Disclaimer : I do not own any of the characters mentioned herein. This is pure fiction, written for entertainment only.

Thank you so much to - rogue raven19, blackslayer14, redsandman99, KakashiXIrukaLover, JNHMMH4eva, Nooks, The Kid, Infection 13, FortheLoveofWrestling, takers dark lover, SomeoneOnTheEarth, Takerslady, NeroAnne and WraithRaider.

-ooo-

Chapter 26

Austin related the events to Kurt while sending him back to his room. He told him about seeing Bradshaw and Sid together the night before and yet again less than an hour ago before he came looking for him.

"Mark wants me to keep an eye on Bradshaw. He doesn't trust him and still thinks he's trouble and I agree with him. I'm not too sure why Sid is getting involved with Bradshaw though. They never like each other in the first place. The two of them getting together is not a good thing," he said reflectively.

Kurt said contemplatively, "Sid has always been envious of Mark. He resents that the company puts Mark above him for title runs. Sometimes, people do stupid things when envy gets the better of them. If he's really working with Bradshaw, then, we should warn Mark."

"I already did and I'm sure he'll take the necessary precautions, but he may need a little help. He can't be watching over his shoulders all the time. He has a lot of responsibilities and besides, he has to watch that kid as well. I spotted Sid talking to that Jeff kid in the cafeteria and told Mark about it. He looks worried and I don't blame him. He suspects he has a hidden motive because Sid is not one to mingle with people, just like Glenn."

This was his chance to extract some information from Kurt. He didn't like the way he reacted towards Glenn and wondered if there was mutual attraction between them.

"Glenn seems to be coming out recently. You two seem pretty close." He tried to appear nonchalant but Kurt detected a trace of jealousy in his voice. He thought Austin sounded genuine enough.

"We get along well enough and he's a good listener. I can tell him anything and he always gives me sound advice."

"Hey! You can come to me, I give good advice as well," Austin said earnestly.

Kurt hesitated. Maybe he should tell him they should take things slow. "Austin …" he began.

"You can call me Steve," the Texan beamed at him.

Kurt gulped. To receive an invitation to call him by his first name was no trivial matter. Nobody got to call him 'Steve', not even Vince McMahon!

He grinned weakly at him. "Steve. Like I was saying, we shouldn't be hanging out together so much ..…"

"Till after our match next week," Austin finished for him. "I understand and I'm prepared to wait."

Kurt decided to be honest with him. "Even then, I'm still not sure if we should go out together."

Austin stared at him, making him feel uneasy. "You don't like me, do you?" he asked abruptly.

"It's not that," Kurt assured him quickly. "It's just that I don't know if I feel that way about you. I've never considered it and you took me by surprise with what you said last night."

Austin felt relieved. It wasn't as bad as he thought. At least Kurt didn't reject him outright and he set out to put his mind at ease. "I won't rush you if you haven't made up your mind. You take all the time you need."

They stopped outside Kurt's room. "Thanks for walking me back, I really appreciate it," Kurt thanked him politely.

Austin gave him a brief smile and said, "No problem. I guess I will see you around then" and turned to go.

Kurt hesitated. The man had behaved like a gentleman and been really nice and understanding. He hated seeing him always alone. On an impulse, he called him back.

"Some of us have arranged to have dinner together tonight. Would you like to join us?"

A grin broke out on Austin's face. "I would really like that. Where shall we meet?"

"Just wait for us at the lobby at 7.30. I'll let you know if there's any change."

Kurt watched him go with mixed feelings. Can he trust him? He brushed that thought aside. He would find out soon enough after their match. He slipped into his room and lay on the bed, playing the recent events in his mind. The one thing that bothered him was his reaction towards Glenn. Thank goodness everyone thought he was getting into his role but he knew better. When he saw Glenn walked out with just a towel on, his breath had caught in his throat and he couldn't breathe. One thought came to his mind back then and that was he desperately wanted to run his hands all over that magnificent body and lick the water off it.

Woah! What the hell am I thinking! Kurt jumped off the bed, feeling all flushed and bothered. "You're letting your imagination run away with you!" he reprimanded himself. Anyone would have reacted the same way, he thought. Glenn was an attractive man after all. Yes, that was it. Who could resist those huge pectorals that were just too tantalizing not to want to …. He groaned out loud. Who was he kidding! He was undeniably attracted to Glenn!

"Now, what am I supposed to do?" he bemoaned his fate.

-ooo-

They had a wonderful lunch. Mark brought Jeff for some Mexican since he had never tried it and he loved it! While eating, he told him about what went on with Sean and conveyed his apology to him. But, Jeff remained skeptical of his sincerity.

"Give the guy a break. He has a lot to overcome at the moment," Mark advised.

"I guess you are right," Jeff admitted reluctantly but he would still keep his distance from Sean. He doubted him still.

Mark finished eating and watched amusingly as Jeff devoured the last piece of chicken tortilla with relish. He seemed to eat more than most people he knew.

"Have enough?" he asked and Jeff nodded, chewing happily on his food. He finally swallowed and drained his juice and let out a burp of contentment as he patted his stomach. "That was delicious!" He checked around and seeing no one was looking, quickly leaned over to give Mark a peck on the lips. "Thank you for the wonderful lunch!" he grinned at him.

"You're welcome." Mark decided to have that talk with him now. "Jeff, did you speak to Sid earlier today?"

Jeff gasped. How did Mark find out?

Mark guessed he really did talk to Sid from his reaction. Austin wouldn't have said so if he didn't. "Why wasn't Glenn with you?" he asked with a frown.

Jeff didn't want Glenn to get into trouble because of him and told him the truth. "It wasn't Glenn's fault, Mark. I ran off to the cafeteria to get some skittles without telling him. The vending machine was giving me problems and Sid helped me. That was all."

"You know you're not supposed to go anywhere alone. And as for Sid, let's just say he and I don't get along well. I'm facing him in a rematch next week and I just don't want you to get in harm's way." Mark thought that if Jeff knew a little about the problems between him and Sid, he would be more careful and stay away from him.

"But, he seems like a nice guy," Jeff persisted. Sid scared him the first time when he came to look for Mark, but after he helped him in the cafeteria, he actually took a liking to him.

Mark frowned at him. "Maybe he is, but I really wouldn't know because we always set each other off on sight. Just be careful and don't go running off by yourself anymore, okay?"

"I promise to be good. Can we go back and train now?" Jeff asked eagerly.

Mark chuckled softly, "Only after you help me to convince our colleagues to reinstate their support for Sean. And then, we're going to have a long training session. I have a grueling match to prepare for and you, my little one, are stuck as my sparring partner. Are you ready for me?"

Jeff scrambled out of his seat in an excited state to tug at Mark's hand, "What are we waiting for? Let's go!"

With the assist of Shawn and Hunter, the necessary people were informed and they got the meeting underway quickly. Big Show and Sean were excused from attending and Bradshaw was told his presence wasn't required. Mark explained the situation with Sean to them and with the persuasion powers of Chris, who told them he was responsible for Sean's recent behavior they managed to restore their faith and got most of them to reinstate their support. Mark finally called the meeting to an end and spoke to Shawn and Hunter about their change of assignment. They were glad they were no longer required to supervise Bradshaw but Shawn was none too happy with their new assignment. "You still won't let us off! Now, you want us to play nursemaids!"

"Well… if you prefer to go back to watching Bradshaw…." Mark began and Hunter spoke up quickly, "No! We'll watch Sean!" He turned to Shawn, "At least with him, we'll get some breaks with Show and the others helping out. And we only have to cheer him up with our godly presence. That can't be too difficult. Isn't that right, Mark?"

"Yes, it shouldn't be too difficult. All you have to do is to keep his spirits up," Mark conceded.

Jeff was humming happily to himself while watching the proceedings at one corner. He felt bad that Mark was shouldering the responsibilities all by himself, but promised himself to make it up to him.

"And who's going to watch Bradshaw?" Shawn asked.

"Don't worry about that. I've already got that covered," Mark said and left it at that. No one needed to know Austin's role. The less said the better. "Check with Chris and Show about your schedule with Sean. If there's any problem, let me know. I'll be at the gym with Jeff for the rest of the day" and Mark dismissed them. But Shawn hung back. He wasn't ready to go as yet.

"I just need to tell Jeff something and we'll get out of your way." He and Hunter pulled Jeff aside while Mark went to speak to Glenn and Matt.

"Have you read the book yet?" Shawn asked Jeff eagerly. He nodded fervently. "Mark goes through it with me every night," he shared the information with them.

"So, did you try out some of the tricks yet?" Shawn asked gleefully and received another eager nod, but Jeff was too bashful to tell them that Mark was reluctant to try out the more hardcore stuff mentioned therein. He didn't like the idea of using whips, nipple clamps and such. He wanted to give and receive pleasure, not pain.

Hunter leaned in, so that no one could hear them. "Check out the chapter on 'Sweet Sensations'," he whispered. "I promise you it's out of this world! And you should explore making out in forbidden places, it adds to the thrill. Shawn and I can personally vouch for that!" and winked at him.

But, there was something burning in Jeff's mind from their previous meeting.

"Do you two really take turns to top? How does it feel? Is it any different?" Jeff asked eagerly in a hushed whisper. He couldn't wait to try it out but was unsure if Mark was willing to go along with it.

Shawn and Hunter spluttered with laughter. Now that the idea was planted in Jeff's head, they knew he won't let it rest. Mark was going to be harassed until he gave in! Judging from what they had learned from Glenn, Jeff could be a thorn in the flesh when he chose to be. He could just go on and on to get his way.

"I can't tell you cos' words just can't describe it!" Shawn egged him on. "You just have to try it out for yourself to find out. I really hope you can persuade Mark to bottom for you!" and snorted deliriously at that probability.

"Hey!" Mark called out, a look of suspicion on his face as he approached them. "Are you guys corrupting him?" and pulled Jeff away from them. He thought they had enough time to talk and he didn't like them talking in whispers. It made him uneasy.

Shawn sighed dramatically. "You're always maligning us, Mark. We were just telling Jeff the good news."

Jeff gave him a blank look which wasn't lost on Mark.

"And pray tell us what is the good news," Mark folded his arms and waited. He knew they were discussing something else but he wanted to hear what story Shawn would cook up.

"Jeff has this great idea to test if Austin is really interested in Kurt. It has Glenn playing a playboy and toying with Kurt's feelings, and have Matt pretending to be Glenn's jealous boyfriend," Shawn informed him gleefully.

Mark couldn't hold back and burst out laughing. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "My brother is a playboy and going out with not one, but two men?" Mark barked again with laughter when Shawn nodded. "Please, tell me this is a joke. You can't be serious?" but judging from everyone's faces, he realized Shawn was not pulling his leg.

Shawn grinned, "This is not a joke. The good news is, we put Jeff's idea into operation and it's working splendidly!"

Jeff shrieked with joy and jumped on Mark. He gushed excitedly, "They use my idea, Mark! Isn't that great?"

Mark wiped the tears from his eyes and hugged him back. Trying to compose himself, he said, "Honestly Jeff, I really don't know. I think Glenn and Matt may disagree with you on that" and roared with renewed laughter when he saw the mortified look on their faces. Jeff's face fell.

"Matty? Glenny? You don't like my idea?" He left Mark's side to go to them. He looked confused. If they put his idea to work, they must have liked it, right?

Glenn just grunted in response before moving off. "We'll go and get changed and see you guys in a while" and left quickly. He never expected Shawn to reveal their plan to Mark and now that he knew, he would never let him live it down for the rest of his life!

Noticing Jeff's downcast look, Matt chucked his brother on the chin and said, "He's not mad at you, and neither am I. We…we are just uncomfortable with the whole idea. I'll see you in the gym later," and took off after Glenn.

"Come on, Jeff. Glenn's just in one of his black moods. He'll be fine after a while." Mark kissed him to make him feel better. "Let's go and get changed and then we can start," and led him out.

Shawn and Hunter were the only ones left behind. "So, what are we going to do now?" Hunter asked. Finally, with time on their hands, he didn't know what to do, but Shawn already had everything planned out.

"We can join them and bug the hell out of Mark and Glenn. What do you say?" he grinned playfully.

Hunter chuckled, "Life is never dull around you. I don't know what I will do without you!"

-ooo-

Austin intended to enlist Kurt's help to spy on both Bradshaw and Sid but he decided he would approach him after their match next week. Right now, he decided to focus his attention on Bradshaw alone. So far, the man had been conducting himself appropriately. Besides speaking to Ron, who was amicable with him, no one else bothered with him. Even Sid ignored him and Austin was relieved. He didn't want to think what if both men ganged up on Mark. Needless to say, the outcome would be disastrous, for Mark.

In spite of what he thought of Sid, Austin didn't think he would stoop to Bradshaw's level. Sid was very passionate about the business but the problem with him was that he thought he was better than the rest. He was very talented, possessed the strength and the technical skills, but he lacked people skills. He was brash and outspoken and had a tendency to rub people the wrong way. Hence, he wasn't well-liked by most. It, therefore, surprised Austin to see him smiling and making conversation with Jeff earlier that day. He wasn't sure what to make of it. Did Sid has a soft spot for the kid, or, was he trying to irk Mark by getting close to Jeff? It was a well-known fact that Sid was envious of Mark's popularity and success. He felt he was his equal in every way and should have been given the same opportunity as him. Men, like Sid, had proven themselves to be dangerous and maniacal when they faced their nemesis in the ring and everyone anticipated their rematch to be a physical challenge of strength and prowess. It was Sid's opportunity to steal the limelight and they were sure he would do anything to overcome the odds.

Austin did the only thing he could when he saw Jeff with Sid, he warned Mark. He hoped it wasn't Sid's intention to hurt Jeff to get even with Mark. He would never admit it to anyone, but he liked Jeff. The kid had spunk and his quirkiness was endearing. His guileless charm and child-like innocence drew people to him easily and Austin felt protective of him. He realized with a start that he and Glenn had inadvertently fallen to the boy's beguiling charm. They would not let anyone hurt him. Unlike Mark, he wasn't attracted to Jeff in a sexual way. The boy was much too feminine for his taste. He preferred someone like Kurt, still a man, somewhat gullible and yet, alluring in his own way.

After observing Bradshaw discreetly for another fifteen minutes and assured that he was not a threat, Austin decided to take a break. The man couldn't do much harm if no one wanted to have anything to do with him. As he made his way back to his room, he brightened up at the thought of joining Kurt for dinner that night. However, Glenn would also be there and he was sure the older Hardy brother would be there as well. Judging from the angry look Matt cast at Kurt, he wondered if Matt and Glenn were in a relationship. There was only way to find out and that was to talk to Matt. He would gauge his reaction and decide on his next course of action. If Matt was indeed in a relationship with Glenn, then, he didn't have to worry too much about Glenn getting with Kurt. He just had to focus on convincing Kurt that he was the right man for him.

-ooo-

"Can we take a short break?" Jeff begged, panting at the ropes. He grimaced at the pain shooting up his back and slid down to rest against the post, willing the pain to go away.

Alarmed, Mark climbed in through the ropes and squatted down in front of him to check on him, "Are you alright?"

"Of course he's not alright!" Glenn approached them. "Did I hurt you, sprite?" he asked worriedly.

"Jeffro?" Matt quickly joined them. "How bad is it?"

Jeff whimpered, "My back hurts awfully bad Matty."

"You shouldn't have slammed him down so hard!" Matt scolded Glenn, who defended himself. "That's the way I wrestle, man, I don't hold back when I get in the ring." He turned his attention back to Jeff and apologized, "I'm sorry, sprite, I didn't mean to hurt you."

Jeff sighed. "Its okay, I just wish I'm as strong as you guys."

"You will be, but you need to buff up first," Glenn smiled and ruffled his hair playfully. He just couldn't stay angry with him and it wasn't his fault anyways. The idea might come from him but he was the one who decided to go through with it and he only had himself to blame.

"Let's get you in a more comfortable position," Mark slid out of the ring and helped him out before carrying him to lie on a mat. "Lie face down, I'll give you a backrub" and sat down beside him.

As Jeff shifted into position, Mark helped him to remove his shirt and started working on his back. Jeff hissed as he worked his wonders. Glenn and Matt continued to work in the ring.

After several minutes, Jeff felt so much better. "I think you would make a wonderful masseuse as a secondary profession. You have magical hands!" and giggled at the thought of Mark with his fully tattooed arms giving body massage. He yelped when Mark swatted his backside before leaning down to lie beside him.

"I've always been good with my hands," Mark said teasingly before moving a hand to knead his backside gently. Jeff let out a delicious shudder and pressed himself against him with a soft whimper. Mark chuckled, "You're a shameless pup and you know it!"

Jeff sighed blissfully as he shifted to lie in the cradle of Mark's arms. He wished they were alone. Mark had removed his shirt and his chest was bared. Jeff splayed his hands over the rock-hard massive chest and slowly explored every inch of it before moving down to the firm abs. He slowly traced the word tattoos over it and one hand finally came to rest at his waist band. Mark was wearing elasticized track pants and it provided him the convenience of slipping his hand in easily.

"Jeff, we're not alone," Mark said softly as he caught his hand. He pulled it out and kissed his fingers tenderly. "Later, I promise."

Snickers caught their attention and Mark knew who they were even before he turned to face them. "What are you two doing here?" he asked in an exasperated tone.

Shawn grinned at him. "We came to work out, but it's definitely more interesting to watch Jeff giving you a hand job" and ran shrieking with laughter with Hunter close behind him, when Mark sat up quickly with a warning growl.

Jeff giggled at Shawn's childish antics. "You go ahead and train, Mark. I'll just lie down here and watch. I'll join you in a few minutes."

Mark pressed a kiss to his temple before going over to the punching bag while Shawn and Hunter joined Glenn and Matt in the ring for a tag-team bout. While Mark slowly worked out a sweat, Jeff lay on his side and studied him adoringly, admiring every inch of his man. Everything about him was so perfect! Mark made him so happy, taking care of him, cherishing him, and he wanted to make him happy too. A wicked thought came into his head and he made up his mind to go ahead with it. Now, all he had to do was to wait for everyone to finish and he had Mark all alone to himself!

He got up from his position fifteen minutes later and joined Mark. They moved from station to station and went back to the ring to spar with the others. Three hours passed quickly and it was almost six in the evening. They were all tired but they felt really good about themselves. As the guys prepared to leave, Jeff held Mark back. On Jeff's urging, he told them they would meet up with them later. As soon as they left, Jeff started to pull Mark along.

"Where are we going?" Mark was perplexed by his behavior. Just what was he up to now?

"To take a hot shower," Jeff giggled, pulling him along.

"But, we are heading in the wrong direction," Mark pointed it out to him.

"We're not going to your dressing room," Jeff informed him and Mark decided to just follow him and see what he was up to. They finally reached their destination.

"Jeff, what are we doing here?" They were standing in the changing room which led into the common shower area.

"Just follow me," Jeff whispered although there was no need to. They were the only ones there. He led them into a shower stall and pressed himself up against Mark. "I feel so naughty doing this, but I want the thrill of making out in a public area and risk getting caught. There's an edge to it, don't you think?" he said coyly.

Mark chuckled with amusement. "I understand now why your brother disallowed you to go out on a date without chaperon." He lifted him by his nether cheeks and pushed him up against him, letting him feel his need, "You're a really bad boy, aren't you?" and bent to kiss him hard on the mouth. They ground against each other shamelessly, working themselves to a feverish pitch. Both men broke apart to strip off their clothes and remove their shoes. Mark turned on the shower to let the warm water washed over them. He ran his fingers through Jeff's wet hair, admiring its corn yellow brilliance before bending to kiss him again. As the water drenched them, their kisses grew languid and they started exploring each other's body at leisure with their hands.

Mark shifted, preparing to lift Jeff up to impale him but he stopped him. "Not so fast Mark, let me set the pace," and he slid down to his knees in front of him. He ran his fingers up and down the sides of his legs before moving them to the front of his thighs. "I want to love you properly," and started to kiss along his hard length while one hand moved to roll his nut sac lovingly.

Mark leaned his head back against the tiled wall, enjoying the pampering of his love. The heat slowly radiated throughout his body from his groin. He cupped Jeff's head and looked down at him with dark hooded eyes. His hardness was beginning to throb and Jeff just got started. Mark sucked in his breath harshly when Jeff licked along the thick underside vein of his shaft. His cock twitched as Jeff continued to lavish it attention, licking his whole length like he would do a lollipop. He groaned when Jeff flicked his tongue at its head, teasing the slit before engulfing him into his mouth. He continued to suck on him vigorously and worked towards taking him down further into his throat. Mark involuntarily pumped his hips. He could feel the blood roaring in his head and the heat pooling at his groin. He wasn't going to last if Jeff carried on and he didn't want to cum anywhere but inside of him.

Jeff protested when Mark pulled him up by his hair but he drowned out his protests by latching his mouth against his and kissing him with a hunger matched by his. Mark hefted him up and wrapped his long legs around him and turned so that Jeff was now leaning against the tiled wall for support.

"I hate to cut this short but I can't wait any longer," and he impaled him to the hilt. Jeff cried out, squeezing his eyes shut. He was stuffed and he loved the feeling of being joined to the man he loved. "Please move," he whimpered and bit down on his lip when Mark set up a fast pace immediately.

Their bodies slapped against each other frantically and with the sounds of running water and their intermingled moans and groans, neither heard the approaching footsteps. The man froze and skulked quietly into the darkening shadows to watch them unobtrusively. Those long legs which he had imagined were coiled around his nemesis and he wished he was in his place. He wanted to be the one who was thrusting furiously into his hot, tight heat, the one who was making him cry with delirium, the one who was filling him with his hot seeds. He witnessed the sheer beauty of his face as he came; eyes squeezed shut and mouth froze open in rapturous bliss.

Sid slid quietly out the way he came from, undetected. He had misplaced his watch and came to check if he left it in the shower room after his workout earlier that day. As he made his way out, he asked himself for the thousandth time, why must Mark win every time? At every corner stone of his life, he was always found short and pushed back down and he had to fight and crawl his way up again. Now that he was up in his game, he wanted to make sure that he stayed there and won't fall back into the pit again. But if he lost to Mark yet again, he would make sure that Mark loses something in return, and that boy might be his answer.

-ooo-

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