BIG thank you to AliceJericho for continuing to hash out these chapters with me.
You are absolutely wonderful and I do so enjoy our chats :)
Shiloh was dancing around her room as she got ready for dinner. She had a rare, carefree day for once. She had a good workout that morning under the careful video supervision of her trainer. She grabbed a light breakfast and hit the town running to prepare for tonight. She had gotten her makeup and hair done and had even splurged on a beautiful silk Alexander McQueen clutch.
It was her birthday. Why the hell not?
She smiled down at the little black dress her sister had gifted her to wear for dinner tonight. It was by far the most extravagant gift she had ever been given for her birthday. It was short with long sleeves and a cut out back, showing just enough skin to entice yet conservative enough where she didn't feel like she was on display.
She finished applying her lotion and slipped on her dress and heels. A quick coat of pale pink lip gloss and she was out the door.
Excitement ran through all of her limbs as she waited for the elevator. She wasn't gullible enough to expect everything to go smoothly. She expected some tension. A family gathering wouldn't be normal without it. Maybe they would all behave for once at least for the majority of the time anyways.
She stepped onto the elevator and got off at the lobby. The bounce in her gait gave away her anticipation as she made her way past the front desk. The trendy, elegant decor wasn't very appealing to her, but she knew Stephanie preferred that esthetic for her. Shiloh was never asked her opinion on anything. She knew better than to even offer it and simply settled for having her mind made up for her.
The front of the restaurant was easy enough to find with its understated gold sign above the entrance. She gave her name to the hostess and was taken back to the "Board Room", one of the private rooms reserved for meetings or in this case a party.
Not that she expected much of a celebration, but it was a nice setting to say the least. It had more of an "old money" feel to it. The walls were a deep garnet and were tastefully adorned with various taxidermy mounts and oil paintings of fox hunts. The server pulled her seat out for her and scooted her back in allowing the sommelier to launch into the wine menu.
"I'll just have a sparkling water for now. When everyone gets here we'll choose a bottle." she smiled politely after his spiel.
He bowed gracefully and left the room. Shiloh glanced at her watch, it was almost eight, they should be arriving any minute now. Punctuality was a religion for them. If you weren't fifteen minutes early, then you were considered late...and lazy and disrespectful, and rude. Though she knew only she had ever had to deal with the stigma of the latter adjectives. Anyone else would get away with a tight nod and a light reprimand. She was read the riot act.
She closed her eyes tightly, "Stop it."
"You can't expect to have a good time if you're always thinking negatively." she muttered to herself, "Its your birthday. Just relax and have fun."
It had become a habit of hers to talk to herself. When you had no one to talk to or even willing to listen, one tends to turn inward and find solace amongst themselves. She had eventually resorted to biting on her lower lip to keep from being perceived as odd or crazy after Randy had embarrassed her yet again about one of her many quirks. He was "gracious" enough to keep her secret but still liked to bring it up when he was trying to rile her up.
That asshole. She sighed audibly, hoping that he hadn't been invited tonight. He would ruin everything for her just like he always did.
She grabbed a delicate set of tongs and dropped a lemon wedge into her glass. She checked her phone to see if she had any messages from her family about their arrival.
There were none, as usual.
Fifteen minutes passed and that was when her excitement wore off and she had begun to feel antsy. It was eight oh five and she was alone. The servers constantly checked on her, much to her annoyance, until she had finally dismissed them until her guests arrived.
At eight fifteen, she had begun to feel hollow. They wouldn't stand her up on her birthday, would they? She flew all the way up here to do them a favor, the least they could do was show up. They had bought her a new dress for the occasion, certainly they would make an appearance.
She felt ridiculous sitting alone at the large dining table. She knew better than to let her emotions cloud her wariness of her family. It was just...they had offered her a nice birthday dinner and she couldn't help the surge of happiness that attacked her senses and knocked down what little defenses she had against them.
At eight thirty she had begun to shake due to her efforts to keep from crying. She was pretty sure now that she was being stood up but couldn't find the strength to get up from her seat to leave.
"Five more minutes." she sighed, looking at her watch again.
She knew she must look completely pathetic to anyone that passed by the room. All alone at a table set for ten. Just her, the silverware, and Bambi hanging on the fucking wall, judging her with his dead eyes.
She glared up at him ruefully knowing how completely crazy she must look staring down a dead deer on the wall. Who cared? Not anybody she knew, that was for sure.
"This is stupid." she sighed, reaching for her clutch in the chair next to her.
"The Board Room is right this way, if you'll follow me."
Shiloh froze hearing the hostess greet...someone. Her heart soared. They hadn't forgot about her! They were just late for whatever reason. It didn't matter the reason, they were here finally.
"Here you are. I'll let the sommelier know that you're ready." the hostess smiled back at the person following her, before stepping aside to allow them entrance into the room.
Shiloh was completely rigid in her seat when she caught the same grey eyes of the man from yesterday. He looked completely different than when she had seen him the first time. His hair was in a smooth ponytail at the nape of his neck showcasing his high cheekbones, regal nose, and full lips. His grey suit was the same color of his eyes and fit him perfectly. His crisp white shirt was accented by the black and white diamond printed tie that brought his whole outfit together.
He was still dangerous and intimidating, only more polished this time.
He eyed her suspiciously as he took the seat directly across from her, "I know you."
"No you don't." she replied instantly before her filter had time to even register what she was about to say.
He nodded, "You were with Randy yesterday."
She scoffed then, "I'm not with Randy, trust me."
She always liked to make that abundantly clear whenever that topic was brought up.
"Then I saw you with Dean right before you left. You were driving the black Rover." he remembered, the memory coming back in vivid detail for some reason.
"Okay." she answered lamely, not really caring that she had seen her.
She was only focused on her birthday dinner, or lack thereof. And also what in the blue hell he was doing sitting at her table.
He let out a dry laugh suddenly. He sounded more annoyed than amused...much like herself at the moment.
"So who set you up to this?" he asked, his mercurial eyes boring holes into her, "Was it Dean? That fucking bastard."
Shiloh narrowed her eyes and shook her head, "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Right." he brushed her off skeptically, "He's been after me trying to set me up on a date for a while now. He got me this time."
"Again, I don't know what you're talking about. I didn't have a clue you were going to be here. As a matter of fact I have no idea who you even are." she said, hoping to express her frustration at him barging in on her birthday dinner.
He seemed to be momentarily thrown off by her statement, especially when he saw what he suspected were tears in her eyes, "So you're not a hooker?"
She inhaled sharply and sat back in her seat just as quickly.
Shit.
He just stuck his foot in his mouth. It was written all over her face.
A single tear slid down her left cheek as her body shook in anger, "I most certainly am NOT a fucking hooker."
He opened his mouth to say something, anything, but couldn't manage a single syllable. The fury in her ice blue eyes had him thunderstruck.
"I'm sorry." he finally said, unable to break her gaze.
"You should be." she hissed, throwing her napkin onto the table and standing up, "I'm leaving."
He was out of his seat in an instant, blocking her path to the doorway, "Wait, don't leave. Let me buy you dinner to apologize."
She seemed taken aback by his aggressive stance toward her so he attempted to relax his features in an effort to make her feel more comfortable. He had grown accustomed to being automatically stereotyped as a brute but had found ways around it.
"Please?" he added for good measure.
She hesitantly sat back down, her fierce gaze still in place.
"Thank you." he managed a quarter of a smile.
He still wasn't sure exactly how he had gotten set up with this girl or what he may have just gotten himself into by persuading her to stay for dinner with him. Who was he to turn down a good meal with a beautiful woman though?
"I'm Roman Reigns by the way." he said, finally revealing his name to her.
"I'm Shiloh." she returned after several beats of silence.
The skepticism was back in full force when he pressed her for more information, "Just Shiloh? Or do you have a last name too?"
She knew he was going to ask her that. They all did eventually.
"My name is Shiloh McMahon." she replied, waiting for his reaction.
A quick breath breezed past his parted lips trying to comprehend her reveal, "Wait...those McMahon's?"
She closed her eyes to hide an eye roll, "Yes. I'm their youngest daughter."
He had really fucked up now. He had just accused his boss's daughter of being a prostitute. How could he have been so stupid?
"I wasn't aware they even had another kid." he offered, hoping it would be enough to cover his ass some.
"You're not the first person to say that, believe me." she griped, crossing her arms angrily.
She was their ace in the hole. She was their closer that only needed to be spoken of when the time was just right. It was no surprise he had never heard of her. He was obviously new enough to have not gotten wind of her from the others on the roster. She knew Randy wouldn't speak of her to him. He liked to keep her close and as hidden as her family did albeit for much different reasons.
"Wow, I feel really dumb right now, I've got to be honest with you." he said.
His voice had changed. Instead of the defensive low growl that she had only ever heard him speak with, his voice was now softer somehow. She knew he was backpedaling trying to create a better first impression of himself now that he knew he she was.
"Its not a big deal really." she waved him off, taking a sip of her water.
He was still watching her intently, "It kind of is."
She blew out an annoyed breath at his persistence. Relief washed over her when she saw the sommelier return with a waiter.
"Are we ready to start with a bottle of wine?" he lead, smiling expectantly at them.
"Umm...what do you like?" Roman asked, still trying to make a good impression.
"We'll take a bottle of whatever you suggest." she shrugged, the sadness creeping back into her voice.
"Very good. I'll make a selection once you've ordered." he bowed again gracefully and left the room.
They ordered their entrees, him the steak and her the sea bass, and returned to their awkward silence.
"So how did you even know to come here? This isn't somewhere you would just randomly show up." she gathered up enough courage to ask him finally.
It had been bugging her the moment she first laid eyes on him.
"Dean actually text me and said that Stephanie called our room and requested for me to come here for a meeting tonight." he said, feeling his face flush a bit at how ridiculous it all sounded now, "That's why I thought he had set me up. I didn't even think to ask any questions when he said that Stephanie, your sister, had called."
She nodded and looked down at her lap to avoid his stare. So this was who she was supposed to be working. She should have known it was all too good to be true. They probably never had any intention of showing up. This was more than likely a ruse the whole time. She hadn't missed his add in about her being related to Stephanie either. It was always the first thing on everyone's mind after they found out who she was related to. She couldn't escape it if she wanted to.
Their wine and food arrived close to the same time enabling her to continue avoiding his gaze. She wanted to wallow in her own pity for the time being. She was angry with herself for allowing them to play her as easily as they did.
"So what are you doing here?" Roman asked raising his glass to his lips.
She sniffed, hating herself when more tears fell down her face, "Its my birthday. I thought I would be having dinner with my family."
His hands stilled over his food. No wonder she looked so sad.
"Why aren't they here with you?" he ventured to ask.
Maybe if he kept her talking it would keep her mind off of her seemingly dismal evening.
She simply shook her head. Her emotions were running too high to try to put into words her complicated relationship with her family.
Roman didn't ask her anymore questions. He wasn't a man of many words to begin with, so he was fine with her silent treatment. He busied himself with finishing his meal as fast and politely as he could. On a positive note though, the food was excellent. At least he had that going for him at the moment.
He glanced over at her occasionally through his thick lashes only to see her pushing her food around on her plate. He did note however that she was on her second glass of wine already and that probably wasn't a good thing. If she was already this upset, adding alcohol to the mix would definitely be trouble.
"They're not here because they don't care about me." she said in a low voice.
She looked up at him a steady flow of tears coming down now. The alcohol had loosened the tight censor she always had on herself. It didn't take much for her to feel the effects because she rarely ever drank.
She saw his jaw flex tightly and knew that he didn't want to be privy to the information she was about to let loose.
"I don't matter to them. I was a mistake and have always been treated as such." she cried letting her fork clatter on the table, "I don't know why I even bother anymore expecting something different."
Roman fidgeted uncomfortably in his seat, "I'm sure they don't see you as a mistake."
She laughed despite her tears, "Oh what do you know? You only have one perception of them, the be all, end all of your profession. You don't know them personally. Sometimes I wish I didn't."
He too laid down his silverware, his appetite suddenly dwindling at her mood swing. He was a typical man, in that he was unequipped to deal with her onslaught of self loathing. He either kept his mouth shut to try and remain passive and as invincible as possible or he got the hell out of there. Currently, finding their waiter and getting their check to make a quick exit seemed like the ideal plan. She was already making a spectacle of herself, the only redeeming factor was the privacy of their secluded room.
She was sobbing into her hands, the whole night finally catching up to her. This was by far her worst birthday yet.
Roman took the opportunity to move the wine bottle out of her reach while she had her head down. He was trying to be as proactive as possible to avoid the blow up he had experienced one too many times when dealing with the opposite sex. And Dean wondered why "a nice guy like himself" remained single.
The waiter approached cautiously to their table seeing what had unfolded in his absence.
"Can we get our check?" Roman asked in a hushed tone.
"Its already been taken care of. Mrs. McMahon covered the bill." he said, "Would you be interested in dessert?"
Roman shook his head quickly, "No. Thank you."
The waiter nodded and left the tension of the room without another word.
"See what I mean? She went ahead and paid for everything because she knew she wasn't coming." Shiloh hiccupped sadly, "They sent you instead. Some stranger, who thought I was an escort, to stand in for them on my fucking birthday."
"I had no clue that this was some elaborate plan to screw up your birthday, okay? If I did, I wouldn't have come, trust me." he told her, the bass in his voice deepening, "And not for nothing, but I thought that you were one of those high priced call girls, like the ones politicians use or something."
"Oh gee, well thanks for that. That makes me feel so much better." she scoffed, grabbing her clutch.
Roman counted to five in his head and made a concerted effort to unclench his fists before going to follow her. As mad as he was, he couldn't let her leave without making sure she at least had a safe way home. He knew it would be just his luck that she would get kidnapped or killed if he didn't. He wasn't about to lose his job over a disastrous dinner with his boss's daughter.
He doubled his pace to catch up with her.
"Shiloh, wait a second." he called out to her once they were out of the stuffy restaurant.
Her long legs kept him from being able to catch up with her as fast as he had hoped too. She had already lead him through the lobby and to the elevators. When he caught up to her she was standing in front of the doors waiting impatiently for them to open. Her arms were wrapped around her thin frame, still shaking from her sobs.
"Are you going to be okay?" he asked, needing to be sure before he bailed on her.
She glared over her shoulder at him, "Don't pretend to care."
His fists clenched at his sides at her tone with him. The door chimed signaling its arrival. She scurried inside, hastily hitting the button to her floor.
Roman's chest was heaving as he stood in front of the open doors. Everything in him wanted to strangle her for treating him the way she had. He felt he was totally innocent in all of this. He didn't know that he was being used against her. How could he have known? He wasn't even aware of her existence until about an hour ago.
When he saw her huddled against the back wall, however, all of the fight in him waned. She needed a scapegoat to ease the pain of rejection from her family and he had unwillingly became the target.
Hearing her soul wrenching cries made him wonder exactly how many times they had done her like they had tonight. He couldn't really blame the poor girl for wanting to celebrate her birthday with her loved ones. Only he had come to realize that they didn't reciprocate the same sentiments she did.
From what he had gathered the relationship was definitely one sided and he found himself sympathizing with her.
He had been there a time or two himself. Giving everything and getting nothing in return would send anyone into a tailspin.
She looked up at him when the doors began to close, her blue eyes looking surreal against the dark outline of her smudged makeup. Her eyes shone her heartbreak in a way no words could ever describe.
They hit him like ice shards, rendering him vulnerable for the first time that night.
"I'm sorry." her voice wavered and broke just as the doors separated them.
Roman stood there, dumbstruck by her raw emotion and the guilt he was feeling. He of course hadn't known the impact he was going to impose on her for just showing up to dinner, but it had just stared him in his face.
"You don't even know her." he thought to himself, willing the guilt to dissipate, "She means nothing to you."
He started retracing his steps through the lobby to head back to his hotel room. It was late and he had a busy day tomorrow. He didn't need to waste anymore time thinking about Shiloh and her ruined birthday.
"She'll be fine." he finalized to himself as he pulled out of the parking lot.
She probably wouldn't even remember his name...if she ever even saw him again.
Not exactly the fairytale she imagined huh?
Thank you to PassionWriter101, Sarcastic Nightmare, RollinsInTheDean, AliceJericho, and DiscoPenguin for their reviews.
Thank you also to: Reetaboo2, AngelsDestiny22, DClove1227, WalkNGal88, crazywolf like chicken, fenner82, and LoverGirl007 for adding my story to your alerts or favorites.
I appreciate the love you guys :)
*hence the extra long chapter lol*
