Aidyn walked into the dance studio and threw her windbreaker on the floor. She slid down into a perfect Chinese split. Her instructor looked down at her, then past her out the door at John and smiled.
"I see that Miss Kachina has brought us a guest today," she said.
"Yes Satinka," she acknowledged her teacher, "I did. Ladies that is,"
"We know who he is," said Torrie.
Boy there's a slut in every crowd isn't there? Aidyn thought to herself.
"Okay, well he's here with me, so everybody please behave."
"Yes Kachina," the class rang.
"Okay," she waved John in with her hand, then she remember something so she ran out to get him, "When I'm here we call each other by picked names, my name Kachina."
"What does that mean?"
"It's Native American, it means sacred dancer."
He smiled, "That's pretty."
"Thanks." She said ushering him inside, "Ladies this John Cena," she said using his real name, "Jay, these are my girls."
"Hello John," her teacher said.
"Jay, that's Satinka, my teacher."
"Hello Satinka."
"Well ladies, let's get started, we have a lot to do today, Kachina, did you bring the CD?"
"Look who I brought with me," she winked at John, as she put his CD in the stereo, "isn't that just as good?"
"Just push play smart ass," Satinka said.
Aidyn pushed play, skipping up to track 13, Make It Bounce. The girls started the pushing routine, with Satinka at the head of the assault.
"Watch your turns Kachina; you're about a half second early," she said throwing Aidyn a towel, "Again."
After about two more hours of challenging routines and an even more demanding teacher, the girls were dismissed.
"You were good," John told her as they walked out to his Escalade. She figured just this once; they could drive his car. So he could stop having a fit that was.
"Thanks, Satinka is tough, but that's why I like her."
"Shit, I'm thinking about sending my back up dancers to you."
"Well send them to her, not to me, it's enough that I have to give up my normal job to tail you all day," Aidyn said, she bit her tongue but it was too late, the words had already manage to seep out of her mouth. So she continued with a smile, "And I'm not about to start choreographing."
"And what normal job would that be? And what exactly is that you do for X anyway?"
Aidyn thought about it. She liked this boy, he was cool as hell, but she didn't like him that damned much. "Now, now, now," she said laughing, "let's not play 20 questions. I do whatever X wants me to do. And my normal job is nothing. When you think about it I don't do anything besides shopping."
Good cover up. She thought to herself. She didn't know how long it was going to last, but by the time he got ready to know the truth; this assignment would be over.
John nodded knowingly. Not believing a single word that came out of her mouth. He knew the kind of business that Randy ran and he also knew that if you were in his tight circle, the circle that she was in, you were trained in the deadly arts. His only question was whether or not she was a killer like the rest of the entourage Randy had?
Also, what he hadn't told her, and hadn't planned on telling was that he talked to Randy and while he hadn't given up all the information John was hoping for, it made it a little easier to understand her and the things she did.
"Oh, I see," he said. "Well how about we go back to your normal job now?"
"Really?"
"Yeah, I could always use more gear."
"Well I'm here for you buddy, however if I'm going to be anywhere in public today I have got to go take a shower. There is no way I'm going to be out and about looking like this."
"Yeah well you do smell kind of funny," he said with a laugh.
"Kiss my ass," she said throwing her wet towel at him.
He caught it before it hit him still laughing hysterically. She looked over at him and he was looking at her with those sparkling blue eyes of his, he was so damn cute; even though at that moment she had the urge to slap him sideways.
"I'll kiss anything you want me to," he said tossing her towel to her, "but you have to take a shower first."
She walked up to him wrapping her arms around him, "You mean you don't want me all hot and sweaty?"
"Don't get yourself into something you can't get out of." He said, his eyes darkening with passion.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, empty promises." She said climbing in the car.
She saw him bite his bottom lip while shaking his head. His facial features said it all, 'Damn!'
"So what, do we need to stop by your crib or something?" he asked.
"No, I got some clothes in the trunk of my car." She smiled, "In my life, where I have to change outfits they way most people change underwear you learn to be prepared for anything."
"And why do you have to do that?"
"Do what? Be prepared for anything? Because,"
"Not that smart ass. I mean why do you have to change clothes so frequent?"
"Because I believe looking appropriate for every situation and what may be appropriate for one situation may not be appropriate for another."
"For example?"
"Okay, for example the night of your listening party I was wearing this long flowing gown as I was accompanying one of my clients for dinner, then after that was over I knew I had to bounce and be ready to party."
"Right,"
"Couldn't do that in the gown I was wearing, so I had to change." She shook her head, "I didn't even know I was assigned to you until like a day before and all my assignment said was young rapper needs body guard. Randy wouldn't even tell me who I was protecting."
"Well at least you knew before I got to you."
"Wrong," she smiled, "I was blank up until a second before I saw you."
"Are you serious? You handled yourself so well, for a fan that is."
"What was I supposed to do? Jump up and down like a crazy teenager?"
"Well the last thing I expected was for you to be twisting cherry stems into shapes with your tongue."
"Yeah, well, that's just how I am. When you're with me, expect the unexpected."
He shook his head, "So I've learned."
-
"Randy, this isn't going to work. How much influence do you think you could have over Kerri?"
"The way I hear it no one has much influence over that girl." He said thinking of how he tried to talk her into stepping down from her position. "Why, what's the problem?"
"She isn't focusing on racing; she so busy chasing John around."
"Well the way I understand it, he has employed her."
"As what?" Adam was appalled.
"His bodyguard,"
"Oh come off it," Adam said. "You have got to be kidding me."
Randy said nothing but pulled out a hand mirror from his desk. He showed it to Adam making sure to aim it at the scar that was slashed across his neck; "Need I say more?"
Adam remembered bitterly, his girl, the most beautiful girl in the world kicking him across the neck; dropping him with one swift blow.
"She's no weakling, trust me. Sometimes she scares me, and I barely know the girl."
"Damn Randy, I don't want her around John. It bothers me."
"Why?"
Randy watched as Adam's face turned red with anger, "I just don't trust him."
Randy studied the man before him; he decided this was a good a time as any to prove that Aidyn had completely lost her mind. "Tell me something Adam, have you heard anything about John being attacked?"
Adam perked up at that thought. Every body thought John's accident was just that, an accident. No one had suspected that he was attacked.
"I know he fell off his bike or at least that's the word on the street."
"Kerri seems to think otherwise, Kerri believes that he was attacked."
Adam's eyes darkened, "What gave her that idea?"
"You'd be surprised about how smart that girl is but I don't think it was any more than him falling off his bike but I figured I'd ask you, you know everything that goes on at The Spot."
"Yeah, I hear he fell but I don't know to much more about it," Adam said with a grin.
"Thank you, I'm sure that will put Kerri's mind at rest."
"Good, anything I can do to help let me know."
"I will. Hey, how's our little business going?"
"I don't know, if she doesn't start concentrating she's screwed and so am I."
"I'll see what I can do maybe I can see what kind of influence John has over her."
Didn't
this man see that I can't the sight of that much less the influence
he had over Kerri? Why does he keep mentioning him?
Why
is it that every time I mention John's name this boy turns beet red?
Maybe Aidyn had a point after all. Maybe he did have something to do
with John getting hurt. At this point in my plan, I can't have
this.
"Tell me something
Adam, do you have a problem with John?"
What are you blind? Adam wanted to say. I can't stand the boy. I've never liked him. He was rich, spoiled, and used to everything just falling in his lap at his whim; this including the one girl Adam actually wanted as more than a mere one night stand."Well you wouldn't catch me calling him one of my boys but I don't hate the boy."
"Why?"
"Well I think he's trying to play Kerri, and I've come to like her. I don't want to see her get hurt."
"Well I think Kerri has got things pretty well in hand, don't you think?"
"I don't think that at all. I haven't seen her race in about two days."
"Well she does have to work. And John is a busy man, and she is his bodyguard, she has a job to do." Randy leaned back a little, "Besides, I don't think John is your problem."
Oh
contraire, Adam thought, as
long as Kerri is around him, he is my only problem, but I'll take
care of that today.
"I
have a job to do as well, and if I don't deliver a quality racer
before Biketober, I'm going to be so screwed." Adam said, "And
if this doesn't go right John will be the least of my problems, don't
you think?"
Randy nodded slowly, studying the boy that sat in front of him. He had assigned this boy to follow Aidyn at certain times in her life, trying to find a weak spot in the girl so that she could step down. So far Adam was coming up empty. Maybe there was nothing he could do get her to leave her job. On second thought now that he thought about it maybe there was.
"Well, I'll see what I can do. Don't expect a miracle."
Adam got up to leave, "But I need one," he muttered.
"Though you're going to need one," Randy muttered to the back of the boy's head.
-
Trying to hide John while at the mall was a wild experience for Aidyn. She was looking out for his image, he didn't need for anyone to think that they were a couple but he insisted on buying her things, putting his arms around her, tickling her, and getting all frisky at every turn; making it nearly impossible to keep him hidden from the public.
"Boy, are you thinking about your image at all? I mean I'm just curious,"
"What about it?"
"I take it that's a no," she smiled picking up a baby blue Playboy midriff top.
"You like that?"
"Yeah, I think I'll buy it." She said heading toward the counter.
"I got it," he said whipping out some money.
"I'm not handicapped John for heaven's sake, I do have this thing called 'money'," she pulled out her credit card.
He smiled pushing her card away. He took the shirt out of her hand and did a lap around the store with it. That was it, the chase was on.
They must've done a lap around every tree in that store, finally she tripped him pinning him to the floor, "You're all mine now, punk."
He winked at her, "I've been yours from the beginning, punk." He flipped her back over on her back. The cashiers and sales people looked at them as if they had lost their minds, "Now, let me buy this and shut up."
Aidyn held her hands up in surrender, "Fine," she said, "Fine," as soon as he got up, she tripped him again grabbing the shirt before he could catch her. She ran up to the cashier and practically threw the shirt at the poor unsuspecting woman.
"Okay Rayne," John said laughing finally catching up to her while she signed her name on the receipt, "I see what you all about. That was dirty."
She smiled up at him, "I know, isn't it great?"
They walked down to the food court, "Order whatever you want Rayne."
"I'll have hmmm," she said, "I'll have two triple Decker cheese burgers, a large fry, an apple pie and a large coke. What about you John?" she looked up at him.
"Damn girl," she said, "I'll have just one of each."
"Punk," she muttered loud enough for him to hear.
He grabbed her by the back of her neck playfully, "Now you look here, I ain't goin' be too many more of your punks, you got that?"
Aidyn smiled, this had been one of the best days she had had in a long time. She didn't know if there was anything that could ruin this day for her. They sat down at the table and began to eat.
"Now like I said, don't you worry about your image?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, don't you worry about people thinking we are together. I've listen intently to "Sumthin' For Ya Mind", you come off as this pimp/playa type of brother. Like you are very used to just having pussy fall in your lap,"
He nearly choked on his food, "Damn girl."
"Well, I mean what? It's true isn't it?" she looked up at him then remembering that he wasn't one of the ones that she chilled with daily, he wasn't used to her mouth, "Sorry, I guess that wasn't very lady like to say."
He looked up into her fierce gray eyes and saw she wasn't the least bit sorry, "Girl, if your parents could hear you."
Aidyn cringed at the mention of her parents. It wasn't his fault of course, he had no idea her parents were dead but it still hit her hard.
John watched as a dark shadow covered her eyes. Just for a second she looked like his comment had hurt her but then she perked up and it was if he had said nothing at all.
"Well they would definitely want to wash my mouth out with soap but that's not the point here. Not by a long shot."
"Okay, then what is?"
"The point is, people have seen us together; at your listening party and then running around this mall like lunatics. Your image says one thing but you are showing people another."
He thought about what she was saying. It was true. When he wrote the tracks for his CD he and Marc sat around tossing lyrics back and forth he was that pimp, that playa, but now that he had met her it was like in a matter of a few weeks, she had changed his outlook on women.
"I know but if any paparazzi show up."
"I know what to do and you do too, that's not what I'm talking about," Suddenly her phone rang loudly, "Hold on I got to take that," she flipped the phone open, "Talk to me."
At the same time his phone rang, "Holla at ya boy."
"Aidyn, this is serious."
"John, boy, where are you?"
"What's going on Randy?"
"I'm at the mall," he said, "What's wrong Marc?"
"I'm going to ask you to do something I've never asked you to do before."
"Well thank God you weren't hurt."
"What are you asking me to do?"
"What the hell happened Marc?"
"I need you to take John home with you."
"There was a bomb in your house," Marc told him.
"What?!" John and Aidyn yelled simultaneously.
"Ms. Pine called us and told us she heard an explosion, so we came over and we found your house like that."
"There was an explosion at his house. We're thinking some kind of bomb,"
"Are you serious Randy? How much damage are we talking?"
"A door, he'll just have to get his door way fixed is all. It was probably just there to scare him, not do any serious damage."
Aidyn found her chest heaving; there was no way she could take him home without him knowing things about her, first thing, her biological name.
"If that's all, why does he have to come home with me?"
"Because it's obvious he isn't safe." Randy let out a tired breath, "Aidyn please don't fight me on this. I have enough shit on my plate."
"Okay Randy, fine."
"Thanks baby girl."
Aidyn hung her phone up without a reply; she looked up at him, the tears of anger welling up in his eyes. It was the fear that either one of them, Bobby or Marc could've been in that house overtaking him.
"We already called Randy and he thinks you should go home with her," Marc said.
"What about you two?"
"We are going to go to Bobby's mom's house. We are going to be fine, you just go with her, and call us."
"A'ight then, later,"
"Peace."
They met eyes for a second and instantly they knew. They knew by the end of this, they were going to be more than what they were; the question was, just how much more?
