**Sorry I've been MIA - my family came down with several rounds of sickness - stupid winter and public school systems! I'm back though and will be posting like I was! Thanks for being patient!**

Chapter 47

"Let's just play a few hands first, I may be rusty." He drawled, eyeballing her suspiciously.

Taker remembered quite well her hanging around with the Acolytes and he knew just how those roughnecks could be. Knowing them, they had taught her some jacked up stuff. If she could play Hold'em, then she'd probably be able to learn Omaha just as easily. He took his two cards, glimpsing them before letting them sit.

"All right, darlin', now the river."

Nodding, Tahlia flipped the five cards on the table expertly and set the pile to the side, picking up her cards to look them over. Bradshaw had showed her what a perfect poker face looked like and currently, she had it. Her eyes locked on Taker, seeing him also staring hard at his cards and waited patiently for him to dismiss or keep his cards. He ended up swapping just one and she did the same, cheering on the inside.

"You go first, lay your cards down or fold." She instructed, feeling pretty confident about her hand.

Taker could only stare at her, really hoping those boys hadn't played her for money because, if so, they owed her a refund. "Okay, let's… do this over. I was curious, especially after calling for the river, but… I don't think they taught you right. There are stages in this, Tahlia." He began walking her through it, planning on smacking the piss out of Bradshaw and Farooq. "You dealt our two cards, our hole cards. Then comes the call, check, and sometimes raises and folds. Then, once that has gone, it's the pre-flop and the dealer only deals out three cards on the table. Then another round of check, bet, and fold. Fourth card is dealt, another round of check, bet, fold. Then there's the river, the last card and one more round everyone bets on. Please… tell me, did they take money off you?" He was going to kill those cheating bastards.

"Umm…" Tahlia chewed her bottom lip, her face turning crimson from humiliation and barely contained rage. She was going to rip their balls off and hang them on her Christmas tree for cheating! "A couple hundred." Cringing when Taker cursed, Tahlia took the cards and began shuffling them, shaking her head. "But to be fair, I took over $500 off of Bradshaw with pool." Now she smirked, a bit of a shark when it came to pool. "So maybe they felt they had to cheat with me since I've never played Texas Hold'em. I'm going to kill them, no worries. Be sure to look for new minions."

"Oh, I will." He reassured her, holding out his hand for the deck. "Let me deal this one and show you what I was talking about." Bradshaw and Farooq were cock bites. He had seen her play pool, he knew she was good still no reason to teach her to play a game wrong. Shuffling, he dealt and explained each phase again as he did so, teaching her properly how to play. "You know… practice, and when we have time, we can play them and take their money." Because he was a damn fine poker player. "Best way to get them, take their cash." Greedy bastards.

"My hero." Tahlia chortled, watching to see how the game was really played and nodded, seeing what she did wrong. "I can't believe those bastards hustled me…and lied." First Dennis and now Bradshaw and Farooq…could she trust nobody in the Ministry besides Taker and Paul? Granted, it was all in good fun with the Acolytes, but she also thought they were her boys. "Let me go check on the corn while you deal this round." She had lost every hand so far, but enough practice and she'd be a hell of a poker player. Turning the stove off, Tahlia drained the corn and then checked the food in the oven, nodding. "Almost there." Returning to her seat, Tahlia took her cards and started playing again.

Chances were, his boys had hustled Tahlia before they had truly accepted her because they were assholes like that. One thing to accept someone by instruction, another to accept them based on personal judgments. Which meant they wouldn't have felt bad at all about it, though… he'd have to remind them, by helping Tahlia thoroughly clean out their wallets. He was thinking about doing it right after payday, when he knew they'd be feeling rich.

"Smells delicious." How had she put this all together so fast?

Most of the food had been prepped already, so she hadn't really done much besides pop it in the oven. The only thing she had really prepped were the cubed garlic buttery potatoes. "Yes it does. Deal again." Tahlia wanted to play as much as possible, soaking up the knowledge quickly. The next round was victory as she laid down a straight, grinning when Taker folded. "I won? I actually won? Yes!" Popping her fist in the air, Tahlia jumped up and moved around the table to sit sideways on his lap. "You're a great teacher." She kissed him, caressing his face and sliding her fingers through his hair, only breaking it when they needed air. "Mmm thank you for teaching me."

"Oh you're very welcome, darlin'," Taker rumbled, an arm looped around her waist as he rolled his forehead against hers. "But I'll admit, it wasn't entirely for your benefit. I want to see the looks on those cheating bastards' faces when you come in and play like a pro." He reached for his cigar and took a puff, offering it to her. She took it and he was probably in love at this point. "Come on, up." He'd help set the table and whatnot, slapping her backside playfully once her feet were on the floor.

After a few more rounds of poker, dinner finished and they ate in companionable silence. Tahlia could get used to doing this with him, envisioning her life in Texas. That's where he would want to stay once he was done with wrestling, if that time ever came. Taker had a lot of years left in him, he was in his prime and took care of himself the same way she did. The only obstacle standing in her way was Gunner and how he'd react to her when they finally met. She wondered when that meeting would come, figuring they first had to deal with Shane McMahon. Then again, Taker was full of surprises and it could be at any time he sprung on her they were going to meet the boy.

After dinner, Tahlia was sent out of the kitchen to relax while Taker took care of cleaning up. She told him she'd be outside and to join her when he was finished, kissing him on her way out the balcony screen door linked to the kitchen. It was a chilly night, so she'd grabbed one of his oversized sweatshirts and walked to where she could safely sit on the sand without the waves coming in to drench her.

While she was outside, he began really looking through the house. He was gathering up some… interesting things. It looked like Vince had invested a lot of time and money into this whore, into their little relationship, and all that stuff was going right in his knapsack. He had a feeling Vince would not appreciate any of this getting back to his old lady, or the board of directors, or the general media. A lot of things could be settled with a little blackmail… Once he was finished, Taker headed outside to find Tahlia, not surprised at all to see her on the beach.

Feeling him settle behind her, Tahlia leaned back against him and squished her toes in the sand, the biggest smile on her face. Growing up in New York City, she never had the opportunity to enjoy the little things in life, such as the ocean. They must've been in Florida somewhere, recalling a sign saying the state at some point during their trip here. Of course Sable would hole herself up in a beach house in Florida. It was beautiful out here, she grudgingly admitted, but Tahlia didn't know if a beach house was really her style. Maybe for vacation or something…she was a city girl at heart and always would be.

"What are you thinking about?" She asked after a while, sitting up a little to turn to face him, tilting her head slightly.

"Keeping this house." He said honestly. The location was perfect, it was a beautiful… and on a secluded stretch with a beautiful view. He could see himself keeping it. "Just need to remodel a bit…" He had seen Sable's room, that much pink in a house like this was disgusting. "Do you like it?" Obviously, he'd be expecting her there with him.

She was afraid he'd say something like that. "Honestly, this would be a nice vacation place. I wouldn't mind coming here to chill out and relax like we're doing now. But living here…I don't know about that." He wanted her to be honest, to not be subservient and make her own choices when it came to their relationship. "What about Gunner? Do you think it'd be a good idea to rip him from the only environment he's ever known and all his friends? I think you should stay in Texas with him…it suits you both. You were so happy when you came back from seeing him. I don't see that happiness when you're here with me. I don't think you'd enjoy being here permanently, but like I said, a vacation home would be great…besides hurricane season." She fingered his goatee, missing the beard because she enjoyed twirling her finger around it and softly brushed her mouth against his. "It doesn't bother you I add him to our conversations, when we're alone, does it?"

He considered her, his expression neutral. "It bothers me that you presume to know his state of mind, or what his preference would be." He said finally, honestly. "And as for ripping him from anything, you… just don't. You know only what I've told you about him." Taker wasn't trying to be harsh, but to have someone who had never met his son, didn't know the boy, make assumptions… it was irritating and something he had dealt with on several occasions. Most people assumed because of his career and that he was a male raising a child solo, he had no idea what he was doing. "I wouldn't move here permanently either. I don't know why you'd think that…" He preferred his two homes in Texas, but vacation houses were also fun. It meant Gunner and him could visit any environment, have fun, and then return back home when all was said and done.

"I never know what's going through your head, Taker. And from now on, I won't mention your son at all. Like you said, I don't know him. You do what you want." Speaking her mind had been a huge mistake as Tahlia stood up, suddenly not in the mood to cuddle with him anymore. "I'm going for a walk. Don't follow me." It was an order.

She needed time to mull over his words and think about things. Sometimes, a person just needed to be alone. Tahlia looked out at the ocean while she walked away, the wind blowing through her hair and drying the tears on her face. She hadn't meant to assume anything when it came to Gunner; she was merely trying to put the boy first and had put her foot in her mouth. Gunner was not her responsibility or business, so she would keep tight-lipped about him from here on out. Hell, all her and Taker did was have sex…and threw in the occasional torture of someone they didn't like. Was that really a healthy relationship? Maybe meeting Gunner wasn't a good idea…Taker hadn't even told her he loved her, so she doubted he felt a fraction of what she felt for him.

That was the worst part – loving a man who didn't love her back.

Shaking his head, Taker laid backwards on the now cold sand, enjoying the chill that seeped through his clothing. He folded his hands underneath his head and stared up into the starry sky, enjoying the sound of the waves gently breaking on the shore as background ambiance. He never would understand Tahlia. It was obvious she didn't handle honesty very well, especially if it wasn't anything what she deemed positive. He had been honest with her and hadn't snapped like his first impulse. She'd get over it, eventually.

Not returning until the sun came up, Tahlia was dead on her feet from all the walking she'd done and trudged into the house. Taker had left the beach and she could hear him snoring like a freight train in the room they shared. Instead of bothering him, she just opted for the couch in the living room and laid down on it, staring up at the ceiling. She had cried, gotten her emotions out and felt lifeless, barely above to roll over on her side before darkness claimed her body.

"Now be a good little bitch and tell your lover how much you miss him." Tahlia taunted, holding the video camera up to Sable's face and smirked viciously, smacking her upside the head. "Make it good, slut. Go ahead, tell him to come save you."

Sable wasn't playing games and shook her head, the gag preventing her from screaming. Her face was tear-streaked, dirty and she hadn't eaten anything in what felt like days. How Undertaker and Tahlia managed to find this place was beyond her since Vince had assured her it was completely secluded and not even on the map.

"Boring. Oh well, we got what we needed from you anyway." Tahlia bashed her head against the wine cellar, knocking her out and undid the bounds from her wrists and ankles. They were leaving; it was time to get back on the road. "Thanks." She tossed the camera at Taker on her way up the stairs, all of their things already packed up ready to go. She had on jeans and a purple tank top, her hair braided back since they'd be on the bike again.

She had sort of walled herself off from him again and he knew when it had begun. When they had that conversation, of sorts, on the beach. She apparently just didn't recover from being told his truth and how he felt when it came to her opinion and his son. Taker didn't know what to say to her to make things better and he sure as hell wasn't apologizing for being honest. She'd figure it out.

"No more head shots on her." He ordered, studying Sable. "She's going to wind up with a concussion."

They were leaving, but that was for future reference. He had hoped something inside the blonde would be addled and set her on the straight. However, every time that gag had come out, she had let her mouth write checks her backside couldn't cash.