Chapter 6
"I will." She sighed and slowly slid from his lap, wrapping her arms around herself, her tears subsiding. "I suppose I should go find out what all this job entails." When he offered to escort her, Grace couldn't say no even if she wanted too. Quickly washing her face and reapplying her makeup, Grace walked out of the bathroom looking fresh and brand new, walking out of Steve's locker room and didn't mind when his arm wrapped around her shoulders. He was her protector, though she also knew he wouldn't always be there for her. 'I think I'm going to take self-defense classes.' She thought, nodding as if making the decision, knowing she couldn't take any chances with the Undertaker around.
Apparently Steve was thinking along the same lines because, out of the blue, he said, "You know, there's an instructor that comes once or twice a week to work with the women here, the female wrestlers. He's a self-defense instructor." He hated to admit it, but sexual harassment was a problem. Not that he was one of the guys who'd been doing the harassing, but... "Maybe you ought to check into it?"
She stopped and stared up at him, a disbelieving smile on her face, taking his hand in hers. "You're a mind reader." When he chuckled, she joined in and shook her head before leaning against him, slowly pulling back to stare into his blue eyes. "I would much prefer if you taught me, but I'll keep that in mind too." She winked and felt him grab her hand, entwining their fingers together as he led her down the hallway toward Vince McMahon's office. "On second thought, maybe I'll do both just to be on the safe side."
"I could teach you a few things." Steve said amicably, warming up to that idea. "A few easy wrestling moves that are really damn effective." How to throw one hell of a roundhouse punch was on that list as well as maybe a haymaker. He smirked at the idea of Grace breaking 'Taker's nose or jaw with one of those, unable to keep the humor from his thoughts off his face. "This is it." He halted outside the door, knowing his boss wasn't too keen on him. "You should probably talk to him alone, me and Vince don't always see eye to eye."
"Oh okay." She smiled back at him, stopping him before he could walk away, and kissed his cheek softly. "Thank you." She whispered in his ear, those beautiful blue eyes melting her into a puddle and she agreed to come back to his locker room when she was done. She was definitely riding back to the hotel with him and turned around, taking a deep breath before knocking on the door. When she heard him shout 'come in', Grace stepped inside and smiled at Vince McMahon. "We finally meet, Mr. McMahon." She said softly, extending her hand. "I'm Grace Bearer. Thank you for the plane ticket. It was kind of you, sir."
Vince got up from his makeshift desk, walking around to take her hand and then pulled her in for a quick hug. "It's nice to finally meet you." He said jovially, gesturing for Grace to have a seat before dropping back down into his chair. "Paul has told me quite a bit about you, which was one of the reasons I sent you a ticket. And please, call me Vince." He added, smiling at her. "Now what can I do for you Grace? Have you decided about the job?"
"That's actually why I'm here..." She bit her bottom lip and shook her head, remembering what Steve said. "Actually no, that's not the only reason why I'm here." When Vince's eyebrow rose, Grace leaned back in her chair and proceeded to explain what the Undertaker did to her, including everything. "He apparently doesn't seem to know the word no." She finished, seeing the look on Vince's face, and swallowed hard. "As for the job, even after everything I've told you, it's too good of an opportunity to pass up. I heard there was a self-defense instructor that comes here once or twice a week, which I will be attending. I have a right to defend myself against the wrestlers when it comes to that territory, right?"
"Oh yes, of course, most definitely." Vince agreed, snapping out of his shock. He had a hard time believing the Undertaker would do something like that for about thirty seconds. Then reality kicked him in the ass. "If he...assaults you again, please, don't hesitate to let me know, Grace. Of course, if you would like to press charges that is up to you." Of course it wouldn't look too good for his company, but neither would another scandal.
"No, that's fine. I'll let it slide this time. Though I'm going to have additional help with the self-defense." She wasn't going to mention who, remembering what Steve had said about how he and Vince didn't get along, and smiled brightly at him. "Now then Vince, will you tell me what my entire job will involve?" She changed the subject smoothly, one of her traits, and crossed one leg over the other as he began telling her. Basically it was running down to the ring to assist injured wrestlers and helping the trainer, Larry, with anything he needed. Grace signed a contract an hour later and shook hands with Vince, who welcomed her to the World Wrestling Federation. "Thank you sir for the opportunity." She was shocked when Vince hugged her again in a purely professional way before walking out, feeling ten times better than she had when she first arrived. She couldn't wait to tell her dad and Steve.
Mideon crept out from behind the stack of crates he had hidden behind when he heard her coming to the door. He shook his head, reaching up to rub the T with an X over it thoughtfully. He had followed Grace and Steve then listened at the door. Grinning like a mad man he scurried off to report what he had heard back to the Undertaker.
Grace found Steve's locker room and knocked, laughing when he told her to get her little ass inside and immediately embraced her. "You are looking at an official team of the WWF." She was glowing and laughed when he lifted her up, wrapping her legs around his waist, and spun her around in circles, finally setting her down on her feet. Everything that Undertaker had done to her earlier had vanished from her mind. "I told Vince." She said, causing him to nod once before that smile came back to her face again. She quickly whipped her cell phone out and dialed her father's number, grinning when he picked up. "Daddy, I took the job!" Her voice was filled with joy. "And I'm going to take self-defense classes and Steve is going to help me. Isn't that great?!"
Paul was about to leave the room, but seen Mideon creeping in, the man instantly dropping to all fours and crawling over to the Undertaker who inclined his head to hear what his 'dog' was whispering to him, a frown on Paul's face. "That's great, sweetheart." He said, frowning even more when he seen 'Taker's hands clench the edge of his chair. "I'll talk to you more about it tonight, alright? Just...stay where you're at Grace, I'll call you after the show." He hung up, watching as 'Taker rose to his feet.
Grace hung up and stared at the phone, a worried expression on her face, swallowing hard. Though she quickly pushed it aside and smiled over at Steve, who was sitting on his couch enjoying a cold beer. "May I have one?" She asked politely, watching his blue eyes widen slightly, and smiled when he nodded. She grabbed one and popped the top, taking a few long swallows and sighed. "It's been ages since I enjoyed one of these." She leaned against him, nudging him slightly. "Steve, what's wrong?"
"Too long? That's not right; a beer a day keeps ya healthy." He teased, rubbing the top of his head, trying not to frown. Though obviously it didn't do any good as Grace seemed quite able to read him anyways. Wench. "I was just wonderin' what's gonna happen when 'Taker finds out you plan on learnin' to defend yerself." He said quietly. If 'Taker was genuinely interested in tormenting Grace, he would not be happy to learn she was planning on finding ways to dismantle his ass.
Grace hadn't thought about that and suddenly felt the fear consume her, raking a hand through her hair, and took a few deep breaths as she took another swallow of the beer. "Vince told me if he pulls anything again, I can press charges. I'll do that." She quietly said, having a feeling that wouldn't stop Undertaker, but it would give her time to think of something else. "No time like the present to learn, right?" She grinned, wanting to put him back in a good mood, and set her beer down before extending her hands to him. "Show me those moves you were talking about earlier."
"Oh okay." Steve stood up, glancing at the clock to make sure they had the time before approaching her. "Basic self-defense and the instructor will wind up teachin' ya this is to run." He said seriously. "If you can't, a kick to the nuts and not on me if you please. Then..." He sighed. "I'm going to grab ya like 'Taker did okay?" When she nodded, he grinned, humbled a bit by her trust in him and wrapped a hand around her throat, squeezing only enough to lift her up. "Next time someone does to you, use both feet to kick while yer bringing both your forearms down on your attackers arm, right here." He gestured to his inner arm where it bent. "Try it."
Grace nodded and brought her forearms down, having a feeling she wouldn't hurt him and did it, causing Steve to release her after a few times. "I really wish I would've known that last night." She stated standing up, and smiled as she checked him to make sure he was alright.
For the next hour, Steve showed her several moves, such as a Russian leg sweep and an arm bar. That one would hurt because it hyper-extended the elbow, which she did to an extent to Steve. By the time they were finished, Grace was exhausted, though she felt a little more secure with herself.
"Thank you Steve." She knew she'd said that a lot and smiled when he pulled her into his arms, kissing her forehead, and hugged him tightly around the neck.
"You're welcome." Steve chuckled; hugging her back before groaning as a stage hand popped his head inside, letting him know he was on in five. "I have to go, Grace. Help yourself to my beer." He teased, stepping away from her. "I'll be back as soon as my match is done, okay? Lock the door and when I come back, I'll holler so ya know it's me, alright?"
She nodded, not wanting him to go, but also knew he had a job to do. "Be careful." She softly said, his smile warming her heart and locked the door as soon as he was gone. She walked over and sat on the couch, turning the monitor on, and helped herself to another beer, having finished her first one. She smiled at his attitude and shook her head, leaning back, though her head snapped to the side when a knock sounded at the door, knowing Steve was already in the ring. She decided to ignore it, hoping whoever it was went away.
'Taker sighed when his knock was ignored; well aware Grace was in there simply because Mideon had been spying on her again. "Open the door, Grace." He ordered softly, knowing she could hear him, smirking when he heard a soft curse. "I simply wish to talk to you about your father." His tone was calm, soft, knowing if he said one wrong thing she'd never open the damn door.
Grace was nervous and scared now, hearing about her father, tears welling up in her eyes and slowly set her beer down on the table. "You can talk through the door, Undertaker. I don't trust you." She called back, swallowing hard as she tried like hell to be strong, her heart pounding in her chest. When he said all he wanted to do was talk and he promised not to touch her, Grace cursed, knowing Steve wouldn't be back soon enough. Taking a deep breath, she unlocked the door and immediately stepped back, putting plenty of space between them, her fists clenched at her sides. "What about my father?" She asked in a shaky voice, her stomach clenching violently.
He didn't close the door as he stepped into the room, leaving it wide open so she wouldn't feel threatened. "Your father currently suffers from a heart condition. Did you know that?" He asked, watching her face intently, seeing the shock she tried hiding. "No, you wouldn't. He wouldn't tell you simply because he tries to protect you." 'Taker cocked his head to the side for a moment before shrugging. "What I'm getting at, Grace, is that for his sake, I will leave you alone. Paul is important to me and I don't desire seeing him having a heart attack."
She had to sit down, losing the feeling in her legs, and felt the tears spill down her cheeks, covering her mouth with her hand. "Oh my god..." She whispered heartbrokenly, closing her eyes, and immediately backed up on the couch when he took a step towards her, shaking slightly. "H-How long has he had this?" She shakily asked, knowing he was probably the only one who knew about this, and suddenly stood up when he took another step. "Please don't come any closer." She was crying now, terrified of this man, pressing a hand to her throat as if a reminder of what he did the previous night. She would talk to her father about this later.
He hesitated then stopped, staring at her grimly. "A few years. As long as nothing is troubling him, he's usually fine. Though when something agitates him, his heart rate goes up alarmingly high. He didn't and still doesn't want you to know about this. It would hurt his pride if he knew I was here telling you." He raked a hand through his hair.
She didn't care. She was still going to talk to her father about this the next time they were alone, completely alone. "If you're expecting a thank you, forget it. You lost my trust and respect when you decided to force yourself on me last night. I have already told Vince McMahon and if you do it again, I will press charges." She squared her shoulders, wiping her tears away angrily. "I will deal with this in my own way. Now get out before Steve comes back here." She didn't want to even look at him right now, pressing a hand to her stomach, feeling like she might hurl.
"I don't want your trust or your respect because neither hold any interest for me." He informed her haughtily, like she was barely worth his precious time. "I could also care less what you told McMahon and feel free to press charges all you like, you're lacking evidence though, my dear." Not to mention he had enough money to buy his way out of trouble if he ever was caught. "As for Steve...He'll be busy shortly with my Ministry. Go ahead and talk to Paul about his condition, don't be surprised when he denies it. Like I said, he'd do anything to protect his little princess." Snorting, he walked out.