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1st NEWS: I now have a YouTube channel of wrestling story trailers, a Little Darlin' trailer is in works but I'm having trouble making it good at the moment. The channel is: FanfictionUnlimited, sub and friend me peeps, love to hear from yas.

2nd NEWS: My first wrestling update in some time and guess what it is too? I'm working on rewriting this story so it is better laid out and stuff but here ya go. My Jeffro muse is back in full swing (latches onto him and refuses to let said boy go)

3rd NEWS: What do you think will happen after this chapter? Haha, little question to ask yourselves once you've read this one.

I hope this chapter is okay by the way, I felt like I didn't do very good at it, but alas let me know.

Anyway enjoy, ladies.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Jeff woke up early that morning and got his stuff. He left Tatum sleeping in bed with Paws and once ready to leave, he walked back to the bed climbing onto it and leaning in to run a hand over her arm softly, smiling as she trembled and hugged the blankets tighter to her body. He leaned down and kissed the corner of her mouth, setting the piece of paper and tiny object against Paws before getting up and heading out. Part of him felt sick in the stomach, like he wasn't doing something right and couldn't shake the feeling even as he started the car up. Glancing up at the floor he knew was where Tatum would be, Jeff tried hard to push the feeling down as it was unsettling to him when he felt it and couldn't decipher why.

As he drove away, Jeff shook his head a little and thought about the idea of breaking it off with Beth when he saw her. Just saying he wanted to hold the wedding off would make her go nuts and he knew a scene in front of everyone was not the best way to do things when it came to Beth as she would say anything and everything to make him look like the bad guy. While he had loved Beth, he didn't anymore and that was the truth, whether people liked it or not, she had been there for him for so long and then just lost faith almost in him. He would never tell anyone that he had followed her one night when she'd gone out. That's how he knew that she'd been cheating on him. He knew it sounded stalker like when he thought about it but he had done it to confirm what, in his heart and mind, he had believed her to be doing. Jeff hadn't failed to notice how Tatum had acted after coming home last night. He knew why she had partially done it to. She was upset that he was leaving and going back to Beth.

As much as most of those who hated disliked and even hated him, Jeff was not stupid and he could read people better than they could read themselves at times.

Tatum was his though. He knew her in a way that no one else did and probably ever would but he also knew that he couldn't keep running round in circles with her like he was. He'd lose her if he kept it up.

Tatum had spent the past two months working and working hard; putting any and all thoughts of Jeff out the window, despite how extremely hard that turned out to be. He was everywhere. If Ava wasn't talking to her about him, from back when they were younger and dating, there would be an ad on television for wrestling with him in it, or she'd see a wrestling shirt on someone out in the street and her head would automatically bring a picture of Jeff to her. It was killing her to ignore his phone calls and messages. She knew that by now he was probably guessing that things weren't okay but Tatum had asked Ava to tell Jeff she was just really sick and wasn't even at work at the moment because of it. She'd been listening on the speaker phone when Ava had done it and Tatum knew Ava had made her listen in to hear his reaction and voice. It had hurt her to listen to him sound so depressed that he couldn't talk to her however Tatum was putting her foot down as solidly as she could.

In all truth, she missed Jeff like crazy; not that she showed that fact or let it be known to Ava. She missed feeling his hands holding her; protecting her. More than anything she missed his kisses and sweet voice as he murmured stupid little sweet things into her ear while he lay curled up against her.

A few nights after Ava had called Jeff, Tatum had ended up crying herself to sleep watching a video message that he had sent her of him singing to her, telling her to get better, he loved her and he'd see her soon. Tatum felt stupid for acting the way she was but it as much as it hurt her to not see him; she knew that in the end it was better than living like a mistress.

She had made her choice after she had woken up in bed alone when he'd left her to go back on tour. Ava didn't know of her decision and she didn't need to; all she did have to know was that Tatum was alright, even if she wasn't entirely.

In the two months, she'd taken to letting her hair grow out and had it coloured a nice dark brown that was currently curled tightly thanks to Ava's styling. Standing in front of the wardrobe mirror, inspecting herself closely; a pair of brand new black peep toe pumps made her three inches taller than she actually was and she smoothed her hands over the tight black dress she had opted to wear instead of the purple one Ava had suggested. It was strapless and was covered with buckles and chains over the chest and down the front to her navel. It was how the dress stayed up.

She giggled at the idea of Jeff undoing-

Reality hit her at the beginning of the thought and she quickly shook herself, trying to get rid of the idea of Jeff and seeing her in the dress. With a final look, albeit a nervous one, Tatum turned and headed out into the living room where Ava was waiting for her.

As much as Tatum was trying to show she wasn't a little shy hermit, she still felt like one and felt extremely exposed in the dress but her stubborn streak that she got from her father was proving to be the tiny boost that she used to keep herself from retreating.

This was her idea after all.

She heard Ava all but screaming down the phone at whoever she was talking to and Tatum smiled a little as she shut her bedroom door; effectively shutting in a now bigger Paws, despite his protesting whines.

Ava must have heard the whines for as Tatum turned, the older woman snapped her phone shut on her conversation, grinning widely. "My girl, don't we look like we're dressed to kill."

Tatum blushed. "I don't look that good."

"Mmph, well we'll just see who gets half the male population of New York City's phone numbers," Ava shot back teasingly, chuckling as the younger woman went even brighter red.

Part of Tatum knew why she didn't feel as confident as what she should have and admittedly the answer as to why she wasn't was Jeff. Whenever he was near her he always assured her of how she looked and but there was no Jeff tonight. There was just her and Ava.

Again she reminded herself that this was her choice, she had made it and now she needed to stick firmly by it.

The club wasn't really a club as Ava had explained in the taxi on the way to Tatum. It was more like a large factory that had been given to the urban dance music goers as a place to hold massive raves. Parts of it were done up really nice and other parts looked like a basement or alleyway that one wouldn't want to step foot near normally.

Brushing off her slight fear; Tatum followed Ava up into one of the nicer lounge areas. A long red couch became their seat and Tatum relaxed back into it as Ava talked about some plans for the restaurant that she had in mind. Up in the lounge the music was thankfully a lot duller and was more a resounding thud on the floor than anything else which meant they didn't have to scream to hear each other.

Tatum found there was roughly eleven other people in there with them and each looked like some high fashioned pop star and not a rave goer. Then again, she didn't exactly look like a raver either but she wasn't as done up as the blonde in the far right corner to where they sat was.

Not drinking; Tatum had gotten up to get them drinks so Ava didn't get her anything alcoholic, she was a little surprised when she came back to find her friend sitting with a man on either side of her.

Ava waved her over and Tatum let out a deep breath as she found the two men looking in her direction. Bracing herself, she eased herself down into the only space left next to the blonde on Ava's right and found him reclining back to watch her as she handed Ava her drink.

She didn't entirely like the look of them but Ava seemed to be having a nice time talking to the red head of the two and when she caught the eyes of the blonde, he winked at her with a large smile as he gave her a once over.

Slightly embarrassed about being ogled so openly, Tatum fixed her dress a little further down her thighs.

The blonde leaned forward and rested his hands on his knees as he looked back at her face. "I'm Kyle, babe?"

A little taken back by his choice of words, she had to quietly remind herself that the strong stench of alcohol coming from him was probably the reason for his forwardness. Or he was like that even when sober.

She tentatively held out her hand; surprised when he actually took it firmly. "Tatum."

He didn't let go of her hand straight away and Tatum felt her nerves spike a little as his thumb brushed over the back of her hand. "Hot name," he started, finally letting go of her hand and looking back up at her face, "for a hot little thing like you."

Her smile flattered a little at that and she inched a little back into the edge of the couch, managing to put a little bit more distance between them.

"Can I buy ya a drink, sweetie?" he drawled, shifting closer to her slightly.

She shook her head.

He pouted, which might have appeared adorable if he wasn't actually drunk. "How come?"

"I don't drink," she replied casually. She'd quit smoking too in the past few weeks, trying to turn become more straight edge.

She had to admit that Kyle was attractive; he looked like a rougher, uglier Jeff- well if he was under the right lighting. He had a lot more tattoos than Jeff did and his hair was cut shorter but something about his face reminded her so much of Jeff; maybe she was just missing him more than she liked to think.

"Get out o' here! No way a fine little thing like you doesn't drink," he replied which made Tatum grin a little. "How come you don't?"

"I prefer to go through life remembering all the mistakes I have made and will make; that way I remember to never make them again," she answered with a little shrug. By the look on his face, Tatum had completely stumped him. Inwardly she wondered as to how smart he was compared to the intelligence that Jeff had.

Clearly he was younger than Jeff and didn't have half of the life experiences that he did but he seemed confused by the fact that she had no interest in getting hammered and possibly making a mistake with him.

"I just don't like drinking, never have actually."

He made a face but smiled anyway and leaned in a little closer to her. Tatum did not fail to notice that Ava was more than eagerly chatting up Kyle's friend. She leaned back a little; her nerves getting the better of her stepping out of her normal reclusive self. Kyle's advances were only making her draw back into herself even more.

His hand covered her thigh and she jumped a little as he rubbed his hand up to the end of her dress and back down to her knee. "Let's just talk then," he said casually.

Ava tapped Tatum on the shoulder. "Tate, let's get out of here, Wayne and I are gonna go back to my place but we'll drop you off first of course."

Jeff climbed out of the car. He didn't have any of his stuff with him, it was all back at the hotel the talent where staying at, because he wasn't staying the night, opting to go to the hotel instead after he had seen Tatum.

He headed up, hands dug into the pockets of his jacket and his hood pulled up. When he got to Tatum's floor, he let out a large sigh and wondered what type of reception he was going to get for coming here without letting her know. Stopping at the door, he didn't knock. Instead he pulled the spare key out of his pocket and unlocked it. She always locked it. His Kitten was a smart one.

Opening the door, he stepped inside and called out only to get no answer. Figuring she was out with Ava or something of the like, he shut the door and made sure to lock so as not to give away that he was here.

Stepping out of the cab, Tatum watched Kyle climb out after her and looked at Ava, a little worried about bringing him inside. In the cab they'd all been squished into the back seat and she hadn't exactly felt comfortable with his arm wrapped round her and half sitting in his lap, even if he thought differently.

Was she really that reclusive and unused to dealing with men unlike Jeff?

Sighing heavily, she smiled falsely at him; not that he seemed to realise she was unhappy with him stumbling behind her into the elevator. He leaned in against the wall slightly and Tatum pulled a face, wondering what excuse may get him to leave before she had to let him into the apartment.

At the door, Tatum had put the keys in the door and turned around to face Kyle, she ended up a step back into the wall as she found him standing closer than she thought him to be. He grinned and put a hand up against the wall, leaning in closer until he was pressed up against her.

Jeff had always been hands on but when he did it, Tatum had no problem with it, where Kyle was concerned though, she felt like smacking him across the cheek to wake him up out of his stupor. "So, you gonna invite me in or what?" he drawled, trying to make himself sound sexy but failing miserably.

She smiled a little at him and lifted a shoulder. "Well I sorta can't open the door while I'm up against a wall," she replied, trying to hint on towards him needing to take a step or three back. He seemed to understand and pulled away, allowing her to turn and unlock the door.

Tatum looked warily at Kyle as he slid a little closer to her on the couch. "Hey, why you wanna sit so far away, honey bunch? I just wanna cuddle," he slurred out and she gave him a nervous smile, not liking the situation even more and reminding herself to never go through with her own stupid ideas again.

"I'm just comfortable sitting here," she replied and jumped a little when he put his hand on her thigh and ran it up slowly to the hem of her dress.

Tatum shook a little and let out a shaky breath as he fiddled with her dress. "Well I didn't come up here to sit, Tatum. Come on girl, you can't be that shy? Surely with an ass like yours you've had a ton of dudes already feeling what I want."

She was astounded with his sudden change of mood. "Kyle, I don't think that you should keep going."

He huffed. "Well you don't look like you could stop me even if you tried to, girl."

Her head snapped up and Tatum wasn't prepared for him to lean forward. "Don't-"

Tatum's eyes closed tightly, not wanting to actually to see him so close to her and honestly not knowing what else to do. Before his lips touched hers however his hands disappeared from her thigh and she heard a grunt from where he had been sitting. Opening her eyes, Tatum's heart nearly stopped beating in her chest as she found Jeff with his arm wrapped around Kyle's throat and arm twisted behind his back. "What the fuck? Get off me!"

Jeff didn't look at her and Tatum was partially glad for that as she watched him throw Kyle over the back of the lounge and then follow him as he quickly crawled up onto his feet as he made for the door. "Next time a girl says no, ya'll listen to her!" Jeff shouted as he raised a fist to punch Kyle who was cowering against the door, fumbling for the handle.

A resounding crunch and Tatum winced as she watched Kyle crumpled to the floor cradling what she gathered was a now broken and bleeding nose. "Dude, what the hell is your problem?" he cried out. "I was only acting on how she was leading me."

"Didn't look that way to me," Jeff replied, standing over the blonde who cringed and recoiled when Jeff crouched down to his level. "You're gonna get out of here, right now and never even think of coming back. You do, I'll do more than break your nose next time I see ya."

Tatum watched half in shock as Kyle managed to get to his feet and quickly hightail it out the door.

She sat in the exact same position for a few minutes after he'd left, watching Jeff's stiff back for what felt like an eternity. The air felt thick and she bit her lip, stopping herself from letting out a choked sob as she covered her face with her hands.

The sounds of jewellery jingling behind Jeff caught his attention and brought him back to reality.

He had been praying that what had just happened hadn't, more because it confirmed what he had feared for the past month than the possible repercussions for his actions. When that door had opened and Tatum had walked in, dressed like a million dollars, he had almost jumped up from where he'd been sitting in the dark in the far corner shielded by the dim lights and curtain but when the guy he'd just hit had come in behind her, he'd stopped himself.

While his first reaction was a jealous glare, Jeff had wondered why she had her eyes on such a guy but as soon as she'd sat on the other end of the lounge to him, he immediately knew that the guy wasn't going to be getting what he was clearly here for.

As soon as Tatum had said don't, Jeff had moved from where he was and grabbed the guy, angry at the fact that he had laid a hand on Tatum.

Now he was standing in front of the door, almost half prepared to scream and shout at Tatum but stopping himself as he turned and saw her clearly upset. Tentatively, he walked over and stood behind the couch and put a hand on her shoulder gently.

He felt her startle and quickly pulled his hand away as she stood up and spun around to face him. "What do you think you're doing here?" she shouted at him.

A little taken back, he scowled. "What kind of question is that? I came by to surprise and see you!" he screamed back.

She put her hands on her hips. "For two months you haven't been here and now you just show up out of the blue!"

"Oh I'm so sorry for being here and interrupting you and your little friend! Next time I'll call ahead to make sure you haven't got some drunken idiot here trying to jump you!" He immediately regretted his choice of words as he saw Tatum's eyes turn glassy.

She turned and promptly stormed off into the bedroom. Jeff wasn't deterred though and followed her. Finding her curled up on the bed with Paws rubbing against her back, Jeff sighed heavily and walked over to sit down on the edge near her feet.

Still in her heels, Jeff placed a hand on her ankle before he picked up her foot gently and eased the shoe off. He repeated the action with her other foot, tossing the shoes across the room to where there was a small pile of them near the wardrobe.

Tatum sniffled and he picked up one of her feet, digging his hands into it and massaging it firmly. "Why are you angry at me?" he asked after a few minutes of quiet, save for her sniffling every twenty seconds or so.

"Because I'm tired of this."

Jeff hadn't expected such a blunt answer from her and let go of her foot to move up and rest beside her as she turned slightly to look at him. "Tired of what, Kitten?"

"Feeling like a mistress and that I'm never going to have what she does with you," Tatum murmured out weakly. Jeff felt like he'd been hit in the gut. She moved so she was sitting up and resting her head on her knees. "Don't preach to me either about how you love me and all that because the way I see it, you putting me up here in New York, visiting me like you do, staying engage to her with a wedding only a month and a bit away, it all comes down to the fact that I'm nothing more than a mistress and that is all I'm ever gonna be."

He sat up and made her look at him. "What would you have me do Tatum?"

A slight glare was her first answer. "What would I have you do?" she asked back coldly. "I would ask you to leave her, which you won't do, and stay with me, which you will do not either."

Jeff pursed his lips. "Tatum, it's not that ea-"

"The hell it isn't!" she snapped. She pushed his hand away and moved from the bed and proceeded to pull the dress off. Jeff felt wrong watching her with the current situation and turned his back. "I'm not stupid Jeff so don't treat me like I am."

He looked up at the ceiling, wondering how long she had felt like this. "How long have you felt like this? Is this the reason why you didn't answer my calls and all that?" he inquired, glancing over his shoulder to see her pulling that gorgeous green nightgown over her head.

Silence met his question and he nodded to himself before standing up. He had a quiet, plain and now very inviting hotel room calling to him suddenly and Jeff left the room without a word and headed for the front door. Part of him hoped Tatum would stop him but as he opened it, he didn't hear her following him or calling out for him to stop.

He slammed the door shut behind him and headed for the elevator, hands dug into his pockets and his hood pulled up.