Chapter Four

"I'm so nervous my stomach feels sick." It had been only two days since Brooke met Mark, and he had already called her and they planned their first dinner date. It's been months since Brooke had been on a date, and none of the men she'd gone out with had made her feel so jittery. Stephanie smiled at her friend. They were still in town from the previous event, and were planning to hit the road tomorrow night for the next arena. "You'll be fine. You look gorgeous." Brooke finally turned around after staring in the mirror for what seemed like hours. "Are you sure I don't look too underdressed? I have no idea where we're even going." Brooke wore a pair of dress white shorts and a half sleeve black shirt. Her long jet black hair was slightly curled and fell perfectly over her shoulders. She wore a pair of black high heels to match, and also to feel a bit taller compared to the large man she was going out with.

"You look great, stop worrying. Obviously Mark saw something in you and wants to know more. Just relax and go with it." Brooke smiled and nodded. She was right. And she certainly wanted to know more about this mysterious stranger. He sent her a text message which simply read "On my way". She felt a chill just seeing his name on her phone. 'What the hell is wrong with me?' she asked herself. 'Chill out, it's just dinner'. Her jitters quickly vanished upon looking at him.

He stepped out of his black, four door pick-up truck and walked to her door where she was already standing. He stopped and stared at her, "You look beautiful. You ready?" Brooke grinned at him, "You clean up pretty well yourself there handsome." Mark couldn't help but chuckle. It was very rare that he was the one getting the compliments. He was quite use to constantly dishing them out to boost a woman's confidence, but Brooke looked damn sexy- and he knew that she knew it. It was a nice change of pace from him.

"I hope you like Italian food. There is this great Italian place called Chef's downtown. Ever been there?" Brooke looked at the scenery as they drove along the highway. "No I've never been. But I'll take your word on it." Mark glanced over at her, "Now you must have a bit of Italian heritage in you? Am I right? I mean with the dark features I'm just guessing." Brooke smiled at him, "That's a common misconception of me. There is no Italian blood flowing in these veins, honey." Mark cocked an eyebrow at her, "Oh really? What is your nationality then?" She turned her attention from the road to his eyes, was she really going on a date with The Undertaker? "I'm Columbian and Brazilian, with a hint of Polish." Mark laughed, "Interesting the way you put it. Sounds like a nice receipt."

"What about you?" she asked. "I too have a hint of polish. But I'm mostly Irish. In case you couldn't tell by the freckles, my hair is naturally red- I dye it black due to my character." Brooke leaned closer and studied his features. Mark's eyes widened and he glanced over at her, "You really do have a staring problem, don't you sweetheart?" Brooke giggled, "Don't be nervous, I'm just checking out the freckles" she said pinching his cheeks.

When the two finally arrived, Mark couldn't have acted like more of a gentleman. He opened doors for her, pulled out her chair, looked into her eyes. This man was not as scary as his character proclaimed him- infact, he was a big teddy bear. She laughed to herself thinking of the comparison. Kids these days grow up frightened of this man in black. It was interesting for her to see his true character, not just a man hiding behind some leather and a top hat.

"So I have to ask," Brooke begins as she takes a sip of her beer. "Two things actually. One, how does someone as easy going and sweet as you play such a badass dark character? And two, how does someone as easy going and sweet as you remain single?" Mark laughed, "Believe it or not, the Undertaker was the brain child of Vince McMahon. He actually ran the idea by me and let me take over the concept. The darkness of the character was always something that has deep down been a part of me. I've always been fascinated with death, and an afterlife. As far as the me being single part, I just recently finalized my divorce even though we've been separated for two years. I'm working on it." He stated with a smile. "How old are you, Brooke?"

"I'm twenty-five. How old are you?" she asked grinning at him. He tipped his head at her, "What? Do I look like an old man to you girl? I've got a couple years on you but nothing to outlandish. I'm thirty-six." Brooke smiled at him, "God you know, I think that they actually made this movie about you and you almost fit the description. It was called Fourty Year Old Virgin or something along those lines? Four more years and you qualify." Mark sarcastically slammed his beer on the table. "You know what? I may be an old, single, lonely man- but I'm not a damn virgin. Trust me on that one." he said with a wink. She could sense that Mark was enjoying joking around with her, but silently felt insecure about his new-found freedom.

"So you're from Buffalo? What made you decide to move so far down south? You have any family down here or something?" Brooke sarcastically chuckled and smiled at him, "Funny thing is my only family lives in Buffalo. I don't know- I just had to get out of there. I needed a change of scenery, you know? I've been trying for years to move forward in my life and flush out all the bad vibes. But unfortunately Buffalo just reminded me every day of the bad- so I had to get out. Stephanie lives not too far, so I figured this would be a good place for a new beginning." Mark smiled at her. She truly had an old soul and was wise above her years. He wanted to learn more, to figure her out. He'd save it for another day however, too much digging on the first date may scare her away.

After a couple of drinks and close to some of the best Italian cuisine that Brooke had ever tasted, the two were off. During dinner Mark had mentioned his motorcycles to her and he noticed how her eyes lit up. She had never been on one before, however Brooke was always an adrenaline junkie and loved to try new things. He suggested that the two drive back to his house, and he'd drop her off at home on a motorcycle.

"Okay, don't laugh if I'm squeezing you too hard now Mark, this is my first time be gentle." Brooke said as she put her long hair into a ponytail. Mark was already sitting patiently on the bike waiting for her to hop on. He watched in amusement as she slowly, and carefully, made herself comfortable behind him. She fastened her arms around him and tightened her grip as the Harley road off onto the streets. Mark had always loved riding and the freedom he felt from doing so. Whenever he had any stresses in life, he'd simply hop on his bike, and ride them away. Mark smiled as he heard Brooke laughing behind him. It was nice to share one of his passions with someone, and even better when they enjoyed it.

After ten minutes, they arrived at Brooke's home. "That was a thrill. I loved it!" she exclaimed with a smile as she hopped off the bike. Mark grinned at her; she was beautiful, windblown hair and all. The thing he admired most is that she didn't even care. 'A model that doesn't worry about her appearance, odd' he thought. He got off his bike and walked her to the door, the date couldn't have been much more perfect. "So, I'd hope that I'll be seeing you again- soon." Mark said as they approached her porch. "We're leaving tomorrow night, I'll be out of town for two days. But I'd love to see you again when I get home." Brooke smiled as she looked into his eyes. She wrapped her arms around him and embraced him in a hug. "Without question." She whispered into his neck. She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and turned to go inside. As she turned her back, she felt a massive hand grab her arm and whirl her around. Before she knew it his lips were on hers, the feeling of his warm mouth and hot breath was almost too much for her to handle. She pulled back and stared at him, stunned. "Brooke, I'm sorry- I didn't mean to do that I jus-"

"Stop", Brooke said, cutting him off. She put her finger over his lips and smiled up at him. "I liked it." She then turned and made her way into the house for good, closing the door tightly behind her. God damn, what a night.