Disclaimer: I do not own, or lay claim to, any of the WWE Superstars/Divas etc referenced in this work. I own Iseult and any other additional original characters that appear throughout this story.
A/N: Thanks to LadyEvil21 for your review of Chapter 3, your comments are adorable and make me laugh!
It would be great to get more reviews – I like interacting with people who read my work and hearing suggestions. It can be kind of lonely when writing a story and not hearing a lot back from readers. I've become better at ensuring that I review other people's work as a result!
On a side note, I'm going to my first ever WWE event next month. YAY! I get to see Randy in the flesh, awwww yeah! He should provide plenty of inspiration for this story. (I also get to see Dean Ambrose, so will have to somehow reign in my inner fan-girl…but I don't fancy my chances…OH WELL.)
Also, Chapter 5 contains SMUT, if that's an incentive to leave a review…? ;-)
The past week had flown by in a blur. After her unexpected second meeting with Randy, Iseult had flown down to Orlando to get her affairs in order and say goodbye to her NXT friends. She had only just settled into her Florida life, but was now being thrust into an entirely new adventure. Not that she was complaining.
In addition to these sudden changes, the most gorgeous man had dominated her dreams the night before, and the night before that, and the night before that… After their encounter outside of the club, Iseult couldn't get Randy out of her mind. She fought a mental battle with herself, she was determined to forget about him, but her subconscious had other ideas. At night, those bright blue eyes followed her every movement, she felt his breath on the back of her neck, the calloused skin of his fingertips tracing along her collarbone, his large hands running down her stomach, dipping in between her thighs…
Despite these vivid and intense dreams, she had awoken Monday morning feeling refreshed. When she remembered that tonight was scheduled to be her official WWE debut, nerves immediately kicked in. It did not get much bigger than Monday night RAW.
Stephanie McMahon and Paul Levesque had met with her the day before, once again congratulating her on becoming the darling of social media. The buzz surrounding Iseult had continued throughout the week, as fans debated whether it had been a work, and if so - where would it lead? Who was this girl?
They had decided to take advantage of the momentum and curiosity that surrounded Iseult's appearance, and had quickly laid out the storyline for tonight. It was short and simple - a brief taste intended to leave the masses begging for more. They firmly believed that this arc deserved a slow build, making it that much more explosive when it reached its climax (which happened to still be undecided, but that was the beauty of the WWE – stories and careers could change in a matter of seconds).
The brief required her to stroll down the ramp to the ring right in the middle of a match - the main event of the night, which just happened to feature Sheamus versus…Randy Orton. Her stomach had flipped as she read the details. Shit. The universe was pretty determined to keep her life entwined with Randy's for the time being. The physical actions wouldn't be difficult to deliver – scoping out Randy Orton could never be called taxing work. The real test was whether she could convey some as yet unknown story to the audience, using her face alone. The deciding factor would be the response of the fans.
Increased heart rate. Dilated pupils. Shortness of breath.
Goosebumps skidding across the vast expanse of bare skin.
Trembling thighs.
Shake it out. You have to keep it together.
Now was the time for mental strength. This was the moment to prove every single doubter, every single naysayer who had openly mocked her or diligently undermined her efforts and aspirations behind her back, wrong.
Standing in front of a full-length mirror now, Iseult stared down her reflection, trying to demonstrate the same intensity that Randy did so effortlessly each week. She narrowed her eyes, tightened the line of her mouth, locked her jaw….all to no avail. She looked like an idiot.
This acting gig really wasn't as easy as it seemed. Tension re-built in her shoulders every hour, releasing satisfying cracks and pops as she continued to stretch and attempted to stay loose.
Iseult took some solace in the fact that she looked great in her outfit. Even if her face was unwilling to cooperate, she always had that.
"Iseult? We're ready for you now," a production assistant said, popping her head into the locker room.
"Go get it, mystery girl!" Nikki Bella yelled from the showers, as the other Divas clapped and hollered.
"You know it," Iseult mumbled.
Brie Bella followed her to the door, putting her hands on Iseult's shoulders and massaging away the last of the tension.
"You've got this," she whispered quietly. "Make sure you throw some extra venom Randy's way on behalf of the entire Divas division. That guy has done some effed up stuff to the ladies in this company. It's about time he was humbled."
These were the words that Iseult needed to hear. The lust that Randy inspired in her needed to clear. As charming as he had been to her, it didn't detract from his reputation. He had become a top guy within the company because of his talent, his looks and his legendary aggression. He didn't respect anyone, and Iseult would not be an exception to that rule. For once though, Randy was about to experience the full force of an unexpected surprise. It was time for Iseult to play tricks on the best heel in the WWE.
The butterflies in her stomach kicked into overdrive as she followed the production assistant to the gorilla position.
It was finally real.
A sliver of sadness slipped through her mind, thinking about how nice it would be if she had family here to witness her big moment. But life dealt everyone a different hand, and hers clearly was not meant to involve happy family reunions.
Casting her eyes over to the television screen nearby, she could see that the match was already under way. The two men were giving it everything they had, the sheen of sweat evident on their bodies under the bright lights. Randy seemed to be gaining the upper hand, meaning that her cue wasn't too far away.
"Alright, get ready," the director called out. "Iseult, you're walking on in three…two…one…go!"
Adrenaline speared her and pushed her into action.
The crowd didn't notice her immediately, their attention squared on the two champions in the ring. Eyes began to follow her as she slowly descended the ramp, swaying her hips purposefully, causing the strips of material at her waist to float to full effect. Every movement was intentional, every sinew flexing gracefully as she came to a stop in front of the ring.
Murmurs quickly spread through the crowd around her, "Dude, there's that chick from last week. The hot concussion chick!"
Iseult decided to block out their words right there and then, before she broke character and smiled.
Randy had his back to her, pulling Sheamus in through the ropes for a hanging DDT. One, two, three seconds passed before he dropped his opponent face first to the mat. The fans roared as he lifted his arms in his trademark pose of triumph. Her eyes burned into his broad back, daring him to turn around.
Randy dragged Sheamus to the centre of the ring and flipped him around, fixing the Irish man into a submission hold. Ever the showman, the Viper glanced up to catch the audience's reaction, only to lock eyes with Iseult.
Finally having him within her crosshairs, she moved forward and took hold of the lower ropes, never once breaking eye contact with Randy.
Ugh, the man is a GOD. I wonder if he would wear his gear in the bedroom, upon request…?
Randy's face registered his utter confusion. Why was Iseult here? What in the hell was she wearing? She looked incredible. But this was dangerous, she couldn't be near the ring, something could happen to her…again.
He broke the hold, moving forward to warn her to get out of the way before she incurred another injury.
Sheamus took advantage of his distracted state and fluidly caught Randy in a submission manoeuvre of his own. Iseult allowed herself to smile evilly as she watched Randy being taken down, equal measures shocked and confused. Keeping her eyes on him, she circled the ring ever so slowly, like a lioness leisurely enjoying the last fight of her prey. Having completed a full circuit, she stared Randy down again, fascinated by the pained expression on his face. The crowd had reached fever pitch by now.
I wonder if he talks dirty in bed? ...Who am I kidding? He looks like he definitely talks dirty in bed.
When she was certain that Randy could see nobody else but her, Iseult leaned forward and blew him an exaggerated kiss. Turning on her heel, she sidled back up to the top of the ramp, where she faced the ring once more.
Sheamus dutifully released Randy, who scrambled to his feet, a livid expression on his handsome face. With a final roar, Sheamus delivered the fatal brogue kick to the Apex Predator, who tumbled to the canvas in a heap. Iseult looked on, delighting in the stunned expressions on so many faces, before slinking back to the gorilla.
"Fucking perfect!" The director crowed from his spot. "Jesus Christ. You were a revelation out there, Iseult. The camera loved you, the fans loved you, and most importantly, Orton is going to be pissed that you screwed him over like that – which means major heat. Big things to come for you!"
"Girl, you were fucking awesome!"
"You looked so hot. I'm straight as an arrow, but you really made me question that for a quick minute."
"Shit just got real!"
These were a sample of the responses that were breathlessly thrown Iseult's way as she strode from the gorilla back to the locker room.
The biggest dose of serotonin had injected itself into her system, coursing through her veins, bubbling all the way down to her toes. The thrill of being in front of the crowd, their reactions, and Randy's face when she appeared were already proving to be highly addictive at this early stage of her WWE career.
Having maintained her game face for so long, she allowed herself to smile widely and laugh as she returned high fives and gamely took slaps on the back.
As soon as she entered the Diva's locker room, several members of the division pounced on her, taking her to the floor.
"Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my GOD!" Nikki yelled, squeezing Iseult tightly at the bottom of the pile of bodies. "That was the most explosive debut EVER. You have to get on Twitter immediately. Stephanie and Paul are going to love you for that. You brought it, and then some!"
"Thanks, Nikki," Iseult wheezed. "Now, do you all mind getting off of my ribs, please?"
The girls grinned sheepishly as they got back to their feet.
"Seriously, Iseult, we're so unbelievably proud of you," Brie said, stepping forward to give her a noticeably gentler hug than the one her sister had offered.
"You've literally come out of left field. The more positive impact a female can have in this company, the better it is for the entire division. That may sound selfish, but your presence, and the intrigue that it will cause, is going to benefit every single woman in this room who busts her ass day in and day out."
"You have no idea how much that means to me. I want this division to be respected. I've worked so hard to even get into this building, so now I have to make every single second count." Iseult felt her eyes watering up, and quickly blinked back tears.
Although she still disagreed with the reasons for some of these girls being here, that didn't mean that she blamed them personally. The company had decided to place a higher premium on good looks, rather than bringing through women who were naturally gifted wrestlers. The corporate mindset needed to change, not the women who had naturally jumped at such a fortuitous opportunity.
Before she had a chance to shower and change, she was called to conduct a backstage interview for the WWE website. Running a brush through her hair, and applying a fresh coat of lipgloss, she made her way out to the designated spot for a chat with Josh Matthews. Her brief at this point was to remain mysterious and dance around direct questions. It was her responsibility to build the intrigue and sell the story.
As soon as the red camera light blinked off, Josh offered her a congratulatory handshake.
"You were very impressive out there. I have a feeling that this could make you a household name if you keep playing it like that. A word of warning, though? It might be best if you stayed out of Randy's way tonight. No top guy ever likes being shafted without his knowing about it in the first place."
Iseult knew that he was right. She had been so caught up in giving the best performance possible, that she had chosen to ignore the fallout from this storyline. Randy now finally knew that she wasn't just a fan. His face had displayed a myriad of emotions ranging from shock to pain and a large amount of anger.
Although a tiny part of her felt guilty for blindsiding him like this, she was also aware that it was just business. He was a veteran at this point, he understood the importance of backing the brand, giving your all to a storyline, and that it simply was not personal. Despite knowing all of this, the guilt still niggled at her slightly, now that she had time to process and digest the events of the evening.
The situation had been complicated by a number of factors. Firstly, Randy didn't know that she was a wrestler, and had assumed that she was a fan. Secondly, he had shown some form of interest in her during their previous meeting. Thirdly, he had been caught unaware on live television, and had lost his match, to top it all off. Iseult knew how seriously he took his career, and that he was not likely to remain quiet about this turn of events.
Iseult shook her head in order to clear it. Yes, there would be consequences. But for now, she wanted to revel in the moment and celebrate her debut. The other Divas had insisted that they take her out to a bar and indulge in some celebratory shots. Although she wasn't a heavy drinker (and got such a ribbing for this, considering that she was Irish), she was more than ready to blow off some steam and put all of this excess adrenaline in her system to good use.
She turned back in the direction of the locker room, intent on changing as quickly as possible and getting the hell out of dodge before Randy had an opportunity to find her.
The locker room door was within sight when she was stopped in her tracks by the sound of her name.
"Iseult."
Oh shit.
It was him.