Chapter 7:

Rating: M

Disclaimer: I do not know any of the workers of the WWE personally nor am I affiliated with them in any way. This story is a work of fiction and I make no profit whatsoever from it.

Seth felt the lowest that he had ever felt when he returned home after his night out with Dean. The drive from the beach to his house had been deathly silent, not even the dull sound of the radio was able to drown out his thoughts. His mind had been running in overdrive since it had finally dawned on him exactly what he'd done. He knew it was the wrong thing to do but there was a part of him that definitely didn't regret it. Despite what his conscience had been telling him, ultimately it was his decision and this was something that he had wanted.

He was glad when he finally did return home that Roman's car wasn't there. He mumbled a barely audible 'thank you' before he fled from the car and all but ran inside. The moment he'd made it through the large doors of the home he shared with his boyfriend, he made a beeline for the shower upstairs. He walked into the large bathroom and stripped himself of the clothes he was wearing.

He didn't care as the expensive material crumpled right in front of his eyes. He just wanted the clothing off and he wanted to get into the shower. He couldn't bring himself to look at his reflection in the large mirror, knowing that the man who would be staring back at him would be someone he both wouldn't recognize and someone he didn't want to look at anyway.

He reached into the smallish tiled cubicle and turned the knobs on, the sound of the hot and cold water gushing from the taps echoing around the room. He tested his hand underneath the water spray, making sure it was the perfect temperature before he stepped inside. He drew his hand back slowly and slid into the shower, his movements as swift as the glass door closing behind him.

He let out a light sigh as the water cascaded down his tanned body, the warm water soothing his sore and tired muscles while his eyes slid shut. His mind swam with his own dreaded consequences as he stood there for a few minutes. He could vividly see the look the look in Dean's eyes, the desire and the want so clear even in the almost darkness on the beach. He felt his heart begin to race as his mind went back to that moment. He'd been so caught up in the moment that he had barely thought of the repercussions until it was over. Not that he could even say he didn't want to do that with Dean because he had wanted it.

He'd been so wrapped up in his own thoughts that he hadn't heard the dull thudding of footsteps into the bathroom. He'd bent down to pick up his shampoo when he felt a pair of strong hands on his back. His brown eyes shot open and he turned around to see that Roman was behind him with a sly grin on his lips. He could feel his heart beating harder in his chest. He was fearful that his man could see the guilty look in his eyes. But if Roman picked up on some sort of peculiar body language, he didn't bring it up. Instead his grey eyes sparkled with desire.

Seth's face broke into a forced smile. "You scared me Roman. I was off in my own world there."

"How about I take you to Heaven?" Roman grinned. He leaned in and pressed soft, gentle kisses against Seth's shoulders while his hands slid down to grab at his younger boyfriend's hips. He stepped in closer and pushed his naked body up against Seth's, his hardening cock easily sliding in between Seth's rounded ass cheeks. He pushed his body in impossibly closer, his cock sliding against the younger man's hole. "C'mon Seth. Tell me you want it. I know you do."

Seth gasped loudly as he felt Roman's teeth sink into his neck. His instant reaction was to push back into his boyfriend's cock. It felt so good to have Roman pressing up against him like that while his strong hands held him steady. It had been a few weeks since they'd been able to get this close, get this intimate with his boyfriend and it felt nice. He turned his head back around and all but melted into Roman's touch. He felt his brown eyes slide shut while Roman's hands moved around to the front of his body, the finger tips rubbing against slender muscles.

For the briefest of moments, it was all about them and there was no guilt or conscience kicking in. Everything felt like it was supposed to be. Everything felt like it used to be right in this moment. He knew that Roman was the love of his life and nothing was going to change that. At least that was what he'd thought before he'd met Dean. His heart felt heavy from the man behind him, his entire body filling with shame.

He inwardly sighed. He could barely feel the kisses that Roman was pressing to his shoulders and the back of his neck anymore. His mind was swamped with guilt, his conscience kicking in and making him feel like the biggest piece of shit out there. Which he knew he was. That had to be the reason that he'd cheated on his loving boyfriend of so many years. That had to be the reason that he was stepping over the line of throwing absolutely everything away.

When his mind wandered to the other side of the line though, the guilt almost disappeared immediately. Being with Dean made absolutely everything feel right. It made his heart swell and sing with a completely different kind of love and devotion than what he had with Roman. Roman was his very own Prince Charming, his knight in shining armour. He was just everything that Seth knew he should want and he did. He still did.

But Roman didn't make his heart race in the same way Dean did. He didn't render him speechless with a single look. He knew that Dean was bad for him, that the older man was purely in it for sex. Not that they'd even reach that conversation or that point but he didn't know how much longer he could resist. They had a chemistry that he had never experienced with anyone else before. Every touch they shared sent bolts of electricity coursing through his body. His restraint was crumbling around him and he knew deep in his soul that it was only a matter of time before he strayed again.

He was so into his own mind that he had almost forgotten that Roman was even with him in the shower. That was until he felt Roman start to push inside of him. He wriggled out of the strong grasp and turned around so that his back was flat against the cold tiled wall. His brown eyes opened slowly, long lashes fluttering as he looked at his lover. His voice was soft as he spoke. "Roman."

Roman's grey eyes scanned Seth's face carefully. "What's wrong?" His voice was panicked. His entire body went cold when he felt Seth pull away from him, the rejection causing his heart to hurt inside of his broad chest.

"I can't have sex with you." Seth's voice remained quiet. He could feel tears building in the corners of his eyes. The look on Roman's face was almost too much to handle. "I-I don't feel well. I feel sick."

Roman groaned loudly. "You don't look sick Seth." His words were so sharp they cut Seth like a knife.

"I just, I'm sorry. I've just been feeling a little off today." Seth apologized lamely.

"If you were sick, you shouldn't have went out for dinner with Dean." Roman snapped. "But I suppose that wouldn't have stopped you. You two have been pretty chummy lately." He added sharply before stepping out of the shower.

"What the hell do you mean by that?" Seth snapped back as he turned off the water in the shower before he too stepped out into the bathroom. He could feel his heart racing as he reached for his towel and dried himself off.

"Nothing." Roman answered quickly as he turned to look at his boyfriend. He could see the pain in Seth's eyes and that hurt his heart. "Just that you seem to have all this time to spend with Dean and not with your own boyfriend."

"I am only spending time with him because you asked me to try and be friends with him!" Seth shot back. "And if you're gonna play that card; when in the hell was the last time you came home on time? When was the last time that we got to spend time together?"

"I work twelve hour plus fucking days because Dean keeps me there!" Roman practically growled back at Seth. He knew it wasn't entirely fair to be taking out all of his frustrations on Seth when it wasn't all his fault but he felt like he didn't have a choice. He stormed out of their ensuite bathroom and went right back into their bedroom. He went to sit down on the edge of their King sized bed. He wasn't at all worried about the fact that the water from his hair was dripping on the quilt cover. His grey eyes watched carefully as Seth slowly made his way into their bedroom. "We haven't had sex in almost a month Seth."

"Not everything is about sex Roman." Seth's voice was quiet as he stayed in the doorway.

"I know it's not but I miss having that intimacy with you." Roman answered. Their eyes locked for a moment, brown on grey and they shared a tense, almost awkward moment that he wished he could easily forget. He could see the hurt in Seth's eyes and he felt like shit knowing that he'd caused it. "I'm just so fucking stressed and horny."

Seth resisted the laugh that normally would have spilled from his lips. He didn't have words to say right now. There was nothing at all that he even wanted to speak. His guilt was appearing again, right in the forefront of his mind.

"I love you Seth and you know that you mean the world to me." Roman started off. "I don't want us to have that sort of relationship where we become completely disconnected from each other."

Seth took a deep breath. "We won't be like that."

"How can you be so sure though? We have barely had a night together in almost a month and I feel like I've missed out on so much time with you." Roman could feel his temper rising again. "And you're spending all your time with him."

"Are-are you jealous?" Seth's voice was shaking.

"Of course I'm damn jealous! He gets to spend all this time with you and I'm stuck at fucking work!" Roman snapped back. "It's not fucking fair what you're doing Seth! It's not fair at all!"

"He's your friend Roman and you're the one who wanted me to get to know him." Seth shot back. "And so what if I am spending time with him? He's a nice guy and you're not at home."

"Do you want me to quit my damn job so we can spend more time together Seth? Is that what you fucking want?" Roman's voice was growing louder with each word he spoke. "Cause I can do that if you want me to. We can live off what you make at the store and we'll probably have to move in with my parents because that store makes fuck all once you minus rent and salaries. But I'll do that if you want me to."

"I don't want you to do that." Seth said sharply. It felt like Roman was taking a jab at his managerial skills to run their store. "But maybe you can ask Dean to go home on time for once? Or give you a damn day off."

Roman groaned loudly. "It's not that easy Seth."

"It is. Actually." Seth said sharply. He folded his hands across his chest, ignoring the fact that his towel slipped off and landed in a pile on the floor. "You've worked fourteen days straight. You deserve a damn day off. Ask him or I'll ask-"

"Don't get involved with my work." Roman's voice was deathly serious. "My job is my livelihood and I have to live and breathe McMahon's if I ever want to make something of my career." He paused for a moment, his grey eyes turning cold. "And if you ever and I mean ever get involved in anything from my job, there will be serious consequences."

"I'm not one of your staff members Roman and you can't bully me into compliance." Seth shot back. "It's clear now that I am not your number one priority but let me tell you that you are mine. I care about you and your well being and when I tell you that you need to have a day off, you need to have a day off because you're turning into a psycho."

Roman's eyes narrowed sharply. He opened his mouth to retort but Seth beat him to it.

"Well I'm sorry but you are. You're turning into this super aggressive, psycho guy that I don't even know." Seth cut in. "I offered to talk to Dean because I consider him a friend. And I'm sure that he would do just about anything to make sure that you're not too run down."

"You don't know Dean like I do." Roman said quietly. "His number one priority is his career and the business. My friendship with him falls far along the line. To him, I'm just another Store Manager."

"Roman." Seth's voice cracked as he said his boyfriend's name. He could see the pain and anguish written all over Roman's face. He didn't like seeing Roman like this at all. "Don't be like that."

Roman locked his gaze with Seth's once more, his heart racing in his chest. "I want to sleep in here by myself tonight."

Seth was taken aback. "So I'm supposed to sleep in the guest room, am I?"

Roman nodded once before he stood up and made his way back into the bathroom, not even acknowledging Seth as he walked past him. He dropped the towel and made his way towards the shower, stepping in once the water was at the right temperature. His grey orbs slid closed as he melted into the water. His heart hurt, everything hurt. It felt like he was losing yet another love to Dean.

Seth glanced at Roman's form in the shower once before he made his way to their chest of drawers. He dug around in the large mahogany drawers for a pair of cotton boxers and a shirt. He slid the boxers on first before he dug through the drawers for a shirt. It felt like time stood still when he finally picked out a shirt, his fingers tightening around one of Roman's old, black faded t-shirts from college. It was a tour shirt of Metallica's and even though it didn't fit Roman anymore, Seth had taken it upon himself to wear it for himself. He slid the shirt over his head and he had to stop the tears that were threatening to leave his eyes.

He glanced into the bathroom one last time before he grabbed his phone from their bedside table and made his way down the hall and into the spare bedroom. He pushed open the door and flicked on the light before he stopped. This room was so much colder than their own master bedroom, the bed smaller and the whole space of the room felt so distant. He closed the door behind him and turned off the light.

He walked the short distance from the door to the bed. On the bedside table next to him, there was a lamp that he fumbled with for a moment before the room became a little bit brighter. He pulled back the covers of the bed and slid inside, the unused sheets a little chilly on his warm body. He pulled the covers right up on himself before he glanced at his phone.

He unlocked the electronic device and went straight to his messages. He reopened his conversation with Dean and immediately typed a message he knew he may regret in the morning but right at this moment, he needed the comfort, he needed something. He reread over the message one last time before he sent it, the words 'I wish I'd gone home with you instead.' looming back at him from inside of a bright green bubble.

Dean was still propped up in bed on his work laptop when he heard his phone buzz from beside him. He unlocked the screen and smiled when he saw that it was from Seth. He responded quickly before placing the phone back next to him. He glanced at his computer screen and yawned. He'd been staring at the information in front of him ever since he got home from dinner with the younger man and he knew he'd be staring and reading over it for a little while longer before he was able to finally go to bed.

On the other side of the bed he could see his two cats curled up into balls, sleeping soundly. The sight brought a smile to his face as he looked at them. He reached over and gently stroked each of their cheeks. He owned two cats, both of which he'd purchased whilst he'd still been married. He could easily admit that he wasn't much of a cat person but Nikki has insisted, practically begged him to buy Solomon who was a chocolate brown and white cat who had thick fur and big bristling white whiskers. Solomon was the most docile cat he'd ever met and also the most affectionate.

Crowe on the other hand was completely different. After Solomon had refused to love her, Nikki had insisted that they get another cat. Dean had reluctantly agreed to indulge her with another animal that may not even like her but had eventually come around. They had found Crowe at an animal rescue place where he'd been surrended as a kitten. Crowe was a very slim cat with short, black bristly fur. Crowe could sometimes be a little skittish but overall he was as charming a cat as Solomon was. The second cat didn't like Nikki either so when Dean and her had separated, he took the two cats with him.

He was shaken from his thoughts when he heard the three sharp knocks to his front door. He watched Solomon stand up on the bed on all four paws, his ears folded back before he jumped off the bed and went underneath it. There was only one person who made Solomon act like that and it only puzzled Dean further. He had no idea why they would even be here at his house if his hunch was correct.

He slowly got off the bed and made his way out of the bedroom and downstairs. His house here in Pensacola was not nearly as big as the marital home he shared with Nikki back in Cincinnati but it was large enough to boast four bedrooms and a grand entertaining area downstairs. He made his way down the large staircase, the person on the other side of the door knocking another three times. He groaned, closing the gap between the stairs and the large front door.

He pulled it open and stopped right in his tracks. Standing there dressed in a figure hugging navy blue dress that sat almost half way up her thighs along with a pair of sparkling silver heels was Nikki. He noticed that her hair and make up was done immaculately, her dark brown hair now had light blonde highlights through it. Her hair was dead straight as it framed her face, the bright pop of her red lipstick illuminated in the darkness of his front porch. She looked good and he was sure that she knew it. She always turned heads no matter what she did or what she wore.

"Nikki. What are you doing here?" Dean looked her over once more, the black Louis Vuitton bag he'd bought her for her last birthday sitting across her forearm.

"Can I come in?" She smiled brightly at him. Her voice was trickling with sweetness as she spoke to him.

"Uh, yeah." Dean answered. He stepped out of the way to allow her to walk into his home. He closed the door behind her as she strolled through the front part of the house, her heels clicking on the tiled floor. "So. What are you doing here?"

"I'll cut right to the chase, shall I?" She started, watching her almost ex-husband nod his head. "I stopped the proceedings on our divorce."

"What? Why?" Dean's head was spinning right now. He couldn't even fathom why she would do such a thing.

"I want you back." Her voice was quiet and serious.

Dean let out a short, surprised laugh. "What?! This has gotta be some kind of fucking joke!"

"No. It's not." She continued. "I wouldn't fly across the country for just anyone."

"Nikki, I'm gay. I like men and I like to have sex with men." Dean just stared at her, almost unsure of how she would react. She was easily worked up. "I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news there but we aren't getting back together."

"I know you're gay Dean, I'm not an idiot." Nikki said sharply. "What I'm asking you for is a show marriage. The company you work for is a family orientated one and while I don't think they'd outwardly disapprove of your sexuality, there's a huge chance that it could hold you back in your career. I'm sure Stephanie would be shocked if she found out what you do behind closed doors. Have you told her that we're separated yet? She was always quite fond of me."

"No I haven't." Dean answered honestly. "She asks about you every time I see her and I make up some bogus lie about you."

"And then once you tell her about it, she'd only ask questions and then you'd have to confess to the truth." Nikki elaborated. "I'm only thinking of you and your career Dean."

"No you're not. You're thinking of yourself and you're using my career as a shield." Dean shot back. "What do you want Nikki? I've given you everything. Is that house I bought you in California not enough?"

"You know what I want from you Dean. The one thing you always refused me." She answered him.

Dean shook his head, the realization dawning on him. "I can't give you that. A show marriage is one thing, a child is completely different."

"You're the only man whose child I want to carry." She pushed him, almost begged him.

"The answer is no Nikki." Dean responded firmly. "I think it's time you leave."

"Just think about what I said Dean." Nikki said, her heels clicking on his tiled floors as she walked to the door. She turned around and glanced back at him. "Do you remember what you told me when you got this promotion to work in Florida?" She asked him, watching the confused look that crept across his face. "About how your friend Roman was supposed to get this job but when Shane found out that Roman had a boyfriend, his promotion was thrown out the window? I'm sure there's other examples you could give me."

Dean shook his head. "Just go Nikki."

Nikki opened the door and half stepped through it. She turned back to Dean who was still there watching her. "Remember image is everything."

Dean watched her walk out of his house, the front door closing as he was left alone in his house once more. He made his way up the stairs and back towards his bedroom. His mind running through situations, thinking of other examples of his colleagues that had been denied their rightful promotion or bullied out of their jobs because of their sexuality. He knew Stephanie cared a great deal about him professionally but he couldn't help but feel that maybe she might turn her back on him if she found out about his true sexuality. He had watched far too many colleagues get pushed away because of that.

Maybe he needed to take Nikki up on her offer. Image was everything to him. He knew for sure that he wouldn't be sleeping tonight.

TBC

A/N: so there's drama everywhere. Seth and Roman sleeping in different rooms and now Nikki turning up out of the blue. Hmm. Thanks for reading and reviewing! Until next week's update! GatesVengeance x