Abysm
Chapter 1
"Mark, you're out of control. Your attitude and the way you've been treating the boys in the back, even me, isn't right and you know it. You have anger problems, we've discussed this before." Vince explained, keeping his voice stern while his superstar just glared at him through acidic slits. "You need to take some time off."
"No can do. I'm starting this angle with Show and Paul, or do you not remember that, old man?"
"I'm aware and I'm ORDERING you to take a sabbatical. You have some nagging injuries you need to recover from and I'll find something else for Show and Paul to do while you're gone. I'm not asking, Mark. This is an order or…"
Mark sat forward, his elbows on his knees. "Or WHAT, boss?"
"You're fired. I will fire you." Vince meant it, as much as it pained him, he would fire his longtime employee and friend if Mark didn't toe the line and listen to him.
"And where pray tell are you sending me?"
"You let me worry about that. Go get packed up, your last segment is tonight and tomorrow, you'll be on your way on your retreat."
"Marlize, it's Vince."
This was quite the surprise. She hadn't heard from him in quite a while due to what was going on in her life currently. At least it was over now and apparently, he had come out of the woodwork. Vince was married to her Aunt Linda, who Marlize had almost no contact with or her cousins, Stephanie and Shane.
"What can I do for you, Vince?" She asked, leaning against the doorframe while staring out at the lake she lived on, breathing in the fresh morning air.
"I know we haven't spoken in a while, and I hope you're well. I need a favor, Marlize."
"And what may I ask is that?"
"I have a co-worker with some…personal issues going on and I need a place for him to stay, to recuperate from some injuries and get his head on straight. He has somewhat of an anger problem and I was hoping…"
"You were hoping I'd rent my cabin out to him, right?"
"If it's not too much trouble…"
Marlize thought it over, knowing she could really use the money right now because of her own personal issues and life, tapping her chin with her finger. "It's gonna cost you, Vince. I don't run cheap either."
Vince chuckled softly. "Price isn't an issue and I wasn't gonna let you do this for free anyway, even if we are family."
"Good, just so we understand each other." Marlize didn't consider them family at all and looked around her place, knowing she'd have to go up to the cabin to clean it out since nobody had used it in a while. "Send him in a week. I need time to spruce it up and get everything ready. Make sure the water and shit still works, stuff like that."
"Very well. How much will it cost?"
"How long do you want him staying here?"
"At least three months."
It took her exactly three seconds to respond to that. "Thirty thousand and not a penny more or less, Vince."
"Deal. I'll be in touch soon."
"Alright."
Vince is an asshole, Mark thought as he packed his shit. He was being sent to a 'private cabin' in the literal middle of nowhere to have some downtime. His eyes narrowed while studying the bag he was packing, rolling his eyes. A retreat, clear his head, get over…things. Mark saw that working out. Not fucking likely. He preferred working his issues out in that ring, on someone who could take a beating, and Vince had taken that from him.
Also, Vince had to protect his wrestlers and co-workers from the wrath of the Undertaker. Ever since Mark lost a close personal friend of his, almost eight months ago, he'd been moody and had changed his look. It had been against WWF policy since changes had to be submitted to the company first, but Mark didn't care. Vince had let it slide because of what the man had been through, feeling sorry for him since this had been Mark's best friend throughout his life, not just from the wrestling business.
They were very good friends, more like family and with the war going on with WCW, Vince had to take extra measures and precautions. He was protecting Mark by sending him away as much as his other wrestlers. Mark needed time to grieve and didn't allow himself to do it because of the war. It was time for the man to take a moment for himself to grieve his lost friend and deal with his anger issues. He just hoped the giant didn't give Marlize too hard of a time.
It was not an anger issue. Mark had a grief issue. He also had an issue with his boss sending him to somewhere unknown, uncharted territory. All he'd been told was what flight to catch and then another smaller flight, followed by a long car ride and a ferry. Vince was definitely paying for this retreat because it sounded like a bunch of new-age type crap. Solitude. Nobody around except perhaps a single person who would be 'staying out of the way', probably a shrink or something.
Snarling, he finished packing and glanced at the time, acidic green eyes narrowing. This had better be worth it.
See, what Vince didn't realize was Mark Calaway would not be getting his own cabin because this was a very small island. There was only ONE cabin on this island and there was no way she was giving it up for a man. That did NOT mean she wouldn't let him have one of the five bedrooms in the joint, however. For thirty grand, Marlize thought she was being generous since she didn't know how long Mark would be staying here. So, since Vince had forked over the thirty grand prior to his favor coming for a retreat, Marlize spent some of it to make sure the cabin was up to date. She had to fork over a few thousand out of the thirty, but still walked away with a nice chunk to live off of.
No job meant bills couldn't be paid, even though she lived on a generator and Mark would soon find that out with the renter cabin as well. Food was a necessity as well, so money really helped. Marlize checked the lights, water, stove, heater and air conditioning, thankful only the air conditioning unit had to be replaced. She had cleaned the cabin from top to bottom, making it livable and really hoped whoever this guy was, he was worth the thirty grand she had taken from Vince. Hopefully, he would just keep to himself and not bother her since they were the only two people on the island.
Vince had sent him to hell.
Mark liked nature, on his own terms, and this was a lot of nature. He huffed, his eyes narrowing as he took in the island they were approaching. It wasn't big and he could see the small landing area near the water for the miniature plane he was being transported in. He was never doing this again; he would swim back to the mainland when this was all said and done. Mark wasn't bothered by enclosed spaces since he had let himself be shut in a casket numerous times during matches for the WWF. Those were the very definition of 'tight', but an airplane, over water, of this size…he wasn't very amused or comfortable.
"We're circling to land." The pilot announced, both to his passenger and to whoever else was listening on the radio.
"Roger. You're clear."
That was a woman's voice and his eyes narrowed further. Vince really had sent him to some therapy retreat, just what he did NOT need.
Therapy retreat it was not.
That was the last thing Marlize wanted to do was be someone's therapist, especially a person that worked for her Uncle. Marlize was a little on the heavier side, thick in all the right places with a bit of a stomach. After what she'd gone through the past year, it was justified. Sooner or later, she'd try to drop the pounds, but honestly, Marlize didn't care one way or the other what people thought. Nobody else was on this island. It was just her. Luckily, the place had been rigged with cable, so at least she wasn't completely bored out of her skull. Very rarely did she watch television though and spent most of her days out on the beach near the ocean the island was surrounded by.
It gave her peace of mind to know nobody except a few people and her family knew of this place and where she was. Mark Calaway was in for one HELL of a surprise when he arrived as she watched the plane begin to circle and finally land in the water, right near the docking port. Wearing a dark purple short-sleeved tunic with some kind of design on the hems and black shorts, Marlize had her honey blonde hair pulled back in a twist with a clip to hold it in place. Her aqua eyes looked out the window, spotting a MASSIVE giant headed toward the cabin and suddenly, Marlize couldn't breathe.
Who the HELL had Vince sent to her island?!
The entity formerly known as the Lord of Darkness, and he sure as hell still looked the part. Long, black hair and the only facial fuzz he sported was a long, black goatee, something he was considering trimming down and maybe growing out his stache. It wasn't like he had to worry about looking 'right' for the fans anymore; he had been sidelined by his own boss as opposed to the injury he knew they'd tell everyone he was having. Mark raised the sunglasses over his eyes as he took in the cabin, scrutinizing it. It wasn't small like he expected when he heard the word cabin. He noted the power lines, grateful there was at least power here, though he bet it ran on a generator given the location.
Satan.
He looked like Satan! Vince had sent her Satan's incarnate to stay here! Marlize had to take a couple deep breaths to calm down and pulled away from the window, vowing to kill Vince whenever they saw each other again. There was no way she could live out here without some kind of power and Marlize made sure she had everything she needed. It was a bit of a trek, but on the other side of the island, there was a small store and beach, just no bed and breakfast or hotels of any kind. Marlize had allowed a few people to stay here in the past, but only for emergencies, so this would be the first time she had an actual planned guest.
Before long, a knock sounded at the door that was rather harsh and it made Marlize cringe inwardly, wondering if thirty grand would be worth having this type of houseguest. Another deep breath later, she walked over to the door and had to look up at the huge Satanic giant standing in front of her dressed in all black. "You must be Mark Calaway." Marlize congratulated herself for keeping her tone calm and pushed the screen door open, stepping back to let him walk inside. Christ, he was even bigger now that he stood only a few feet away from her. What a monster. "Follow me and I'll give you the tour."
Inside was a lot more spacious than it looked, but he still had to duck through the doorway. Grunting, he shouldered his bag while studying her, taking in her stance. She was pretty, in her own way, he supposed. Mark hadn't really been thinking about women with what had happened or the chaos going on in his life right now. Such as the carnage he had left behind at work…or the fact that Vince had finally been pushed to the limits and was willing to fire him for his antics and attitude. She did, however, have the most stunning shade of blue eyes he had ever seen, not that Mark let that show on his face.
"Got a name, pet?"
Blonde and stacked, especially for her 5'5 frame, she was very curvy in the right places, though Marlize didn't think so. Her self-esteem was in the toilet and it had been for a while because of what she'd been through in her life. Mark was not the only one who had issues to deal with and needed an escape, she did too, which was why she was here. Her eyes narrowed slightly at the term of endearment he used, not sure if Marlize appreciated being called 'pet'.
No, she didn't like it at all and folded her arms in front of her chest with a tight smile that did not reach her icy eyes. "Marlize, peach." He was anything except a peach, but she figured if he wanted to use a condescending nickname for her, she would reciprocate.
If she had been a proper hostess and introduced herself as was custom in normal, human society, he would have used that. As it was, she hadn't, so pet it was and being called peach did not faze him a bit. Mark had been called a lot in his time, including baby and sweet buns, so peach was an upgrade. He noted the smile and was like a shark that had scented blood; she was tense and didn't want him here. His response to that was to give her a chilling smile and extend his hand.
Damn it, I can't be rude to him! Vince will have my ass in a sling! Marlize reluctantly took that extended hand and firmly shook it, ignoring the fire shooting up her arm instantly. She released it a few seconds later and gestured to the space they were standing in now. "I'm sure you recognize a living room and kitchen, so I'll just show you to the room you'll be occupying while you're here." Walking past him, she headed up the stairs to the second floor, having chosen the room farthest away from hers.
There were two bedrooms downstairs and three upstairs; she had taken the one in the far back on the first floor. Mark would be on the opposite side of the cabin and hopefully, there would be limited interaction between the two of them. She didn't bother with explaining anything since it was a standard room with a television, bed, dresser and closet. Nothing fancy. The bathroom was in the middle of the second floor and there was also another on the first floor. If Mark needed anything, he would have to fend for himself because Marlize was not a great hostess.
"If you need anything, write it down and I'll send it with the ferry that comes here once every two weeks to drop off supplies." There was no way to leave the island unless they wanted to pay the ferry to come pick them up at the dock to take them to the mainland.
If he left before the allotted time, he was out of a very well-paying job, no more of the amazing perks that came with the gig. That'd royally suck for him because Mark liked being paid for what he did and he was very good at it, at what he did for a living. He realized they were sharing this place and she definitely wasn't a therapist. There was no way. She was too grouchy for one.
"How do you know Vince?" Mark wouldn't be surprised at all if she was the old man's mistress or something.
Vince was a little sleezy like that and it would also explain how she had this giant cabin on her own private island, via her loaded sugar daddy.
