Chapter 8
"What are you doing here?"
"I was just about to ask you the same thing."
"Let me guess, you got a call demanding to meet here."
"With donuts and chocolate milkshakes."
Jecina waved a bag of her own. "Mini cheesecakes too."
Shaking her head with a smile, Lilianna set down the Dunkin Donuts box and container of coffee on the equipment trunk. "You're always one-upping me." She mumbled good-naturedly, no malice in her tone. "Then again, you are a five-star chef and baker…"
"Yeah, I whipped them up right after getting the emergency call." Jecina admitted, sounding a little sheepish and set the plastic platter down next to the donuts. "But even though I am bomb at making certain things, donuts are not my specialty. So once again, you one-upped me." After making love with Jon for 2 straight hours that morning, they drove to the Smackdown! location and barely checked into their hotel when she received the call.
"Why don't we just call it a truce?" Lilianna gave her best friend a one-armed hug and poured them both a cup of coffee just as Gabriella walked up, emerald and golden brown eyes turning to stare at her.
"So what's this about?"
"And don't try to bullshit us this time since we both know you have a secret lover." Gabriella handed over a cup of coffee to her friend and guided her to sit down, all 3 women pouring creamer and sugar in their hot beverages. "You sounded frazzled on the phone."
Prior to coming to the main roster with Liliya, Lilianna had another good friend in NXT. Gabriella was smart, witty, charming and had the biggest heart, wanting and willing to help anyone in need. She was a great wrestler and they had incredible matches together, pushing each other to the limit. When Lilianna found out Gabriella and Baron Corbin, another good friend of hers, were coming to the main roster, she was ecstatic. She immediately introduced Gabriella to Jecina and they hit it off instantly, almost as fast as when Lilianna first met Jecina. It was an entirely unforeseen when Jon Moxley and Baron became friends, or at least tolerate each other to the point where they began working out together. Gabriella tried warning Baron about Moxley, but all he did was smile and kissed the top of her head, telling her not to worry.
"I know, I'm sorry about that." Gabriella sipped her coffee slowly and took a donut along with the plate of mini cheesecake Jecina extended, sighing. "But I had to talk to both of you. I just…I have no idea where to start…or how the hell I'm supposed to even say what I need to say…" Sometimes Gabriella rambled and had to stop herself, taking another deep breath. "Sorry."
"Stop apologizing." Jecina placed her hand on top of Gabriella's, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Take a bite of cheesecake, it'll help you think. I call it brain food." She winked, trying to ease the tension and crossed one leg over the other.
"Have I told you how much I love you and your cooking?" Gabriella did as she was told, groaning at the amazing taste since cheesecake was her favorite dessert. "And do you have any idea how much working out I'll have to do so this doesn't go straight to my ass?"
Lilianna laughed with a roll of her eyes. "Your ass is perfect the way it is, Gabi. Stop being so self-conscious and treat yourself. Now then, what the hell is going on and so important you had to rush us here to our secret spot?"
One thing Gabriella appreciated and respected about Lilianna was her candor. "I don't think…well, I mean I know I deserve to be here, but…I don't think I'm here for the right reason." She'd felt like this ever since getting the call up to the main roster, lowering her eyes from her friends shamefully. "I've been…I don't know if seeing is the right word because we're not dating. We're just…"
"Fucking?" Lilianna finished for her, knowing Gabriella didn't have a dirty sailor mouth like her and, at times, Jecina. "So who is he?"
"I can't tell you and it's not that I don't want to either. I've been sworn to secrecy on who he is. You just need to know the reason I was brought to the main roster, I believe anyway, is because of who I'm having a fuck buddy relationship with." That was the best way Gabriella could generalize what THEY were. "I can tell you I met him down in NXT, but he's not part of that roster. He just came down there for business…"
Lilianna and Jecina shared looks with each other, confusion swirling in their eyes before staring back at their friend. "Wait, so he's not a wrestler? Does he even work for the company?" Jecina knew she probably couldn't answer any questions, but if they were going to help Gabriella through this, they needed SOME kind of information to go off of.
Lowering her eyes, Gabriella set the plate of half-eaten cheesecake on the equipment trunk and clasped her hands in front of her tightly. "No – I mean yes – I mean no as far as him being a wrestler…well, maybe a little…" How the hell was she supposed to answer that question when her lover got into the ring sporadically? "It's complicated, but he does work for the company." In a big way, she added in thought, taking a sip of her coffee. "I know this is vague of me, but I don't break my promises. But I also need advice on what to do."
"Advice on what exactly?"
Gabriella could feel the tears building in her eyes, brushing a few away that managed to escape. "Damn it." She whispered, gripping the equipment trunk and began rocking back and forth. It was a way for her to think clearly. "I want more with him than just sneaking around having sex. At first I thought that's all I wanted, but…seeing you and Roman and Jecina and Jon, I realized I want that. You guys really love each other. And you're out in the open, you can go on dates and be in public without being judged and scrutinized. I know that if this ever got out, who I'm currently with, it would be catastrophic to my career. But maybe that's a risk I'm willing to take. I just don't know how to talk to him. And I don't know if he even wants a relationship with me since all we've really ever done is have sex."
"Maybe it's time for you to stop having sex then." Jecina suggested, hearing the underlying pain in Gabriella's voice and knew exactly what she felt like.
It was the same way she felt being torn between two twin brothers a couple years ago.
Gabriella knew she was right, but every time she met up with him, they always got down and dirty. She couldn't remember a time where they had an actual conversation besides when they first met down in NXT. He'd come up to search for recruits for the main roster, scouting talent that was ready for the big leagues. The moment she met him, the intense attraction couldn't be ignored and it didn't take long before they were naked in bed in his hotel room. He was fresh off a long divorce and it'd just finalized days before they met, so Gabriella didn't feel like she was the 'second' woman since he was single again. Just an ex-husband…maybe it hadn't been the best idea to get involved with someone who had a ton of baggage, but she couldn't resist him. 4 months later, however, Gabriella was tired of being used for sex and wanted something more from him, to have an actual relationship. She had no idea how to approach him with the subject though, which is why she was asking her friends for advice on what to do.
"That's easier said than done, Jeci." Gabriella mumbled, moving her legs back and forth to swing in the air. "If you were in my shoes, how would you approach the man you're having mind-blowing sex with about changing what you have into an actual relationship – into something more than just sex?"
It was Lilianna's turn to answer and she had the perfect response. "Tie him up. The next time you two have sex, make sure it's in a hotel room. Tell him to come to you instead of you going to him. Seduce him in bed and then tie him up nice and tight and then drop the bomb you're going to talk to him before he gets any pussy."
Gabriella turned crimson red at the thought of tying her secret lover up, not sure how to go about doing that. "I've never really…done something like that before. What would I use?" Lilianna had given Jecina great advice on how to choose between the twin brothers Dean and Jon, so she trusted the woman's instruction.
"Scarfs, handcuffs, rope…" Lilianna smirked when her friend just turned REDDER, laughing alongside Jecina. "What? You gotta tie that mother fucker up TIGHT to where he can't move and he's at your complete mercy. Then he'll have NO CHOICE except to listen to what you have to say and you can keep him tied up as long as you want. Of course, you have to be sneaky about it too. Are you capable of doing that?"
"I-I'm not sure…" At this point, Gabriella was desperate and would try anything to get her lover to listen to her. "I'd have to find some place that sells that stuff and…"
Lilianna grinned malevolently, brown eyes gleaming as a lightbulb went off in her head. "It just so happens Pensacola has an amazing sex shop with everything you will need to make your man submit and listen to you. And we're going to make a special shopping trip there in-between wedding nonsense." It would be the perfect reprieve from Roman's pushy mother.
"You know, you should take your own advice and do the same thing to Roman to make him understand just how fed up you are with his mother." Jecina harangued, folding her arms in front of her chest and looked at her best friend calculatedly. "It'll probably be the only way to get him to actually listen to you and understand what he's doing."
Sighing, Lilianna shook her head in disappointment and looked down at her clasped hands in her lap. "I've already tried…and he still won't budge when it comes to his mother." She admitted, having tried everything in her power to get Roman to listen to reason, but he was unwavering. "The man is stubborn and just keeps saying his mother knows what's best and the wedding will be great when all is said and done. That I'll thank his mother for everything once our day arrives. It doesn't even feel like our day anymore though."
Why didn't that surprise Jecina? Of course Lilianna would've tried her own advice and it not work. Didn't mean it wouldn't for Gabriella though. "Then he's an idiot and doesn't deserve you. And that's all I'll say on the subject. Oh by the way, I told Jon about going to Pensacola…and he's coming with me."
"Jecina…" Lilianna did NOT condone that idea, not with Ambrose and her fiancé to deal with. "I have enough on my plate and they don't get along with each other…"
"Jon promised to be on his best behavior. I'll leave him at the hotel if you want, but he said he can't be away from me. We just got back together after being apart for 2 weeks. Honestly, I don't want to be away from him either, Lili. I missed him so much…" Jecina hated dropping this bomb on her best friend with everything else going on, but she wouldn't deny Jon coming with her either. "There won't be any conflict or problems for you to deal with. Let me handle them and if Roman has a problem with it, I'll set him straight. I am the Maid of Honor, after all."
"She's right, Lili." Gabriella had complete faith in Jecina she wouldn't let the boys ruin the wedding planning and would do what she could to help. "Baron lives in Tampa, so I was thinking maybe he could tag along too. Him and Jon could hang out together so Jon isn't alone while we're gone doing wedding stuff. What do you think?"
Now Lilianna didn't have a problem with that and smiled. "That's not a bad idea." She saw Jecina nod in agreement and breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay fine, but if Moxley fucks up…"
"I know – I know; I'll personally send him packing back to Cincinnati if he starts anything." Jecina promised, wrapping an arm around Lilianna's shoulders to give her a one-armed hug. "Everything will be fine, don't worry."
Lilianna could only hope since the wedding planning was stressful enough to contend with.
"I'm going to Pensacola with Jina."
Baron froze with a fork full of salad near his mouth, staring at his friend raising a slow brow. "Really?" This was news to him; he was under the impression Jon didn't care for the groom. "You sure that's a good idea, man?"
"Yeah, why not?" Jon eyeballed Baron, both men having an understanding about each other when it came to their personal lives. "She's my woman and I wanna be with her, no matter where she has to go and do."
"I get that, but…I didn't think you got along with Reigns…" Maybe Baron had missed something, though he highly doubted it and continued eating his salad.
Jon had an egg salad sandwich in front of him, barely touching it. He wasn't hungry at the moment, even though it was his woman's cooking. "My brother too." He grunted, not wanting anything to do with Dean outside of work, but if it meant being with Jecina, he'd suffer. "I'll probably stay at the hotel and away from them, which I'm cool with. What about you? You tell Gabriella how you feel yet or are you gonna continue being a chicken shit?"
"She's with someone. Can't exactly drop the bomb on her that I've liked her and wanted her since we met. She'd slap me silly and then I'd lose her friendship. Not happening." Baron muttered, stabbing another piece of lettuce like it'd personally done him wrong. Whoever Gabriella was with, she kept it secret from him and that didn't set well with him.
"Now what did that salad ever do to you?" Bryan Danielson chastised, walking up to his friends with a plate of food and sat down. It was good to be back in the company instead of stuck at home going out of his mind in boredom.
Baron smirked and shrugged, pushing his plate away no longer hungry. "What's up man? How's it feel being back on the road?" He shook hands with Bryan and then let Jon do the same thing.
"Great! Matter of fact, I just got out of a meeting with Shane McMahon, Stephanie, Hunter and Vince. Hard to believe Shane is back in the company after all this time. Anyway, they offered me a new position in the company and I accepted." He announced casually, taking a bite of his own salad and raised a brow as both men stared at him slack jawed. "What?"
"A new position in the company is a BIG deal, man." Jon folded his arms in front of his chest, eyeing Bryan suspiciously. "You gonna fill us in or what?"
Bryan wished he could, but it was against the contract he'd signed earlier that night with the McMahon and Levesque family. "I can't. Don't worry though, you'll all be finding out soon enough." His phone suddenly went off and Bryan excused himself to answer it since it was his wife.
"What the fuck was that about?" Jon demanded once Bryan was out of earshot, looking over at Baron questioningly.
"Beats the hell outta me. Guess we'll just have to wait and see."
Nobody realized just what the bosses were planning and how vastly the company was about to change in the coming weeks.