A/N - So I haven't updated this story in 4 months it seems. Sorry about that lol. Enjoy...
"So you'll come?"
Amber let the question hang in the air for a few moments before her face broke into a reluctant smile and she nodded her head. "Sure, I'll come."
"Awesome! See you there."
Her semi-amused eyes watched him walk away. Brad Maddox. He had been asking her out for what seemed like forever now. Time after time she had told him no because she simply wasn't interested. But it wasn't a matter of interest any more. It had everything to do with distraction. She needed to distract herself and above all else she needed to get these stupid thoughts out of her head. Paul. Was. Her. Boss. Her BOSS! Try as she might, all day long she had done nothing but fantasize about him. When they were on the plane, when they were in meetings, when they were having lunch, when he leaned across her leg to grab a stack of papers just out of reach and his cologne had invaded her senses. She almost lost it right then and there. This was getting out of control and it was become harder and harder to keep her hands to herself. She wanted to touch him and more than that, she wanted him to touch her. His hands were so big. She noticed every time he held something it was dwarfed in his grasp. Papers, his phone, pens. She could only imagine what they felt like running over your skin, through your hair, tugging at your thong and ripping it off before he….
"Amber!"
Jesus Christ, it was him. And all of a sudden her face turned a deep shade of crimson as he came to stand in front of her. Why couldn't she go two fucking seconds without having a dirty thought about this man?
"You okay?" Paul asked, his face screwing up in slight confusion as she did everything she could to avoid his gaze.
Amber cleared her throat and tried to look at him without giving away the fact that she had just been thinking about him ripping her underwear off. "I'm fine…..what's up?"
"I was just going to say that if you want to take the jet, we won't be leaving for a little bit. I got strong armed into heading to the bar with a couple of the guys. They want to celebrate and they want me there blah, blah, blah," he rolled his eyes playfully. He was actually quite humbled that the talent wanted him to come along. It meant that he wasn't always just considered office. He was still one of the boys at heart and that meant the world to him. He'd just tell Stephanie that things ran late. It wouldn't kill him to kick back for an hour with the rising stars of the WWE. What she didn't know wouldn't hurt her.
"You're…..you're going to the bar too?"
"….yeah…but only for an hour tops…." She was acting strange again.
He was going to the bar. Great! Just when she thought she'd be getting away from him. She'd much rather go to the bar with the guys, get a little drunk and possibly end up sleeping with somebody forcing her to stay over and catch an early flight in the morning as a way of shaking this craziness out of her system. Apparently that wasn't an option any more. Amber forced a smile. "I guess I'll see you there. I was already invited believe it or not."
Paul grinned. "You were invited and you didn't invite me? I'm hurt."
"I didn't think you'd want to slum it with the rest of us, you know."
"I like slumming it with you. You're pretty good company," he winked.
Okay. He was flirting with her. Was she going crazy or was he actually flirting with her? This wasn't good. No, no, no. A nervous laugh squeaked out from the back of her throat. It seemed to go unnoticed by Paul who simply broke into a smile. He then placed his hand on her arm and told her he'd catch her in a few before walking away and leaving her just about breathless. He'd just flirted with her, he winked at her and then he touched her arm. She didn't know what to do or how to react. Her sleeve was still burning and for a moment her eyes slid shut and she was transported to a different place, a place where it was just them and his hand wasn't on her arm but was all over her body, touching her, caressing her…
A sudden and rambunctious laughter from a group of the guys walking by broke her crazy reverie. Paul had flirted with her and touched her. Maybe this thing wasn't so one sided. Maybe he was trying to tell her something. Maybe he actually liked her too? With that thought a slow, wicked smile spread across her face. They were going to the bar. If she could get a couple of drinks in him maybe the truth would come out and she could stop torturing herself. Spying a restroom up ahead, Amber walked through the door with purpose. She reapplied her makeup, accentuating her eyes with a smoky effect. She fixed her hair and gave an extra squirt of perfume. Her fingers absently pulled at the button on her blouse, revealing just enough cleavage to leave a man wanting more. This was absolute madness but she was beyond reason at this stage. Her attraction to him was just too strong. She needed to know. And tonight she planned on finding out.
The bar was full of WWE personnel, all of them lively and relaxed from the alcohol. Paul leaned back in his seat and smiled lazily. He took in the scene around him. He had a great group of guys down here, he truly did, from the talent to the students to the backstage guys. Everybody just fit and he was so proud to say that it was his creation. NXT was going to be the future of the wrestling industry. His confidence in the team he had built here was full. They wouldn't let him down and vice versa. So it was nice to just kick back and share in the celebrations. Stephanie had called twenty minutes ago and he had spoken to the kids. His chest grew tight as he thought about his family. He loved them to death but he couldn't do things like this when they were around. He didn't have to be a husband or a father here. He was just a guy chilling with friends. Sometimes he needed that break, that time away to keep his head straight.
"Don't you be getting drunk on me, Hunter."
Paul grinned as William Regal took the seat next to him. They had been friends for practically twenty years. Regal taught him a lot and Paul respected him endlessly for that.
"I don't want to have to tell the missus that you had a wild and crazy time in Orlando."
"Please don't. She won't take too kindly to the fact that I had a wild and crazy time without her."
Regal smirked and shook his head. Despite his degenerate ways on TV, Paul was probably the tamest person he knew, especially in this business. The guy simply wasn't a partier, he never had been, and when it came to being wild, it was most definitely Mrs Levesque who fit the bill, not Mr. Many a time he could remember an event or night out with the crew where Paul would be scared shitless when Stephanie drank. It amused him to no end although he wasn't surprised in the slightest. She was Vince McMahon's daughter and the McMahon's were their own kind of crazy. "I'm surprised you're here."
"No more surprised than me. I think I just needed a bit of time to sit and do nothing, you know?" Paul admitted. William was one of the few people he could really talk to when he needed it.
"I know. Things heavy at the office?" Regal nodded sympathetically. Nobody had more pressure on them in the entire industry than the man sitting next to him right now. He was the heir apparent and it wasn't something he or his father in law took lightly. William didn't envy him one bit. If his friend needed to let off some steam he was here to listen.
Paul took a sip of his beer. "Yeah. It's a constant grind, man. You get finished with one project and another one comes along before you get a chance to even close the file. I think Steph's starting to get bothered by the constant travelling. I can't say that I blame her but at the same time, we both knew this is what it was going to be like." He puffed his cheeks and blew out a heavy breath. "It's tough."
"I can only imagine. I think you're doing the right thing tonight though. You can't let yourself get overwhelmed. If you need an hour to sit and do nothing then you have to take it, Paul. Stephanie will understand that I'm sure."
"Yeah I know."
"I'll let you stew over that while I hit the loo."
"The loo, huh? How long have you lived in this country and you still call it a fucking loo. Jesus, man." Paul chuckled at the middle finger aimed his way as the other man stood and headed for the toilets. His eyes scanned the room, surveying the scene as he took another sip of beer. Off to the right he spied Amber. She appeared to be getting her ear talked off by Maddox of all people. There was a mismatch if he ever saw one. Deciding to put her out of her misery, he promptly stood and walked the short distance to join them.
Amber swore her ears were about fall off the side of her head and that's when she saw him walking towards her with that cute little smirk on his face. He propped himself up against the pillar next to them and took a pull of his beer before tapping Brad on the shoulder. She bit back her laughter at the stunned look on his face.
"Mind if I borrow her for a second. We need to talk shop."
"Oh sure…..absolutely, Hunter. She's all yours," Brad muttered before walking away in a huff.
"I think he likes you," Paul teased, enjoying the roll of her eyes.
"Oh I'm sure he likes me. It's just too bad that I don't like him back," she replied, forever grateful that he had just saved her the way he had. She offered Paul a thankful smile and began heading towards his table when he motioned for her to go. A shiver ran down her spine at the feel of his hand on the small of her back as he led her through the crowded space.
Paul sat down and polished off his beer. "I guess this would be a good time to have the 'Don't bang the talent' talk with you although I always thought that it's pretty hypocritical coming from me if I'm being honest." She snorted at his remark and he grinned.
"I must have missed that one in the employee handbook."
"It's not in there? I thought it was right next to sexual harassment and dirty secretaries."
Amber giggled even harder when he wiggled his eyebrows. The thought of Vera being anything remotely like a dirty secretary was pretty darn hilarious. It seemed like the alcohol was loosening him up. He was usually pretty funny but he was being outright crude tonight. It made her feel alive to think that he felt comfortable enough around her now to be his true self. The fact that he could make jokes about sexual harassment while they were having a casual drink in a bar after work spoke volumes to how comfortable he actually must feel. They were entering a new phase in their relationship. She wasn't just his employee any more. She was his friend. Eager to get the conversation up and running again, she set her glass of wine on the table and spoke up. "I guess Brad just isn't what I'm looking for."
"And what are you looking for because trust me, whatever it is, somebody in this damn place has it. I won't lie to you, Amber, the locker room is pretty much a giant orgy." When she began laughing again he shook his head and grew serious. "I'm not joking. These guys are on the road, most of them don't have husbands or wives. A lot of times all they have is each other. There's a lot of hooking up that goes on but usually not between talent and the office. I'm not going to tell you to keep your hands off. It's a lot of good looking men walking around in their underwear. But just be careful what you're getting yourself into, you may not be able to handle the fallout, you know what I'm saying?"
"I know," she answered meekly. And she did know. She knew all too well as a matter of fact. Because what she wanted was staring her in the face. He also had a shiny gold ring sparkling from his left hand and it was a constant reminder of getting yourself into something and not being able to handle the fallout. Or maybe she could handle it? She'd never know unless she tried. Taking a big gulp of wine for Dutch courage, she was just about to do something she was bound to regret when they were joined by the reappearing William Regal. Amber fought the urge to roll her eyes as he took a seat next to Paul and handed him another beer.
Paul debated taking the outreached bottle for a second before shaking his head and deciding better of it. He'd had his fun. It was time to get home. "Thanks, William but I'm going to have to pass. It's time for me to get going. If I'm not through the door before sunrise I'm going to get my ass chewed the fuck out."
The two men shared a laugh while Amber sat there silently stewing. She was hoping to spend a lot more time with him tonight. If only she hadn't been taken by fucking Maddox talking shit in her ear all night long. Now he was going and she had missed her chance.
"Well we don't want that do we?"
"Absolutely not!"
Regal grinned and slapped his friend on the back. "See you Monday."
"Later, Regal. You coming with me or you gonna catch a flight in the morning, Amber? I won't dock you if you get in a little late."
Paul was smiling at her, the corners of his eyes crinkling in the way she loved and without a second thought she was on her feet and grabbing her bag. Before she had a chance to move however, the impervious Brad Maddox appeared with a frown on his face.
"Are you leaving? I thought we would talk again after you got done talking shop with the boss?" His eyes were hopeful and Amber inwardly groaned. She'd look like a heartless bitch if she said no after that. And Paul was already making his way towards the door, not after throwing a cheeky wave in her direction followed by another wink. Apparently he thought it was okay to torture her like this and then laugh at her.
"No, Brad. I was just going to go freshen up. I'll be with you in a minute." She smiled at him absently before heading to the rest room. Paul would unfortunately have to wait for another night. Maybe Brad could be of some use to her though. A girl still had her needs. Maybe if she kept the lights off and closed her eyes hard enough, she could imagine a different man hanging over her, his heavy breath in her ear as he slowly inched inside her. The thought sent a shudder down her spine. With a newfound resolve, she exited the room and sat back down at the table. He was looking at her expectantly again. Maddox would have to do for now. But only for now.
