Chapter 8:
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.
Roman couldn't concentrate on the computer screen in front of him even if he wanted to. The large amount of text mixed with numbers was making his head pound, the beginning of a painful headache building behind his eyes the more he looked at the screen and tried to focus. He knew he shouldn't be at work today, his last day off felt like it was a lifetime ago but he also knew he had to be here. One of the principal owners and the General Manager of all stores Stephanie McMahon was coming to his store tomorrow for a visit and he still had a few more things he needed to do before he could leave this place.
His grey eyes traveled across the screen to the bottom right hand corner where the time was. He sighed loudly. It was already quarter to eleven. He'd been here since six-thirty this morning. He groaned loudly, dropping his head into his hands. Seth would probably be asleep when he got home, not that his younger boyfriend would even be in their bed but he tried not to think about it right now. Their relationship had taken a dive in recent weeks with the two barely seeing or speaking to each other. He knew that him working twelve, fourteen, sometimes sixteen hour days was not helping their relationship but neither was his boss and supposed friend constantly being around Seth.
"Roman. You need to go home." His head shot up and he locked his gaze with Dean's, the blue orbs of his boss looking at him in a concerned way. "Now. I mean it. Cena will be here until midnight with the rest of the crew but you and me are going. Now. C'mon."
"I can't leave Dean. I've got too much shit to do." Roman responded even though the thought of leaving work and finally going home was calling to him. "I don't want this visit to be a flop."
"It's not going to be." Dean dismissed him. "The store looks great and Stephanie is going to be very happy when she sees it tomorrow but what she's not going to be happy about is seeing how tired my best Store Manager looks."
Roman's head shot up at the words. "Best?"
"Yes Roman. You are the best Store Manager I have in this state." Dean answered. "You are number 1 in the whole damn state and I can't have you this fucking exhausted." He paused for a moment, looking Roman over. Maybe he was pushing the other man, whom he called a friend, too hard. "And you're having this weekend off. No exceptions."
Roman's eyes widened instantly. "I can't. Whose going to run the weekend team?"
"John said he'll do it. End of discussion." Dean answered sharply. "Now get your shit and let's go."
Roman nodded and stood up. He pulled open his drawer and pulled out his phone, wallet and keys. He clicked the circular button on the bottom of his iPhone and was somewhat disheartened when he saw that there was no messages waiting for him. He shrugged that off however and slid his belongings into his pants before grabbing his jacket from the back of his chair. He glanced over at Dean who already had all his belongings ready to go, a small smile on his face as he texted somebody on his phone.
It was then that Roman happened to notice the white gold band on Dean's left hand. He found it beyond peculiar that Dean even had the ring on to begin with. His brow furrowed but he didn't say a word as he turned his attention back to his desk. He picked up the bag that was next to his desk that contained his laptop as well as several note books. He glanced back over at Dean who was still on his phone, his smile larger than before. "You ready to go?"
"Yeah." Dean answered sliding his phone back into his pocket. "Just ring John and tell him we're going."
Roman reached over and dialed the number for John's phone. He couldn't be bothered to lift up the actual phone, instead calling him off loudspeaker. He only had to wait a few moments before the other end of the line was answered by his second in charge. "John, it's Roman. Dean and I are going home."
"Alright. I'll see you both in the morning." John's voice echoed throughout the small room. "What time will Stephanie be here tomorrow?"
"She'll be here at 10am. I want you here at 9am in the morning John." Dean answered for Roman.
"No problem. I'll see you both then." John responded before the line went dead.
"C'mon Roman. Let's get out of here." Dean urged Roman as they walked out of the office and towards the car park at the back of the store.
Roman was quiet as they walked, his tiredness overwhelming him and he was very glad that he didn't drive this morning. Dean had insisted that he drive them both today because he knew it would be another massive day. He let out another yawn as they approached Dean's Bentley, the expensive car standing out amongst the other cars in their parking lot.
He slid into the passenger seat with a slight sigh, the comfort of the cars luxurious leather seats was almost enough to push him to fall asleep. He slid his bag between his legs and put his seat belt on as he watched Dean slide into the driver's seat. "So I'll pick you up tomorrow then?"
Dean shrugged as he started up the car. "Only if you want to. I don't mind driving."
Roman nodded even though Dean wasn't looking at him. "I'll ring you in the morning. What time do you want to head in?"
Dean didn't glance over at the other man as he continued driving, his focus on the almost empty road as they drew closer to Roman's house. "Whose your first manager in tomorrow?"
"Naomi." Roman answered with a yawn.
"She's of some relation to you, isn't she?" Dean asked, finally glancing over at Roman. The Samoan man looked tired. Real tired.
"Yeah. She's my cousin's wife." Roman answered with yet another yawn. "Sorry Dean. I don't mean to keep yawning. I'm just tired."
Dean nodded as he turned the corner into Roman's street. He knew this street well now, having spent a decent amount of his time dropping Seth back there. He glanced over at Roman again as he neared the driveway to his house. He could see the big, heavy bags under Roman's eyes and he felt worse than before. He pulled into the driveway, sliding the car into park before turning to the Samoan man. "I'll pick you up tomorrow at about 7.30, okay?"
Roman nodded, yawning one more time before he left the car. He said his goodbyes to his friend and boss before closing the car door and making his way towards his home. He glanced over to the driveway, smiling softly when he saw that at least Seth was home tonight. He made his way towards his front door, his hand fumbling with the keys in his pocket before he made his way inside.
He stepped inside of his home and felt the cold walls all around him. The entire house was deathly quiet so he knew that Seth must be asleep. He closed the door behind him and made his way upstairs. But as soon as he reached his bedroom, he wished that he hadn't. He pushed the door open, hoping to find Seth already sleeping in there but was bitterly disappointed when the bed was empty. He groaned, stepping into the room and closing the door.
They hadn't slept in the same room for the past few weeks now, since the night that they had their fight. He sighed, placing his bag on the floor before he stripped himself of his clothing. He didn't bother with a shower, figuring that he could grab a quick one in the morning so he slid into his bed with just his briefs on. He reached into the bag that was on the floor next to the bed and grabbed his phone, fumbling for the alarm and setting it. He'd barely placed the phone back onto his bedside table when he lay back and shut his eyes, sleep overtaking him instantly and forcing him into a deep slumber.
"Dean speaks quite highly of you Roman." Stephanie McMahon turned in her spot to look over at Roman who gave her a small smile. "He says you have an outstanding work ethic."
"Thank you." Roman's smile grew as he followed behind her. He was currently doing a walk of the shop floor with Stephanie, Dean, John and Stephanie's assistant Lana who barely spoke a word. "I can assure you my work ethic is one of my strong points."
"Dean's predecessor Chris Jericho also spoke very highly of you too." Stephanie added. She turned to look down the next aisle, a satisfied grin growing across her face. "You keep a very clean store Roman." She praised him. Her eyes crept around the back of the Samoan man to John who was standing behind his boss with a pen and paper in his hand. "And you too John. Both you and Roman have done a great job together on this store."
"Thank you." John's face lit up from the compliment, his cheeks popping from his dimples. "Both Roman and myself have put a lot of work into this store."
"That is very clear to see." Stephanie praised them. "I think I've seen enough of the floor. Shall we go into the office and discuss this visit further?"
"Yes. I think we should." Dean grinned at her.
Roman followed behind Stephanie, Dean and Lana with John. He and John shared a silent look that spoke volumes above anything else. They shared a secret smile, knowing that they'd made a great impression on Stephanie. They'd know for sure if their visit was as good as they thought it was when they got back into Roman's office and had a full length discussion about it.
He turned back to glance at Dean, his grey eyes furrowing once more as his eyes settled on Dean's left hand. He was sure last night that when he'd seen the sparkling wedding band on his hand that it must have been because he was tired but now seeing it again made him question it further. He knew that right now was not the right time to ask about it and he wasn't sure that there would be a right time to ask at the moment. Maybe once everything had blown over he would ask.
All five people reached Roman's office in no time at all. John stood at the end of the room and held the door open for them, waiting until everyone was in before he took his seat across from Roman's desk. Stephanie sat to the side next to Dean and Lana and waited until everyone was settled before she began speaking.
"First of all, this has been a really great visit. I don't often see stores that look this neat and tidy or have this sort of customer attraction to it so really good job Roman and John." Stephanie started, her face almost glowing. "Now this store is the top store in Florida, is that right?"
"Yes it is." Dean cut in. "They are ranked first in sales as well as staff member productivity, staff member permanency and stock turnover rates is a couple of categories that they rank the highest in."
"Very good." Stephanie smiled. "But this store was already high when you got to Florida, was it not?"
"Yes it was." Dean answered. "Roman and John have done a fantastic job over the past few years. My aim is to have every single store in Florida to have the same high performances like we have here in Pensacola."
"And how do you plan on doing that?" Stephanie asked.
"I'm going to Miami next week and Roman will be coming with me." Dean started. Roman's grey eyes widened. He was completely unaware of this supposedly planned trip. "I hope to use Roman's strong knowledge and managerial planning to help instill some of his skills into a few of our other stores. It's all about a culture and Pensacola has the best store culture I've seen in a long time."
"I hope you can turn around Miami Dean because that store needs all the help it can get." Stephanie pointed out.
"It's in my focus plan." Dean responded quickly.
"Alright. Well I think I've seen all I need to see. Just keep up with the great work Roman and John." Stephanie smiled. She didn't even wait to see what they would reply with before she turned her attention back to Dean. "So how is Nikki? Are you two still living on opposite sides of the country?"
Dean laughed almost awkwardly. "Yeah we are. She's doing her own thing at the moment and I'm doing mine."
Stephanie stood up. "Don't stay apart for too long though. Your marriage could suffer if you're not even in the same state."
"Eventually the plan is for her to move down here with me but it's not viable right now." Dean responded as he stood up next to Stephanie. He could feel Roman's gaze staring right into the back of him and it made him feel incredibly uncomfortable. "I think she needed the time to refocus on herself and I needed the time to get settled down here before she comes down."
"Nikki's such a lovely young lady." Stephanie remarked. "Please make sure you bring her to the next big event we hold in Connecticut."
"Of course I will." Dean smiled at her.
Stephanie turned back to Roman and John who were watching him intently. "Again thank you gentlemen. Your store is up there in one of the top stores in the whole country. Congratulations and keep up the great work."
"Thank you. We will." Roman smiled back, watching as Stephanie exited the room with her pretty blonde assistant Lana. He looked over at John. "John, can you leave us alone for a moment?"
"Yes. Of course. Let me know when you're finished because I have a few things I need to go over with you." John got out of his chair and headed towards the door, pulling it shut as he left.
"So we're going to Miami?" Roman asked curiously.
"Yes we are. If you're able to come that is?" Dean asked.
"Yes of course I am but a little bit of notice would have been nice." Roman answered. "And, what was that with Nikki? Aren't you guys almost divorced now?"
"It's, uh, complicated." Dean answered. "Stephanie always asks me about her no matter what so I just make up some nonsense to placate her."
"Is that why you're wearing your wedding ring?" Roman pressed.
Dean shrugged. "I don't know if talking about this here and now is really appropriate."
"Yes you're right. I do apologize." Roman responded. "Curiosity got the better of me."
Dean let a small smile grace his lips. "Do you and Seth have plans this weekend?"
"I know I don't now that I'm not working but I am not sure about Seth. I'll ask him though. Why?" Roman asked curiously.
"Nikki's in town this weekend. Would you like to have lunch with us?" Dean asked.
Roman creased his brow. "I thought you two weren't even talking?"
Dean shrugged once more. "Things happen, people change."
"I'll talk to Seth and I'll let you know if we can make it or not." Roman responded, feeling the sudden decline in conversation.
Dean glanced at the time on his watch. It was almost 1pm. Stephanie had been here longer than he'd anticipated. "Hurry up and talk to John. I want to be out of here by about 3."
Roman nodded, picking up the phone on his desk and watching as Dean walked out of his office, the feeling in his gut somewhat placating. Maybe he'd imagined everything with Dean and Seth.
Roman slid the car into park and turned off the ignition, his gaze traveling across the centre console and landing on Seth who was staring aimlessly out of the car window. He reached over and gently stroked Seth's thigh, his younger boyfriend's brown eyes lifting and locking onto his own. He watched the smile appear on Seth's lips and Roman leaned across and pressed their lips together in a short and sweet kiss.
Seth's smile grew as their lips morphed into each other for the shortest of moments. It had felt like forever since they'd last kissed however it wasn't like that with the man that they were meeting for lunch. The more time that he and Dean spent together for stolen moments filled with passionate kissing and heavy kissing, the less guilty he felt. He could see every single time he looked into Roman's eyes that their relationship was slowly falling apart the closer he got with Dean but he felt as though he couldn't stop the fall even if he wanted to.
Last night was the first night that they'd actually slept in the same bed for almost a month. Seth didn't know why he felt so inclined to just go straight into the guest room each and every night but there was something about yesterday that made him want to be closer to Roman once more. He knew he was neglecting the handsome Samoan man and he had to at least try and make it somewhat right. He felt secure and whole when Roman's arms had wrapped around his body last night, pulling their bodies right up close together so that they were almost one. His heart had warmed when they shared their moment but he couldn't help but think that maybe he might have been happier if those arms belonged to someone else.
He exited the car and walked around to Roman's side. He waited until Roman was out of the car before he grabbed a hold of his boyfriend's hand, their fingers sliding together causing sparks full of electricity to radiate through both of them. There was no denying that he was still incredibly attracted to Roman even if his mind was struggling to head another way. He glanced over his shoulder at the beach behind them. Today was yet another perfect day in Pensacola with the sun shining and the beach packed with people that covered practically every single inch of golden sand.
His hand tightened its grip on Roman's as they turned away from the beach and crossed the road towards the restaurant they'd be having lunch in today. They both weren't dressed as formally as they normally would have been if it was dinner. He was dressed in a casual three-quarter sleeved white t-shirt that fit him perfectly, hugging to the muscles in his arms while the material also wrapped tightly around his torso. He was also wearing a pair of tight, light blue skinny leg jeans and a pair of black converse sneakers. His hair was pulled up into a low bun.
Roman was dressed casually as well. The larger Samoan man had his long hair pulled back into a ponytail that lay flat against his black. He was wearing a short sleeved polo shirt that revealed his tribal tattoo that covered the entirety of his right arm. He was wearing a pair of dark denim jeans and a pair of grey sneakers. He looked handsome but that was no different to usual.
The pair crossed the road and headed into the restaurant, Randy's restaurant to be exact. Roman led the way, his sunglasses sliding up from his eyes to sit on top of his head as they stepped inside of the air conditioned restaurant. There was a few people in front of them but it only took barely a minute before they were at the front of the line with a smiling Randy looking at them.
"Look who it is! The man who stole my boyfriend away from me for the weekend!" Randy's face broke out into a large grin.
Roman held his hands up in protest, an identical grin breaking out on his face. "Hey man! I'm sure you'll survive a few days without him and then you get him back in no time anyway."
"I'm just playing with you Roman." Randy chuckled, wrapping an arm around Roman's shoulder playfully. It was when he turned around that he saw Seth. "Oh hey Seth." He admittedly felt a little uncomfortable around the other man after what John had told him about the slight troubles that Roman and Seth were having at the moment.
"Hey." Seth said quietly with a small smile.
"Your table is over here right next to the window." Randy smiled, grabbing four menus from his stand before he led them towards their table. He always reserved the best table for when he knew Roman was coming into the restaurant. Even though they hadn't gotten along professionally, personally their friendship was one he definitely cherished. He stopped once he reached the table right at the back. "And this is your table." He smiled, placing the menus down. "It's four people today, right?"
"Yeah. There's four of us." Roman answered sitting down.
"Four?" Seth asked curiously once he took his own seat.
"Yeah. Dean's bringing a friend today." Roman answered. "I thought I'd told you that already?"
Seth shook his head. "No." He suddenly felt a little uncomfortable.
Roman shrugged. "Oh well. You know now." He had deliberately not told Seth that Dean was bringing Nikki to lunch today to see his boyfriend's true reactions to it. While he had no proof, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was happening between them and he didn't like that one bit. He'd been down this road before with another love and Dean and he certainly didn't want history to repeat itself.
"Did you want to order any drinks?" Randy asked. He could feel the tension between them and he wanted to get away from it as quick as he could.
"No. We'll wait til they get here before we get any." Roman answered with a smile.
Randy nodded his head once before leaving the couple alone at their table. He had a strange feeling deep in his core and immediately pulled his phone out to text his own boyfriend.
"I'm glad you got this weekend off Rome." Seth said quietly, watching his boyfriend carefully. "And I'm sorry that things have been weird between us lately."
"I'm just glad you finally slept in the same bed as me last night." Roman remarked. He didn't want to have this conversation here but he appreciated the sentiment nonetheless. "Oh. Here comes Dean now."
Seth glanced over to the front of the restaurant where he could see Dean walking towards them. There was already a cocky grin on his handsome face as he practically strutted towards them. Dean was dressed in a black, button up shirt with a pair of dark blue jeans and a pair of sneakers. Even though he didn't look his polished self, the sight of him made Seth's heart race hard in his chest. That was until he saw the person behind Dean.
He felt his heart catch in his throat as a beautiful brunette woman stepped out from behind Dean. She had long, dark brown hair with honey blonde highlights through it. Her face looked picture perfect, every aspect of her make up done to perfection including her bright red lipstick. From his seat he could see her brown eyes scanning the room while her lips pursed into a slight smirk. She was wearing a bright red dress that barely reached the middle of her thighs. The dress had a sheer panel that started from the high neckline and plunged to her waist where the dress fanned out slightly with a peplum addition to her dress. There was only a small amount of fabric that covered her large breasts. She looked fantastic in the dress and it hugged every single inch of her obviously in shape body.
He watched her carefully as she approached the table with Dean, her black, strappy heels clicking on the floor as they approached. He glanced around and noticed that almost every single man in the whole damn restaurant was looking at her with obvious interest. It was hard not to stare at her. She was probably the most beautiful woman Seth had ever seen and even though he was one-hundred percent gay, he couldn't help but look at her large, round breasts that of course looked perfect as well.
They reached the table and Seth got to his feet. He could feel Dean's blue eyes on his but he couldn't take his eyes off the woman next to him.
"Seth, this is Nikki and Roman, I hope you remember her." Dean said almost awkwardly. He felt a little apprehensive even bringing his almost ex-wife to a lunch with his friend and colleague as well as the other man who he was trying to seduce.
"Nice to meet you Seth." Nikki turned to Seth and flashed him a million dollar smile. She turned back to Roman. "Roman. It's so lovely to see you again after all this time." She closed the gap between herself and Roman and pressed a soft, chaste kiss to his cheek.
"Nice to see you too Nikki." Roman smiled. "Shall we sit?"
All four adults moved to sit back down in their seats. Nikki placed her expensive looking black clutch on the table and fanned her immaculately done face with her left hand, the sparkle of the large ring on her left hand catching all of their attention. "I always forget how hot it is in Florida."
Dean rolled his eyes. "You live in California, Nikki."
"Yeah but this is another kind of hot." She grinned right back at him.
Seth felt an uncomfortable swirl right in the pit of his stomach. He missed the way that Roman looked right at him with an almost heartbreak. His own feelings felt like they were crumbling away. It was then that he noticed the white gold band on Dean's left hand too. He was beyond confused right now considering Dean had told them that he was gay. He was sure that this girl had to have been his almost ex-wife which only puzzled him further.
Nikki turned back to Dean with a large grin on her face. "Dean, honey, why don't you and Roman get Seth and I some drinks?"
"Sure. What do you want?" Dean smiled, his eyes traveling to Seth's face who looked more than a little dejected.
"Just a champagne. Please." Nikki's words were sickly sweet as she gazed lovingly at Dean.
"What do you want to drink Seth?" Roman asked quietly.
"Jack Daniel's and coke. Thanks Rome." Seth said quietly, pulling a small smile at his boyfriend who barely reciprocated.
Nikki waited until both Dean and Roman had left the table before she turned back to Seth. She could see the anxiety written all over his face and she couldn't help but smile a little wider. "Seth. I know that there's something going on with you and Dean so I'm going to be quite blunt."
Seth's brown eyes widened slightly. Nikki's tone of voice was sickeningly sweet as well as the smile on her face but her brown eyes and the tone of her voice was deadly serious. He swallowed hard. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Seth. Do you think I'm really that dumb?" There was that creepy smile but threatening tone. "Dean might not have told me directly but even in the less than five minutes we've been in the same vicinity, you two have been sneaking glances at each other. I know there's something going on." She paused for a moment, not even bothering to wait for a response. "You need to back off from him. He's mine."
"Didn't he used to be yours? Aren't you two going through a divorce?" Seth asked. He could feel his stomach churning and he didn't like it one bit.
"Proceedings have been halted for the moment." Nikki answered. Her smile was growing larger. "I want you to get the fuck away from him." She watched the way that Seth recoiled slightly. "I don't know how far you two have gone but I want you to stop. I have his name and that's the way it's going to stay."
Seth scoffed. "You do know he's gay, right?"
Nikki laughed loudly. "I'm well aware of that."
"Then why the fuck do you want him?" Seth snapped.
"Why the hell do you want him?" Nikki countered. "You have your own outrageously attractive boyfriend Seth and you're chasing after Dean." She paused, reading the look on Seth's face. "Yes, it is obvious. You're playing Roman for a chance at Dean."
Seth scoffed once more. "You don't know shit about my relationship with Roman."
"I don't need to." Nikki answered. "I'll say this one last time; stay away from Dean. He's never gonna give you one of these." She not so subtly showed Seth her large engagement ring. "And he's never going to love you like Roman so give up and go back to your Samoan Prince. And I'll keep my King."
Seth opened his mouth to speak but closed it when he realized that Roman and Dean were returning with their drinks. He grabbed the drink from Roman's hand and drained a large gulp from it.
"Whoa. Slow down Seth, it's not water." Nikki laughed. "Something must be bothering your man Roman." She batted her long, false eyelashes at Roman while she took a sip of her own drink before she turned to Dean and engaged in a quiet conversation just between the two of them.
Roman leaned in close to Seth. "Settle down and make a good impression."
Seth groaned inwardly and drained more of his glass. From across the table, he briefly locked his gaze with Dean's. He felt the same spark he always did but now he felt almost awkward, like the walls around him were closing and he was backed up against a wall. Maybe he should listen to Nikki's threats.
He turned his attention out of the window and to the crashing waves on the beach. He just wanted to go home.
TBC
A/N: will Seth listen to Nikki's threats and stay away? You'll just have to wait until next week to find out. Thanks for reading and reviewing! GatesVengeance x
Also, if none of you haven't worked 6.30am-11pm...I envy you.