Okay, so this was supposed to be the first date chapter, but it kind of took a life of its own and so I decided to just post it as its own separate chapter. The first date will happen in the next chapter. My plan is to have about three chapters of 2011 and move to 2013 things including WWE storylines. That's my plan. We'll see how it goes. Thanks to all of you that have reviewed the story or are just following it. I'm glad you're liking it so far. Hopefully, this chapter won't disappoint. Please let know your thoughts. :) Sorry for any mistakes. My brain is fried from being mentally exhausted and dealing with 20 four year olds for eight hours. TGIF tomorrow!
Club Trouble
November 11th, 2011
That night, Skye found herself wandering around backstage of the FCW Arena, waiting for Joe's match to begin. He promised to meet up with her before, but she knew that he needed the time to get in the zone, so she wasn't really expecting him to follow through.
She had been instructed to where she could sit and watch the matches backstage, and she was heading in that direction. She halted when she saw Summer walk around out what she assumed was the female talent's locker room, and the woman caught sight of her and sneered, but kept walking.
"Bitch," Skye muttered, before a familiar African American woman stepped out of the same door and froze when she saw Skye standing there.
The woman squealed, "Oh my god, Skye!"
Skye grinned brightly, "Trinity!" The two quickly hugged. "Girl, I haven't seen you since..."
"NXT Season 3," Trinity aka Naomi finished.
Trinity was referring to the NXT competition that she had been a part of while Skyler had been assigned as pro with Naomi's other competitor, AJ Lee, while Kelly Kelly served as her pro.
"Yeah, it's been a busy year," Trinity remarked with chuckle.
"So, how have you been," Skye asked as the two moved off to the side and out of the way to talk.
"Good, good," Trinity answered and casually held up her left hand, showing off her gorgeous engagement ring.
Skye gasped, "No way, congrats! Who is the lucky man?"
"Thank you! His name is Jonathan Fatu..."
Skye's eyes widened, "Jimmy Uso? That makes you the Trinity aka the woman he can't stop gushing over."
The other woman grinned, "Yeah that would be me. He told me that you were coming down to meet up with his cousin. How are things going with you two?"
Skye couldn't contain her smile, "Things are great. I mean I got into Tampa last night and we sort have just been hanging out. We've planned on going on our first date tomorrow afternoon at some undisclosed location that Joe's is being hush-hush about."
"Aw," Trinity gushed. "It sounds like he's really smitten by you. So, when do you leave?"
With a frown, Skye answered, "My flight leaves tomorrow around eight."
Trinity placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, "I know the distance can be hard. Believe me, I get it."
"How do you make it work," Skye asked in frustration. "I mean we call and video chat as much as we can, but this is just the second time I've seen him in person and now I know that there's definitely something there between us. I just don't know how I'm going to handle being away from him or how this is going to work out. I've already had so many failed relationships in this business and I can't go through another one."
"It's not ideal that's for sure," Trinity admitted, but smiled encouragingly. "But it's possible when you're both on the same page and make the effort. Just like Jon and I, I mean my schedule is less hectic than his, so I do have to make more sacrifices to see him now that his career is taking off, but he tries his best to come out to see me too. Just like this weekend, I mean he's flying out today to see me wrestle and spend the night with me and leaving tomorrow afternoon. Yeah it's barely twelve hours, but it's worth it just to see him. I mean we get to spend a night home together and I can't beat that."
Skye nodded slowly, taking in the woman's words.
"He tries really hard to see me at least once a week. It's exhausting for him, but he says I'm worth it. You and Joe can try and work something out so you can see each other more. It just seems all hectic now, but it'll work out."
"I hope so," Skye replied sheepishly before being grabbed from behind in an elaborate hug which resulted in her being lifted up in the air and shakened.
"If it isn't my favorite diva in the WWE," the voice greeted exuberantly.
"Put her down, player," Trinity scolded her fiancée, who merely laughed and lowered Skye back down.
"Jon," Skye remarked with a laugh. "Too bad we couldn't have traveled here together. You would have made the trip back over the pond more entertaining than it ended up being."
"True that," Jon agreed, laughing. "We had a hell of a time on the way over, didn't we girlie?" She nodded in agreement and watched with a smile as he pulled Trinity into a hug. "Hey, babe. Sorry, the traffic getting here was a bitch."
"It's okay," Trinity told him, accepting his kiss as an apology. When they pulled away, she looked Skye's way, "Look, I know you're here to watch Joe compete, but I would love it if you could maybe watch my match tonight and give me some pointers of what to work on."
Her request really floored Skye so much that she stared at the woman in surprise. "Really? I mean yeah, sure. I'd love to." She smiled at both of them. "Well I'll let you guys visit with each other, but maybe I can manage to get myself ringside during your match, girl."
"Sounds good," Trinity said nodding, giving the other woman an excited hug.
"Well I'll catch up with you guys later."
"We'll plan something for tonight maybe," Jon said with his arm around his fiancée. "I don't get to hang out with my cousin much. Maybe hit up a club, so I can show you and cuz my fabulous dance skills?"
She laughed. "I'll run it by Joe." With a slight wave, she turned and began walking away from them.
After leaving the engaged couple behind, she found herself weaving her way through FCW stagehands before nearly being run over by a dark-haired man wearing a t-shirt and wrestling trunks. The man quickly halted, catching sight of her and grinned.
"Well, hello there," he greeted, smoothly.
There was something very off about the man's grin. It seemed very fake and immediately she had her guard up. "Hello," she replied and stepped forward to pass him, but he blocked her path.
"So, Skyler Grace is gracing us simple folk here in FCW with her presence. How kind of you," he remarked condescendingly, his eyes raking over her.
She wrapped her arms around herself due to the uneasiness of his gaze and snorted, "I suppose. If you excuse me, I'm looking for someone."
"Well, you found him," he answered cockily. He extended his hand, "I'm Brad."
"I'm not interested," she stated simply, not shaking his hand. She tried to move past him again, but he made a quick sidestep and prevented her from passing. "Please, move, Brad."
"And if I don't?" He grinned flirtatiously down at her, bringing a hand up to touch her face, but she quickly smacked his hand away.
"Don't you dare touch me," she growled, her eyes filled with anger.
He merely cackled, "You are a feisty one. I like that in a woman. It makes all the female talent down here seem so innocent. Are you innocent, Skyler?"
"Just leave me alone," she requested, heatedly.
He pretended to think it over then shrugged a shoulder, "Where's the fun in that?"
She opened her mouth to make some snappy remark, but stopped when a deep, raspy voice behind Skye spoke up, "You got a problem, Maddox?"
Turning, Skye found Dean Ambrose standing behind her dressed in street clothes, his hair messy as usual.
"Just trying to get to know Skyler here," Brad answered, shrugging. "It doesn't concern you, Ambrose, so mind your business."
"She's spoken for," Dean told him before waving his hand at Brad dismissively. "So, move it along."
Brad eyed Dean a moment then glanced at Skye in amusement, obviously getting the wrong impression of Dean's interference. "Spoken for? Baby, I am so much better than this bastard. I'd be more than happy to show you."
"Make one move in her direction, Maddox, and your ass is mine," Dean growled, taking a step forward only to be blocked by Skye who really didn't want this to end in a brawl.
"He's not worth it, Ambrose," she told him softly. He eyed her with his blue eyes, but continued advancing forward only to be pushed back by Skye. "Seriously, just walk away."
Fearing that she was going to have to break up an upcoming brawl, she was relieved when a third voice broke through the tension. "Everything okay over here," it asked.
Recognizing the voice, Skye smiled and glanced behind Brad.
Dressed in a t-shirt and wrestling trunks, Joe smiled at her, "Hey, baby girl. Are these guys giving you trouble?" He eyed Dean for a moment, but focused on Brad the most. Obviously, he could tell from everyone's body language that the perpetrator had been Brad and not Dean.
"Just one of them," Skye answered, glaring at Brad, who seemed to cower at the presence of Joe behind him.
"Yeah," Dean commented, smirking. "Found him bothering your girl."
Brad chuckled, uneasily and stated, "I meant no harm."
"Sure you didn't," Joe mocked with dark eyes. "Here's a hint, Maddox. When a woman isn't interested, walk away like a real man. Now apologize and get the hell out of here."
Gaining an ounce of confidence, Brad puffed his chest out, "I don't have to apologize for anything especially not to some stuck up...b" He never got the opportunity to finish his statement for Joe had roughly grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and shoved him into the nearest wall.
"I dare you to finish that statement," he growled, challengingly. "I'm warning you, if you even think of bothering this woman again or even glance in her direction while she is here and I find out about it – your ass is done for. Do I make myself clear?"
With a clenched jaw, Brad nodded quickly and Joe released him, shoving him in the opposite direction from where they were standing.
With a glare in Skye's direction, Brad fixed his shirt then disappeared around the corner.
Dean snorted, "You've gone soft, man. Maddox deserved a lot more than just a shove into a wall."
"I think he handled it perfectly," Skye stated in Joe's defense with mild adoration upon her face. It's not every day that her honor is defended by a very sexy gentleman.
"You okay," Joe asked, dismissing Ambrose's comment and stepping forward and wrapping an arm around her.
"I'm fine. He was just being a jerk. I can handle jerks," she said to him, smiling. She looked over at Dean. "Thanks for stepping in."
"Anytime, darlin'," Dean answered, grinning.
Skye rolled her eyes, but knew that she didn't have to worry about Dean like she had to worry about Brad. Dean was just a flirt, but a flirt that knew when to back off.
"So, I ran into your cousin and Trinity," she told Joe. "They would like to get together tonight – maybe go to a club or something?"
"It's up to you," he answered. "You're the one visiting."
She shrugged a shoulder, "It sounds like fun." She glanced back over at Dean. "Interested, Ambrose? I'll buy the first round of drinks."
"Can't pass that up," Dean remarked. "I'll see if Seth's up for it." He glanced over at Joe. "Good luck tonight, man."
"Thanks," Joe stated, nodding his head. "And thanks for looking out for her."
Dean acknowledged him with a shrug, "I wasn't too worried about her. I've been on the receiving end of a slap from this woman. She can clearly take care of herself."
"Damn straight," Skye agreed, causing both men to chuckle.
"Call me with the details," Dean said to Joe then smiled at Skye. "It was a pleasure, my dear." With a quick wave, he was on his way.
"Are you sure that you're okay," Joe asked again, still ticked off at Brad harassing the woman before him.
"Yes," she reiterated firmly. "Joe, don't let a guy like Maddox get into your head. Yeah, he was a total douche, but not worth risking getting fired over."
"He disrespected you," he reminded, tightly.
"So, what, you're going to go beat up every guy that has a negative thing to say about me," she questioned, amused. "Because, honey, that might take the rest of your life."
"If I have to," he answered, softly chuckling.
"My hero," she teased, hugging her arms around his waist.
"Ha, ha," he stated, dryly. Shaking his head, he smiled at her. "Come on, I'll show you where you can watch the matches and hopefully avoid any other run-ins with Maddox."
The show went smashingly well. After watching a great three diva tag-team match, she got to enjoy seeing Brad get his ass kicked in his own tag-team match before Joe's match finally arrived. She watched proudly as her guy delivered one hell of a show.
Since this was her first time seeing him wrestle, her eyes were glued to the television screen in the back. Seeing him in just his wrestling trunks was definitely a sight to be seen. The man was built solidly and he was very talented in the ring. When he won via pinfall, she cheered and turned to hug Trinity who had joined her and Jon to watch the rest of the matches.
Later that night, Skye was putting in a pair of looped earrings when she heard a knock sound at her hotel room door. Smoothing her hands over her dress, she stared at her reflection one last time before grabbing the small clutch on the vanity.
Moments later, she pulled open the door and found Joe standing there dressed in dark, denim jeans and a black polo shirt. It was simple attire, but on him it was just wow. As her eyes took in biceps that looked ready to burst out of his sleeves, she greeted him, "Evening."
His eyes looked her up and down before stepping forward to kiss her softly, "You look gorgeous."
Staring down at her off the shoulder, royal blue, t-shirt styled dress, Skye laughed softly, "Thanks." Her eyes lifted to meet his again. "You look pretty good yourself."
He held his hand out to her, "Are you ready?" Nodding, she took his hand and closed the door behind her.
An hour later, she was sipping on her martini as she talked with Trinity about her match. After having a shot with the group that she paid for, she was pacing herself for the rest of the night. She wasn't Straight Edge like her brother, but she wasn't a heavy drinker either. Two was usually her limit even if she was buzzed or not.
"Okay, I've seen enough," Trinity laughed as she stared out at the dance floor at her dancing fiancée. She shook her head. "The fool looks crazy out there by himself." Skye laughed and watched the woman join her man.
Someone came up to take the barstool beside her and she smiled slightly at Dean who was sipping his beer. "Having fun?"
"Eh," he answered with a shrug. "It's better than sitting in the hotel, I suppose." He glanced around. "Where's your guy?"
"I wouldn't really call him my guy," she corrected with a chuckle, but nodded toward the exit. "He got a phone call, so he went somewhere quieter."
"So, you guys haven't established what you are yet," Dean asked with a smirk. She shrugged and shook her head. "It's pretty clear to everyone in the vicinity that you guys are a thing."
"You don't know what you're talking about, Dean," she responded back with another laugh.
"It's Jon," he stated simply. "I figure if we're going to be hanging around each other because of the big guy then you should call me by my given name."
Smiling, she nodded, "Whatever you say, Jonny."
He glared at her, "It's Jon – not Jonny."
She snickered, "Well, I already call Trinity's Jon, Jon, so it'll have to be Jonny to avoid confusion." She slipped off her stool and patted his shoulder. "You'll learn to love it, I promise. Will you tell Joe when he comes back that I'll be in the restroom?"
He snorted, "I'm not your messenger boy."
Skye rolled her eyes, "Jonny, be a friend and tell Joe where I am, please?"
"Fine," he uttered.
Shaking her head, she turned and walked in the direction of the restrooms. After spending several minutes in the long line, she finally was able to step inside and do her business. Once she finished, washed her hands, and checked her appearance in the mirror, she walked out and nearly groaned when she saw Brad Maddox leaning against the opposite wall where the men's restroom were located, appearing to have been waiting for her.
"I'm not in the mood," she told him, simply and moved past him. He jerked her back by her wrist, causing her to release a yelp.
"I don't care if you're in the mood," he growled, obviously drunk off his ass. "You and you're half-wit boyfriend embarrassed me."
With rage in her eyes, she tried to pull herself free, "Don't you dare talk about him like that! Now, let go of me, asshole!"
He chuckled angrily, "I don't think so." He tugged her toward the back exit. "Let's go somewhere quieter shall we?"
Once they were outside, she continued to fight out of his hold, but he still managed to drag her into a small alleyway.
He guided her back into a brick wall, "Now, we can talk." He smirked, stepping closer.
"You're drunk," she pointed out, with her free hand up. "Don't do something you'll regret later, Brad. Think about your career."
"I'm only giving you what you want," he pointed out, cockily.
"I don't want this," she reiterated, shoving him away as best as she can. "Now let me go!"
He released her wrist, pressing his body into hers. "How do you know unless you allow me to show you?"
Finally having enough, she grabbed his shoulder and reared her knee back then forward, kneeing him roughly in the crotch sending his body backwards.
With a satisfied smile, she began making her way out of the alleyway only hear him snap, "You bitch!" He regained his bearings and advanced toward her.
"What the hell is this," Joe's voice broke through darkness as he appeared out of nowhere. His eyes quickly took in Skye's appearance, seeing the fear in her eyes. His dark orbs narrowed as he set his sights on Brad who was struggling and holding his nether region. "I'll kill you," he growled, darting forward and shoving Brad down to the pavement.
"Joe," she cried out, hurrying after him.
"What's going on," Colby asked appearing through the same door that she and Brad had exited with Jon by his side.
"Joe is about to murder Brad," she filled in quickly. "Help me, please!"
"Why," Jon asked in confusion, watching as Joe grabbed Brad up by the collar, dragging him up to his feet. "The bastard deserves it."
Skye glared at him in annoyance then pleadingly glance over to the dark-headed man on his left. "Colby, please?"
Sighing, Colby took a few quick steps forward to break it up, but not before Joe reared back and clocked Brad on the jaw.
"I warned you, Maddox," he roared, preparing to hit the man again. "What were you planning on doing with her out here, huh? Were you going to force yourself on her? Is that it?"
"Joe, come on," Colby tried to reason. "He's drunk. He wouldn't stoop that low."
"You don't know that," Joe spat, pushing his friend away. "He still dragged her out here against her will."
Skye rushed forward, blocking him from going after Brad again. "Colby's right. He's very drunk. Look at him. He can barely stand on his two feet."
"He harassed you at the arena and he was clearly not drunk then."
"He was being a cocky bastard," she pointed out. "I deal with it from time to time. Yes, he went too far tonight, but let's not take this to a place that it could get more serious. You've made it very clear to him that he's out of line, so let's go back inside and have fun. Please?"
"I can't just let him get away with putting his hands on you," Joe stated, breathing heavily and his eyes narrowed in slits at the man in question.
"I'm okay," she assured him. "Come on. I haven't got a chance to dance with you yet." When he shook his head and continued to glare at Brad, she placed her hands on his chest. "Look at me, Joe." It took a few coaxes before his eyes locked onto hers. "Calm down. I appreciate you so much for thinking you need to fight for me, but I need you to please walk away from this. I don't want to spend the rest of my trip in a police station trying to bail you out." She cracked a smile, hoping to ease the tension a bit.
"Could be fun," Jon spoke up in mild interest.
Throwing a glare his way, Skye sighed, "Not the time, Jonny." Her eyes reconnected with the big man in front of her. "Come on, big guy. Just walk away."
Joe stared into her eyes a few moments and slowly his body relaxed. He nodded. "Okay, let's go back inside."
She leaned upward to press a firm kiss to his lips, and pulled back, "Good. Now let's show me those dance moves of yours."
He chuckled lightly and allowed her to pull him toward the door. Colby and Jon took it upon themselves to put the bruised up Brad into a cab nearby before heading back into the club.
"So, Jonny," Colby asked, amused.
Jon rolled his eyes, "You try arguing with her. You just wait. She'll come up with a name for you too. And I hope it's horrible."
Colby chuckled and slapped his back. "You've made a friend. It's adorable."
"Fuck you," Jon muttered, shaking his head.
After dancing a few fast songs with the beautiful woman in his arms, Joe excused himself to go get a quick drink leaving Trinity and Skye on the dance floor while his cousin joined him at the bar.
"So, I heard about what happened outside," his cousin spoke up, taking a sip of his beer.
"Yeah it was messed up," Joe replied, keeping his eyes on Skye dancing in the crowd. After what happened outside, he didn't want to lose sight of her for a single minute. "Somehow she managed to talk me into letting the guy go and not beat his face in."
After a few moments of watching his cousin's eyes never leaving the WWE diva, he grinned and commented, "You're pretty into her, huh?"
"That would be an understatement at this point," Joe confirmed, shaking his head. "It's weird, man. It hasn't even been a month since we started talking. Our first date is tomorrow. I've spent a total of 24 hours with her and I'm falling hard already. It's crazy, right? There's still so much we have to learn about each other and I'm already head over heels for the woman. Hell, I almost kicked someone's ass in her honor!"
Jon chuckled, "There's nothing wrong with that. Sometimes when you got that kind of chemistry there's no point in denying it. Just gotta let it happen."
"I don't want to rush things and fall too hard, too fast and scare her off. I feel like she might not be there yet and I don't want to force her into anything that she's not ready for."
"You won't," his cousin assured. "Just don't fight it. It's clear to everybody that there's definitely something deep between with you two."
Joe smiled as his eyes locked with Skye's and she blew him a kiss before turning to continue with her dancing.
"Does she know about her yet," Jon asked, causing Joe's eyes to drop from watching Skye.
"No," Joe answered softly.
"Man," Jon groaned. "You haven't told her yet? What the hell are you waiting for?" When his cousin shrugged lamely, he sighed, "She's going to find out about her eventually. You need to come clean and let her know that she's not the only girl in your life."
"I will," Joe argued, downing the rest of his drink. "Just not right now, okay?"
Jon shook his head, "Whatever. It's your choice. If it blows up in your face then at least I tried to warn you."
When the night finally ended at 3am, the group headed back to the hotel. After saying their goodbyes to Jon and Trinity, Colby, and Jon, Joe accompanied Skye up to her room.
"Well that was fun," she admitted, as she fished around her clutch for her keycard.
"It was," he agreed.
She grinned back at him, "You've got some decent dance moves for a large fellow."
He laughed, "It's kind of a family talent if you haven't already been able to tell after watching Jon."
She giggled, "Yeah. It must be a Samoan thing." When she got door unlocked and pushed open, she turned around. "I'd invite you in, but it's a little late."
"I understand," he stated, nodding. "No worries."
She smiled slightly, "You really are a good guy, Joe. I don't think I deserve you."
"Why's that, baby girl," he asked, taking a step forward.
"Past experiences," she said simply, shrugging.
He didn't press her to continue, but instead pulled her against his chest. Using his index finger, he lifted her chin, "Well, the past is the past. Whoever gave you up didn't deserve you. That's my gain, baby girl."
"Stop calling me that," she whispered teasingly. "It makes it harder to not swoon in your presence. I need to maintain some sense of self-control."
"Do I overwhelm you," he questioned, his eyes dancing with amusement.
"More than you know," she admitted. "It certainly makes it hard to take things slow with you, but I just don't want to ruin anything by jumping in too fast."
"I know," he whispered, cupping her face in his palm. "I try to keep my affection towards you to a minimum if that's what you would like."
Shaking her head, she answered leaning upward, "No need for that. I will just have to discipline myself against your flirty ways."
When their lips were just a mere breath a part, he chuckled lightly, "So, it's all on me? Do you realize what you do to me, woman?"
Tilting her head slightly, she answered, brazenly, "I have an idea." Her arms circled around his waist, pulling him closer and he took it upon himself to close the distance and capture her lips.
The two settled into the kiss before he took slight control and deepened it, causing her to press into him, responding eagerly. For the past 24 hours they had enjoy simple, innocent kisses, but this kiss had more intensity behind it.
Soon she felt her back being pressed against the doorframe as their lips parted, allowing their breaths to mingle with the others which sent chills up her spine.
Pulling back, he chuckled, "I need to stop this or else I'm going to find it very hard not to." He lightly kissed her pursed lips. "You're intoxicating."
"You're one to talk," she said accusingly. "You make it very hard to resist you."
"The feeling is definitely mutual," he threw back, stepping away. "It's late. We both need our sleep."
She nodded, "So, Trinity asked me if I wanted to get pampered in the morning while you take Jon to the airport and go do your interviews."
"You should," he told her. "I'll come by about two o'clock for our date."
"Sounds good," she answered, smiling. "Good night."
He returned the smile, "Night." He turned and headed toward the elevators.
Spinning around, she entered her room with an extra bounce in her step and got ready for bed.