Chapter 29

Turns out, Dean was not needed for Smackdown! that night and sent home to rest up for his war on Sunday against Bray. He was fine with having the night off since Bray was nowhere to be found either. They played a recap of what happened on Raw between the two men, but other than that, nothing else was done. He asked Macaria if she wanted him to see about switching their flights to leave in a few hours instead of waiting until tomorrow morning.

"Yeah, but I need to go talk to Nyla really fast." Flat lie. She needed to discuss the special stipulation she wanted in her contract with Stephanie. If Stephanie refused, there was no reason to leave Dean and hurt him. "I'll be back in a few." Kissing him softly, Macaria headed out to search for the Authority's office and had to ask a stage technician to send her in the right direction.

Finding it about 10 minutes later, Macaria took a deep breath and knocked on the door, taking a deep breath. She did not expect Seth Rollins to answer it and smiled at him serenely, knowing showing fear wasn't an option. "I need to speak with Stephanie. It's urgent."

Now it was Seth's turn to raise a brow at her and turned his head, muttering something before opening the door fully for her.

"Macaria, nice to see you again." Stephanie smiled, standing from her desk and shook the woman's hand. "Have you thought over my generous offer?"

"It's been on the forefront of my mind." Seth, J & J Security, Kane and Hunter were all in the room with them, but Macaria would not let any of them intimidate her. "That's why I'm here."

"Well, by all means, the floor is yours. What's on your mind?" Stephanie folded her arms in front of her chest and could see the determination in Macaria's eyes. She was ready and willing to accept this job, Stephanie was almost positive of that fact. "Don't be shy, Macaria."

Nodding, Macaria had no idea how Stephanie would react to her request, but it was the only way she would sign on with the WWE. "I'll take the job…but I have a stipulation I want to be put in my contract."

Seth shared curious looks with Noble and Mercury, leaning against the door with a smile and stayed silent.

"All right, I'm sure we can negotiate and come up with something we're both comfortable with." Stephanie could see the gears turning in the woman's mind and waited patiently.

"I don't want an iron-clad contract with the WWE. I want to be able to leave the company, fine-free and whatever if this doesn't work out." Macaria was risking a lot by doing this, especially with the situation going on with Nyla. "I mean, the job may not be all it's cracked up to be and there's the worry of being harassed as well. If I'm taking this job, I want the option of quitting like any other normal person at a normal job. I realize the WWE isn't a 'normal' company to work for, but this is the only way I'll sign on the dotted line. It's the only way I'll feel secure and comfortable with this decision."

Stephanie had to admit, that was NOT what she was expecting to hear and she eyed the woman for a few minutes, the silence between them deafening. Obviously, it wasn't a huge secret she was friends with their special writer, their pet, Nyla Miller and the woman had talked. How much, Stephanie wasn't sure and would be finding out in time. For now, she had quite the dilemma on her hands and took the bottled water Hunter handed her.

"I'll tell you what, Macaria, I admire your tenacity. I admire you coming in here, with all these other people, to discuss the possibility of you working for us." Meaning the WWE, though it was all the same to Stephanie. It was HER company now. "That takes real fortitude and balls, figuratively speaking, of course. So here's what I'm going to offer you…and I think this is a fair deal. You have a 6 month probation period when you sign with the WWE, as I told you. Now, you'll know within those 6 months if this is your cup of tea or not, right?"

Macaria didn't see any reason why she wouldn't and nodded. "Yes."

"Perfect. I will give you those 6 months with that stipulation in your contract. You can leave at any time you want within those 6 months, if things aren't working out and, just so you know, if you're harassed in any way by ANY of the Superstars or Divas, you need to report them." Stephanie had started out doing this as a far as Seth, but after seeing just what type of talent Macaria possessed, she legitimately wanted the woman in the company creating magical photography for them.

Seth arched a slow brow, wondering what the hell Stephanie was thinking telling Macaria to do that. The whole point in offering her a position in the company was to harass her and make her pay for embarrassing him. They would definitely be talking after Macaria left, though it was hard for Seth to keep his mouth shut.

"No strings attached? No fines or anything? I can leave within 6 months if I'm not happy here?" Macaria wanted to make sure she heard Stephanie correctly and felt a lot better at the woman's confirmed nod. "Okay…I'll sign the contract on Monday…"

"And Ambrose?"

"I will be done with him by then. I'm telling him on our days off."

Stephanie beamed, placing a hand on Macaria's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. "You're doing the right thing by choosing your career over a man, Macaria. And you won't regret this. It doesn't get any better than working for the biggest global wrestling phenomenon on the planet, after all."

"Like you said, after the 6 months are up and we find our way back to each other, then it's meant to be with us. I can wait 6 months to have my dream job." Macaria could only hope Dean felt the same way and Stephanie smiled at her reassuringly.

"Exactly, 6 months and then you can do whatever you want because we'll know you're serious about this position and it's not because of a Superstar."

Only 6 months? That wasn't nearly enough time for Seth, but he would have to make due and stepped away from the door. "Why not just end things with him tonight?"

"Seth, this is none of your business and she will do things her way," Stephanie ordered, not appreciating him messing with Macaria this soon and winked at the honey blonde. "Go enjoy your two days off. Take care of business and I will see you at Raw to sign your contract."

"Thank you, Stephanie." Macaria turned, once again a serene smile on her lips and waited for Seth to move out of the way before exiting the office to head back to Dean's dressing room.

"That fucking bitch…" Seth hissed out, grunting at Stephanie's dark look shot his way.

"Seth, I'm only warning you once – do NOT fuck with her to the point she leaves this company, at least not until her 6 months is up." Stephanie warned, planting her hands on her hips and eyeballed him shrewdly.

"Why did you agree to that stipulation then?" Hunter demanded, trying to figure his wife out and her thought process.

"Hunter, sometimes you gotta give a little honey to lure the bee into the hive. Seth, you got what you wanted. She's away from Ambrose for 6 months. You have that long to do what you need to do, but you are NOT to harass and piss her off to the point where she leaves. If she does, I will hold you PERSONALLY responsible and you will be punished." Stephanie promised in a dark yet sweet tone, patting his bearded cheek none too gently. "Now then, onto tonight's business…"


After taking redeye flights to Vegas from Columbus, Georgia, Dean and Macaria were too exhausted to really do much of anything. They went straight to bed, not even bothering to try sexing each other up. Macaria was up bright and early the next morning, a ball of nerves and tried doing things around Dean's house to keep herself occupied. She had showered, ate a very light breakfast consisting of toast, orange juice and eggs, not able to handle anything heavy on her stomach. When she heard Dean stir awake around 10 AM, Macaria had breakfast sandwiches waiting for him she had made.

"Damn, thanks babe." Dean kissed her forehead, taking the plate of food and sat down on the couch, accepting a cup of coffee to go with his breakfast. "Did you eat?"

"Yeah, a little while ago." Macaria answered, cleaning up the kitchen while he ate and knew she wouldn't be able to stall any longer.

Dean had showered before coming out to hunt his woman down, so he had nothing planned or going on after eating. Once the breakfast sandwiches were consumed, along with three cups of coffee loaded with sugar, he felt more alive and awake. His pale blues zeroed in on a nervous Macaria, who kept wiping things down that didn't need to be. He stood up from the couch, walking past her to put his dishes in the sink and then stopped in front of her, taking the cleaning cloth out of her hand.

"It's time to tell me what's going on, Maca."

"Yeah…" Macaria agreed, inhaling and exhaling slowly because the feeling of his hands caressing her arms felt wonderful. Could she really give this all up for her dream job? "Sit down with me, Dean."

This wasn't good. Dean could feel it down to his bone marrow and did as she requested, his hand immediately reaching for hers. "You wouldn't answer me how bad this is. So just come out and tell me. Rip the band-aid off quickly."

Pulling her hand out of his, Macaria cursed and clasped both of hers in her lap tightly. "I don't wanna do this. I don't want to have to make this decision, but there's no other way around it. I…I can't pass this opportunity up." Shutting her eyes, she couldn't look him in the eye with the next set of words that came out of her mouth. "I'm taking the job, Dean. I'm going to be work for the WWE and I'm signing my contract on Monday."

He was happy for her, truly, even though the Authority was signing her instead of Vince McMahon. She was talented with photography, there wasn't a doubt about it. "So what decision do you have to make that you don't want to?" He was somewhat confused, tilting his head and could feel the itch to light up a smoke.

Macaria looked up at him, tears glistening in her eyes. "You. What's going on between us has to…end. I can't be with you in any capacity anymore." She held her hand up before he could start protesting and fighting her, expecting it. "Dean, I have a 6 month probation period and Stephanie said she wants me to prove how serious I am about this opportunity. She doesn't want me distracted by any of the Superstars and Divas. I'm going to be working with everyone, taking their pictures and she's afraid I'll play favorites because of you. She said after my probation period is over with, I can do whatever I want and BE with whoever I want. But until the 6 months is over, I have to focus solely on my career and job."

It was DEFINITELY time to light up a smoke as Dean stood up from the couch and pulled a crumpled pack out of the coffee table drawer, lighting the tip instantly. "So, that's it? Wham, bam, thank you, ma'am? You're just gonna bend to her will and agree to this ridiculous stipulation? You're going to throw away everything we've built together?!"

"What exactly have we built together, Dean?" Macaria went on the defensive, standing from the couch and folded her arms tightly in front of her chest. "Seriously, explain it to me. Because all we've done is fuck each other and have fun. There's no relationship and we haven't established anything! This is my dream job and I'm not giving it up for an unknown future with a man, who probably only wants sex from me! Who thought I was fucking him for my job in the first place!"

Dean deserved having that thrown in his face and could feel his temper skyrocketing. Everything Macaria said was the truth – he couldn't deny any of it. They hadn't been exclusive with each other and that was partially his fault for not making that move sooner. He planned on doing it during these days off, but now that had flown out the window.

"Goddamn it, Macaria! She's only doing this because she can! Don't you see that? She's TOYING with you! She's dangling this contract in your face and you're falling for it hook, line and sinker! The only reason she's offering this opportunity to you, with that fucked stipulation, is to make me miserable!" Dean shouted, taking a long pull from his cigarette and could see the hopelessness written all over Macaria's face.

"No, she's not because I already put a stop to any shenanigans that may happen…"

"And how the fuck do you plan on doing that? You do realize this is the same cunt that's making Nyla's life a living, miserable hell right now, yeah?" Dean pointed out the obvious, not believing that alone didn't deter her from making this decision and tossing him aside like yesterday's trash.

"I have a stipulation in my contract that states, during my 6-month probation, if I don't feel comfortable or want to quit, all I have to do is say the word. There won't be any fines or repercussions from leaving WWE within those first 6 months. After that, my contract will be iron-clad for the rest of my time there, which is standard 3 years." Macaria explained coolly, gritting her teeth and wished he would understand why she was doing this. "If the roles were reversed, and you were told to do the same thing with me…"

Dean cut her off instantly. "Don't! This isn't the same thing!"

"Yes, it is! You're gonna stand there and tell me, if you didn't work for the WWE and they came to you with your dream job, your WRESTLING dream job, you wouldn't take it because of a woman? I can look in your eyes and I can see you would in a heartbeat because it's your passion and it's what you love to do!" Macaria refused to back down, pursing her lips tightly together and could see the realization dawning on his face.

"Maca, I already have my dream job and I wasn't asked to do something as asinine as this!" Dean growled, hating that she'd used his own passion for wrestling against him because, honestly, he would've given ANYTHING and ANYONE up to achieve working in the WWE.

"To you, it's asinine, but to me, this is all I have. I can finally get out of my shitty apartment on the bad side of the city and get a house! I can finally have financial stability! I can finally be STRESS-FREE and not worry about my bills not being paid on time or anything! I can finally get a new car instead of driving the beater that's currently broken down in my parking lot! I'll be able to provide for myself, support myself and put food in my fucking fridge for a change! You just don't get it! THIS IS ALL I HAVE!" Macaria shrieked that last part, knowing they were in the middle of nowhere since Dean didn't have any neighbors around and tears streamed down her cheeks at the disgust in his eyes. "Judge me all you want and hate me all you want. But this is something I can't, I WON'T, pass up. I'm sure you can find someone else to have fun with since that's all I ever was to you in the first place! Just a good, fun time!"

"NO, YOU'RE NOT!"

Macaria wished she could believe him and wiped her tears away, ignoring her heart shattering in her chest. "Then prove it." She threw down the gauntlet, challenging him and saw his pale blues narrow to slits. "Stephanie said after the probation period is up, I can be with whoever I want and the company won't fault me for it. If you can wait for me for 6 months, maybe I'll believe I was more than just a good, fun time for you."

All Dean could do was stare at her with hardened icy eyes, finishing his second cigarette and stabbed it in the ashtray on the coffee table. In seconds, he closed the distance between them and yanked her flush against his body, his nose pressed to hers. He could feel her slightly heavy breath against his lips and felt his blood boil at being challenged by this woman.

"When do we have to stop seeing each other?" He asked in a low, gritty voice, not letting her go and breathed as much of her in as he could, swallowing his pride.

"Monday."

"All right, I have until Monday to sex you up and hope to Christ it's enough to last me 6 months." Dean lifted her over his shoulder, not wasting another second and carted her to the bedroom.

These next 6 months were going to be hell on earth for both of them.