MNR thoughts: Ambrose on commentary all day err day. Roman just standing there looking hot as heck even with a black eye? I approve. Seth remains a boss in the ring.
Big thank you to too much drama 1225, DeeMarie426, Alexis Black-Reigns, broguekicking, clarembees, benova13, wwefanatic365, IRENELOVE83, Olivia Reigns, CFierce116, Shield316, SailingSoul, Tammy, Pinayprincesa, princessreigns, nikki1335 and justkimmy for the reviews. Wow, why do I feel under pressure now? Lol. Very glad you're all loving ITDE.
All the time. That's how often Sasha thought about that night. That phone call. Even now, two days later, as she sat on the bench across from her daughter's school, her legs crossed tighter than normal as she daydreamed about it. If phone sex was meant to alleviate her very lengthy dry spell, it hadn't quite succeeded. Because it only made her want the real thing even more.
She'd gone a very long time without intercourse. It wasn't because she was a prude – it was mainly because she was preoccupied with trying to keep her life and her kids' lives in order. And considering that not one of the men she'd met during that period was worthy enough to get into her pants, it was a foregone conclusion that she would be relegated to the occasional, albeit mediocre, bout of self-service possibly for the rest of her life.
But if last night was a preview of what she could have, she would be fucking crazy to turn it away. There was absolutely nothing mediocre about it.
Her teeth tugged her bottom lip as Joe's deep, throaty voice played over and over in her mind. She recalled how she had quaked and melted at his every word, visualized his skin meeting hers, as though he'd been right there in the room with her. Giving in to him had been so easy. There was no way the skills of seduction he possessed had been acquired overnight. He'd told her about his days as a star athlete in college, the attention he received from the opposite sex, and now, thanks to his stardom in the WWE, he was used to having the ladies in the palm of his hand. Clearly he was experienced with the ways of a woman, and that made him dangerous. But it was the kind of danger her inner vixen – now wide awake after nearly a decade of slumber – was very, very eager to encounter.
The school bell rang shrilly, signaling the end of another day, and the kids began to file out of the building. She caught sight of a car pulling up nearby, and her heart sank when she recognized the vehicle as that of her ex, Tyson. His daughter attended kindergarten a flew blocks away from Mia's school. Sasha turned away as a woman emerged from the car, hoping she couldn't be seen. This was the reason she preferred Pam picking up Mia. Other than the fact that Pam's gym was closer to the school, Sasha could also avoid getting caught in the hurricane that was Desiree Bridges.
But after five plus years of dealing with her, she knew that wasn't going to happen.
For such an attractive woman, Tyson's wife had an ugly, bitchy, polarizing attitude. Barely into her mid-twenties, she was tall and skinny, with nicely shaped eyes and a dark complexion similar to Sasha's. But that was where the appeal ended. T.K. wasn't kidding when he called her a psycho. Desiree was a confrontation magnet and went out of her way to antagonize people. And when she was in her element, her neck would start rolling, swishing around the offensively long, cheap weave she seemed to have a taste for, and the most obscene ghetto vitriol would spill out of her mouth. There was no real surprise there, in Sasha's mind, considering her background. She was the typical welfare broad; section eight, food stamps, the whole nine yards, the type of person that you could take out of the 'Hood but the 'Hood wasn't leaving them anytime soon. In the initial stages of her relationship with Tyson, Desiree went around town slandering the man's former partners, gloating about how none of them could keep him satisfied. And with Sasha being the closest in proximity, she was an easy target for Desiree. What the younger woman didn't know that Tyson was probably stepping out on her. Just like he had cheated on Sasha back then with the high school bicycle, Brenda. Heck, he had cheated on his last girl with Desiree. A leopard's spots never changed. He may be married, but Sasha knew damn well that it wouldn't be enough to keep him from playing away from home.
But Tyson's love life was no longer her concern. All she cared about was him doing the right thing by his son, but since he had recently reemphasized that he had no plans of doing so, she was back to keeping him at an arm's length. And that was fine by her.
Too bad Desiree couldn't show her the same courtesy. "Hey, you! I been lookin' for your ass!" she shouted, marching up to her.
Sasha rolled her eyes. "What'chu want?" As always, she refused to say her name. It was petty, but she didn't care. "I ain't got time for you."
"Well you better make time, ho," the younger woman retorted. "You stay the hell away from my man."
Taking a glance at the car, she spotted Tyson shrunk back in the driver's seat, looking anywhere but at the two women. Even he had yet to get a grip on his cantankerous spouse. "I didn't go near your man."
"Like hell you didn't! You gonna tell me you didn't stalk him at his workplace askin' for money? Fuckin' liar!"
"I did not stalk him. I went to talk to him about his son." Sasha sighed, looking back towards the school. Where the hell was Mia?
Desiree planted her hand on her hip and sucked in her teeth. "I don't give a damn! He told you he done with your frumpy little ass seventeen fuckin' years ago!"
Fed up, Sasha finally faced her. "I am the mother of his first child, bitch! If he was doing what's right by his son I ain't gotta tell him shit!" she spat, hating that this woman always managed to bait her into a shouting match. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted Tyson, finally resurfacing from the safety of his vehicle to reach for his daughter, and rounded on him. "And you! Your punk ass went cryin' to her like a little bitch, like I did something wrong! I came to you for your son, nothin' more! That discussion was between me and you. Why you gotta bring her into it?"
"He's my motherfuckin' husband, so whatever happens with him is my business," Desiree interjected. "He don't want nothin' to do with you or your bastard son so fuck off!"
Anger shot through the mother of two's veins like adrenaline, but somehow she kept it at bay. "You watch your fuckin' mouth before I slap you into next week, little girl," she said evenly. "Look around you. You're embarrassing yourself."
Sure enough, people were staring openly at them, but Desiree didn't give a damn. She'd been called out and she wasn't going to stand for it. "Who you talkin' to like that, huh?" she snarled, pulling off her massive hoop earrings. "You wanna say that again, old lady? Huh? You wanna go?"
Sasha merely rolled her eyes at the other woman's dramatic behavior, and sighed with relief when she saw Mia jogging towards her. Finally.
Tyson, meanwhile, had finally grown a set and was pulling his irate wife back. "Come on, baby, let it go," he said. "Tiffani's in the car. Let's go home."
"You better check that ho, Ty!" Desiree continued to rant. "Who does she think she is? I don't ever want you near her, you understand me?"
"I don't give a damn about her. You know that, baby," Tyson replied haughtily.
Sasha looked the man she once loved up and down, disgusted. It still amazed her that this was what he'd ended up with as a wife. But then again, mayb she shouldn't be surprised. "I don't give a damn about y'all neither, but for some reason you still find a reason to get in my face." She took Mia by the hand. "Come on baby, let's go." Swinging her purse over her shoulder, she started towards the bus stop, with Desiree's voice trailing behind them;
"Yeah ho. Go up in that bus and get gone, you and your nappyhead girl! You can't even afford a car yet you mouthin' off to me!"
Sasha ignored her, but man was she itching to get her hands dirty. Had Pam been here she'd have urged her to put the bitch in her place, but there really was no sense in arguing with a woman like that. The longer she stayed and argued with her, the more certain there would be a fight. It just wasn't worth it. Plus she didn't want Mia to watch her beat the shit out of another human being.
As they boarded the bus, Mia said, "Why does she yell like that all the time?" She shook her head in pity for Desiree. "Ladies don't yell, right Mama?"
That's because she's not a lady. "That's exactly right, baby."
Engrossed with the text he was typing, Joe frowned when a slender hand closed deliberately over his phone screen. He swatted the offending obstacle away, and glanced up to see Trinity McCray plopping down next to him in the catering room.
"Hello to you too, Joseph," she greeted, just as his cousin Jonny, known as Jimmy to the WWE Universe and Trinity's fiancé, joined him on his other side, a bag of trail mix in his grasp. "Sup, Uce?"
He murmured back a response, and the Diva known as Naomi turned her body fully towards him, poking his shoulder with her finger. "What's this I'm hearing about you having a girlfriend? And why didn't you tell me?" she pouted.
Tilting his head accusingly, Joe leveled his cousin with a glare, and the Uso had the good sense to look sheepish. So far only Jon, Colby, the Fatu twins and his sister Alma knew about Sasha and he planned to keep it as low-key as possible, at least until they were official. However, he didn't really have a problem letting Trinity in on it as well, since she was also a part of his inner circle. "We're not together," he corrected, stealing a carrot off the plate she had brought with her. "Not yet anyway."
"At least that explains why you've been smiling so much lately," she teased. "Have you got a picture? I wanna see."
He showed her the photo he used as her caller I.D. Trinity grinned. "Wow! She's gorgeous."
"Hell yeah. She's a MILF," Jonny informed her, shooting Joe an impressed look, but it quickly faltered underneath his fiancée's scowl. "I didn't say I was actually going to! Joe would break my ass in two anyway."
"Damn right," Joe confirmed, squaring his eyes at his cousin.
"So when are we going to meet her? Sasha, right?" asked Trinity. "Don't hide her from us, Joe."
He rolled his eyes. "I'm not hiding her. I just don't want you crazy women scaring her away."
"Oh, you're being dramatic. We're not that bad. We're nice girls. Aren't we, babe?"
Jonny made an innocent face as he munched on his trail mix. "Sorry my man, I'm lookin' to get laid tonight so my answer is absolutely."
Joe smirked. "Of course."
Trinity watched the bigger man with a smile. There actually was a positive change in him, now that she thought about it. Even with his career's building momentum and shouldering the pressure that came with it, he seemed happier, more relaxed. "It's nice to know at least you're finally moving on from that crap with Andrea," she remarked. "Took you damn long enough, to be honest."
Jonny stopped chewing. Tensing slightly, Joe arched a brow. "Who said I'm just moving on now?"
The former Funkadactyl gave him a skeptical look. "Sleeping around is not moving on. You haven't had a real relationship since Andrea because you haven't forgotten about what she did. You don't trust us girls anymore and after what went down, I don't blame you." She'd borne witness to that tempestuous chapter in Joe's life, and did not wish it on her worst enemy. "But if Sasha's changing that, then I'm glad." Her attention was diverted when Natalya strolled into Catering. "We'll carry on with this conversation later, Joe. Nattie!" She left the table, earning a chuckle from the Samoans. Knowing the women, Trinity wouldn't be seen for at least another hour.
Jonny leaned closer to his cousin. "Sorry man, I had to tell Trin you found someone," he said. "She was planning on settin' you up with a friend of hers. I know the chick and let's just say you've dodged a bullet."
Joe cringed at the thought. "Good to know. Thanks."
"Don't mention it." Jonny turned his trail mix bag upside down and emptied the rest of the contents into his mouth. "She's right though, Uce. You're happier and we can tell. Just try not to put so much pressure on yourself this time, alright?"
It was solid advice. Because the last time he did, it led to a betrayal that had devastated him beyond recognition. He still hadn't fully recovered, as he realized when Trinity had mentioned her name and his stomach had dropped, like it always did. Telling Sasha was too soon. It was still painful thinking about it, let alone saying it out loud. By telling her, he would risk making her think he was pursuing a relationship with her for the wrong reasons. But he wasn't. She was different. Everything about her was different from the last woman he cared this much for, and he was going to prove it for as long as she let him. From his own end, it was a matter of when, and not if, he would get to that bridge, and when he did, he would cross it. He owed Sasha that much.
More importantly, he owed himself that much.
Phew!
Some new names in the plot. Thoughts?