Chapter 5 – Slow To Punish, Quick To Reward
Katie walked up to Stu's house in Tampa, not looking forward to what awaited her at all. He had called her earlier, ordering her to meet him at his address to discuss further tactics for the competition. The last thing she wanted to do was spend her days off working with the one man she couldn't stand. She knocked sharply three times and stepped back on the porch, away from the front door. Not long later, Katie heard footsteps becoming clearer as they got nearer to where she was stood, then the sound of the latch being lifted in order to unlock the door from the inside. There stood her pro, dressed casually but still smart in a pair of jeans and a white dress shirt, untucked and unbuttoned at the top to reveal some chest, the sleeves rolled back to his elbows.
"You took your time." He firmly stated, leaving the door open for her to follow him inside his sizable house before she could even retaliate.
"Right," Stu said as he motioned to the living room, "I want you to pay attention and keep your mouth shut for once." Katie brushed past him and sat down on the large cream leather sofa. She pulled the lever on the side to lift up the footrest; Stu followed after her, noticing her rather brash movement. "Make yourself at home then." His sarcastic response was already beginning to push her over the edge but she had promised herself on the way over that she would try and turn over a new leaf with him. She decided to do something she hadn't done in a while: bite her tongue. He took a seat right beside her, making her feel uneasy; the sofa was huge and he decided to be a brat by closing the space between them. The 50" television directly in front of the pair came alive with pixels as he turned it on and pressed the play button.
Katie sighed lightly and leant her elbow on the arm rest, her hand resting underneath her chin. A warm feeling crept up inside her when she saw what Stu wanted to show her; it was a compilation DVD of all the wrestling greats, past and present. She'd be lying if she said she didn't get emotional watching it; ever since she was a little girl, Katie wanted to be like her wrestling heroes. Now, she had her chance to do so; and maybe, just maybe, Stu was ready to actually help her. He glanced at her as she viewed the footage in awe and a small smile crept onto his features. Her eyes shone with admiration, he had finally found a way to stop her bitching.
Twenty minutes passed by with Stu pausing the footage several times in order to explain the manoeuvres being displayed on the screen to her. Of course, she knew every single one that he wanted to talk to her about but decided to just nod along and keep quiet. It was odd to Stu how he'd not heard a word out of the woman since she had stepped through his front door; usually there was at least a little protesting, a couple of foul words or smart remarks to escape her. He wasn't sure if he actually liked how quiet she was. The last time she was this calm, she managed to kick him in the bollocks and he was adamant on not reliving that again.
"You know what," He said, turning the television off, "Let's take a break." She looked up at him like he was crazy; she'd not said a thing and he was still uncomfortable with her. Perhaps the 'keeping your mouth shut' approach wouldn't help their relationship in any way. He reached down and pulled her forward, her body bouncing from the sofa into the hard pane of his chest; his foot kicked the footrest down so it clicked in place. "How about I show you my gaff?" Katie gave him a quizzical look, tilting her head to the side. She had no idea why he was trying to be so nice to her after all that had happened these past few weeks; it wouldn't have surprised her at all if he'd given her the DVD and told her to bugger off so he could enjoy his days off.
She couldn't help but laugh at him as he showed her his huge house; he walked around every room acting like a real estate agent: 'three bedrooms, two baths, the gym, plenty of outdoor space, blah, blah, blah...' He was acting really weird with her, like he wanted them to get along; well that wasn't going to happen anytime soon, she thought.
"This is the best part about the house," he gestured to the patio doors once they made their way out through the kitchen, turning back to her he was quick to correct himself, "apart from the gym, of course." Katie's eyes focused on the sunshine reflecting on the water of his outdoor pool, the azure allure seemed incredibly inviting as the soft wind danced over the surface, creating transparent ripples. She was brought back to reality with Stu jabbering on and on, "I spent a hell of a lot of money on this house, you know." Katie was getting tired of hearing his voice; he paced the swimming pool as he talked. It was as if he'd opened a floodgate in the way of talking, she was now the one who was constantly reminded of how self-involved he was, his voice drifting off as she attempted to drown it out of her mind. They stood side by side, Katie staring at their reflections in the water, Stu continuing to drone. He must have known that he was getting on her nerves; she reached out and nudged him in the waist hard. If she couldn't drown out the sound of his voice then what was stopping her drowning him?
She folded her arms across her chest, showing her impatience and set off back into the house; but not before 'accidentally' bumping into him, sending him hurtling into the depths of the pool. A giant splash rose from the water like a firework, Stu not yet surfacing. The satisfaction of pushing him in washed over her as she saw him rise from the crashing blue water, the serenity of the pool disturbed by the fully-clothed burly wrestler. He gasped for air, raking his hands over his face and smoothing over his dark hair, the water dishevelling it from its usually gelled slick.
"Wow," Katie yelled over to him, trying to compose herself, "You really need to work on your balance, Stu." She said, walking over to him and leaning over the side. "I could show you an awesome DVD if it would help you?" He grunted as the smirk on her face stuck in his mind, the girl was dead. She was completely amazed that she was able to hold back until that very moment, her tongue well and truly bite mark ridden.
Stu trudged towards her at the shallow end; his body rising from the water, shirt sticking to his muscles which were completely visible due to the now see-through white cotton. Katie didn't know what was happening but she couldn't tear her eyes away from him as he approached her all angry and dripping wet. At this moment in time she had forgotten all about her smug pro and his comeuppance, settling for an attractive Englishman with a death glare rising from the depths.
"You just love to cause trouble, don't you?" He grabbed onto her arm when he reached the ledge, smirking up at her from the water. "Maybe, I need to teach you a lesson." Katie scoffed momentarily, realising the figure that had approached her wasn't this Adonis, it was only Wade Barrett who had decided to resurface after a brief stint as a real estate agent and then a diver, and not a very good one either. His grip on her was strong; you'd think that the water would have made it difficult to maintain a hold but it wouldn't hinder Stu. He could easily bench press three of Katie so lifting her wasn't a problem in the slightest. Her hazel eyes widened at the sight of the water getting closer to her, Stu pulling her with such force he went under the surface again as she fell.
"Argh," she screamed when she resurfaced, "it's fucking cold!" Her teeth chattered in exaggeration as Stu laughed at how pathetic she was acting. "I'm going to kill you for that, Bennett!" Katie yelled at him angrily, as she pushed the soaking wet hair out of her face in a less than graceful manner.
"Ooh, I'm quaking in my boots..." He mocked her from across the pool, shaking his hands in the air and it only made her even angrier. She launched herself towards him, his eyes narrowing in an attempt to gage which body part she was going to kick first. Her top rode up as she jumped out of the water, showing off her taut stomach and the scripture inked on her ribs. He had no time to read it or admire it however, her body about to smack into him. He managed to catch her in his arms and slam her against the wall of the pool, trapping her there in the cage of his own huge body. All that could be heard was the twinkling of the water around them and their heavy breathing as they just stared at each other. Katie gazed at Stu, watching a droplet of water drip from the tip of his nose and into the pool surrounding them. She closed her eyes, unable to take the man inches away from her when he looked so angry and oozed sexual energy. The last time she felt his hot breath on her it wasn't pleasant in the slightest but this time, she couldn't comprehend how different she felt. He was confusing the hell out of her, anticipation killing her slowly. Stu leant even closer, removing his hands from either side of her head and letting them fall to his sides. He towered over his rookie and stared into her orbs, which for a split-second, flashed with fear as her eyelids flickered open to reveal the gorgeous colour. His hands rose quickly from the water and cupped her face, bringing Katie to him possessively. Their lips crashed together, the sensation causing her entire being to tingle, the surge of energy making her thighs ache deliciously. She moaned into him, allowing him entry into the depths of her hot mouth. He savoured the taste of her, confirming everything he had imagined gaining from the kiss. His tongue swiped across hers then dipped further in, all the while, her hands reached up to tug on his wet hair. The anger that had been building up between them had transformed into an intense passion. Sensing the breathlessness, he hesitantly pulled away from her, sucking on her bottom lip, plump from the intrusion. When he pulled away from her completely, he lifted himself out the pool by climbing on the ledge directly next to her, water gushing from his clothes as he left her alone, dumbfounded.
She stood in that same position for a good ten minutes; having gotten the biggest shock of her life, she was still confused as to what had happened. What gave him the right to just kiss her like that? Her lips continued to tingle long after Stu left her to dry off. She wondered why she felt such a wonderfully intense connection with him when he locked lips with her; and she wondered why she was the most turned on that she'd ever been in her life.
Stu came downstairs after getting changed into a pair of grey sweatpants and nothing else; he glanced out of the kitchen window noticing Katie frozen on the spot. He'd done that to her, he thought as he smirked at her. A sick sense of pride poured out of him with that revelation although he was just as unsure what to do next as she was. Obviously kissing her had proven that he wanted her in more than a professional way but he couldn't knock the nagging feeling that he would fuck it up with her. Katie looked literally frozen to the spot, even in the Florida sun; her teeth were chattering for real this time, her body shivering. Stu made his way over to her, offering his hand for her to take. She glared up at him and swallowed hard.
"The last time you held your hand out to me you dropped me back on the floor again," she shot at him bluntly, "I don't fancy taking another dip."
"You look frozen to the spot; I suggest you take my help before I leave you out here to catch your death." He was attempting to save face with her, acting as if nothing had transpired between them. She couldn't do that, however. Katie needed answers. Against her better judgement, she grabbed a hold of his hand and he lifted her out of the water with absolute ease. He placed an arm around her shoulders, guiding her into the house.
"I got you some clothes to change into," Stu said to her rather softly, sincerely but then smirked once again, "because if you died of hypothermia it would have been on my head." He led her to the downstairs bathroom, handing her a t-shirt and some shorts.
"Er," she began, a blush creeping onto her face, "you wouldn't by any chance have any ladies underwear?" She closed her eyes, knowing he would come out with some manslut remark that went something along the lines of 'Well, I've slept with enough women to fill an entire bedroom with them. Let me go and get you some...'
Instead, he placed a large hand on her flushed cheek and whispered in her ear, "Sorry, love. Guess you're going to have to go commando?" If he said that to her on any other day you could be sure that he would have earned himself another kick to the crotch; circumstance had it that the way it was put to her seemed sexy and full of tease. He smirked at her before closing the bathroom door behind him and allowing her the time to change out of her wet clothes. Katie pulled the t-shirt over her head, his masculine scent creeping into her nostrils as she positioned it on her body. It was huge on her; it was, in essence, a dress. The shorts were way too big, the crotch hung low as the waistband rested loosely on her hips. She managed to tighten them with the thick drawstring poked underneath the elastic waist before grabbing her wet clothes in a bundle and unlocking the bathroom door. Stu stood on the other side, again, a smirk playing on his lips. If there was ever a time to feel uncomfortable for the young woman, it was now.
"Pass us those; I'll put them in the dryer for you." She didn't hesitate to push her sodden garments into his arms and make her way over to the living room; the sooner they were dry, the sooner she could get dressed and get out of his house.
The Englishman wandered over to the washer and dryer combo in the laundry room, lifting the lid and plonking each piece of clothing in the drum, one after the other. He stopped, holding up a scrap of black lace between the pads of his thick fingers; the corners of his mouth tugged upwards. She had gone commando after all. He placed them in the dryer with her other clothes and turned it on before joining her on the sofa.
"What are you doing?" He asked sceptically as she leant closer to him, eventually residing in his lap, her legs either side of his large thighs.
"You think I'm going to let you tease me like that? You hardly gave me the chance to respond in the pool." Katie smiled wickedly, not really understanding what had come over her, herself. She was supposed to hate this guy and yet the kiss they shared had stirred up raw emotion inside. He looked at her with unwilling confusion, she wasn't supposed to be reacting to him like this; he swallowed hard, uncertain as to whether she was being serious with him or not. A long moment passed, Stu still staring at her without a word. Katie leant close, bringing her lips to his ear and speaking lowly as she watched the emotions play out on his features. "Cat got your tongue, Bennett?"
"No." Stu's reply was blunt but his body was telling her a different story. His hands rubbed light trails up her thighs, settling underneath the shirt she wore; the grasp on her slim hips was firm. He still wanted the control; the upper hand. "Here's your chance, Katie."
She purposely rolled her hips as she inched forward, a stifled groan escaped Stu; he almost didn't want to let her know that he was enjoying this. He licked over his dry lips subconsciously, anticipating his rookie's approach. At first, her hands cupped his face until his own hands gripped onto her pert bottom, disguised by the oversized shorts of his that she wore; she shifted her position as he pulled her onto him even more, her hands pulled at the back of his head, tilting him back for more to ravage on. The second her lips descended onto his, Stu allowed her to set the boundaries. This was her chance to respond, he was going to let her take an ounce of the control into her favour and then steal it back from her under his terms. He parted his lips in a breath to which Katie took a full opportunity to mingle her tongue into the depths of his hot mouth; he tasted delicious, as much as she would never admit. She was willing him to cooperate with her, sliding her tongue against the very tips of his teeth. Her sigh of slight frustration into his mouth was quiet; if he wasn't going to give in and indulge then she would have to result to drastic measures. Katie pulled away from the confines of his mouth, sinking her teeth into his plump bottom lip; Stu snapped his eyes open in shock.
"Did you just...bite me?" She lifted her eyelids, heavy from the passion she was feeling. He didn't need confirmation to know what her game was; if she wanted to be naughty then he would give her something to remember. Without another word, Stu stood from the sofa, cupping her backside. She hooked her legs around his hips, locking herself in place by crossing over her feet. He pushed her up against the wall, his hands taking a bruising grip on her wrists and slamming them above her head; she moaned, his tongue flicking over the pulse point on her neck before dipping his teeth into the supple flesh. Her hands were so small and delicate that he easily engulfed both with one of his larger hands. The ripping of the t-shirt she was wearing sounded throughout the room, discarded pieces of thin material thrown about the living area without a care. He smirked evilly when she arched her back off of the wall and towards his bare torso; she tried to push herself against him but his grip on her wrists was too strong, almost painful.
Katie mewled when his head dipped lower, trailing a slick, wet line in between the valley of her perfectly rounded breasts with his tongue. He breathed heat softly over her already hardened nipples; the dusky pink pebbled flesh was just begging to be devoured. She groaned when he began grazing his teeth across them, his hands letting go of her wrists to concentrate on lapping up her delectable fleshy nerve endings; the sensation making her head swim. Her fingers scraped through his messed up dark locks, holding him in place so he was able to pay equal attention to each breast. The immense pleasure was riding out the fact that they were not getting along professionally; the tension had all but come to a head. He travelled back up her body, licking his lips hungrily like a predator stalking his prey. His lips crashed against hers and she whimpered from the contact, his dominance was mind-blowing.
He broke her legs forcefully away from around his waist, watching as she slid down the wall, breathing heavily. She reached out to him, scratching her long nails down his chest and staring when the red lines appeared then only to vanish a second later. If he was going to be rough with her then she was certainly going to give him as good as she got. She brushed her hand against his sweatpants, ever confining his manhood; she simpered when he sucked in a breath and pulled her hand away roughly. It was her turn first. Pulling the drawstring free from the bow she had so neatly tied, the shorts immediately fell to the floor, exposing his rookie completely to him. Stu got down on his knees, gripping a hand tightly around one of her ankles and silently ordering her to place her foot on his broad shoulder. She complied with little defiance, opening herself to him. He raised his eyebrows playfully prior to running his mouth along the inside of her thighs, drawing out her essence to him. She gleamed with readiness, gasping when Stu ran his tongue over her silky folds of flesh. He found her clit quickly, nibbling over it as his fingers worked her with vigour. The fast pace brought Katie to a more aroused state, her breath coming out in short, swift pants whilst he sampled her honeyed depths with his agile tongue. She powerfully tugged on his hair in an attempt to pull him away from her; he stood, his left hand clasping around her neck with slight pressure as he delved his honey-covered fingers into her mouth. Biting his lip, he watched her through lowered eyes, suckling and biting down eagerly on his thick fingers. His cock twitched with need in reaction to her activity, a need for a release washed over him.
She kissed him hard, finally able to free his painfully hard member from the precincts of his sweatpants; he stepped out of them, leaving them exactly where they pooled on the hardwood flooring. He gripped her wrists with rough distinction, brushing his cock against her heat to tease her willpower. Katie whimpered, signalling defeat, a victorious grin spread across the man's lips. He reached down to grab the drawstring from his shorts, pulling them out of the waistband; he bound her wrists together behind her back and pushed her towards the arm of the leather sofa. It was by no means a strong restraint but he knew it would keep her from getting away; it wasn't like she would anyway. A fistful of her hair was wrapped around his right hand, yanking her back as he entered her from behind without a care for her comfort. Katie screamed out, the abrupt intrusion stretching her walls; he got a luscious thrill from observing the way her back arched to him with every plunge of his hard member. His thrusts became more acute as he angled his cock to reach the precious nerve endings inside her that made her see stars. He halted his movements entirely when she let out a laboured groan; he wanted to switch positions. His hands on her shoulders brought her against his muscled chest; she lifted her leg to rest it on the arm of the chair. He left her no warning when he drew out of her and rapidly plunged deep again, filling her completely, teasing her with every stroke of his finger against her clit. They moaned together as they found a newly thought out rhythm, a hefty hand pulling her neck back so her head rested on his shoulder, his thumb delving into her mouth.
Katie was so close to the edge of finding her ultimate pleasure; her hands were still bound but she was able to run her fingers over the flesh of his hipbones from behind. Her pro increased the pressure of his finger, pressing harder with the rhythm of his strokes inside her. She cried out, unable to take it anymore; she squeezed her eyes shut, her walls tightening around his ever moving member. A primal groan dropped from his lips, her name escaping him like a mantra. He spilled his seed into her, his thrusts becoming much more placid as they both attempted to calm their breathing.
"Finally you take my direction," Stu breathed once he had pulled out of her and untied her wrists. "If you play by my rules, you'll get your rewards. It'll be our little secret." Katie stared at him confused; he winked, disappearing into the laundry room to retrieve her now-dry clothes. "We should get dressed; we have to be down at FCW soon."
~#~
Lou smiled at Stephen, his grin was infectious. His cheeks dimpled as he flashed his perfect teeth, "How're yeh, lass?" He slung his arm over her shoulder, his thumb gently brushing over her skin. She gently pulled his arm from around her shoulders, letting his arm drop to his side.
"I think we need to talk Stephen."
"What's up?" He frowned slightly.
"NXT means so much to me, I don't want anything to jeopardise my time there. I need to win this Stephen." She swallowed hard, "We need to remain professional."
"Are yeh serious?" She nodded, not really knowing what to say next.
"You're an amazing guy, but right now I think we're better off as just friends." He nodded slowly, taking in what she had just said.
"Alright, lass. If that's what yeh want."
"Thank you." She placed her hand on his shoulder, leaving a lingering kiss on his cheek.
"Guess Ah'll have to stop taking it easy on yeh." He winked and nodded to the empty ring, "Get in."
She quickly slid under the bottom rope, jumping up onto her feet, awaiting her next instruction. Stephen was quick to follow, walking up the steel steps and stepping through the second and third rope, "Drop and give me fifty." Lou raised an eyebrow; Stephen had gone into drill mode. She didn't question him, instead she dropped to her hands and knees before setting up into push up position. She felt him watching her, suddenly aware that he probably had a very nice view down her shirt. She finished the push ups easily, jumping to her feet placing her hands on her hips.
"Fifty sit ups." Again she did as she was told. This time she could see him though, it was throwing off her concentration, "Keep yeh feet flat on the mat."
"They are!" He moved forward, dropping to his knees in front of her. His big hands wrapped around her ankles, pushing her feet into the mat. She moaned as it suddenly became harder, he smirked knowing that he was right. She finished the last one, collapsing back the mat with her arms above her head.
"Did yeh do the things Ah asked yeh to?" She cringed, she may have skipped on a few of the things he had asked her to do over the past few days, a trip to Pete's Pizza Parlour with Katie and Ches had seemed much more inviting than running laps and circuit training, "I thought so." She sat up with Stephen's hands still having a firm grip on her ankles, "Yeh say yeh wanna win this thing then yeh do everything Ah tell yeh to, got it?" She nodded, she felt like she had just been told off. She was surprised he hadn't bent her over his knee and spanked her. He took her hand and pulled her up. Maybe she should have waited until after training to speak to him, "Yer gonna do circuits whilst Ah work out, alright?"
"Okay." He pointed to the set up outside of the ring; free weights, bench, jump rope and medicine ball waiting to be used. He waited for her to move, staring at her as she climbed out of the ring.
"Five minutes doing each, until Ah tell yeh to stop." She set to work, moving through each set as ordered to. She glanced over at Stephen dead lifting weights, his muscles bulging with every lift. She noticed 2 other men walking over to him, laughing and joking. She was intrigued to say the least. One of the men she knew was Brett DiBiase having worked with him at FCW for a while now.
"Lou, yer slackin'!" She looked up again after hearing Brett's voice. He grinned at her and she smiled back. They had always gotten on well. Stephen shot her a glare as he put his weights down.
"She doesn't need distractions, DiBiase." Stephen patted Brett on the shoulder.
"She seems to be doing fine by me." Brett quipped back, his arms folded across his chest. Stephen knew the look in his eyes; the 23 year old was like any other young lad. Brett turned to his friend Matt who he had come to train with, "Let's get started. See you later." He nodded towards the bigger man.
"Lou! See you after the show; we could grab something to eat?" She set the medicine ball down and smiled.
"Sure thing Brett, see you later." She swiped her hand over her forehead, it was hot and she was tired, "Can I stop yet?" She pouted at Stephen who shook his head.
"No." His answer was blunt; he ran his tongue across his bottom lip before turning his back to her.
"Is there a problem Stephen?" She stepped closer to him, aware of his sudden mood shift.
"No problem at all. Get back to work."
"Must be the sunshine making you cranky..." She turned back, heading for the lockers. She couldn't train anymore; she needed some energy for the show tonight.
"Lou!" She kept walking despite her name being called, "Oi!"
"What?" She turned around, her face almost smacking into Stephens chest.
"What're yeh doing wit' DiBiase?"
"Excuse me?"
"A little young fer yeh isn't he?" His voice was bitter, he couldnt help himself.
"I can't have friends younger than me?"
"Don't play stupid. He doesn't want to be just friends."
"Are you jealous?" She crossed her arms under her bust, waiting for his reaction before speaking up again. Stephen ran a hand over his face, "I like you, and I mean really like you but I'm not interested in dating anyone until I've won NXT."
"So yer still going out wit' Brett?" He couldn't stop himself from asking.
"Yes, I'm going to eat food with a friend. Is that a problem?"
"Watch yeh calorie intake." His eyes raked over her, she knew full well what he was insinuating. Before she had the chance to smack him across the face he left the locker room. Things with her once perfect pro had just turned sour.
~#~
"I'm jealous about who is going to be your new pro," Billy Kidman, one of FCW's trainers and ex WWE Superstar, said to the half-Italian as they were outside the arena where they'd have put on a show on that very night, "Easy job, since you're already one of the best out there."
"Oh, shut up." The girl replied, handing a gadget to a little boy that had brushed past her, "I'm lucky if I don't get eliminated next week." Kidman got closer to her, stopping her hands from giving out stuff and lifting her chin up with two fingers; he could see in her brown orbs that the past few days hadn't been that great for her.
"The competition has only just begun," he told the young woman, her eyes looking down at the Triple H Rex Cranium shirt that fit perfectly to her curves, "You have nothing to worry or be sad about, Ches."
"It hasn't been a bad week at all, too," she sighed, a shy smile on her face as she remembered the night she had met the Scotsman, "I got laid after months, you know?" Chesca added in a whisper, causing the trainer to let out a small laugh as she confessed to him about her one night stand.
"Hope you haven't given up to Saxton's advances," Billy replied, as she shook her head.
"No, Kid," Chesca said, "The lucky guy is..." She stopped talking all of a sudden as she turned her eyes to look at a little crowd right across from where they were. Her 'lucky guy' had just appeared in front of a hot dog stand, she could've recognised that pony tail and those large shoulders everywhere.
"Ches?"
"Can you excuse me for a second?" Without an explanation but only with a huge smile on her lips, Chesca pushed the FCW baseball caps left in her hands in Kidman's, who looked at her strangely before shaking his head at her sudden excitement; running the few metres that divided her from the man she had just spotted. She couldn't help but think about all the things she'd have liked to tell him. For example, that she had been thinking about him since the night they had spent together, about how much she had missed him.
"Drew?" Her breath was shallow as she called his name, gently placing her hand on his shoulder. Drew McIntyre, surprised by her touch and her voice, slightly jumped on the spot as he realised who had just appeared next to him.
"C-Chesca?" He said, his cerulean eyes widened, "What're ye doin' here, lassie?" The Scotsman tried at least to reply to her smile, not believing she was actually there in front of him; a wave of guilt washed over him, and he used all of his force not to show that to the young woman.
"I'm still a wrestler in FCW," she reminded him, pushing a tuft of wavy hair behind her ear, "But you?" The man swallowed hard; among all the people he'd have liked to meet right there in Florida, she had been the one to pop out of nowhere, and he had no idea how to deal with her.
"Couple o' days off," he shrugged, taking a sip out of the glass of beer in his hand, licking the alcoholic liquid on his lower lip by darting out his tongue, "It's," he used his best efforts to smile at her, "It's great to see-"
"Love, who are you talking to?" A small blonde woman, not much taller than Chesca, had appeared behind Drew's shoulders. The makeup on her gorgeous eyes making them look bigger, her lips slightly curved into a smile as her hands gently gripped onto the Scotsman's arm, a shiny golden ring on her left ring finger; the NXT rookie had seen her before. She was Taryn Terrell, formerly known as Tiffany in the WWE.
"Taryn," the wrestler said to the woman that had just appeared, "This is Chesca." Trying to act normal, fighting the urge to punch Drew directly in his face, Chesca wore the best smile she could, and stretched her hand out to shake Taryn's.
"You're the half-Italian girl, right?" Taryn asked, sneaking her arm around Galloway's waist, "I'm definitely not an expert, but you totally rock in the ring at FCW!"
"That's me," the girl shrugged, her eyes fixed on the woman before her, "And trust me when I say, there are better wrestlers than me." McIntyre looked down for a second, the blue orbs wandering around desperately trying not to cross Chesca's.
"Stu introduced us last week," the man interfered in the conversation, reassuring his wife. "Ah kept the lass company at the pub, while he bossed his ou'n rookie around."
"Gosh, I think I've seen you on television as well," the blonde squealed. "Pretty exciting hanging around all those big names, huh?" The young woman behind Chesca nodded, sliding a hand in her dark denim jeans pocket. She was trying her best not to show how much she didn't like her.
"I think it's time for me to go and prepare for my match," she lied, casually taking her iPhone out of her leather jacket pocket and glancing at the hour flashing on its screen,."Taryn, it was a pleasure to meet you." The former wrestler and the rookie exchanged one last smile, before the FCW Diva would turn on her heels and run back to the arena; Drew rubbed his face with a hand, his jaw fighting to fall because the brunette hadn't even said bye to him. Could he blame her, after all?
"Why don't we stay and enjoy the show tonight?" Taryn's words woke him up, "I don't know, catch up with a few friends and stuff?"
"Hm?" Galloway blinked his eyes a few times, looking at his wife and realising what she had just asked for, "Ah'd love that, y'know?" He said, gently pushing her towards the food stand and leaving the glass he had in his other hand into hers. "Let me go ask Dusty fer his best seats, 'kay?" Happily nodding at his initiative, the blonde did as she was told, and watched as her husband quickly made his way towards the talents' entrance of the FCW building, his blue Affliction shirt disappearing from her sight.
"Ches!" Once inside the arena, Drew immediately caught sight of the half-Italian girl, standing in a hallway talking to one of the bookers, "Let...Let me talk to ye!" As soon as she had heard him call her name and had noticed he was walking towards her, Chesca angrily clenched her jaw and rapidly waved at the creative writer in front of her, her wavy brown hair streaming behind her as she took off in the opposite direction, where the locker rooms were. As her hand was already pushing down the doorknob, she heard the Scotsman's fast steps and felt his fingers grip onto her shoulder.
"Don't you fucking touch me," she hissed through gritted teeth, her now wet eyes staring at him. "Don't you dare touch me again."
"Ye're overreacting," he got closer to her, his hand not leaving its hold, "Give...Give me a chance. Just a chance to explain ye." The anger building up inside of her was clearly showing from her slightly quivering bottom lip.
"Go on then," she sarcastically said, widening her arms, "Explain."
"Ye doun't need me tae remind ye how drunk we both were, do ye?" He almost whispered, not wanting that conversation to be caught by anyone in the near distance, "But it-"
"You entertained me, you made me have an amazing evening at the bar, you kissed me and we had mind blowing sex, just because you was drunk, I get it," the young woman wrestler shot back, Galloway rolled his eyes. She had all the right to be mad at him though. "You could have had the honesty to tell me about your lovely wife, it's not something you forget to tell someone you're about to fuck."
"Ches, Ah didn't mean to use ye, Ah'm...Ah'm just not like that."
"Maybe you didn't mean to," she freed herself from his grip, "But you ended up hurting me anyways, lad." The man couldn't understand why he was feeling so bad. He had this insane pain growing in his heart that, being a so-called happily married man, he shouldn't have felt; his mouth remained half open as he tried to find other words to keep Chesca there in front of him, to try and stop talking nonsense by actually telling her what he felt about her.
"Ah shouldn't be sayin' or thinkin' tha' Ah loved everythin' abou' that night, but that's how' it is," he said, leaning with his hand on the doorframe of the women's locker room, "And Ah'm sorry, ah haven't told ye abou' Taryn."
"Does that mean you'd have slept with me anyway?"
"Ches..."
"It was a mistake, you shouldn't have done that, let's be friends, and all that shit." She laughed bitterly, placing her palm on the white wooden door.
"Isn't there anythin' Ah can do, to make ye feel better?" He asked, with a last glimpse of hope in his blue eyes; swinging her tongue to the side of her mouth in thought for a second, she turned her entire body to face him; he totally towered over her with his 6'5'' height.
"Hold still."
Without adding a single word and without giving him the time to step aside, she charged a powerful slap to his left cheek. It echoed throughout the hallway, and the pain almost made the Scotsman swear in all the languages he knew; before a single tear could fall down from her hazel eyes, she angrily pushed the door open and entered, slamming it behind her. Drew stood there, unbelieving and hurting: he had meant every word he had confessed to Chesca, but she wouldn't have believed him; he just dragged himself to find Dusty Rhodes somewhere, to get the tickets he had promised to his wife, as he still and unexplainably kept on being in pain, as the half-Italian's filled with tears eyes flashed on his mind.
To be continued...
A/N – Thanks to wades wife, alyssaanne, LA Williams, nefertina-shanf, aidannatalie, xFindTheEnigmaWithinx, hOtlilmofo, crazylilbitch and ThatGirl54 for the lovely reviews. Again, we apologise for the delay of this one but it's in two parts because otherwise it would have been so long and tedious! But hopefully the next part will be up sooner rather than later; we've already written half of it due to the split. Thanks for sticking with us! Hope you enjoyed. Love Katie, Lou and Chesca x