Chapter 3 – Definitely Offended

It felt familiar. It always felt familiar. She came home and could hear the TV through the closed windows and doors, but could hear her step-father screaming at the top of his lung at her mother completely drowning out the already too loud TV; while she stood on the porch. She turned and her violet eyes looked around to make sure no one else in the heavily populated neighborhood could hear. Thank God. No one was outside. It would have been embarrassing otherwise.

Shaking her head she turned the door knob and walked into the house she used to call her home; now it was more like a prison or even a torture chamber. She cringed as she closed the door louder than she wanted as both their heads snapped in her direction.

She watched as her step-father stalked over to her. "Just where in the hell have you been you fuckin little brat?" He demanded as his boozed scented breath wafted in her face.

She shook her head. "I was at school and stayed to talk to my Algebra teacher about the homework assignment." That was a blatant lie. She stayed in the girl's bathroom in the school as long as she possibly could until the janitors started locking up. She physically jumped as her step-father grabbed her wrist with one hand and with his free hand slapped his open palm against the wall.

"DON'T LIE TO YOUR FATHER YOUNG LADY." Tom Ballard screamed at the top of his lungs.

"You're not my father." She mumbled under her breath.

Tom cocked his head to the side. "What did you say?"

She cleared her throat. "You're not my father." She stated in a clear voice. Within 3 seconds of the words leaving her lips she was shoved face first into the back of the front door as her arm was twisted around and a sickening crunch was heard as she yelped out as a burning pain radiated through her wrist and forearm.

Kira sat up with a gasp as she looked at her left wrist. She must've been sleeping on it the pins and needles feeling was flowing up and down her arm from the tips of her fingers to her elbow. Every time she felt that she had the same dream. The dream was always the same argument she had with her Step-father. It was also the last time he ever laid a hand on her; after she was released from the hospital the following day with her broken wrist in a cast. Both her mother and step-father were at work she packed her stuff and she left; never returning again.

The following week for Kira was chalked full of work and studying. Even on her breaks she would sit at the bar and study. Matt walked over and set a glass of ice water down and some fried shrimp rice. "So mom tells me you had your first run in with my baby bro – how did that go?"

Kira rolled her eyes as she sipped the water. "Do you want the truth or do you want me to lie to you?" She asked with a scoff.

Matt laughed hard from the back of his throat as he slung his arm around her shoulders and gave her a squeeze. "Don't let him bother you. He's very guarded right now. He went through a bad break up with his girl about 3 months ago and he's turned into a bit of a bear. He's usually pretty laid back and fun but she really tore him up. He was so sprung on that girl he was going to ask her to marry him and then she lowered the boom and broke him. He's turned into every bit of his wrestling persona that he could possibly be." Matt sighed with a shake of his head. "He's good around family and friends but strangers are a different thing."

Kira scoffed again. "Yea well I was a smart mouth and he threatened to have me arrested if any of his stuff went missing or I was trying to get close to his family through his mother."

Matt cringed. "Well I never said he was the brightest! But he is the most protective when it comes to our family." Matt shook his head. Roman really could be a dick if he wanted to. "So why don't you go home and study? Your shift has been over for a couple of hours."

Kira shook her head. "Honestly, it's too quiet at my apartment. Even with my earbuds in my MP3 player can't getting the silence out of my place."

Matt chuckled. "You are a strange one I will admit. You are the first girl to ever not be able to study in complete silence. When Roman was in high school he used to throw shit at me for being loud in the house. But I was sort of being noisy on purpose." Matt admitted.

Kira couldn't help laughing as she pointed her pencil at him. "You just love being an instigator don't you?" Matt laughed hard as he shrugged trying to be innocent. "You so can't be innocent Matthew! It doesn't work for you; you look too guilty." She accused with a smile.

Loud boisterous laughing pulled Matt and Kira's attention from their conversation to the entrance where Roman, Seth and Dean were standing. Matt chuckled as he shook his head. "He does know how to make an entrance."

Kira closed up her books with a roll of her eyes. "And how to be a first rate jack ass." Kira winked at Matt when he started laughing and agreeing with her. "I'm officially bailing to go take my first mid-term. I'll be back for the dinner rush in a couple of hours."

Matt stood as he gave her another squeeze. "Just worry about your test, if you have time once you're finished c'mon back and I'll give you all the overtime you and the girls can handle." Kira nodded and Matt watched as she started to leave. "Hey Kira…" She stopped and looked back at her boss. "Good luck." He stated as he tossed a green apple at her.

Kira caught the flying green fruit; he knew it was her favorite kind of apple. "Thanks Mattie. I'll see you in an hour or so." She turned and left.

Matt watched as she left before he felt his little brother's eyes on him. "Don't even say it Roman."

Roman narrowed his eyes. "Well someone should say it. Why not me? Does Mandy know about your little flavor working here?"

Matt growled. "Don't push me Roman. I'm not some co-work who will job to you. I will NOT have you disrespecting my marriage with Mandy and I will NOT have you disrespecting my employees. Kira is an employee and a friend of the family and if you have issues with that then you should take it up with mom and dad. They are the ones that pulled her into the family just like they have every other employee that works for me. Why you're treating Kira any differently is beyond me. You don't even know the girl."

"I just think it's virtually impossible for some chick in their twenties to not know who we are; not with as big as we are in WWE right now." Roman stated with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Yea well I hate to break it to you little brother, but you're not the center of everyone's attention." Matt said in a snarky tone getting Roman's full attention. "You don't command the universe so there are people out there who don't watch wrestling and don't understand what our family is to the professional wrestling world." Matt pointed out not so delicately.

Roman shook his head. "For your sake and for Mandy's I really hope you aren't messing around with that little chick; she could get you into a whole heap of trouble and you could lose everything that you hold dear in your life."

Matt's growing annoyance with his little brother caused him to growl slightly. "Roman knock it off. You're going to make do something I'll regret." Matt warned.

Roman nodded. "Okay big brother, but don't say I didn't warn you." Roman walked away as he left his brother with that thought; joining his stable mates in a booth as they started ordering lunch. Roman couldn't help shaking the feeling that something was most definitely going on between his brother and that Kira chick. But for now he would do as Matt requested and leave the subject alone; well at least to Matt it would look like Roman was dropping it.

The following week Kira went to Roman's house and started cleaning; to be more accurate she started cleaning downstairs. That was her first mistake. Her second mistake was thinking no one was in the house. She did the downstairs first because she dreaded the thought of doing Roman's bedroom again; especially after what she'd found last time.

Once she finished the downstairs she'd grabbed her cleaning supplies and headed upstairs; cleaning the spare bathroom first since she could tell it was rarely used plus the two spare bedrooms which was obviously used by his two friends from the road. She was shocked and surprised when the beds were actually made up and shook her head. It was a nice gesture but clearly the beds were used so she stripped them and washed the sheets and pillow cases and put fresh sheets on the bed.

When she moved to the master bedroom she thought it was oddly strange that the door was locked. Well it was only oddly strange until she pulled her earbuds out of her ears and heard the distinct sound of a woman moaning with wanton pleasure; soon following by grunts and growls. Damn earbuds; third mistake.

As she turned and left the upstairs she suddenly realized she'd passed Roman's suitcase in the laundry room. She put all the cleaning things up and decided she was finished for the day. She wasn't going to hang around and wait for him to finish just to clean the bedroom. She grabbed the grocery list off the fridge and the money he left her and decided she'd clean after she did the shopping the next day.

There was something about having the knowledge that Roman was with some girl in his room that made her insides turn and her tummy queasy. Why should she care if he was screwing some girl? It wasn't any of her business.

The following morning Kira went to Wal-mart first like she'd done before and got as much of the groceries there and then went to the grocery store. Surprisingly enough it actually took less time than it did the first time. When she got to the house she unloaded the groceries and was putting them away.

"Well - well if it isn't Mrs. Clean." Roman's deep voice resonated around the kitchen.

"Well – Well if it isn't Pig Pen." Kira smarted off back.

"Enough with the Charlie Brown reference. I know the place was a wreck but I had my reasons." Roman grunted out. "Why weren't you here yesterday?" He asked.

Kira shook her head. "Oh I was here. I cleaned every place but your room."

"And why is that?" Roman asked curiously.

"Because as much as I wanted to get it done and only have grocery shopping and laundry to do today; I'm not into voyeurism. There was way too much moaning, groaning, grunting and growling coming from your room for me to think you were just entertaining a group of wolves." Kira answered honestly.

Roman smirked. So she had heard him. He thought he heard someone in the house, but he wasn't about to stop getting the piece of ass he'd worked for. There was something in the way she carried herself that made him generally curious about her. "So are you fuckin my brother?" Roman was blunt; sometimes a little too blunt, but if his brother wasn't talking maybe she would.

"Wow zero sugar coating. I like that. But unfortunately, I don't sleep with married men. Too awkward and hard to get them to leave their wife later when you get attached." Kira said with a smirk.

Roman shook his head. "You answered that way too good. So you've been a home wrecker before huh? I knew something was going on."

Kira couldn't help laughing. "Let's get one thing straight. I'm not now nor have I ever been a home wrecker. Your brother, his wife and their three kids are all safely tucked away in happy family land. This is coming from someone who didn't have a happy childhood and a barely there adult life. Believe me they are safe. I'm not interested in Matt or anyone else in your family. And just so I don't have to tell you later down the line. I don't know who you are or your family. Matt tried explaining it to me but I have never watched wrestling."

Roman shook his head. "Anyone in their twenties should know about the WWE and all the Wrestling families involved. I've known where I came from since I was 5. My family is part of the Samoan Dynasty in professional wrestling. Just like every member of the Hart family is part of the Hart Dynasty. The Orton family, the McMahon's who created the WWE." Roman grumbled in frustration as he scrubbed a hard down his face. "I don't understand how you don't know any of this."

"I didn't grow up watching wrestling because I barely had a childhood. I don't understand where you're coming from because I don't know who you are. I was hired to do a job so I'm doing a job. Honestly I don't know how much more honest I can be. I mean do you treat all of the friends of the family like this or am I the only asshole getting your special treatment?" Kira asked honestly.

Kira sighed heavily. "I don't know anything about your family or the professional wrestling world you were born into, grew up in and live in now, because I had more important things to do with my life growing up."

Roman scoffed. "Like what?"

"Staying alive." Kira answered as she grabbed her car keys. "You know contrary to popular belief not everyone had a squeaky clean cookie cutter life. You get your head out of your ass long enough you might realize you're not the only one in the world." Kira bit off as she left the house.

She'd never felt so offended in all her life. Being accused to sleeping with Mattie was just horrendous on her. And the fact that it was Matt's own brother accusing her of it was what really laid the foundation for her anger. How he could think so little of his own brother was beyond her. But then again she really shouldn't have been surprised. Mr. Superstar thought the sun shined out of his own ass.

Kira was really too nice. She'd give Roman one more chance. If he didn't muzzle his mouth the next time she was there she would let Momma Patty clean his house or find someone else; as much as she liked Momma Patty she just wasn't having any of her youngest son's bullshit anymore.