to finish getting ready and leave.
"This is one of those times I'm really glad that I have short hair." She said to herself as she dried her chin-length honey brown hair. After it was dry, she flipped it out and sprayed it. Another look at the clock told her she had two minutes to put her makeup on. A light amount of foundation and blush, silver eyeliner, clear lipgloss and she was ready to go. She grabbed her black and hot pink messenger bag and stuffed her cell phone into it. She picked her keys up off of the kitchen table and was about to walk out of the door when she heard a small mewing sound.
"Oh! Oz, I'm sorry sweetie." She cooed as her cat weaved himself through her legs. He purred as she quickly poured cat food into his dish. After returning the cat food bag to the table, Tara walked out of her apartment, closing and locking the door behind her.
*****
"David, I'm here!" Tara called as she stepped into the small tattoo parlor. She walked into the back room and threw her bag down on the small table, where David was sitting, sipping on a cup of coffee. A newspaper was spread out in front of him.
"Finally." David muttered, rolling his eyes. Tara rolled her eyes toward the heavyset man as she rolled the fishnet sleeves up to her elbows and washed her hands.
"What time is my first appointment?" She asked.
"In about five minutes." David replied, his watery blue eyes not moving up from the paper.
"Who?" She said, taking a pair of rubber gloves out of the supply case.
"Christie." David grunted. Tara rolled her eyes again and made her way back into the main part of the parlor. The bell over the door gave a distinct 'ding' as it opened, and a girl with long, blackish-purple hair walked through the door. She had pale skin, and a labret piercing.
"Hey Tara," The woman said with a smile. "Came to get my dragon finished."
"Alright Christie, just go back into the normal room and lay down on the table, I need to get the ink and needles ready." Tara told her with a smile. Christie returned the smile and walked into a small room connected to the main room, and Tara returned to the back. She grabbed the colors of ink that she needed. David shot her a look as she walked back into the small room, where Christie was laying topless on her stomach. The outline and details of a dragon was present, covering her back from the middle of it down. It had a bit of shading around the wings, but other than that, was unfinished.
"Alright, let's get started. We should be finished today." Tara told Christie, as she readied the right color onto the needles. She began filling in the colors in the right places, making a rainbow-like pattern over it. After she was finished, she cleaned off the tattoo area, rubbed an antiseptic ointment on it, and bandaged it.
"All done!" Tara said. Christie sat up and slid her shirt back over her head.
"Thanks, chick. How much do I owe you?" The dark-haired girl asked. Tara told her, and Christie thanked her before leaving. Tara took the gloves off of her hands and returned to the small back room, which was now empty. She grabbed her bag and keys, deciding it was time for her to take her lunch break. She drove through a Taco Bell and returned to the tattoo parlor, opting to stay in her car and listen to the radio as she ate.
"Alright, this is for all you wrestling fans out there!" The excited voice of the DJ blared through her speakers as she bit into a taco. She chewed the bite in her mouth before putting the food back into the bag and listening to the radio intently. She had been a big wrestling fan for a while now, and wanted to catch what they were talking about.
"This is a once in a lifetime chance, folks...to win a date with a surprise superstar!" Tara felt her mouth drop open. Win a date with one of these men? This was like a dream come true! She pulled the cell phone out of her bag and readied the number to the station on it; all she had to do now was press 'send'.
"All you have to do is answer this trivia question..." Tara strained her ears even though she didn't need to as she waited for the question.
"Who left as the WWF Champion the night of the famous Undertaker versus Undertaker match?" The DJ asked, enunciating every word. Tara sucked in a breath. She knew this! She quickly hit the 'send' button on her phone and was awarded with...a busy signal. Her heart dropped as she heard a girl's voice come through the speakers.
"Um...was it Diesel?" The girl asked in a high-pitched voice.
"Incorrect!" The DJ replied, rather chipperly. Tara hit 'send' again and heard a ringing sound. Yes! She had gotten through!
"Hello, you're on the air!"
"The answer is Bret Hart!" Tara basically screamed. "He beat Owen Hart in a Steel Cage Match to retain his title!" Her heart was pounding in her chest.
"Correct!" The DJ's loud voice boomed. Tara squealed and began bouncing up and down in her seat. "Stay on the line and we'll be right back to you with details." He said. Tara couldn't stop smiling as she waited for the DJ to come back on the line. A few minutes later, another voice came through the earpiece.
"Hello, miss." The man said. His voice was much calmer than the DJs. "I'm going to need your first and last name, please."
"Tara Reynolds." She replied.
"Alright, Tara..." The man trailed off. "Your date will be next Saturday. I'll call you back early that day with details of the date and who your date will be." Tara nodded, even though the man couldn't see her.
"Will I need to go buy something formal? Because I don't own anything formal." Tara asked.
"No, nothing too formal needed. Semi-formal is fine." He replied. They talked for a few more minutes before they hung up. Tara checked her watch and realized that she had about two minutes of her lunch left, so she finished her food and went back inside.
"Tara," David said, calling her over. She dropped her trash into the trashcan and walked over to the heavyset man. "I need you to do a piercing in about half an hour." A girl named Lauren wants a bar through her cartilage." Tara nodded and went to the back to wash up. About fifteen minutes later, the girl showed up. She was a small girl that looked timid. Tara checked her license and had her sign a few papers, before leading her into the same room she had done Christie's tattoo in earlier. She sat the girl down in a chair and marked the point of entrance and exit on her ear. Tara then had the girl watch as she took the needle out of a sterile package.
"Take a deep breath," Tara told her. She lined the needle up and pushed it through the skin, resulting with a scream from the girl. She was in tears by the time Tara put the barbell through the piercing. Tara inwardly rolled her eyes; she didn't think that if the people couldn't take it, they shouldn't get it done. She offered the girl a smile and told her to go up front to pay. She had to do a few more piercings throughout the day, until she finally was allowed to go home.
*****
-THE FOLLOWING FRIDAY-
"Hope," Tara groaned to her blonde-headed friend. "I don't know what to wear tomorrow!" She was laying belly-down on her bed, while Hope searched through her closet.
"How about this?" Hope asked, holding up a pink skirt with thin black pinstripes and a pink mesh top. Tara stood up and took the clothes from Hope, looking them over.
"I don't know..." She said. "I was thinking something maybe a little more toned down for this. I don't know exactly where we're going to go."
"Alright," Hope said, retreating back into Tara's closet. "I've got an idea." The tall, tanned girl emerged from the closet once again, this time empty handed. "We need to go shopping for this occasion." Tara sent a smile to her friend before hopping up.
"Sounds like a plan to me." Tara grinned. She went to her closet and pulled out a pair of black tennis shoes. Hope had already gone into the living room. She tied her shoes and grabbed a black zip-up jacket before meeting Hope.
"Let's go." The taller girl said. Tara smiled and took her car keys off of the kitchen table, before leading the way outside.
They arrived at the mall about a half an hour later. They made a few stops in a few stores, before Tara finally found the perfect outfit. She dropped Hope off on the way back to her apartment.
"Hey, Ozzie." She said as she entered her apartment. The fluffy white cat mewed and sat beside his bowl, which was empty. Tara filled it with cat food, earning her an appreciative meow. She grinned at the little furball before walking into her room and grabbing her pajamas. She then made her way into her bathroom, where she took a shower and changed. Oz was lying on her bed, asleep, when she entered her room. She smiled at the cat as she turned her lights off and climbed into the bed.
*****
Her phone ringing woke Tara up early the next morning.
"Hello?" She said groggily into the mouthpiece.
"Good morning Ms. Tara!" Said a chipper voice on the other line. Tara rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and sat up.
"Morning," She replied. "How are you today?"
"Fine," He said. "I have the details of your date." Tara smiled.
"Alright." She said.
"You will be going to a small restaurant overlooking the beach," He said. "If you two would like to do anything else, you get to pick where to go."
"Who's my date?" Tara asked eagerly. She heard a chuckle on the other line.
"Your mystery date is..." He trailed off. "Chris Benoit."
'Benoit?' Tara thought to herself. True, Chris Benoit was one of her favorite wrestlers...she had no doubt whatsoever in her mind that he was the best technical wrestler in the business. But...how would he fare as a date? She had never met the man in real life, so she didn't know if his on- screen persona was anything like the real him. But she knew that on- screen...he seemed a bit insensitive and was focused all on work.
'Ah well.' She thought. 'Guess I'll find out later today!'
"Great. What time do I need to be at the restaurant?" Tara asked.
"We'll be sending a limo to pick you up around six, and you'll meet Chris at the restaurant."
"Awesome." Tara said.
"Well, that about wraps it up, then! Have a fun time tonight."
"Thanks!" Tara said before hanging up the phone. She was wide awake now. Glancing at the clock, she saw that it was only ten in the morning.
'I think I'm going to call Hope and get her to go out to breakfast with me.' The short girl thought to herself, standing up and stretching. She grabbed a pair of army green pants and a red t-shirt with the word 'Mysterious' written across the front in silvery letters. She threw it on and slipped on the same pair of tennis shoes she'd worn the day before, pinned her short hair back with a few bobby pins, and brushed her teeth. She didn't even bother putting on makeup. She grabbed her car keys, purse, and cell phone, fed Oz, and went out to her car. She got in and started off towards Hope's house, waiting about five minutes before flipping open her phone and dialing Hope's number.
"Hello?" She answered, apparently still sleeping.
"Rise and shine, Hopey darling! We're going out to breakfast!" Tara said in a chipper voice. She heard Hope groan on the other line.
"Alright..." She said.
"I'll be over in ten." Tara said before hanging up. She turned up the radio as she continued towards Hope's house. She parked in the small driveway once she arrived, next to Hope's car, and let herself into her house.
"You up, Hopey?" She called from the bottom of the stairs.
"Yes, I'll be down in a minute." Hope called from her room upstairs. Tara sat down on the blonde's couch and flipped through a magazine until Hope came down, dressed in jeans, a blue shirt, and tennis shoes.
"Where do you want to go eat at?" Tara asked, standing up. Hope stretched as they walked out of her front door and got into Tara's car.
"I don't know. Somewhere with waffles." Hope replied.
"Waffle House it is." Tara replied with a grin. Hope rolled her eyes with a groan.
"You love the Waffle House, don't you?" She asked the shorter girl. Tara laughed and they sped off towards town.
*****
"Hello dears," Said their server as Hope and Tara sat down in a booth at the Waffle House. "What can I get you two to drink?"
"I'll take a coffee, two cream and sugars please." Hope told her.
"Grapefruit juice." Tara said. The waitress nodded with a smile and went off to get their drinks.
"Tara hun, I love you to death, but you are weird." Hope laughed. "One...you're like obsessed with the Waffle House. You eat hear at least twice a week, don't you?" Tara nodded with a laugh and took a sip of her grapefruit juice that the waitress had just brought to her, along with Hope's coffee.
"And two...you like grapefruit juice. That stuff is nasty." Hope said.
"No its not! It's yummy." Tara said, taking another sip. The waitress had returned by then, and was waiting on their order.
"I'll have waffles with strawberries and whipped cream, please." Tara told her. She nodded and wrote it down on her pad.
"Make that two." Hope added. The waitress smiled at the girls and walked off with their orders.
"I found out who my date is." Tara told Hope, grinning.
"Who is it?!" Hope asked, before sipping on her coffee.
"Chris Benoit." Tara replied.
"Seriously?" Hope asked. "I hope he's nothing like he is on- screen...he's kind of...um...intense."
"Yeah, I know it." Tara said. Their food had been brought out, so she took a break to bite into her waffles. "I think it'll turn out good though."
"I hope so." Hope said. They talked about the date for the rest of the meal, then Tara paid.
"At least let me pay half," Hope said. Tara shook her head.
"I woke you up early, I'm paying." Tara said, paying the check. They walked out of the restaurant and headed to Tara's house, where Hope was going to help her get ready.
*****
They arrived at Tara's house at nearly one. Tara got her new outfit and got into the shower, as Hope got all of Tara's makeup out and began sorting through it. Tara came out about a half an hour later, wearing a pink tube-top dress that came to her knees and that had a black satin ribbon around the waist. A pair of black, stiletto-heeled shoes with straps around the ankles and beadwork on the back. They added about three inches to Tara's normal 5'1" frame.
"You look great." Hope said, gawking at her friend. Tara smiled.
"Thanks. I think I'm just going to fix my hair like normal." She said.
"It always looks good that way." Hope replied.
"Alright, I'm gonna go fix it, I'll be back in a minute." Tara told her. Hope nodded and Tara walked back into the bathroom. She brushed her hair out, dried it, and flipped it out with a curling iron. She then sprayed it and returned to her bedroom.
"Look good?" She asked Hope, gesturing to her hair. Hope smiled and nodded at the girl.
"Wonderful. Now come here, let me do your makeup." Hope grinned. Tara smiled and sat down beside her friend. Hope spread a light amount of foundation over her smooth skin. She brushed on some light pink colored blush and lined her green eyes with silver eyeliner.
"These colors look really good on you," Hope said as she applied light pink eye shadow to her eyelids, then coated her lashes in mascara. She lined her lips in a soft, rosy red color, then spread the color over her full lips and covered them in clear gloss.
"You look gorgeous. Seriously, you are such a knockout." Hope said. "Benoit is going to shit his pants when he sees the girl he has a date with." Tara smiled at her friend and stood up, walking over to her full- length mirror. She looked at herself from the front and both sides.
'Wow,' She thought to herself. 'It's amazing what a little makeup and some new clothes can do for a girl.' The dress and heels actually added a sense of height to the small girl.
"Do you think it looks a little trashy, cause of the tats?" Tara asked. The tattoo of a butterfly at the nape of her neck and the one of a light pink and white lily that decorated her right ankle were clearly visible.
"No. Hun, believe me, you look absolutely stunning." Hope reassured her. Tara nodded and glanced at the clock. It was already 5:45.
"Almost date time," Tara started, letting out a deep breath. "And the nerves begin to kick in." She shook her head as she made her way into her kitchen. Oz was laying on the kitchen floor in the middle of a cat nap.
"Wake up Ozzie, it's time to eat." She cooed to the fluffy white cat. His ears perked up and he stretched before standing up, his bottlebrush tail swishing back and forth. Tara took a can off of the fridge and opened it with the can opener, before dumping the wet cat food into Oz's bowl.
"There you go sweetie," She said to the cat, bending down and stroking his shiny fur. Just as she stood up, her doorbell rang.
"Oh God...they're here." Tara said. She rushed back into her room, grabbed her purse and cell phone, then walked back into the living room.
"I guess this is it," She said to Hope. Hope smiled.
"Knock him dead, girl. I'm staying here, I want details when you get back."
"You know it. Bye." Tara smiled before opening her door and stepping out into the hallway. A man, about six feet tall, was waiting. He was wearing a suit and held a pink rose.
"Tara, I presume?" The man asked. Tara nodded.
"That'd be me." She replied, smiling. The driver smiled back.
"I'm Edward, and I'll be your driver tonight. Mr. Benoit is waiting at the restaurant, and asked me to give this to you at your door." He handed her the rose.
"Thank you," She said, graciously accepting the long-stemmed rose. Edward nodded and led the short girl to the elevator, then down to the black stretch limo. He opened the door for her and she climbed in the back.
"If you open up the compartment to your left, there should be some champagne, if you'd like." Edward told her before closing the door and getting into the drivers seat. They took off towards the restaurant. Tara decided not to have anything until they arrived at the restaurant. The trip took only about twenty minutes until Edward stopped the limo and let Tara out of the car. Rose and purse in hand, she offered a nod to Edward before making her way into the restaurant, which was called 30 Degree Blue. The Panama City Beach native knew this restaurant well; it was a very nice, smaller restaurant. She took a deep breath and pushed the door open. It was dusky outside, and there were candles lighting every table. She immediately knew where she needed to go: a small table was set up near the back, and she saw Chris Benoit sitting there, sipping at a glass of water. She took another deep breath and began to slowly walk towards the table. Chris glanced up and saw her walking towards him, and immediately stood up to greet her. He offered her a smile, which she returned almost shyly. She was just a few steps away from him when she felt her heel catch on the carpet. She felt herself jerk forward and almost fall. She closed her eyes and waited to hit the ground, when she felt a pair of strong arms circle around her waist. She cracked an eye open and looked up at Chris.
"Wow," She said out loud. "Smooth way to introduce yourself, Tara." Chris grinned and helped her steady herself.
"I'd say. It's not every day I have a pretty girl fall right into my arms." Chris replied. Tara laughed and offered her hand.
"Tara Reynolds." She said. Chris took her hand in his.
"Chris Benoit. It's very nice to meet you, Tara."
"It's very nice to meet you, too." Tara replied, looking over the taller man. He was dressed in black slacks and a blue button-down shirt.
'He looks really handsome,' Tara thought to herself. Chris moved behind her and pulled her seat out. She sat down and he pushed her up to the table before returning to his own seat. A waiter came over and took their drink orders.
"Did you like the rose?" Chris asked, looking at Tara. She still had the rose in her hands.
"Yes, it's beautiful." Tara replied with a smile. "One of my favorite colors, too."
"Really?" Chris said. "Wow, lucky guess." He grinned. The waiter then brought their drinks back out. Tara took a sip of her white wine.
"How do you like living in Florida?" Chris asked. "It must be nice to live on the beach."
"Yeah, it is. It's really nice to go out at night when no one's around. Well, when it's not tourist season, at least. We get a lot of people here over spring break especially. It's a total party town, then." Tara laughed. "I never party that much though. I usually just stay at home with my cat over spring break. We get a lot of drunk college kids in the parlor around that time of year." Tara trailed off. She realized that she was rambling on, so she decided to quiet down for a moment. Chris smiled at her.
"At the parlor?" He asked.
"Yep. I work at a tattoo and piercing place about fifteen minutes away from here." Tara replied.
"Interesting line of work." Chris said. Tara nodded.
"It is. It's a bit odd, but I love it. Especially tattoos, I think they're a great form of expression."
"I saw the one on your ankle." Chris told her, taking a sip of his wine. "Do you have any others?"
"Oh yeah." Tara laughed. She turned slightly so he could see the butterfly on her neck. "That one, plus two on the small of my back, one on my hip bone, one around my bellybutton, and one near the middle of my back." Tara told him. They continued talking over their dinner. After they were done, Chris paid and he and Tara returned to the limo.
"Do you want to go to the beach?" She asked him. "Just to go walking. I doubt many people will be out right now, not too many tourists are in town and it's getting late."
"Sure," Chris replied. Tara told Edward where to go. They arrived in less than five minutes. Tara had already taken off her shoes and left them in the car. Chris did the same and they walked down onto the beach. It was nearly empty. It was dark outside, and the moonlight was shining on the gulf waters.
"Do you still live in Edmonton?" Tara asked as they walked down the beach, the surf just meeting their feet.
"No, I moved to Atlanta just recently." He replied. Before Tara had a chance to even notice it, Chris had reached down and taken her hand in his. She smiled.
"Atlanta's a fun place." She said. Chris nodded in agreement.
"What made you decide to start wrestling?" She asked after a moment of silence. Chris looked thoughtfully up at the sky, before turning and looking at the short girl.
"I don't know, really. I was a fan when I was a kid, and once I tried it....it was just addictive. I couldn't get enough of being in the ring. It was like a calling. Showcasing this talent that you're blessed with....it's really an amazing feeling. Especially when the crowd is roaring....they can be chanting your name or telling you to get your ass out of the ring, but it doesn't matter. It's just such a rush to be in front of thousands of people a night, and to have them recognize you in some way." He said. Tara smiled.
"That's one hell of a reason." She grinned. Chris returned the grin and slid his arm around her waist as they continued to walk down the beach. They walked and chatted for a while longer, before Chris checked his watch.
"God....we better get back. It's almost midnight." He said. Tara reluctantly agreed. They returned to the limo and back to her apartment building. They arrived and Tara grabbed her rose and purse. To her surprise, Chris got out of the limo to walk her to her door.
"I had a really great night. Thank you." Tara told him when they were standing in front of her door.
"I had a great night too. You are one amazing girl, Tara." Chris said, before leaning in. He placed a soft kiss on her lips. Tara was surprised at first, but then returned the kiss.
"I want to keep in touch with you. To see if maybe we can turn this into something." Chris told her. Tara's breath caught in her throat. She really wasn't expecting that. Nodding, she grabbed a scrap piece of paper and a pen out of her purse. She wrote her cell number and handed it to Chris. He tore the blank part of the paper away from her number and wrote his number on it.
"Goodnight Chris. I'll talk to you soon." Tara told him. He smiled, leaning in and kissing her again. After that, he walked back to the elevator and returned downstairs. Tara smiled before unlocking her door and walking inside.
*****