Red Rocks

 Chapter 1

Las Vegas was the most beautiful city in the world.

There was so much to do.  The strip alone could take days to see everything available.  Casinos stretched as far as the eye could see, the light shows were spectacular, but Vallea’s favorite part was Red Rock Canyon.  The red rocks – they were known as the blood of mother earth.  It was her favorite place to be, especially for a workout.  Even though she was a travel agent, Vallea kept herself in shape and climbing the red rocks was so much better than being stuck in some haughty, high-class gym.  The desert really pushed a person to their breaking point, the heat scorching hot, but thankfully, there was no humidity.  Just straight blistering heat.  Vallea didn’t have a death wish, but she also took a lot of risks in life, especially coming out here alone to climb the red rocks.  Her body was fit and toned from keeping in shape and working out whenever she had an available minute to do so.  There were some days she simply couldn’t fit a workout until her schedule, but she at least tried to go 5 out of 7 days a week.  Today was her day off.  The sun was just peeking over the horizon, lighting up the entire canyon in a warm glow and she smiled, hands taped up, ready for another climb.

Today was also one she would never forget.  Vallea had done this a million times before, so she was used to the rough terrain of the red rocks.  She didn’t use a harness because she liked the rough of adrenaline, the danger of it.  As long as she watched her step, there was no reason for a harness, in her mind.  One wrong step was all it took.  Vallea missed the rock she’d been aiming for and went falling down the rocks, clutching onto anything she could get her hands on.  A scream echoed throughout Red Rock Canyon as her body dangled from a ledge, holding onto the rock for dear life.  If she let go, she would surely fall to her death.  This was it.  She was going to die.  She could see her life flashing before her eyes as sweat poured down her face, the sun unforgiving and blistering.  Vallea had to find a way out of this and looked from her right to her left, tears sliding down her cheeks from both fear and pain of the rocks scraping her knees.

Jonathan Good had not been expecting anyone out here so early in the morning, which was how he generally preferred it. He had always loved rock climbing, so incorporating it into his routine during this ‘time off’ had been both exercise and something that occupied his mind. You couldn’t slack off and not pay attention or else you were a bloody smear on the ground below. In a pair of workout shorts, climbing boots, and a sweat soaked t-shirt, he had scaled that wall of blood red rock. He had stood at the top, inhaling deeply as the adrenaline rush continued pushing through his veins. No harness, he liked the thrill, and maybe he had some other issues.

He had then noticed the woman. She had come out by herself and started scaling that wall like nobody’s business. What was interesting, and amusing, was the fact that she had done it without a harness herself. Ballsy. Stupid. Reminded him of him. Keeping quiet, Jon had monitored her progress and nearly snorted when she missed her mark and then her ear piercing scream, which had echoed back from the canyon. He could now hear her quiet crying, the desperate whine tinging it, and rolled his eyes.

After contemplating it for a few seconds, he began working his way back down, which was something he generally avoided when he wasn’t in a harness. Going up was one thing, you could see what was next, going down was a pain in the ass. “Lady,” He let his feet drop down onto the very slight ledge she had managed to catch, taking note of how badly her hands were scraped. There wasn’t a lot of room to work on this ledge and he wasn’t exactly a small man. Carefully, Jon maneuvered himself until he was crouching, his back pressed into the rock wall behind him. “Hi.” He blinked his brilliant, icy blues down at her, contemplating her precarious position. “I’m your Knight in Under Armour,” A play on his clothing, he was so witty at times. “Jon.” He extended a hand, both to shake and because she looked like she weighed less than what he pressed.

If she wasn’t scared to death, Vallea would’ve laughed at his joke regarding his clothing. “V-Vallea…”  Letting go of the ledge would mean death unless he caught her to pull her up.  What the hell was this man doing out here?  Tears streaked her cheeks as she mentally counted to three before reaching up a hand and felt him pull her up to stand on the small ledge. “T-Thanks…” She stammered shakily, wincing at her scraped hands and glad she had decided to wear kneepads or else her knees would’ve been cut up from the red rocks.  And then, Vallea started laughing and leaned back against the rocks, the shock of the situation finally wearing off.  What happened wasn’t humorous, but she laughed whenever she was nervous or scared.  Finally, she turned her head to look up at the tall man in front of her and felt his icy blues penetrate through her.  He was jacked, muscular in all the right places and the shirt he had on looked ready to bust at the seams.  He had short buzzed auburn blonde hair and a full neatly trimmed beard. “W-We should head back down…”

“Back down?” Jon echoed, peering over the ledge and then at her, shaking his head. “No. I’m going back up, where my bag is.” She was out of her mind. “And you’ll follow me because I’m not coming back to save you again.” His chivalry only went so far after all. Taking a moment, Jon looked her over. She looked more scared than hurt, at least she was wearing knee pads, she had one up over him. He had only his hands, wrists and ankles taped. The last two were for additional stability. “Come on, Val, it’s not a long climb up.”  He was already pulling himself up, glancing down at her. She wasn’t laughing anymore. He wondered if that was a tic or if she was just crazy.

Looking up at the rocks, Vallea knew she had to conquer the fear, overcome it, or she would be stuck here.  This was the first time she had slipped and nearly fallen to her death.  It definitely had her adrenaline pumping. “Okay.” She murmured, slowly turning and began climbing the rocks, being very careful and watching where she was going.  He probably wouldn’t believe her, but Vallea had done this for several years and nothing like this had ever happened.  She actually passed by Jon and made it to the top, her own backpack still on her shoulders.  Wincing at her hands, she took her bag off her shoulders and unzipped it to pull out a bottled water, gulping half the bottle down.  Then she went back to surveying the damage on her legs, thankful nothing would scar.

She could pass him by and he had let her, mostly because if she fell again, he’d be able to get to her easier from beneath her. It was a lot easier catching someone than climbing down to them. And, if he were honest, it wasn’t like the view from below sucked. Vallea was, from what he could tell, quite beautiful and her ass was delicious. He had been tempted to bite it. “Why aren’t you wearing a harness or with a buddy?” He dropped down onto the ground, ignoring the dust that swirled up around him and reached for his own bag and water.

“I could ask you the same thing.” Vallea remarked, wiping her mouth off with the back of her hand and raised a brow. “Harnesses aren’t fun.  I like the thrill, the adrenaline rush.  I lost my step, which is the risk you take when you’re out here.  Didn’t think anyone else came out here to rock climb.” Slowly, she rose to her feet and dusted herself off, taking several intakes of breath to slow her still pounding heart. “Thanks for helping me out.  Probably would’ve died if it wasn’t for you.  You said your name is Jon, right?” At his nod, she returned it and finished her water before looking down, already knowing the way she would take to get down.

“You’re going to climb down?” Jon asked curiously, wondering if that mishap had rattled her brains. If she had planned on going down, she should have never come up with him. “Why don’t you wait until I walk the path down and around, and I’ll catch you this time, hmmm?” He quirked his eyebrow down at her, a hint of a smirk curving the left side of his mouth.

“Well yeah, you climb up and then go back down.  That’s what rock climbing is about, yes?” She tilted her head at him, wondering if he’d lost his mind since there was no other way to go except back down.  His smirk was sexy, she couldn’t deny that and Vallea instantly pushed that thought out of her head.  He was a stranger and she didn’t know him from a hole in the ground.  Still, she found herself nodding since she was a little shaken up by the whole near death experience. “All right, I’ll go with you.  But you won’t have to catch me again because I’ve learned my lesson to take my time when doing this.”

Jon had been here awhile and done the wall a couple of times, that was a full body workout in itself and the view was a hell of a lot better than anything at the gym. She wasn’t bad herself, he mentally added, electric eyes raking over her thoughtfully. Pushing himself to his feet, he brushed the dust off his backside with one hand and crushed his now empty water bottle with the other. “You come here often?” It was a corny pick-up line but he came out here a fair few times a week since his hiatus and this was the first time he had seen her. Obviously, she was familiar, mostly, with the terrain.

“As often as I can, yeah.  I travel a lot for my job, so I’m only in Vegas a couple times a month.” Being a traveling agent, Vallea went to a lot of places for various clients and a lot of them were exotic, so she couldn’t complain too much.  There were no sexual favors or anything of the sort since she did NOT sleep with people she worked for or with. “It’s so beautiful out here.  I really didn’t think anyone else would want to come to the red rocks and rock climb.  We must be outta our minds.” She laughed, feeling a little better and her body was no longer trembling from the near death aftermath.

“And here I thought crazy was an exclusive club,” Jon chuckled, a hint of darkness edging his tone. She traveled extensively, wasn’t here much -and he was assuming Vegas was her home-, she sounded like a perfect candidate for an affair, something he hadn’t bothered with in months. “You hungry?” He was famished, he never ate before any type of workout or activity, it tended to make the workout sluggish and he hated that feeling. Jon shifted, tilting his head as he looked past her and at the view. The sun was fully up, he had gotten here quite early, sleep had been alluding him lately and he knew why. His little vacation, if it could be called that, was almost up.

Despite nearly falling to her death, Vallea could definitely eat and smiled at him, her deep hazel eyes illuminated by the sun.  Her long chestnut tresses that went to the middle of her back was currently pulled back in a tight bun to keep all hair out of her face and eyes. “I DO owe you something for saving my life.  Sure, I can eat…as long as you let me pay for the meal.” She grinned at his eye roll and shrugged the backpack on her shoulders, making sure it was secure.  A few minutes later, they were making their way back down.

“Hope your traveling gig gets you a lot of money, doll,” Jon cautioned her as they walked down the hiking trail. The direction they were going led to the open area off the dirt road people took to get here. The other direction was a trail that led through the canyons and was not for everyone. It was a ‘wear boots, not flats’ kind of path. He had walked it twice and each time felt like he might die on the return back, the terrain was beautiful, awe-inspiring, and likely to kill you. At her look, he flashed a wicked grin. “I have… an appetite.”

“I’m sure I can handle whatever you want to order.” Vallea assured him, noticing the area to the left, which was the rough terrain.  It was for both hiking and biking, if the person was that nuts to drag their bicycle out here.  Why did she get the feeling Jon was one of those type of guys? “And my job pays me more than enough, don’t you worry about that.  Leave the bill to me.” Their cars were parked next to each other.  How had she missed another person being out here?  It was morning, still somewhat dark when she arrived, so that meant Jon had come even sooner than that since he’d been at the top when she slipped.  How they’d missed each other completely coming here was beyond her.

Jon was taking that as a challenge and he was sorely tempted to take her up on it. He was starving, he had worked damn hard to get into his current shape but he also wasn’t above the occasional splurge and breakfast was definitely the meal for splurging. What really had done it for him was cutting out shit like pop, and vending machine snacks, all those empty calories. Life on the road was not necessarily conducive to having the perfect body, unless you were a freak like Levesque. “I’ll follow you.” He said after a moment, taking in her car, and figured this way, she couldn’t lose his ass.

“Wait, you don’t want to go home and shower first and then meet up somewhere?” They were sweaty from the climb, the sun baking them from the inside out, or so that’s what it felt like.  Even with sunscreen, it did not stop the sun from doing damage.  Luckily, her burns tanned almost instantly, she rarely peeled, thankfully.  Genes were a beautiful thing sometimes. “I won’t stand you up, but I refuse to go out to eat all sweaty and stinky.  Here.” She took his hand that had his phone and programmed her number into it, handing it back to him. “Call me in an hour and we’ll meet up somewhere to eat.”

Considering he spent the majority of his waking time sweaty and stinky as she put it, the smell did not really put him off. He had gotten used to certain odors a long time ago, that was kind of a requirement in his line of work because men as a whole were disgusting creatures. So were women if he were honest, he had seen what some of those broads had done to their group dressing rooms and it was nasty. “Fine…” He mockingly rolled his eyes, wondering how she looked gussied up. She was damn fine this way, and he smirked, reaching out to brush red dust from the walls off the tip of her nose.

There would be no gussying up, not to simply share a meal with a man that saved her life, even if he was gorgeous.  A shower was a MUST along with peroxide for the scraps on her hands, arms and legs. “Thank you again for helping me, Jon.” She reached up to touch the side of his face, feeling how soft his beard was against her fingers and pulled back.  Those electric blues of his were dangerously hypnotic. “See you in a bit.” Hopping in her car, Vallea drove off out of the desert and couldn’t remember the last time she felt so exhilarated in her life.  If Jon didn’t call her, she would be very disappointed, but then again, maybe the man simply wasn’t interested.

Chapter 2

After a shower and doctoring herself up, Vallea pulled on a pair of blue jean capri’s and an orange tank top, brown sandals on her feet.  It was too hot to wear anything else and she didn’t put makeup on either.  Again, too hot.  When an hour and a half passed by, Vallea began to wonder if Jon had changed his mind about inviting her out for a meal.  At the 2 hour mark, he finally called and she answered on the third ring, hating how fast her heart pounded in her chest. “Hello?”

“Doll, where are we meeting?” Jon said by way of greeting, eyeing himself in his bathroom mirror thoughtfully. He kind of missed the curls but this shorter cut was way low maintenance. That was nice. He figured he’d give her time to do whatever she needed to do and he had gotten distracted, which was something fairly common for him. He had showered, trimmed, and then pulled on a pair of men’s leather sandals, blue jean shorts, and a white beater. He was a low key kind of guy.

What was it about his voice that turned her on?  It was low, gritty and raspy all wrapped up in a beautiful husky package.  Vallea glanced at the clock, seeing it was almost early dinner time and tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Why do I have to decide?  You invited me out, remember?  I think you should be the one to choose the place and I’ll meet you there, Jonny.” She smirked, the nickname flowing off her tongue easily.  When he gave her a destination, which wasn’t far from where she lived, Vallea agreed to meet him there in a half hour and hung up to head out.  This day was turning out better and better.

Considering she had insisted she was paying, he figured he’d do her a solid and let her pick somewhere. The woman was weird as Hell. Not that he was judging, he wasn’t exactly flying normal either. Jonny… his nose wrinkled as he pulled into the parking lot of the small hole in the wall diner he preferred a few blocks away from the main strip. Low key, out of the way, and his ego wasn’t big enough to let him think in Sin City he was anything special. However, the country fried steak was to die for. “Well hello…” He rumbled, spotting Vallea already parked and waiting.

She smiled, waving three fingers at him while leaning against her Nissan Rogue, red, and pushed away from it to walk over to him. “Hi again.  Shall we?” Vallea looked refreshed compared to the sweaty mess she’d been earlier, her hair down and still somewhat damp from the shower she’d taken.  They seated themselves and she looked around, not surprised by the dive he had chosen to eat at.  It wasn’t bad, at least it was clean and she enjoyed the low-key atmosphere. “Remember what I said, order whatever you want.” Vallea actually wanted to take him out for steak and lobster, but she was glad she hadn’t offered.  Men could be intimidated by a successful well-off financially woman.

“Oh I remember,” He chuckled wickedly, not even bothering to pick up a menu. This was his go-to for breakfast. The place wasn’t going to earn any five star awards or nothing, but as far as he was concerned, the portions were always right and he appreciated a homecooked meal he didn’t have to actually cook himself. “Darla, babycakes…” He greeted when the rather old broad of a waitress ambled over.

“How many times, son, do I need to ask you not to call me that?” She said without any bite, sounding both amused and exasperated.

“I see your legs, I bet you’ve been called… other… things.” He smiled sweetly up at her before glancing at Vallea. “This is Val, she’s buying me breakfast.”

“Oh, you poor darling…” Darla said sympathetically.

It was obvious Jon had been here more than a few times if he knew a waitress by her first name. “It’s almost dinner time, so technically, I’m buying you dinner.” Vallea corrected with a smile and continued looking over the menu, trying to decide what to order.

“She’s got you there, son.” Darla liked this spunky woman. “What can I get for you, dear?”

Splurging a little after her workout wouldn’t harm anything. “I think I’ll have the enchiladas, but no jalapeno sauce on it, please.” Vallea had noticed what all came on them and the only thing that turned her off was that sauce. “Extra sour cream.”

“All right, and I already know what you want, boy.” Darla smirked at his snapping teeth and rolled her eyes, writing down everything. “Drinks?”

“I’ll take a beer.” They both said simultaneously and Vallea laughed, needing one after her near-death experience. “Well, good to know we’re both on the same page with that at least.”

Darla chuckled along with them, walking away to put their order in.

“So, you seem to know this place quite well.  Do you come here a lot?” Vallea figured striking up a conversation with her savior wouldn’t be too hard and took a sip of her water.

“Not at all.” He dead panned, pushing the complimentary glass of water away from him. He was usually an easy going man with simple tastes but water… he had a thing. It stemmed from his childhood. He did not do tap water, ever, unless he was in a life or death situation. If he asked for bottle water, he always wanted it straight from an unopened bottle because if anyone poured it, they usually added ice, which was generally made from tap water. He had a few quirks. “Not as much as I used too,” He answered honestly after a moment. “I had to go on a diet.” This place wasn’t conducive to that, way too much comfort cooking here.

A diet?  He was joking, right?  This man was ripped and jacked beyond belief!  Maybe that was why he went on a diet.  Maybe he used to be some fat slob that turned his life around or something.  Whatever the case, Vallea was thankful because he was not hard on the eyes at all. “I have one cheat day a week and the rest I try to eat as healthy as I can.  It’s kinda hard in my line of work, but I make due and keep myself fit.  What do you do for a living, if you don’t mind me asking, Jon?”

Just then, Darla arrived with the unopened longnecks, popping them open before being set on the table.

Saved by the booze. Introducing himself to someone who obviously had no idea what he did for a living was always awkward. Even after all these years, he still got ‘but that isn’t real’ from the uninitiated and it was just as irritating as it was ten years ago. “I’m an athlete.” He said finally, examining his bottle before meeting her curious stare. “What is it you do?” Since she had said in her line of work it was hard to eat healthy, he knew how that went.

She took a pull from the longneck, wondering what kind of sport he worked in.  With a body like that, it wasn’t a surprise to discover his line of work. “I’m a traveling agent, of sorts.  Basically, people call on me to set up their travel plans and some request a personal assistant for their trips.  Lots of exotic places, which gets old after a while, but it’s good money and I do enjoy traveling.” Vallea shrugged, seeing the judgment in his pale blues and took another sip of her beer. “What kind of athlete are you?  Or maybe I should ask what kind of sport do you do?  Football player?” That was her first guess with his build and height.

A travel agent, yeah… and as a personal assistant, what kind of travel agent did that? He knew a lot of agents who simply booked the trips, hotels, and itineraries but they rarely left their desks. With her rocking body and stellar good looks, maybe she was a bit more exotic then a traditional travel agent. Jon wouldn’t lie, he was tempted to ask if he could book her. “I wrestle.” He said finally, throwing a wink at Darla when she passed by. Football had always seemed boring, not enough action. “Usually, I’m on a vacation right now.” Sort of. More like a strategic retreat.

“He’s so modest.  He’s a WWE Superstar.  You’ve heard of them, right?”

Vallea looked completely confused, raising a slow brow and shook her head. “No.”

Darla blanched, blinking down at the woman. “Have you lived under a rock your whole life, honey?”

She laughed softly, shaking her head. “No, I just travel frequently for my job and I’ve never really gotten into sports, of any kind.” Besides rock climbing, obviously. “I think I’ve booked travel packages for people to go to a WWE event or something a time or two, but that’s about it.  I didn’t know what WWE involved, just booked the events and moved along.” Yes, she had a rather…unique job and called it a traveling agent because it didn’t raise questions nearly as much with new people.  Hell, Vallea wasn’t sure what to really call her job title because sometimes she was a personal assistant and other times she just booked people for their vacations.  Traveling agent fit the bill in her eyes. “So, do you like what you do for a living, Jon?”

Darla had walked away, after setting some wings on the table for them to share, which was part of Jon’s order.

“Course I do, I get to beat people up for a living and I earn some decent money.” Jon made a mental note to not tip Darla, she was a douchebag for spilling his beans without his permission. “You like being… okay, you’re not really a travel agent, not the normal kind.” That was going to bug him. He was reaching for the Tabasco to go on top of his already saturated wings. “Travel agents don’t accompany people usually. Not unless they’re a guide.”

He was very observant, she surmised, not reaching for the wings because it was obvious he was about to devour them all. “I didn’t take you for one that nitpicked someone’s occupation.” She remarked with a smirk, taking another pull from her beer and crossed one leg over the other. “I’m not a guide.” Vallea laughed, shaking her head. “I guess you can call it a personal assistant, but I don’t stick to just one client.  I work for an agency that does both, basically.  Some are personal assistants that travel with their clients for a certain amount of time, depending on the contract and how long they need us.  Then, there are clients that just need their vacations scheduled or business trips, whatever.  I call it a traveling agent, it doesn’t sound nearly as complicated as it is.  I’m hoping one day to get away from the agency and do my own thing, though.  For now, it’s a job that pays my bills and keeps a roof over my head and food in my mouth.”

“You want to be my traveling guide? Agent, assistant, whatever.” Jon laughed, nudging the platter of wings towards her because there was no way he was going to be able to eat all of these, plus his food, and not feel like an asshole afterwards. He liked junk food, and for a while, it had started showing. “I’ll pay you well.” He grinned at her wickedly, knowing he probably shouldn’t be teasing, or was it sexual harassment these days, her but he couldn’t help it. “And if you ever decide you want to play the damsel in distress again, I’ll be right on hand to be your knight.”

“Believe me, I don’t play damsel in distress for anyone.  That was a legit slip of the foot and near death experience that happened and you were there, thankfully.” Vallea didn’t know this man from a hole in the ground and he wanted her to be his traveling guide?  Maybe that was a better term to use than agent.  The ‘I’ll pay you well’ told her more than just work would transpire between them and Vallea did not mix business with pleasure.  Ever.  That was just a recipe for disaster. “You know, Jon, I’d LOVE to take you up on that offer, but I have to decline.” She leaned forward, swiping some sauce from the corner of his mouth and popped the digit in hers. “You see, if I were to start working for you, we’d have to be strictly professional.”

“So don’t work for me and let’s be very unprofessional.” He could be blunt and the look on her face was worth it. Considering she was licking her fingers after touching his face, he was going to bet she wasn’t shy.

“Keep your pants on junior, food’s here.” Darla said dryly, appearing out of seemingly nowhere with an arm laden with a tray.

“Your timing sucks.”

“Exactly my point.” His blunt nature was even more of a turn on for Vallea, if that was possible.  She would definitely need a change of panties after this dinner was over with.  Maybe even a masturbation session, unless Jon wanted to scratch the itch she had.  Would he sleep with someone he just met not even 12 hours ago?  She smiled up at Darla and began drenching the enchiladas in sour cream while Jon fixed up his country fried steak meal he’d ordered.  They ate in companionable silence, each devouring their meals, both famished from the rock climbing experience.  Vallea wasn’t able to eat anything after getting home, but now that she was safe and clean, her appetite had kicked up a notch.

Jon watched her while he was eating, pleased and a bit surprised to see that she was packing it away. Neatly, of course, but the way she ate he would bet she could give him a run for his money. “Want some dessert?” He asked after a fairly companionable silence, wondering how she’d feel about maybe extending the meal to something else. She was different, and while it was cliché, it was also true. Not many women out there who went rock climbing in the wee hours, without safety equipment or a buddy.

Working out and rock climbing tended to make one’s appetite larger than normal, at least in Vallea’s experience. “I’m always up for dessert.  Nothing I can’t work or burn off later.” She finished her second beer with her meal and cut herself off since she had to drive.  The food she ate would soak most of it up and she was confident in herself to make it home safely.  Vallea only lived a few blocks away from this place in a one bedroom apartment.  Everything happened for a reason in life, that was a motto she lived by, and being saved by this gorgeous man definitely wasn’t a bad thing.  Maybe it would lead to more.  Maybe not.  Vallea didn’t really think about the future and just lived in the here and now. “What did you have in mind?  Here or…somewhere else?”

“Not here, their dessert here sucks.” Jon made sure to say it loud enough for Darla to hear.

“He’s not wrong, everything here but the dessert is homemade. They buy Sara Lee crap out of the local Wal*Mart and serve it at a high mark-up. Need the check, Jon?”

“She does.”

“You’re a terrible man, making the lady pay for you.”

Jon’s blue eyes widened mirthfully. “I know, I know…” He said, sounding chastised though he was trying not to smile.

Chapter 3

Vallea chuckled, whipping her credit card out and placed it on the tray before Darla could walk away.  She would be tipping Darla well since the woman took great care of them.  Hoping he’d been talking about a different dessert, Vallea played along and signed the slip of paper, along with giving Darla a 30% tip and slid it back to her. “Shall we?” They stood up from the table and walked out of the diner, the sun beginning to slowly descend on the horizon.  There was still a few more hours of daylight left. “So, did you have a place in mind for dessert?”

Jon halted before their respective cars, fixing Vallea with a thoughtful stare. “Do you really want to eat after just having dinner?” He asked, fairly certain he already knew the answer. That was a rather filling meal they had just eaten, on top of the appetizers. “Want to walk the strip?” He didn’t overly go to inside the casinos and hotels, but he did like walking down the street and enjoying the lights. Vegas was a city that never slept but Vegas at night was something else entirely. “Maybe find a back alley to disappear down?” He wiggled his eyebrows at her,  the corner of his mouth lifting slightly.

“Sure, but first I need to do something.” His thoughtful look had turned questioningly and she smiled, stepping up to him with mischievous hazel eyes.  Before she spent anymore time with this man, Vallea had to know if there was a connection between them, a spark. “Come down to my level.” He was a lot taller than her 5’6 petite frame, standing just shy of a foot above her.  When he did as she requested, Vallea cupped his bearded face in her hand and brought his mouth to hers, initiating the first kiss between them.  Oh there were definite sparks between them, especially when he deepened the kiss and wrapped his arm around her waist to press her body against him.  Only when they needed oxygen to breathe did Vallea pull back and break the kiss, his electric blues glowing down at her. “A walk sounds nice.” They were near the strip anyway, so there was no point in moving their cars from the diner parking lot.

Instant chemistry, there was definitely more than a spark between the two of them. Jon decided right then and there if she wanted a tumble or two between the sheets he was game. Admittedly, in the past, he had been game for encounters with women there hadn’t been much of a spark, but in his slightly more wiser years, sleeping around with everything wasn’t all that appealing. Not to mention, it was a lot safer and lessened the chances of both STDs and catching crazy. Lacing his fingers through hers, he pulled Vallea away from the parking lot and onto the sidewalk. This was easy, actually, comfortable, he liked it.

Vallea was not a prude by any stretch and had her fair share of lovers, the majority one night stands to scratch an itch or two.  It didn’t happen often – she’d met up with men mostly on the exotic trips she took with her clients, meeting them on beaches or bars.  There was a hot Hawaiian boy she had mingled with for about 2 weeks before leaving to go back home and it’d been some of the best sex of her life.  Sex in the ocean was incredible too.  Something told Vallea sex with Jon would be better than that and she looked forward to finding out if that assumption was right.  They walked along the strip with her pointing out various favorite places and admitting not going to the casinos.  That was just asking for trouble and the last thing she needed was a gambling problem.  Jon, on the other hand, enjoyed playing at the tables once in a while, just to get out of the house and do something while on his vacation. “So, how long have you been on vacation?” She asked, continuing to hold his now sweaty hand because of the heat and didn’t pull away, enjoying the contact.

“Seven months or so, give or take.” Jon replied casually. More like seven months, one week, six days. He was counting. He called it a vacation because that sounded a lot nicer than the truth. He had injured himself and been forced to step down to rehab his triceps. While shelved he had decided to work on some other things, like the junk food habit and potential for pudge he had realized he was developing. “What about you? You on days off, in between clients?” Her gig was still weird.

“Yeah, I took a week vacation to just decompress and get away from it all.  I have plenty of vacation time stored up, so my boss didn’t mind.  This is actually day one of that vacation.” My what an adventure it had been so far! “That’s a long time to take a vacation from something you love to do.” Vallea had a feeling there was more to that story – who else took seven months off from their job? “I might add a second week to my vacation, haven’t decided yet.  Depends on if I can keep myself occupied  long enough without going stir crazy from boredom.”

“I’m pretty sure we can find ways to occupy you and keep the boredom at bay.” Jon said after a moment, having a feeling that this was going to be more than a one night deal. He could just tell. It had been a long time since he had felt any sort of connection outside of the basic scratching the itch with a woman, he wasn’t exactly in any hurry to just let this all end. Up ahead there was a crowd and what looked like a street performer, Vegas was full of them. Tugging Vallea forward, he peered over the heads to make sure it wasn’t a mime.

It was a saxophone player and he was extremely talented.  Jazz and Blues that sounded good was right up her alley.  Vallea liked all kinds of music, every genre, even oldies and classics.  Jon moved to stand beside her, his arm wrapped around her shoulders and she leaned against him, both moving their heads to the beat.  When the saxophone player stopped, she pulled out a 20, along with Jon, both tossing it in his case.  The player smiled up at them, thanking everyone for their generosity and began playing another song on the saxophone.  Much like Jon, Vallea felt like something was brewing here between them, but refused to put any kind of pressure on it.  Whatever happened, happened and if it’s only a onetime deal between them, so be it.  There was no rush from either of them, both legitimately enjoying spending time together.

Dessert was honestly the furthest thing from Jon’s mind. When he had asked her at the diner about it, it had been as a way to just spend more time with her. A delay tactic of sorts. He was genuinely interested in the woman he had saved earlier, and so far, she was not disappointing him. He had to wonder how she was feeling about him. He knew some people found his bluntness, or wisecracking, an annoyance. Given that he had mentioned a seedy alley and she hadn’t backed away, he figured she wasn’t annoyed or she was crazy, perhaps both.

If Vallea was being honest, she had gone on a few blind dates since moving to Vegas and none of them compared to Jon.  There was something about him – something she couldn’t quite put her finger on.  He was different and had an intensity about him that set her blood on fire.  Dessert didn’t even cross her mind anymore…hell, he WAS her dessert as far as she was concerned.  It was just a matter of when he wanted her to devour him.  Giving this man a tongue bath was on the forefront of her mind, actually.  He did look rather scrumptious out in the dessert all hot and sweaty earlier, but Vallea had been out of it after nearly falling to her death. “You know, this is the best non-date I’ve ever had.” She commented while they kept walking the strip, the city of lights living up to its name.

“It’s a date, doll,” Jon informed in a syrupy sweet tone, snorting when she glanced up at him. “Let’s not lie, it’s a date.” He squeezed her hand, pulling her around the ground surrounding the saxophone player as they continued on their stroll. He took a moment to consider their surroundings and then began to smile. Obviously, she wasn’t afraid of heights, the woman climbed canyon walls without harnesses. “You ever been on the High Roller Observation Wheel?” He asked, figuring given her job, she would at the very least know about it. It was a giant Ferris wheel, of sorts.

“Fine, it’s a surprise date, then.  And yes, I’ve heard of it, but I’ve never gone on it before.” His smile could melt glaciers and he had the cutest dimples.  Vallea wasn’t surprised when they crossed the way to head toward the High Roller Observation Wheel and looked up at it, not a hint of fear in her eyes.  Even though she’d nearly fallen to her death earlier that morning, it was forgotten.  Riding a huge contraption like this alone was no fun, she hadn’t found someone who enjoyed the same things she did…until now.  The wheel was huge and had little balls that served as an observation deck.  It was gorgeous, especially all lit up and the sun was just beginning to set on the horizon.  They had walked around for hours without even realizing it and Vallea wasn’t the least bit tired or wanted the night to end.  After Jon paid their way, they stepped inside the observation ball and he paid the man extra to make sure they were alone.  She walked over to look out the window and couldn’t wait to be high above to see all of Vegas.

He hadn’t missed what Vallea had done, paid the man off to ensure they had some privacy. That right there had probably cost her a damn pretty penny. This was a popular tourist spot, and there had been a line, and she was holding that shit up. He loved it. She had no fuck’s to give and apparently money to burn, he liked a lady who was also a wild card. Keeping his arm around her, Jon watched out the reinforced glass as they rose above the city slowly but surely. Vegas during the day was okay, at night it was something beautiful almost, the sky lines and neon lights all visible and spreading almost as far as the eye could see. This was indeed a date, and so far, a killer first date.

There was a very good reason why she wanted them completely alone and, surprisingly, the line hadn’t been that long.  The guard hadn’t minded giving them the sphere for themselves, especially since he had an extra hundred in his pocket now.  Turning to look up at Jon, she caressed his bearded covered face before bringing his mouth down on hers again, this time wrapping both arms around his neck and squeaked out when he lifted her to where her legs wrapped around his waist.  He wanted her eye-level with him and she had no complaints, enjoying his sheer strength.  Unbeknownst to her, it was also a test to see how strong his right arm was. “Just so you know, I’m not a prude.” She murmured against his mouth, breathing a little heavy and gazed into his electric blues. “Sex on the first date is not out of the question for me.  I just thought you might want to know that, Jon.”

Well that was fantastic news and now Jon didn’t feel bad at all for that condom or three he had tucked away in his wallet. He wasn’t shy about putting out on the first date, few men ever were, but he was also smart enough to know to wrap his dick when it came to women he’d never been with before, especially if he didn’t know them that well. STDs were common in his business but that didn’t mean he was welcoming them with open arms. “Good to know.” He rumbled, his lips feathering against hers as he smiled. His right arm seemed to be back to working order, not that she weighed all that much. “What about sex on the first date, in a glass ball?”

She laughed, rubbing her nose against his gently and rested her forehead against his. “As exhilarating as that would be, something tells me we wouldn’t finish in nearly enough time before the ride ends.  And I don’t know about you, but I don’t want a quickie with you.” Vallea also did not want to give people a show either.  There were some risks even she would never take.  It was ALL open in here, on both sides and all around them.  Birth control was a must for a single woman in Vegas.  Any woman who didn’t take some form of it was either stupid or wanted to get pregnant.  Vallea did not want children, not the motherly type and enjoyed her freedom to do whatever she wanted on her days off or when she was on vacation.

“I’m paid to put on shows, what’s branching out to me?” Jon had worked damn hard to get in this current shape, he wasn’t entirely against the idea of showing off his hard work. Or against the idea of her beautiful body naked and pressed against that glass, tits first… he mentally facepalmmed himself because that mental image -and it came rather easily- was more than enough to give him issues. Rolling his eyes, he glanced down, wondering if it were noticeable in his jean shorts, they weren’t exactly the painted on variety as he enjoyed having circulation to his vital parts. “My place or yours, doll?” He was ready for dessert, he figured she probably was too.

“Who lives closer?  Probably me since I’m only down the street from the diner.” They had quite the trek back to the diner, unless Jon lived directly on the strip, which she doubted.  A cab wouldn’t be a problem to hail though. “And you may be paid to put on shows, but I’m definitely not showing MY goods to the world, Jon.” A prude she wasn’t, but she also wasn’t an exhibitionist either.  Vallea smacked his arm at the eyeroll and continued looking out at the lit up city, the stars glittering in the sky with the moon.  It truly was an incredible sight and she was glad to share this moment with Jon.  He nipped her neck and she shivered, feeling his arm tighten around her further to caress her bare stomach beneath the tank top she had on.  His hand was calloused and it felt amazing against her soft skin, his touch rough yet gentle at the same time.

She had said no to here, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t and wouldn’t torment her. They had come a long way since the diner, they’d both probably be feeling that walk tomorrow. But it had been easy, walking and chatting with her, it had been comfortable, and that wasn’t something he had felt with anyone in a long time. “You got any room mates I need to worry about?” Or lovers, or exes, he was pretty sure It was going to happen, he just wanted to make sure all his bases were covered and he wasn’t going to be dipping his dick in crazy or crazy’s exes.

Chapter 4

“No roommates and my exes don’t live anywhere near me.” Vallea assured him, placing her hand over his and could feel her panties flood all over again.  There would be no changing them since they’d be naked before this night ended.  Not a single doubt in her mind it would happen with Jon. “Are you clean?” An STD was something Vallea did not want to deal with or experience, ever. “I get tested at least once a year and I haven’t been with anyone in a while.” Close to 8 months, actually.  She was in a bit of a drought and it hadn’t bothered her. “And I’m clean as a whistle, just so you know.”

“I’m clean.” Regular STD testing was now part of the regular physicals and check-ups, along with routine drug tests and all that fun shit. “Doesn’t mean I’m not wrapping up.” Some guys had issues with condoms, not him. He was a better safe then sorry sort, and he wasn’t about to have any little Jon’s running around until he was damned good and ready. Jon stepped away from her, studying her thoughtfully. He could feel the ball moving again, knowing they were heading down now. “Why don’t we call a cab and get back to our cars? We can go from there.” So far, Vallea had proven to be rather refreshing to talk too. She wasn’t shy about personal topics and she was very matter of fact, a lot of people wouldn’t have volunteered that information right out the gate. That was kind of a shame actually, more people needed to speak up about their STD status and shit, maybe there’d be less issues.

“Sounds good.” There was no reason to hide anything from someone she was about to bed.  Vallea wanted to be sure no issues would occur during or after their roll in the hay.  It was a little late to be shy since she’d initiated both kisses between them.  There wasn’t a shy bone in her body.  Condoms were fine by her too; she actually preferred them and wouldn’t sleep with someone unless they used one.  Maybe THAT was a little prudish of her, but once again, even if the person said they were clean, didn’t necessarily mean they weren’t lying.  Vallea could tell Jon wasn’t lying to her, feeling it in her mind and heart. “Thank you for bringing me here.  I can’t believe I haven’t been on this thing and I’ve lived here for a couple years now.  How long have you lived in Vegas?”

“About four years now, give or take. I like it, it suits me.” The city of Sin, fast cars, fast women, a fast lifestyle, it was right up his alley. Not to mention, it was a lot different than where he had grown up which was a definite perk. And on those occasions when he got tired of the never ending nightlife that permeated the city even in the daytime, the surrounding deserts, canyons, and mountains offered him more than enough distraction to soothe the city weariness right out of him. Not to mention he had met her out there, he was going to have to go out hiking and climbing more often. “I’ve made it a point to explore a lot of the place, and every time, it seems I find more.”

“I think it’s been 5 or 6 years for me.  I just one day left home and never looked back, came here to start new and found my job right off the bat.  It’s weird how it happened so smoothly too.  Like it was a job that was too good to be true, but I’m glad it wasn’t because it’s the reason I’m stable enough financially that I can take a week or two off to gather myself and decompress…and meet handsome guys that like to rock climb in the desert.” Vallea winked at him, letting Jon know that was a definite first for her.  The globe came to a stop and they walked off with his fingers lacing hers.  A few minutes later, they were in a cab on their way to the diner to grab their vehicles.

Five or six years was a couple of years? Her perception of time was vastly different then his own. Jon shook his head, shoving it out of mind. He was mildly curious what made her leave her home and never look back, as she had said. Family troubles, boring small town life? Maybe a mafia husband she had run from. No, that last one was definitely his over-active imagination. “So was this how you envisioned your day going, doll?”

She smiled up at him with twinkling eyes and released his hand to squeeze his thigh, shaking her head. “Not at all.  But I’m glad it happened the way it did.  Vegas is full of surprises, you just never know who you’ll run into or who will save your life, in this instance.” If this was their only night together, Vallea planned on making the most of it and leaving an impression.  Hopefully, Jon wouldn’t forget her because she damn sure would never be able to forget him.  Rock climbing would always have that memory of him saving her from death. “What about you?  Did you envision your day turning out like this?”

“No,” He chuckled, shaking his head. He hadn’t expected anything out of the ordinary actually. For the most part, this ‘vacation’ had been quiet and low key, it was both nice and boring, and way too safe. Jon definitely needed to break that shit up and she was the perfect way to do it. “You are just the breath of fresh air I needed to shake things up.” They arrived at the diner with Jon paying the fee for the cab and he pulled her into his arms, this time kissing her passionately. “You sure you want to do this?  No turning back, doll.”

She answered with another kiss and slid her hand down to stroke his short covered crotch, his groan forcing their lips apart. “I want you, Jon.” Hopefully, he wasn’t having second thoughts because she had zero doubts in her mind. “Follow me.” Reluctantly pulling away from him, she went to her car and slid behind the wheel, waiting for him to do the same thing.  Within 10 minutes, they were parked and standing outside of her condo.  Vallea took his hand and unlocked her front door before pulling him inside, immediately pushing him against it to effectively close it.  Flicking the deadbolt on it, Vallea pushed his shirt up over his head to expose his delicious, smooth muscular chest and slid her fingers down his skin in a teasing manner.

Admittedly, Jon was somewhat concerned that she was lying. She could be a crazy fan who was playing him for a damn fine game, which would explain why she was not shy at all about putting out after knowing him for less than 24 hours. The concern was short lived and he didn’t care if she was lying, or crazy, or both, all he cared about was that beautiful hand of hers groping him through the front of his shorts. “Tease.” He rasped, gripping her chin in his hand and forcing her head up so he could nip her bottom lip.

“I can be, yes.” Vallea agreed, her tone full of seduction and softer than normal.  She didn’t know a thing about professional wrestling because it was something she’d never been introduced to.  It was never on at home with her parents when she was younger, which was how most people got involved in it and grew up with it.  She was not one of those people.  Very rarely was she in front of the television set because Vallea enjoyed the outdoors and being in nature.  Vegas was very busy with the hustle and bustle, but it had its beautiful natural spots like the Red Rocks and other canyons and valleys.  If Jon thought she was lying, that was on him because she had spoken only the truth from the moment he saved her. “But I also please very well too.”

“Good to hear,” Gripping her by the hips, he lifted Vallea and turned, planting her ass against the door. He rather enjoyed the way her legs automatically wrapped around his waist, feeling the heat emanating from her body. This time it was Jon’s turn to tease as he kissed his way down the column of her throat, feeling her tilting her head to the side, providing him with better access. “You’ve been giving me problems all day, doll.” He informed her, biting at her pulse point before soothing the now red area with his tongue.

“I have?” Vallea tried to sound innocent and failed, caressing his upper body and loved the muscles rippling beneath her touch.  He was truly a beautiful specimen and she shivered at the feeling of his teeth and tongue against her neck, making her world start spinning.  A deep, thick passion haze befell her mind and all Vallea could do was withstand the onslaught as long as he wanted to tease and torment her. “The feeling is mutual, handsome.” Her eyes drifted shut as he continued teasing her neck and nibbling on her ear, his body pressing her further against the door. “The panties I’m wearing right now are ruined, thanks to you.  And they’ve been damp since dinner…” That made him growl, sending another shiver through her body.

What man didn’t want to hear that pretty much his presence alone had dampened a gorgeous woman’s panties? That was one Hell of an ego booster, and it was also good to know that he wasn’t the only one who had been having issues all damn day. “Naughty girl, walking around in ruined panties…” He would have gladly removed them earlier for her. In fact… Jon let her feet hit the floor and began kissing his way down her body, lowering himself until he was on his knees before her.

Vallea was sure he could smell her arousal through the thin material of her panties, after removing her jean shorts.  She pulled her tank top over her head, leaving her just in her bra and drenched panties.  They were soaked through, she hadn’t been lying and Jon pressed his nose against them, inhaling her scent.  She could feel his hot breath puff against her damp panties and slid her hands over his short hair, sliding her tongue out to wet her lips. “Being naughty is so much fun though…” She purred, feeling his thumbs hook in the waistband of her panties and slid them down her legs, stepping out of them.  She wasn’t clean shaven, but neatly trimmed, so at least he wouldn’t be plucking pubic hair out of his teeth. “And you’re a naughty man for letting me drive you crazy all day, Jon…”

“I was already half way there, doll,” He rumbled, trailing his lips along her inner thighs, taking his time to lathe each one with attention. What was refreshing was how nonchalant and confident she was. Most women would have scrambled to shower or at least freshen up after walking and baking in the hot Vegas sun like they had all day. She didn’t smell rank, she smelled like sunshine, her own natural musk, and something else he couldn’t quite place but it was scrumptious. Those panties of hers were ruined, he doubt they were coming clean in the wash, she hadn’t been lying about them being soaked. “I’m going to drive you straight through crazy, Vallea,” He warned.

“I’m gonna hold you to that…” Vallea breathed out, her inner thighs beginning to tremble.  The feeling of his beard brushing against her soft skin sent tingles throughout her frame and made her heady.  It both tickled and enticed her all at the same time.  The moment his tongue came in contact with her quivering sex, Vallea’s eyes shut and she relished in it, gripping his muscular shoulders.  Jon lifted her leg to drape over his shoulder, spreading her even wider for his mouth and tongue to devour and leaned back against the door, writhing, drowning in ecstasy.

~!~

“Earth to Valle.” A finger snapped in her face, forcing Vallea out of her deep thoughts and her client at the time, Monique, smiled at her softly. “Damn girl, what are you daydreaming about?”

If Monique only knew…Vallea shook her head, pulling her gaze away from the window and leaned her head back against the comfortable seat. “Just reminiscencing about something.  Nothing important.  Anyway, are you happy to be back home?” They were flying into Vegas after spending two weeks in Hawaii, where Monique had a lot of business meetings to attend.  Vallea had been hired as her personal assistant, needing the organization skills and help with paperwork and whatnot, keeping everything together.  Monique had worked extensively with Vallea over the years and they were good friends, both single ladies on the prowl.  Or so that was what Monique called them.  She was fine with it, though ever since she’d slept with Jon, which was only once, Vallea hadn’t been able to be with anyone else.  It’d been 2 months since they last spoke; she had woken up to an empty bed and Jon gone, no note or anything left behind.  Even though she had his number and he had hers, they didn’t call each other and went on with their lives.  Vallea had gone back to work after a couple more days just for a distraction and hadn’t taken a vacation since.  The plane landed as they walked through the terminal, heading for the area to grab their checked luggage.  On the drive back to the office, Vallea caught something out of her eye and stopped the car, startling Monique.

“What is that?”

“What the hell is what?  Are you okay?” Monique felt like her heart might fly out of her chest and looked at the truck on the side of them.

Right in front of her was a GIANT picture of Jon, along with other men and women, and the truck was huge in itself.

“Oh, it looks like the WWE is in town tonight.” Monique was a fan of wrestling, unbeknownst to Vallea, who stared at her like she’d just grown a second head. “What?  Those men are SEXY on television, girl!  Have you ever been to an event before?  That man on the truck is Dean Ambrose and GIRL, he is HOT.”

That was an understatement. “No, I haven’t…”

“How about we go tonight?  They always have tickets for sale the day of the event, usually.  I wouldn’t mind drooling over some hot, sweaty men in the ring.” Monique nudged her with a grin and looked at her phone. “The show is tomorrow night, actually.  It’s Monday Night Raw and the Shield is gonna be there.  Mmm Roman Reigns…” She purred, making Vallea shake her head and laughed. “What?  Wait until you see these men up-close and personal, girl.  You’ll be FAWNING over them like me.”

“Uh huh.” Little did Monique know she’d already had the pleasure of having Dean Ambrose -what kind of name was that?- in her bed 2 months ago.

“You’ll see.” Monique said confidently. “All those hot men, groping each other, it’ll be great.”

Chapter 5

Now in Jon’s defense, the next day he had gotten a phone call and been whisked off to make sure he was ready for his return. He had been hella busy ever since. He also kind of figured that since she wasn’t blowing him up, she was cool with just a one night stand, which was fine. He supposed. Maybe he’d hit her up the next time he was in Vegas.

“Ambrose, what’s on your mind, man?  You’re deep in thought again.” Joe accused, who was known better as Roman Reigns, folding his arms in front of his chest as the man snapped back to reality. “What’s going on up there?” He tapped his fingers against Jon’s temple and smirked when Jon swiped it away.

“Just leave him alone, Uce.  It’s obvious there’s something on his mind and he doesn’t wanna talk about it.” Colby was always the voice of reason in their group and fans knew him best as Seth Rollins. “When he’s ready, he’ll talk about it.  In the meantime, we need to come up with a game plan for tonight’s show.”

Monday Night Raw was emanating from Las Vegas, Nevada tonight.

“Hey, at least you’re home, so you can sleep in your own bed tonight.  That’s one good thing to focus on.”

“As much as he spent in that bed, I doubt he’s really keen on going back.”

“Or maybe he enjoyed the downtime.”

“Or maybe you’re just assuming.”

“Shut the fuck up, both of you.” Jon rolled his eyes, not really in the mood to have them poking, prodding, and dissecting him. They were some of his best friends, no doubt about that, but he wasn’t about to discuss the one night stand who resided here with them.

“We won’t pressure you about it again, but stop daydreaming and keep your head in the game, man.  Not unless you wanna be shelved for another 8 months.”

Colby knew Joe had a point. “Tonight, let’s just focus on the show and then he can deal with whatever’s going on in his head.” He was the Architect for a reason and could tell Jon was in turmoil about something…something he’d been in turmoil over since he returned.

~!~

This was not a good idea.  This was a really bad idea.  Vallea normally wasn’t nervous about anything; it took a lot to rattle her nerves, but going to this wrestling event, where she knew Jon was performing, made her nervous.  Monique didn’t get front row seats like she wanted, but they weren’t far from the ring either.  Balcony seats just above floor seating.  It would be the perfect view, at least to her, for all the action.  Vallea had no idea what to wear, so she went with black capri’s and red and white tie-dyed sleeveless top, pulling her hair up in a fanned style on top of her head.  Slipping her white sandals, Vallea took another look in the mirror before leaving her condo to head to the venue, meeting Monique there.

This was a cluster bomb to put it mildly, Monique loved it. She loved bustling crowds and the sounds of thousands of souls clamoring for the same thing. Basically, Monique was relatively crazy, but that also seemed to be a prerequisite to be friends with Vallea. “Well don’t you look spiffy.” She teased playfully, wearing one of her wrestling t-shirts with a pair of shorts. “Ready to see some hot guys in next to nothing?”

“Sure.” No, no she wasn’t.  Vallea could only hope Jon didn’t see her in the crowd and, judging by all the people here, that wouldn’t be hard to do.  She walked up to Monique, taking her ticket and waited in line along with everyone else.

“Just wait, you’re about to have your mind blown WIDE open, girl.” Monique grinned, sounding incredibly confident and jumped up and down excitedly when the line began to move.

A half hour later, they were in the venue and guided to their seats.  Vallea looked around the arena in awe, remembering coming here a few times for concerts, but it was a completely different atmosphere with a professional wrestling event.  The ring looked smaller than she would’ve guessed – did men and women really wrestle in it?  She smiled, taking her seat that was printed on the ticket and continued looking around, taking in the surroundings as people began filling the place up.

The squared circle did seem small when you were there in person, a lot smaller then what you would see on your TV, but Monique knew it was also the stage for the stories they were about to see physically played out. Of course, Vallea would need updated and quick summaries about who was who and what was going on but since wrestling was one of her passions, Monique did not feel it was a chore. “So, should I start filling you in or are you going to just try picking it up as it goes?” She asked, ignoring the sounds of the thousands of others pouring in around them.

“Something tells me this is going to be very complicated, so I’ll just watch and try to work out what’s going on in my head.” Vallea chuckled at Monique’s excitement and wondered how long she’d been a wrestling fan.  Monique told her around 10 years, answering her question before it could be asked. “Just point out who the wrestlers are as they come out.” They would be announced per match or segment, but it was nice to know beforehand since the crowd was so loud, buzzing around her. “So your favorite is…who again?”

“Roman Reigns.  The Big Dog and I can tell that man lives up to his name.” Monique swooned with a laugh, the t-shirt she had on actually saying ‘The Big Dog’, which was Roman Reigns’ newest merchandise.  She had ordered it online a few weeks after it came out.

“Interesting.”

“Just you wait, when you see him, you’ll see what all the fuss is about. Pictures just don’t do that man justice.” Monique reassured her, looking down at her shirt before sighing wistfully. “He is so much better in person.” This was obviously not the first event she had attended. “Before they get to the actual show, there will be a dark match or two to warm everyone up.” The audience, she meant, as well as potentially try out any new people, that sort of thing. “You ready?” It was starting pretty soon.

“Ready as I can be.”

The show kicked off with two warm-up matches before the actual show, Raw, kicked off with pyro.  That was something Vallea didn’t expect and she clamped her hands over her ears because of how LOUD it was.  There were a lot of things in life she could tolerate, but loud booms and fireworks wasn’t one of them.  Usually, for the 4^th of July, she had her MP3 player at full charge and blasted music in her ears to drown out the major booms.  The first hour was full of action and one in-ring promo by some guy named Baron Corbin.  After that promo started hour 2 and Monique began squealing out as the sound of a guitar pierced through the arena followed by some kind of rocker, thrashy music.  Her eyes nearly bugged out at the sight of Jon and watched him in his element, nodding when Monique pointed and yelled out it was the Lunatic Fringe.  Vallea watched him get in the ring, stalking around like a pissed off bull waiting for his opponent and ripped his shirt over his head, wrestling in gray pants and black boots.  Christ, he looked better than she remembered.

Jon loved being back to work and after several matches, he knew his arm was back to top condition. Hell, he was in even better condition now then he was prior to his forced time off. Ripped, better conditioned bod and shorter hair. He may not look as crazy as he had before but he sure as shit still was a ‘lunatic’, he was just more intense and focused. His eyes scanned the audience, faces blurring one after another before diverting his attention back towards the stage.

“Tell me that is not one gorgeous piece of flesh? The things I would do to him…” Monique sighed.

Again, if Monique only knew the truth of what happened transpired between Vallea and Jon in the past. “Couldn’t agree more.  He’s amazing.” Hazel eyes moved from Jon to the stage as his opponent came out from the back, missing the name completely.  Bray something.  Again, she didn’t care and watched the match get underway between the two Superstars.  The way Jon moved in the ring was so fluid and calculated, he never missed a step.  Granted, there was some offense by the Bray guy, but other than that, Jon had full control of the match.  It was mesmerizing to see, especially live in person.  The crowd was chanting ‘Ambrose’ repeatedly, which only seemed to fire Jon up further.  Even Vallea was joining in along with Monique, feeling exhilarated for the first time in 2 months.  Now she understood why Jon did what he did for a living because it fit him perfectly and he was damn good at it.  When he won the match, both women jumped up and down excitedly, cheering and clapping for him.  He stalked around the ring, growling out like an animal before rolling under the bottom rope and headed straight to the back.

“His new character is so damn scrumptious, oh my god!”

Jon was quite pleased with how that had played out. Obviously, a lot of matches were scripted and the writer’s would toss in some specific moves they’d want to see executed, but after that, it was up to the superstars to choreograph the what’s in the ring. It was meant as a way to avoid being seriously injured, and he got it, but sometimes the element of surprise was what made it fun. Bray was good for that because the big bastard would occasionally deviate, though Jon had noticed the other man had avoided doing anything overly evil on his right arm. Much appreciated.

The rest of the show for Vallea was boring, honestly, and she didn’t like anybody else on the roster, not even Monique’s favorite, Roman Reigns.  He was a big man and could move in the ring, but he didn’t hold a candle to Jon, not in her eyes.  She was biased and unashamed of it, though she did cheer along with Monique just to show she was enjoying the show.  It wasn’t too bad and maybe she would start watching it on television just to see Jon.  Christ, Vallea had to get a hold of herself already and tried pushing him out of her mind for the time being.  That wasn’t happening anytime soon.  After the show ended, with Roman Reigns closing it out and winning, they made their way out of the arena with Monique stopping at the merchandise stand to buy something to commemorate and remind her of the great night they had.  Vallea wound up purchasing Jon’s new t-shirt, deciding she would sleep in it for a nightshirt and headed out with Monique into the somewhat cool night air.

“Man, you are sweating like a whore in church!”

“You kiss your mama with that mouth, Jonny boy?”

“Call me that again,” Jon growled good-naturedly. He was fresh out of the shower. “Besides, I kiss YOUR mama with this mouth.”

“Oh you-”

Laughing, Jon was prepared when he was tackled. Not so prepared when they actually went over the hood of a car, but he never stopped laughing. It occurred to him that they probably shouldn’t be out here doing this in the parking areas reserved for the fans who had paid premium cash for the best parking but…

Monique came to a stop. That was her car.

“Oh my god…” It was Jon and the guy Monique had been fawning over on the hood of her car, each trying to get the upper hand on the other.  Monique was stiff and in too much shock to really speak.  She stepped in front of her client and let out an ear piercing whistle with her fingers that stopped both men in their tracks, her hands on her hips. “Now gentlemen, is that any way to treat a ladies car?  Especially a lady who just paid to watch you two perform?”

Monique swallowed hard, not expecting Vallea to speak to the two wrestlers and felt her cheeks turn a deep crimson.

“Doll, you already know I like it rough,” Jon said without missing a beat. Hearing that voice, he knew that voice, and his head turned to look at his favorite one night stand. He regret that decision a second later when Joe took advantage and pressed his forearm right down on top of his head. “You stink!”

Laughing, Joe moved away from his friend before helping Jon off the car. “Sorry ladies.” He turned to the women, both quite shorter than him and then grinned. Jon was smirking at one of them. “Bro, stop leering.”

Ignoring Joe, he approached Vallea, smirking down at her. “Thought you weren’t a fan, doll.”

“You KNOW him?” Monique squealed, coming out of her stupor.

Vallea jabbed a thumb toward a floored Monique and watch the Samoan man approach her. “SHE’S the fan and dragged me here tonight to see what it was about.  I saw your picture on the truck, nearly rear-ended someone and yeah…here we are.  Didn’t think I’d run into you with all the people here, though.” It was almost as if fate was entwining their paths and always finding ways for them to find each other again. “I even contributed to your Asylum?” She raised his t-shirt, making it sound like a question and looked at it again. “Or whatever you call your fanbase and bought your shirt.  Say thank you, handsome.”

Was THIS the reason Jon had been in the clouds lately, Joe wondered in thought, his dark eyes moving to the dark haired beauty in front of him that looked like a regular fish out of water. “I’m Joe.” He extended his hand, noticing the top she had on and smirked.

“No way am I saying thank you.” Jon folded his arms over his chest, rolling his eyes. “Whatever you paid was a rip-off, you should’ve called. I’d of signed one and given it to you for nearly free.” He would have undoubtedly also extracted kisses or something else from her as payment, his icy blue eyes sparkling wickedly. “Or did you lose my number?”

“I’m Monique,” She shook Joe’s hand, feeling a little out of it.

“I could ask you the same thing.” Vallea remarked, taking the same stance as him and raised a slow brow.  If he was implying she didn’t call him, well, he didn’t exactly pick up the phone either. “And I didn’t want one, but Monique insisted I buy something to remind me of the event, so I chose your t-shirt.  I’m not into the whole memorabilia unlike her.”

“Valle!” Monique could NOT believe she was meeting her favorite wrestler like this and felt mortified, refusing to meet his eyes.  She would melt in a puddle otherwise.

“What?  Am I wrong since you’re into all of this?  Don’t get me wrong, great show you guys put on and I did enjoy myself.” Mostly with Jon’s match, but Vallea wouldn’t say that aloud. “Might even start watching it, who knows?”

“Okay – okay we’re settling this right now because…just because!” Monique pointed at Vallea and then gestured to Dean Ambrose, still not believing they knew each other personally. “How do you know each other?  And why didn’t you tell me you knew The Lunatic Fringe, Valle?”

“Because he’s not The Lunatic Fringe to me.  He’s simply Jon and, for the record, the name Dean does NOT fit you, handsome.”

“Believe me he knows that.” Joe piped in with a chuckle, knowing how much Jon despised his wrestling name, but it grew on him after a while.

“Okay…how do you two know each other though?  How did you meet?” Monique didn’t mean to pry, but her curiosity was burning.

Vallea giggled at the exasperation in Monique’s voice and looked down at her hands as if remembering what happened that fateful day 2 months ago. “He saved me from a near-death experience and I’ll leave it at that.”

“Wait, YOU saved her?” Now Joe was somewhat skeptical. Jon wasn’t a bad person, and he had interfered a time or two in some weird situations where he felt it was warranted, but… “Okay, how?” Because she looked way out of Jon’s league and Joe was having a hard time picturing them in any situation where Jon actually saved her from a legit near death experience.

Chapter 6

“Hey now,” Jon was somewhat offended. “She fell off the face of a rock wall and I helped her back up.” He didn’t mentioned the lack of buddies or harnesses because Joe would ream them both out. “In my defense babe, I got busy with work.”

“It’s fine.  I figured we’d never see each other again and went on with my life.  Fond memories and all that.” Vallea had a serene smile on her face while Monique gawked at her.

“Wait, wait, WAIT, you went rock climbing without someone again?” Monique accused and groaned at Vallea’s smile, placing her head in her hands. “Girl, how many times have I told you NOT to do that?!  You’re lucky he was there or you could’ve gone splat!”

“Yes, yes I know, MOM.” Vallea rolled her eyes and could tell the Samoan was eyeballing Jon skeptically. “The point is, he saved me from going splat, I bought him dinner and we had a nice time together.  Case closed.  Nothing more to say.” She did not kiss and tell and that night was meant for only her memories, as well as his.

“When did this all happen?” Monique wouldn’t let this rest, wanting as many details as Vallea was willing to give her.

“Hmm 2 months ago.  It was a onetime thing and like I said, didn’t think we’d see each other again.  We both travel for our jobs and are constantly busy.” Yet fate kept intervening and pushing them together for some reason.

This was DEFINITELY who Jon had been daydreaming about lately and now Joe understood why because Vallea was definitely a knockout.  Not as beautiful as her friend, Monique, though. “We didn’t fuck the hood of your car up, I made sure to look, baby girl.”

Monique’s stomach tightened at that term of endearment and smiled. “Thanks.”

“How about I buy you dinner this time?” Jon offered, a grin on his face as he walked over to Vallea, reaching out to plant his hands on her hips. Yep, they still fit her perfectly, her body had been made to order, all for him. Of course, it was damn presumptuous of him to assume she was going to want anything to do with him after he had basically fucked and fled her but… he was arrogant that way. “Dessert is always optional.”

Monique caught that tone and knew damn well Jon and Vallea’s relationship was sexual in nature. Vallea had a LOT of explaining to do when it was just them.

“Why don’t we all go to dinner? I’m famished.” Joe suggested, flashing Monique a smile. “What do you say?”

Vallea felt the familiar flood of heat rush through her, those electric blue pools were already drowning her.  She placed her hands against his bare chest since he only had jeans and sneakers on, fresh out of a shower in the arena. “We can talk about dessert later, handsome.  First, you’re going to feed me and I’m choosing the restaurant this time.”

“Just nothing TOO fancy.  We’re not into that kinda setting.” Joe winked down at Monique, wondering if she was high maintenance or down to earth.

“It’s not.  Monique, why don’t you let Joe ride with you and I’ll ride with Jon?  You two can get to know each other.” Vallea grinned at her flabbergasted friend and client before guiding Jon by the hand towards her vehicle.  The second they were out of eyesight, Vallea pulled his face down to hers to passionately kiss him, their bodies molding together just as they had 2 months ago.

Well that was awkward, Joe thought as he stared down at Monique. She was obviously a fan and he hoped not a crazy one. He liked living. “Not going to wear my skin or something are you?” He wasn’t surprised when Jon came running back, pulling the keys out of his pocket. “Forget something?”

“Uh huh,” Jon was grinning.

“You got lipstick on your face, lover boy.”

The restaurant of choice was a little Mom & Pop place on the other side of the city.  It was on the strip, but due to the other popular places, it wasn’t very well-known.  Both Monique and Vallea knew it well and often visited for their mouthwatering coffee cake and delicious coffee.  They also had the best pie…not to say their other food wasn’t good because it was divine.  Jon had showed her a place of his he frequented, so Vallea wanted to return the favor.  She had no idea what the future held between them or if it would just be meet-ups every couple months whenever they were in the city at the same time.  That could actually work, though a relationship couldn’t be built on that.  Sitting down, Monique looked a little less tense and more relaxed, probably due to Joe working his charm on her.  She wasn’t as fidgety as she’d been.  Vallea took Jon’s hand beneath the table and laced their fingers together while everybody looked at their menu to see what they wanted to order.

“So, how long have you been a fan of wrestling?” Joe wanted to strike up a conversation with Monique, intrigued by her, even though she was a fan of his.  Hell, weirder things had happened and he knew a couple men who had actually married fans of theirs.

“About 10 years or so.” Monique popped a chip in her mouth, which was complimentary.

“Who was your favorite before me?” Joe couldn’t help asking and saw her cheeks turn crimson.

Monique cleared her throat, not expecting that question. “John Cena.  But then the Shield came in and completely corrupted me.  But Roman Reigns was always my favorite out of the three.” This wasn’t Roman Reigns she was having dinner with, it was Joe and she refused to call him by his wrestling persona he played on television.

Joe liked that a lot, grinning. “Cool.”

Monique was one of those fans and Jon could see his buddy being extremely stupid. Of course, he couldn’t talk much, he was holding hands with Vallea under the table and had no idea what was going through her mind. Casual, sexual relationship could definitely be on the table but given the fact that they both travelled extensively for their respective jobs… anything besides casual and sexual was off the table. “You on time off, doll?” He asked curiously, wondering just how much time they had, not that he had really left a good morning after impression the last time. 

“Unfortunately, no.  Just got back in yesterday and I’m flying out in a few days for a week this time.” Vallea informed him, not sounding the least bit bothered and could feel his hesitation when it came to doing something as simple as holding hands.  She missed him, but didn’t want him to be uncomfortable in any way with her.  Casually, she released his hand to reach for more chips to dip in the sauce provided and kept the smile on her face.

“What exactly do you do for a living?” Joe inquired, mildly curious and looked over at Monique.

“Who are you asking, big man?  I’m her personal assistant as of right now.  And I’ll be working with her over the next couple months through the agency.”

Monique felt eyes on her and chewed her chip thoughtfully. “I sell properties all over the United States.  I find houses that are shabby and spruce them up to resell them for a reasonable profit.  It’s a lot of paperwork and that’s where a PA comes in handy.  We’ve been working together for a couple years now, right Valle?”

“Yeah, I think 3 years.  Time flies.”

“Sure does.”

“You’re a house flipper.” The market after the crash was ripe for that shit, even Jon knew that. Not that house flipping was ever something he’d consider, he didn’t have the necessary know how. “So, where are you ladies flying out too then?” Vallea had said travel agent sometimes personal assistant, he was still holding that her job was fucked up. You couldn’t be both. Maybe she was just a ‘fixer’.

No, she did both with her job and he’d have to get used to it and deal with it. “Hawaii for another week.  She has several houses out there that are almost ready to be put on the market and there’s last minute work to be done.  I think in a couple weeks we’ll be heading to New York too.” Vallea wasn’t lying when she said she was hardly in Vegas and at home, basically living out of her luggage.  Hell, she bought new things half the time while on the road working.  Monique was her number one client though and they got along really well, for the most part.

“I’m an investor.  I don’t necessarily do the work with the houses, I hire people for that shit.” Monique could hear the judgment in Dean Ambrose’s voice, but it didn’t bother her since a lot of people didn’t think she could build an empire doing ‘house flipping’.  In her eyes, it was a smart investment because the market was almost always solid for business, depending on where she found a property. “And yeah, Hawaii is my number one state, surprisingly enough.  I’m gonna move there one day.”

“Nah, I love Vegas.  Nothing beats it.”

“Not even the ocean and sand and beautiful sunsets?”

“Woman, there’s hurricanes and tropical storms too, don’t forget.  Vegas doesn’t get that shit often since we’re not directly on the coast.”

That was a good point. “Way to crap all over my dreams, Valle.”

Vallea laughed, sipping her beer that was placed in front of her.

Jon had zero fucks what Monique was thinking. Flipping was smart if you have the money to invest and weren’t paying out the ass on other people doing everything. That tended to bring the actual profits down to slim pickings. “Active volcano on Hawaii, why in the fuck would you move there?”

“What are the odds of it going off?”

Apparently nobody watched the news anymore. He shrugged, taking a long drink of his beer. “Vegas has the best views.” He winked at Vallea.

“Another good point.” Vallea grinned back at him, leaning back against the booth, agreeing wholeheartedly with him. “It does indeed.” She tapped her beer bottle against his gently, taking a long pull from it and ate another chip.

“Meh, I still want to move there.  Worth the risks.” Monique would not be deterred or convinced otherwise because, honestly, she hated Vegas.  Way too congested for her liking, even with the Red Rock Canyon and valleys surrounding the city of lights.

“I prefer Florida, myself.”

“Way too humid.”

“Hey, Pensacola is beautiful.”

“And humid 100% of the time.”

Vallea was amused by this and Jon was too, both staring at the budding couple before them.

“Florida sucks if you like your hair.” Jon commented innocently, not surprised in the least when Monique jumped on that one. He had definitely noticed her hair.

“Exactly, the humidity would kill it. Besides, Florida is terrible for property investment right now, what with all the hurricanes and the insurance there is outlandish.”

“But Hawaii isn’t?”

“Hawaii is worth it.” She smiled sweetly, fluttering her eyes at Joe.

“I might have to check it out sometime.” He conceded.

Jon tried not to snort into his beer.

He changed his tune right quick and Vallea snickered in her beer, rather enjoying the Samoan being brought down to size by Monique.  She had a way with men, it didn’t matter how famous they were.  He could’ve been the biggest star in WWE and Monique wouldn’t have cared because she was set in her ways.

“Maybe you should.  You might like it being a Samoan and all.” She nudged him playfully, feeling more relaxed and herself, even with a man of Joe’s caliber. “Tell you what, prove me wrong, if you can.  I’ll come to Florida one of these days and you can show me just how great it is compared to Hawaii.”

Joe liked this woman’s spunkiness and held his bottle up. “Deal.” They clinked together just as the food arrived; everyone was starving and dove into their meal choices.

It was like watching Rome fall, and it made Jon’s nose wrinkle in disgust. Obviously, they had issues. What was it with men falling at a woman’s feet? He and Vallea had clicked, gone their separate ways and then reconnected out of the blue. This seemed to work for them. His electric blue eyes narrowed at her thoughtfully, his fork dragging through whatever it was he had ordered. “What the fuck was that?”

“MoMo Magic.” Monique answered for Vallea, smiling at him.

“Hey, I only made a deal with her.  Doesn’t mean I’m gonna leave Florida, man.” Joe was his own man and made his own decisions, but he had to admit, he was intrigued by Monique. “Besides, we’ve been Hawaii and all over the world with WWE.  Just not enough time to sight-see a lot of the time.”

“That sucks.  Half the fun with traveling is sight-seeing and taking everything in.” Vallea pointed out with a slight frown, wondering what it was like to travel with the WWE that was literally in a different city or town almost every night of the week.

“Part of the job, sweet cheeks.” Joe winked at her, taking another bite of the steak he ordered and knew he’d have to hit the gym twice as hard tomorrow to work this off.  It was worth it though.  Beautiful women with a great meal – he’d take that any day of the week.

Monique giggled at the nickname Joe gave her friend, shaking her head and took a sip of her beer.

“I’ve been to Hawaii, it’s expensive.” A freaking gallon of milk cost about seven bucks almost three dollars more than Vegas. He made quite a bit of money but that did not mean he was set on losing it all because groceries were outrageously expensive. Jon also liked Vegas a bit too much to move, he was planning on spending his retirement in this sinful city. Hopefully, that was still a long ways off.

“I’ve done the legwork and I can honestly say Vegas is the best city in the United States.  Maybe not the world, but definitely the country.” Vallea did not see herself moving anywhere else anytime soon, not even somewhere tropical because that just wasn’t who she was.  Monique and her had a lot of differences and one of them was where she did her real estate or ‘house flipping’.  It wasn’t her job to question her client though and Vallea kept her thoughts to herself unless Monique asked for her opinion, which was more often than not.

Everyone had their preference and was entitled to their opinion.

Personally, Jon thought Joe and Monique were both derps. Vegas had the nice hot weather they both seemed to enjoy without the humidity, hurricanes, or active volcanoes. He couldn’t imagine living on a house with stilts instead of a foundation but then again, he also lived in an apartment. An expensive apartment that he was hoping to not use much for a while after that rather long vacation of sorts.

Chapter 7

After dinner, Monique volunteered to take Joe back to the arena to grab his rental, which left Vallea and Jon alone.  Neither minded since they only had a short amount of time together before real life would bite them in the backside. “Thank you for dinner.” Vallea murmured, both of her hands slid in the back pockets of her capri’s while walking toward the car with him, looking up at the starry night sky.  It reminded her of the night they spent together walking the strip before going back to her condo. “You were in your element tonight during the show.  I enjoyed watching you perform.”

“I’m kind of surprised you were there to be honest.” Jon said after a moment. “But thank you.” It was weird. She had known what he did but she had also said wrestling wasn’t her thing, so her being at a show… well, a very vain part of him was puffing out and assuming she HAD gone just to see HIM. He knew he had ego problems.

“Believe me, I was surprised when Monique told me she was a wrestling fan.  It was because of me cause I almost rear-ended someone while staring at a picture of you on the side of a huge semitruck, while on the freeway.” Vallea chuckled at the memory of scaring the hell out of Monique and shook her head, stopping to turn and look up at him. “She invited me and I could’ve declined, but…curiosity killed the cat.  I went because of you.  I wanted to see you again and figured that was the only way to do it.”

See, and she had just made his ego problems even worse by telling him that. Jon felt something practically purring inside of his chest, like a jungle cat that was content after a chase. “Way to inflate my head, doll.” He rumbled, finally coming to a stop next to the car and leaned against it, folding his arms over his chest as he stared down at her. “So what now, Val?”

It was the truth and there was no reason to keep it from him.  She stepped up to him, sliding one hand up his t-shirt covered chest and kept the other one in her back pocket. “I’d much prefer this head,” Reaching down, Vallea stroked him through his jeans and smirked at the groan that came from his lips. “Be inflated than your top one right now.  And I don’t know what happens now.  Sex and then we go our separate ways again, I’d imagine.  You all right with that, Jon?”

Jon was going to venture a guess that she didn’t overly care about the fact that he had bailed on her in the early morning hours without so much as a ‘thank you’ and goodbye. That or Vallea really missed his dick. “Keep that up, doll and I’ll bend you over this car right here and now.” He warned her, reaching down to grab her wrist gently but firmly.

Why would she care if he left her in the morning hours after they had sex?  It wasn’t as if they were in a relationship.  Vallea accepted what this was between them; she wasn’t stupid by any means.  She had left her fair share of beds too without notifying the recipient, preferring not to say goodbyes to one another.  It made things more complicated; feelings would arise and it was best to wake up without seeing each other after a night full of hot, unbridled sex. “I told you I’m not an exhibitionist.” She reminded him, leaning up to brush her lips against his beard covered jaw, enjoying the feeling of his soft facial hair against her. “You can bend me over all you want, but not out in the open like this, handsome.”

“You sure about that?” Jon had her pinned to the car, her face gently resting against the hood in a matter of seconds. “Nobody’s around, doll.” She had said no, so he wouldn’t really do it but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to torment her a little bit. Blue eyes darkened when she wriggled, purposefully stepping forward and pressing himself into her pert ass.

Suddenly, Jon was YANKED back harshly away from her by a man almost his size, making her cry out in surprise.  What the HELL? “What are you doing?!” She demanded in a shaky voice, eyes wide.

“Miss, are you all right?  Don’t you fucking move, asshole!” The man, who thought she’d been in trouble, ordered, pointing a finger in Jon’s direction. “He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

“No, of course not!  We were just…”

“Miss, there’s no need to lie.” The man reprimanded gently, placing his hand on her shoulder and blinked when she scurried away.

“There is NOTHING wrong here!  You’ve lost your – JON!” Apparently, the man had gotten on Jon’s nerves because he delivered a punch right to the intruder’s face, sending him flying on his ass. “Oh god…”

“Motherfucker,” Jon wasn’t amused at all and he aimed a kick at the other man’s ribs. Anyone strong and big enough to forcibly yank HIM could take their licks as far as he was concerned. “Maybe next time,” His voice was a feral growl. “You’ll mind your own fucking business.”

This was a side to Jon she’d never seen before and it scared Vallea, if she was being honest.  She swallowed hard as he continued kicking the man relentlessly, his eyes nothing more than blue ice and saw the man’s head was busted open from Jon’s fist connecting to his forehead. “We have to go.  Jon, we have to go NOW!” She ordered, trying to stop him from inflicting further damage on the man and pulled at his arm.  That was a mistake.  She jumped back when he swung it to nearly connect with her face, his body whirling around to glare at her. “If you keep this up…you’re gonna really hurt him and he’ll have to go to the hospital.  Come on, please…” Christ, her voice was shaking, along with the rest of her body.

Jon’s glazed blue eyes began focusing on her, finally nodding, his lips compressing in a thin, grim line. He had almost punched HER, and with the force of his swing, he could have probably killed her. His gaze snapped to the man on the ground before searching the parking lot, thanking God it was off the Strip itself. He was going to wind up in prison. “You should go.”

“Not without you, are you crazy?  Come on, he probably won’t remember what happened and we need to get out of here.” Vallea took a chance, grabbing his hand and swallowed hard at the icy blues snapping up to meet hers. “Jon, please…” He was a celebrity, of sorts, and if the company he worked for found out about this altercation, he could be fired.  Reluctantly, he went with her and got in the car as she sped away.  This was Vegas, plenty of people got mugged on a daily and nightly basis, so the cops wouldn’t hunt down someone beaten up in a parking lot.  Luckily, there were no witnesses besides Vallea and she wouldn’t betray Jon that way since the man actually deserved the beating he took. “Are you all right?”

“You’re insane, Vallea.” He said in a monotone, staring out the window. She was basically aiding and abetting him committing aggravated assault on a good Samaritan. She was doing it without a second thought, after he had nearly taken HER head off. “Just drop me off anywhere, doll.” His eyes moved down onto his fists.

“No.  I’m taking you back to my place.  Just…let me help you, okay?” Vallea pressed her foot on the gas harder, racing through the streets of Vegas and managed to make it out of the strip to the other side of the city.  She knew what was probably going through his mind and wanted to comfort him somehow, someway, but the way he stared down at his balled up fists told her it wouldn’t do a bit of good.  Once they were at her place and parked, Vallea cut the ignition and looked over at him, seeing his eyes were STILL glued to his fists. “You wouldn’t hurt me, Jon.  You stopped yourself from doing it.  I trust you.”

“Well you’re an idiot then, aren’t you, doll?” Jon snorted, opening the passenger door and getting out of the car. “All you know about me is that I saved you once, you like to fuck me, and I just beat the life out of some guy who thought you were in danger. How are you safe?”

“You didn’t beat the life out of him, you just roughed him up a little and rightfully so.  He had no right pulling you off me the way he did.  He didn’t know the situation and he should’ve been prepared for the consequences.” Vallea folded her arms in front of her chest, hazel eyes narrowing at him. “Believe me, if I didn’t feel safe, I wouldn’t bring you back to my place and I definitely wouldn’t want to fuck you.  I’m safe with you, I know it and I don’t scare away easily, Jon.  If you wanna leave, let me clean your hands up and you can be on your way.  I won’t stop you.”

“It’s so easy for you to justify what I did, isn’t it?” Jon was both amused and disgusted. The guy had thought Vallea was being assaulted, and she was totally cool with him getting his ass beaten down just because she thought the would-be savior had overstepped his bounds by being helpful. “You’re just as fucked as I am.”

“What do you WANT me to say?!  That you scared the shit out of me with your temper?!  Fine, you scared me, but I also know you won’t hurt me!  God!” Vallea clutched her hair between her fingers, hating how this night had ended when it was going so well. “Do you want me to push you away, Jon?  Do you want me to tell you to leave and never come back?  Because I won’t do it.  Everybody has a temper.  You’re only human and you made a mistake.  It happens, it doesn’t mean I’ll just write you off and think of you as an actual lunatic.  That’s just not who I am.”

“And what about your mistake? I probably broke that guy’s ribs and you didn’t think twice about leaving his ass there to rot.” Jon said, without scorn or judgment, now he was just genuinely curious about where her equally lunatic mind was at. “You don’t know him so he doesn’t matter. You’ve known me about thirty two hours so I count?”

“Why are you so hell bent on defending a stranger yourself?  And for your information, yes, I contacted the authorities via text message and they are on their way to check on him as we speak.  I did it anonymously.” Technology was a beautiful thing sometimes. “I’m not that heartless.  And I may not know you that well, but yes, you DO matter.  And you do count to me.  Now stop talking crazy and come inside, so I can doctor your hands up.  Then you can run away, if that’s what you wanna do.” Vallea had to look away from him to keep the tears at bay, clearing her throat.

“My hands are fine.” Jon said flatly, wondering why she was so tenacious about that one little detail. His knuckles were bruised, there was one scrape along a finger, nothing he was overly concerned about. He was curious about her thoughts, the way she did things, because if he was going to be involved with someone potentially crazy, he liked to know where their priorities lie. That was a fairly good indicator where he’d wind up some day. Or in her case, headless.

“Fine.” Vallea folded her arms in front of her chest, feeling more confused and perplexed than she had in her life. “If you’re coming inside, you know the way.  I’m not standing out here yelling at you anymore for the world to see and hear.” Lord knew the last thing they needed were the cops called on them after what Jon did. “I’ll leave the decision up to you.” Pulling the tie out of her hair, she let it tumble down her back and over her shoulders, shaking it loose a little before turning to head inside.  Her head was killing her from having her hair up all that time, along with the drama that just transpired between her and Jon.

This was how Jon knew he was royally screwed, he was very tempted to snatch her ass up and bend her right back over the hood of the car. Because he was an idiot who apparently hadn’t learned the lesson life had just tried teaching him. Not about to be caught in that situation again anytime soon, he heaved a sigh, reached for curly hair he no longer possessed and followed her. “I’m fucked.”

Vallea heard the door open and close to her condo, already knowing who it was and had the shower going, needing to cleanse herself.  She undressed, dropping her clothes in the hamper and turned her head in time to see Jon step into the bathroom with her.  Stepping up to him as he kicked the door closed with his sneaker, she slid her hand up his chest beneath the shirt and back down again, this time using nails. “Shower with me.” It was a soft, sultry request and she didn’t wait for a response, just pushed the t-shirt up over his head before going to his jeans, unfastening the belt and button, sliding the zipper down.  That sound alone made her warm from the inside out, a fire raging inside of her only he could create and quench.

“You’re still not tending my hands, doll,” Jon informed her with a crooked grin, blue eyes searching hers intently as she knelt down to slide his jeans down. He was wearing boxer briefs, something that wasn’t the traditional tighty whities but also didn’t need to be adjusted from riding up his ass or getting bunched in uncomfortable areas. She took those down along with his jeans, letting his erection spring free and one eyebrow slowly raised.

Not bothering with responding, Vallea wrapped her soft hand around his dick and stroked, making him harder instantly.  Good, she wanted him a little riled up and guided him, by the dick, into the shower under the hot sprays.  Jon captured her mouth with his, drawing her against him and lifted her to where her legs encircled his waist, pressing her back against the shower wall.  They could have a quickie in the shower and then a longer, drawn out session in the bedroom afterwards.  Vallea was lost in ecstasy once again, drowning in it and shut her eyes, relishing every second with Jon she had, the incident with the stranger at the restaurant long forgotten.

It was no surprise when Vallea woke up in the morning, Jon was gone once again – no note left behind or anything.

And so it was back to reality until the next time fate intervened and drew them together.

~!~

“So that’s how it works for you? You guys hook up and then you bail on her while she’s asleep?”

“Hey, she has my number.”

Joe shook his head, both amused and a little disgusted. “You have hers.”

“And maybe I’ll let her forget about me over the next few days and then text her a dick pic.”

How were they friends? He sometimes didn’t understand it.

Chapter 8

Hawaii again.  It never ceased to amaze Vallea just how beautiful this place was.  It still didn’t hold a candle to Vegas, not in her eyes, but she knew Monique felt differently.  They hadn’t talked about their excursions with the wrestlers, only because Vallea had passed out on the plane as soon as it was time for takeoff.  Jon had worn her out, not that she was complaining.  What was there to complain about?  She did worry she wouldn’t hear from him again, however.  The way he acted after hurting that man…how he’d been so cold toward her…it would be a shock if he actually did call her or they ran into each other again in the future.  Maybe they would, maybe they wouldn’t, who knew?

“Now then, you’re going to tell me what happened between you and Ambrose last night.”

“First of all,” Vallea held her hand up, walking along the beach with Monique after a long day of work. “His name is Jon.  I refuse to call him by his wrestling name or whatever.  Secondly, a lady doesn’t kiss and tell.  So I tell you what, you tell me what happened between you and the Samoan and I’ll THINK about telling you some details of my night.”

“Cheeky wench.” Monique giggled, looping her arm through Vallea’s and stared out at the ocean. “He kissed me…and it was wonderful.  We talked for a while and he invited me up to his room, but we didn’t have sex.  Just laid in bed talking.  It was nice.  I don’t know if I’ll hear from him again, but at least I’ll have that night to remember him by.” The difference was, when she woke up in the morning to a pair of lips on hers, Monique was grateful Joe hadn’t skipped out on her, even though it was his hotel room. “Now you.”

“We had shower sex and then more sex before passing out together.  There, now you know.” Vallea grinned, laughing when Monique shoved her into the ocean.

After a few minutes of horse playing in the ocean, Monique helped Vallea back onto the warm sand. She was laughing as they both dropped down, drawing her knees up to her chest. She loved Hawaii, volcanoes or not, and she had every intention of retiring here and being wealthy enough to do so comfortably. She had a feeling Jon and Vallea had done another ‘no wake-ups’ type deal but that wasn’t her business. If it worked for them, it worked for them. She had given Joe her number but she honestly didn’t expect anything to come from it, and she was okay with that. She had gotten to spend the night with the guy. “You two going to hook up again?”

Vallea shrugged, honestly not knowing the answer to that question. “I don’t know.  He left before I got up this morning again, like last time.  It doesn’t bother me as much as it probably should.” Maybe she was as fucked up as Jon claimed to be. “There’s no way to have a fully functional relationship…” Her brow raised when Monique’s phone went off, which was safely in her waterproof compartment of her waterproof purse.  The woman didn’t take ANY chances when it came to her phone because it was her livelihood.

Pulling it out, Monique felt her jaw drop at who was texting her and covered her mouth with her hand.

“Let me guess, the hot Samoan?”

Monique nodded with the biggest smile on her face. “He’s letting me know he had a great time and he’s sorry he didn’t get back to me, but work has been hell on earth for him.  He said he’ll call me later tonight once he’s back at the hotel from the show.”

“Sounds to me like he’s interested in more than one night with you.” Vallea teased gently, nudging her crimson faced friend and laughed, digging her toes further into the warm, soft sand.

In Monique’s humble opinion, that being interested stemmed from the fact that they hadn’t had a one night stand. There had been no sex at all. Sure, some kissing, but mostly talking. That tended to add to the whole shebang, not putting out straight away. But then again, maybe Jon and Vallea weren’t meant to be anything but casual one night stands. “So if it were possible, you’d want a fully functional relationship with Jon?”

“If possible, yes.” Vallea answered without hesitation, drawing her knees up to her chest to stare out at the ocean, the sun setting on the horizon. “I have a connection with him I can’t explain.  It’s like…a gravitational force and no matter what I do, I can’t shake him.  I can’t shake the pull.  It scares me, honestly.  I’ve never met a man like him before – he’s different.  And if we could be together in a fully functional relationship, I would in a heartbeat.  Something tells me he’s not the relationship type though.” She sounded just slightly saddened by that fact and brightened right back up again. “Anyway, no point in dwelling on it.  You gonna answer your Samoan back or not?”

“Oh yeah, eventually. We’re on a bit of a time difference here, Valle.” Monique said, glancing down at her phone. “And he’s calling me later. Always leave them wanting more.” She giggled, feeling that they had left each other wanting more, not that she was in any hurry to get to that point. She liked building things up and drawing it out. The downside to that was if things fizzled when they hit The Point of No Return. “Outside of him saving you, what do you really know about Jon?”

Come to think of it, nothing Vallea could think of off the top of her head. “Hmm that’s a good question, I really don’t know.” She tilted her head, trying to wrack her brain and shook her head. “He’s a wrestler?  I don’t really know much about him other than that and the sex is fantastic.” Monique gave her a stern look and Vallea shrugged it off, wondering why she hadn’t tried getting to know Jon better. “It’s so crazy because the first night we went out together, it was both day and night actually, we talked for HOURS.  I know his favorite food is greasy cheeseburgers and his favorite beverage is beer.  That sort of thing, but nothing about his background.  He was hush-hush about it.”

Somehow, Monique had a feeling that she knew about Jon than Vallea did, and that was thanks to Wikipedia. “Um, you never Google’d him or anything?” She had done that shit to Joe right after that night, she had spent a lot of time looking him up on her cell, just to learn everything and anything she could. She wasn’t surprised when Vallea shook her head no. “So you’d be down for a relationship, knowing nothing about him?”

“Okay in my defense, I never thought I’d see him again after that one night.  Second, I didn’t know his last name or his wrestling name either, so there was no way for me to google him.  Third, I’d rather get to know the person from THEMSELVES than look it up online, even if they are a celebrity.” Vallea ticked each response off on her fingers and nudged Monique, scowling playfully. “Hell, I STILL don’t know what his last name is, only his wrestling name and I’m not gonna google him.  If he wants me to know about him, he’ll tell me himself.”

“Well, sweetie, if he’s on the hush hush side when it comes to his personal life and background, I’m going to venture out on a limb and assume he doesn’t want to tell you.” Monique said after a moment, sighing inwardly. What she knew was about the character and again, Wikipedia, and it wasn’t really her place to tell Vallea about Jon if she wasn’t going to search it herself. “Well, if it gets serious, let me know.”

“I will.” Vallea doubted it would, firmly pushing Jon in the far recesses of her mind for the time being.  She had a job to do and didn’t have time to be hung up on a guy – a one or two night stand at that.  Maybe it was old-school of her, but Vallea believed in getting to know a person without using the Internet.  There was so much technology in the world these days, too much, and it made getting to know someone relatively impossible.  Everything was for the world to see, thanks to social media, which she didn’t do much of.  She avoided it at all costs, not even having a Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram, none of it.  It was all nonsense, in her opinion.

It was probably a good thing Vallea had cultivated some high profile contacts in her line of work because not utilizing social media for the most part was just a bad idea all around when it came to professional things. Technology was where it was at and social platforms allowed people to market themselves. “I really think I should invest in some affordable housing out this way.” That was a bit out of the blue but….

“Affordable housing in Hawaii?” Vallea began laughing, wondering where that thought came from because it really was out of the blue.  Monique was all about the Benjamin’s, usually, but every once in a while she would say something as random as that. “Not a bad idea, if you can find people that are willing to donate time and money to build the affording housing.” That was a bitch in itself because everybody was all about the almighty dollar. “I’m heading back to the hotel, you coming?” She stood up, dusting the sand off her and couldn’t wait to hop in the shower, knowing she probably had sand in her vagina right about now.

“Yeah.” Monique wasn’t kidding about retiring and living here. She liked flipping houses and all that, but eventually, she was going to settle in one spot. This spot. This state.  To that end, she wanted to make sure she wasn’t going to be living in a slum and a sad fact of life in Hawaii was that there was a lot of homeless and/or poor people. Housing wasn’t cheap, she knew, she was investing and selling here. She would much rather have people in cheap apartments then camping on the streets.

Each going to their private rooms, Vallea had just gotten undressed and had a towel wrapped around her body when her phone rang.  Who was calling her?  She rarely received phone calls unless it was from one of Monique’s clients, which were all taken care of for the time being.  Frowning, she walked out of the bathroom and looked down at the caller ID, eyes widening at the name on the screen.  Jon…was calling her…Vallea picked it up before it could go to voicemail, holding the phone to her ear. “Hello?”

“Doll, I need you to settle something for me and Joe,” Jon said by way of greeting, without actually greeting her. He figured by now, she was probably either used to his less than normal way of doing things or she was just ‘that’ kind of girl. “Joe says it’s fucked up if I send you random pics of my junk out of the blue. I say we’re way beyond the point of fucked up.”

“I’m sorry…what?” Vallea blinked at that greeting and started laughing, wondering if she’d ever get used to Jon’s randomness. “Umm…I wouldn’t mind the pictures, no.  It’s not like I haven’t seen you naked before…” What kind of conversation was this? “And why are you arguing with a man about sending pics of your dick to a woman?  Or do you swing both ways, Jonny boy?”

“I don’t know, never tried it.” Jon said after a moment, sounding thoughtful. “Hold that thought, doll.” He set his cell down. “C’mere Joe.”

“Hey… what are you doing? Jon?” Joe sounded confused and then agitated. “DUDE!”

Jon returned a few moments later, laughing his ass off. “Well, I still don’t know but Joe is traumatized.”

Vallea did NOT want to know what Jon just did to make the Samoan roar out and force her to pull the phone away from her ear.  Nope, she was good.  Jon couldn’t stop laughing and she shook her head, walking out onto the balcony after tightening her towel a little more to gaze out at the ocean. “So is that the only reason you called me?  To settle a dispute with your bromance?”

“I HATE YOU, JON!”

Now it was Vallea’s turn to giggle.

“This bromance is entirely one sided, he’s definitely not digging my lusciously soft lips.” Jon dead panned, then snorted. “And no, I did call to settle the dick pic thing. Well, it was a good excuse to call. How are you? What are you doing? Better yet, what are you wearing, doll?” Since she wasn’t going to call him apparently, and had been kind enough to show she was just as insane as he was… he’d make that jump.

“Okay so, I’m not lying when I tell you I’m in a towel.  I was just about to jump in the shower when you called.” Vallea did not want him thinking sex was all she ever thought about in life because it wasn’t.  Well, maybe with him, but it would have to change if they were to be something other than sex. “And he’s crazy if he doesn’t enjoy those lips of yours.” Now THAT was a sexual statement. “I’m fine, how are you?  How was your show?  Or should I say match?  Yeah, how was your match?”

“I don’t know yet, haven’t had it. We’re in the dressing room actually.” Jon said after a moment, glancing at the time. Oh yeah, they were in different time zones. “Be in about thirty minutes.”

“Yeah, and you should be prepping.”

“Joe says hi.” He said sweetly, flipping his friend the middle finger. “I think he’s having issues over my delicious kiss.”

Shaking his head, Joe vacated the dressing room.

Not much of a time difference at the moment since they were on the West Coast and it was going on 7 PM, in California, which is where they were tonight for the house show.  It was only a 2 hour time difference between them, so it was 5 PM in Hawaii.  However, Vallea had been up since the ass crack of dawn and being baked on the beach with Monique had left her feeling a little drained. “I’m sure he is.” She turned away from the ocean and walked back into the room, leaving the doors open to let the breeze in for a minute. “He’s right, though.  You should prep for your match tonight.  Wouldn’t want you getting hurt or anything.” She still had no idea he’d been ‘on vacation’ for an injury.

“Aww, doll, you still want to play my nurse?” Jon’s voice dropped to a wicked timbre. “My hands are healed up, Val, but I got other parts you could tend.” He heard her snorting through the phone and began chuckling. “I’m warmed up plenty, doll, don’t you worry about me. You’re in Hawaii, right? Joe’s been talking about your friend quite a bit. It’s gross.”

“I’ll play nurse for you any time you want, Jon.  You know that.  And yeah, we’re in Hawaii, just closed a few more business transactions and hopefully, the houses will be sold in a couple weeks.” It wouldn’t be hard since the market was on fire right now for real estate. “Seems they like each other…” She chewed her bottom lip, the conversation with Monique about Jon rolling through her mind again. “Monique actually pointed something out to me today.  She asked me if I knew anything about you and…I told her no.  She told me to go on Wikipedia and I told her I’d rather get to know the person from them than on the Internet or social media.  Hell, I don’t even know your last name.” That made her laugh a little awkwardly.

Chapter 9

“Good.” He said after a long moment. There was no real reason for her to not know he supposed. They were way past the point of introductions anyway.

“Oh, okay.” Vallea had no idea what to think about that. He didn’t want her to know his last name?

“No, I mean that’s my last name. Jon Good.” He corrected, trying hard not to chuckle. “Jonathan Good.”

“Jon Good.” Vallea tested it out, eyes narrowing and really hoped he wasn’t messing with her. “That’s…you’re serious about this, right?  Because if you’re screwing with me, I will fly to California and find a way to hurt you.” His reassurance made her feel marginally better. “Scholar is mine.  Vallea Scholar.” It sounded like either a fancy porn star name or a professor.  Jon didn’t know anything about her either, not even her last name.  They stuck with today topics during their walk around Vegas and mostly flirted to drive each other crazy.

“We both have stupid last names.” Jon informed her after sorting out that last name of hers. Who the hell had scholar as a last name? He was a bit suspicious that she was messing with him, or using a porn name or something. “We’re going to have to sort that shit out quick if we ever get serious, babe. Can’t name our demon babies either of those.”

She swallowed hard at the mention of babies and had to swallow down her anxiety, letting out a nervous chuckle. “Good isn’t that bad…I could always start calling you Jonny Be Good.” His groan made her laugh a little lighter as she sat down on the bed, chewing her bottom lip. “So, you think there’s a chance we could get serious then?  I mean you’re mentioning babies, so it’s obviously been on your mind.” Why was her stomach suddenly tensing and feeling as though it was twisting or fluttering?

Jon fell silent again, wondering if she were serious. From what little he did know of Vallea, he had assumed she wasn’t one of ‘those’ chicks. One of those chicks who started with the exploding ovary bullshit at the mere mention of baby. “No, it hasn’t.” He corrected her flatly. “It was a joke, Vall.” And now he knew what was on her mind, them getting serious. “What do you want from me?”

She was NOT that type of woman.  In fact, Vallea never wanted kids – EVER. “Don’t get your panties in a twist, Jonny boy.  I don’t want kids, never have and probably never will.  And I don’t know what I want from you.  I guess getting to know you would be a step in the right direction to figuring that out.  But we both lead very complicated lives and we both travel a lot, separately.  Do you honestly think a relationship can be built on that?  Or would you rather just stick to sex only once in a while whenever we run into each other in Vegas?  Because I’m all right with both options, honestly.” Heaving a sigh, she didn’t expect the phone call to turn serious so suddenly and it threw her for a loop. “I pose the same question to you.  What do you want from me?”

“Not babies.” He said, sounding disgusted. Jon liked kids, from a distance. He had some steadfast rules in his life. No social media, it caused way too many issues and quite frankly, he seen no reason to air his life to everyone. No children because he had no intention of hanging up his boots and that just wasn’t fair to offspring or the poor unfortunate soul who bore them. “How about another date?”

“Good, glad we’re on the same page with that.  And I’m sure I can fit you into my schedule.” Vallea was all smiles now and couldn’t believe Jon was actually asking her out on another date.  They had slept together twice and yet they were going on dates.  They really did do everything ass backwards. “When are your next days off?” Wednesday and Thursday were the answer. “All right, I’ll be home during those two days for sure, so I can see you.” It would be a lot easier if they traveled together, but that wasn’t possible with their lines of work.

If he knew what she was thinking, about traveling together, he would have seen big, red, flashing neon warning signs. Very few couples in his line of work actually did that, unless they were both part of the company. “Thursday, I’ll come pick you up around 8, in the morning.” Jon said, his tone a lot lighter then it had been moments ago. “Wear hiking stuff.”

Hazel eyes glittered at his command and Vallea couldn’t wait or Thursday to get here, hating it was only Saturday. “Okay, I will.” Were they actually going to try giving this a chance?  There was only one way to find out.

“Ambrose, we gotta go, man!  Get off the phone!”

Vallea chuckled at the sound of Joe’s voice and could FEEL Jon’s eyeroll. “Be safe and call me later, if you’re not too tired or you feel up to it.” She wanted to say have a great match, but Vallea didn’t think that was the right thing to say, so she went with be safe instead.

“Don’t wait up, Val.” He said before hanging up, shaking his head. He was not falling in line with traditional dating routines, that shit had never worked out in the past for him and he wasn’t bothering with it now. He had, many a time, neglected to call when he was supposed with prior girlfriends because he forgot, or he was tired, and he wasn’t doing that with her. “Shut up.”

Vallea giggled at Joe’s growl, knowing the ‘shut up’ wasn’t directed at her. “Talk soon, Jon.” She hung up, heaving a sigh and set her phone on the bed before getting a much-needed shower and masturbation time.  That man was going to be the death of her, she simply knew it.  Hiking sounded fun and different for a date – if it could even be called that.  It made her wonder what he had in mind as far as their destination went.

A few hours later, she received a picture of him in a most…precarious position and chewed her bottom lip before deciding to send one back to him.  Naughty photos would only prove useful.

He made sure to keep his actual head and whatnot out of the picture, he wasn’t providing too much ammo after all. Just in case. He knew her enough to fuck her, not send full on pics that may make Internet rounds. Jon had issues, and he didn’t trust easily, he figured on their ‘date’, he’d lay it all out for her so she knew where he stood and could make her own decisions from there.

Thursday morning, Vallea was up at sunrise, had her coffee, a shower and was ready for her date with Jon.  Excitement bubbled in her stomach as she paced around her condo, trying to keep herself busy.  The Hawaii trip had been cut short due to Joe asking Monique out on a date, after promising to come to Vegas to take her out properly.  They really did like each other and she was happy for Monique.  The woman didn’t have much luck with men in the past, but hopefully the Samoan could finally give her happiness.  At 8 AM, her doorbell rang and Vallea took a deep breath before answering the door, her backpack with all the necessities she figured she’d need over her shoulder. “Right on time.” Her attire was biker tight shorts and a burnt orange racerback top, her hair pulled back in a tight bun to keep it out of her face and off her neck.

Jon’s icy eyes swept over her, his lips curving up into an appreciative smile. He wore his own climbing shorts, something a bit tighter then he generally preferred but loose clothing wasn’t really your friend when you were scaling rock walls, not if you didn’t want them torn or caught somewhere stupid.  “We’re going to hit Solar Slab today, that okay with you, doll?” He said, reaching out to pull her into him before dropping a kiss on her beautiful lips.

That was one place she hadn’t gone yet, though Vallea heard about it.  She’d read up on it too.  It was highly dangerous and they would definitely need harnesses.  She would not be falling to her death or taking the risk again.  The Red Rocks were child’s play compared to the Solar Slab and, yet, she’d never felt more exhilarated and pumped for anything in her life.  The feeling of his lips against hers was an added bonus to what would be another memorable day. “Lead the way, handsome.” She murmured against his mouth, slowly pulling away and already had her keys in hand, guiding him out to lock the door.

As long as his ass made it to the show tomorrow night, Jon wasn’t overly worried about today and tonight. “You’re not going to need your car.” He gestured to his truck. “Already loaded with what we’ll need.” Because Solar Slab had some beautiful, scenic areas to pitch a tent. “Unless…” He hadn’t considered this but he didn’t think it would be a problem either, the woman climbed rock walls without harnesses and obviously had a thing for being outside. “You don’t like camping?”

Vallea raised a slow brow at him, trying to decide if he was being funny or serious.  Sometimes it was hard to tell with Jon.  She rock climbed for a hobby and loved the outdoors, so why wouldn’t she enjoy camping? “I love to camp.  Just never seems to be enough time to actually do it.” A fire, under the stars, with this man in the mountains sounded heavenly and almost too good to be true.  She reached up to softly kiss him this time and walked out of the complex to start their adventure.

Hey, some people were weird that way. They liked doing things outside but hated the idea of sleeping outside. With women, it was usually bugs, or snakes and lizards. Personally, he didn’t mind any of that, he’d woken up a time or two with bugs. Hell, considering some of the dive hotels he had stayed at, roughing it outdoors was luxurious. He was quiet as he drove towards their destination, wondering when the shoe was going to drop. Their second ‘date’ and they were going to camp on a mountain somewhere, most women would have shit bricks and she was just rolling with it happily. He couldn’t get that lucky, right?

“Oh my god…it’s so beautiful.” Vallea was in awe at the sight of Solar Slab and beamed at Jon, her eyes sparkling with excitement at this upcoming climb. “I can’t wait to get to the top.  Imagine the view!” She nudged him, trying to get him pumped up as well and couldn’t take her eyes from the window as he continued driving.  The moment Jon stopped, she was out of the truck and opened the hatch to grab everything they’d need. “That’s really steep, so we’re using harnesses.  I brought two and enough rope and whatnot for both of us.” More than enough, she wanted to be prepared. “I know you live for the moment and so do I, but…I also don’t wanna go splat.” She liked living.

“Yeah… I already have all that shit in one of my packs so unload yours.” Jon ordered, shaking his head at her. He was the one who had asked her out, picked the place without telling her, he wasn’t going in blind and he wasn’t about to risk either of their asses on a proper mountain. He was stronger than she was, he had two sacks, one that would be used to hold their climbing gear, and the other held the tents and that crap. “It’ll make room for food, water and whatnot.”

Shrugging, Vallea did as he asked and emptied her bag, packing it with extra food, water and supplies, though she made sure to bring her own rope, just in case.  One never knew what would happen climbing a monster like they were about to.  It didn’t matter who was stronger – if Vallea had to, she could pull Jon up if he’d gotten himself in a pickle as long as she had leverage to do it.  When she wasn’t rock climbing or working, she was usually in the gym, so she was stronger than she looked. “Before we go.” Vallea pulled his face down to hers, passionately kissing him and didn’t break it until they both needed oxygen. “Lead the way, I’ll follow you.”

The strength issue was mostly geared towards he would be able to carry more without it straining him like it would have her. She was athletic, no doubt about it, but his JOB was built around his strength. And devilish good looks. Couldn’t forget those. “C’mon doll.” He locked the truck and tucked the keys in the leather satchel -men didn’t wear fanny packs- around his waist, where he also kept important copies of equally important papers or cards, just in case. “There’s a trail at the very top, we’ll bring that down in the morning.” They were at the end of the traditional tourist season so he wasn’t foreseeing too many other people.

The sight was absolutely breathtaking and it was just cool enough to be decent instead of boiling hot like it’d been in August when they first met.  October was a beautiful time of year, right before the Christmas rush would come in.  People, more often than not, went on vacation and Vegas was their destination for Christmas.  It was a sad, surprising fact.  Once they were up enough, Jon stopped and unzipped his bag, pulling the harnesses out.  He twirled his finger, ordering Vallea to turn around and she did without question, beginning to fasten the safety gear on her body. “Thank you.” She murmured once he finished, feeling his lips brush against the pulse point on her neck and proceeded to help him with his gear.

He nodded, securing them both and then triple checked all the ropes and rigging. If she had fallen from the Red Rock, where they had been, she might’ve survived, with a lot of broken limbs, but it was survivable. This was not one of those sitches. “Ready to get to the fun stuff?” He flashed her a grin, adjusting his sunglasses over his eyes before looking up and whistled. He was so glad he had skipped the gym, this was going to be a full body work out.

Slipping her own shades on, Vallea nodded and had her hands wrapped with tape to keep a steady grip on the rocks.  There were little crevices to latch onto, but they weren’t that deep.  Thank the stars for harnesses!  They stayed side by side while climbing, the altitude something they were used to.  She was all smiles the entire climb, focusing on where to put her hands and feet, showing she could really do this.  It wasn’t a fluke at Red Rock Canyon.  Once they were at the halfway mark to the top, Jon called for a break as they stopped to have something to eat and drink, both nestled in what looked to be a cave within the mountain. “Mmm water…” She was breathing heavily, sweaty and her heart was beating a little fast in her chest, but not too hard. “Damn, they weren’t lying when they said this was a BITCH to climb.”

“I know, right?” Jon chuckled, his voice coming out a rasp. He wasn’t going to lie, he needed more cardio in his life and thank God he didn’t smoke or he would be royally screwed right about now. They were making good time, good progress, and he wasn’t expecting them to hit the peaks, or plateaus if he were more accurate, for another few hours. By then, they’d be ready to find a sheltered area to camp and relax.  She had said no, twice, about the car thing, he was going to nail her under the stars on a mountain top.

Chapter 10

“So worth it though.  This is the best date I’ve ever been on and it’s not even over yet.” Vallea laughed, her voice full of mirth while sipping her water.  She knew better than to down it because it’d make her nauseous and that wasn’t happening.  Jon was too good to be true – a strapping, strong man that enjoyed climbing mountains and had a carefree, don’t give a damn attitude.  He wasn’t the only one waiting for the other shoe to drop, so was she. “Okay what’s wrong with you?  You’re practically perfect and I’m just waiting to find out the uglier side of you, if there is one.  So, come on, nail me with it.  Give me a flaw, something, anything, please?”

“I’m crazy, doll, or haven’t you figured that out yet?” Jon couldn’t believe what he had heard come out of her mouth. “Woman, you seen me beat the piss out of a guy for being a Good Samaritan. I would have probably killed him if you hadn’t intervened. How is that practically perfect?” God, please don’t let her be one of those crazy broads who found that sort of thing and being abused sexy, he prayed.

“No, he should’ve realized what was really going on and kept going on his way.  I wasn’t screaming or crying out for you to stop.  He was an idiot.” Vallea stated coolly, folding her arms in front of her chest. “If anything, he was probably trying to get a piece of me after thinking he’d take you out.” That was laughable. “And you’re only crazy in a good way, Jon.  I don’t think you’re crazy in a bad way at all.  I wouldn’t be up here with you otherwise.” Maybe now was the time to ask him about his background. “Let’s start with something simpler.  Where are you from originally?  I was born and raised in Ohio before I had to get the hell out of that state before it bored me to death.” His face had gone a little pale and she touched his arm, frowning. “What’s wrong?”

“Ohio blows chunks.” Jon said after a moment, shrugging her hand off of his arm and rifled around in his bag, procuring a bag of trail mix, a pouch of dried fruit, and some jerky. “Hungry, doll?” He was changing the subject and he didn’t care that he was blatant about it. “Good to know you’re on board with me beating down wonder bread boys.” Plain, stale, do gooders. He couldn’t say shit, hadn’t he rescued her too?

Something told her the change in subject was due to her mentioning the state.  Was he from Ohio too?  Surely not!  There was no way they could be from the same state, but then again, fate had mysterious ways of doing things.  She took some food from him, eating quietly and looked out at the beautiful view they had, chewing thoughtfully.  Monique was right; they had to get to know each other better if they had a snowball’s chance in hell of making this work.  Or they might as well stick to sex only and leave it at that.

“I lived in the Cincinnati slums when I was a kid, I HATE that place. I hate thinking about it, Valle. Nothing good came from that hellhole.” Jon finally said after a long, terse silence. “Well… the Bengals are a pretty bad ass team but that’s about it.” He fell silent again, thinking and then glanced at her. “And maybe you, jury is still out.”

“I didn’t say anything…you don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to, Jon.” Vallea assured him, not wanting him to feel pressured in any way because that wasn’t what she was trying to do.  Hell, she was still trying to figure this whole situation out in her own head. “Cincinnati, huh?  I’m from Akron, it’s near Cleveland.  And no, I’m not a fan of the Indians.  I don’t like Ohio at all, actually.  Haven’t been back there in years.  I left home when I was 16 and never looked back.  Don’t regret it either.” She wanted to ask him about his parents, but decided against it and chomped on some more jerky. “This is really good.”

“Oughta be, a guy I work with, he hunts. A lot. Like, all his time off, I’m pretty sure he ignores his old lady and just goes hunting. He makes his own jerky, does his own meat, that sort of thing.” Which was not Jon’s style, at all, but damned if he didn’t mind eating the fruits of that beloved labor. “If there’s ever a zombie Apocalypse or some sort of nuclear fallout, this guy will be set. He’s that kind of person.” Stretching his legs out, he reached out to pull her between them, feeling Vallea leaning back into his chest. “Ohio sucks, I think we’re both in agreement on that.”

Vallea snuggled against him, feeling his strong arms around her and slid her nails up and down his forearms gently.  She was perfectly content with staying right here with him, in the crevice of this mountain, if this was where he wanted to set up the camp.  Anywhere with him was fine with her, actually. “That guy knows what he’s doing then.  It’s not spicy, which is weird since most jerky usually is.” She wasn’t a major fan of it, but this kind she could definitely get used to. “You’re so warm…” She sighed, closing her eyes to enjoy the tranquility with him.

It just depended on the jerky, Jon had learned. His friend did it all kinds. Ghost peppers, sweet and sour, teriyaki, that sort of deal. All things considered, Jon had not wanted to risk messing up his or her stomach, nothing sexy about an upset stomach and a pissed off ass. “So what’s your job really? You’re no travel agent, Vallea.” The way she had explained her job and what he had seen, she was more like a personal assistant than anything. “And how many clients are you friends with?” Like Monique, she was Vallea’s employer sometimes from his understanding, but they were also close friends.

“It’s…complicated.” Vallea meant that honestly because, to this day, she didn’t really know what her job title was. “I am a personal assistant, but I also make money, commission, off of setting up vacations for people.  I really don’t know what to call myself, to be truthful.  And besides Monique, I’m friends with three other people that I work for on a regular basis.  And yes, one of them is a man in his 60’s and he’s happily married and thinks of me as his daughter.  His name is Stan.  That doesn’t bother you, does it?” She looked up into his electric blues, eyebrows drawn together thoughtfully.

“Only if Stan likes to roleplay daddy daughter scenarios and you take pay for them.” It was out before he could think twice or stop himself and Jon half-expected Vallea to slap the taste out of his mouth. Most women would have. But here she was, surprising him again and putting to rest that ‘most women’ thing that kept popping up in his head. Jon was rapidly learning that Vallea was not like most women. She wasn’t slapping him, she was laughing at him.

Vallea couldn’t help it.  The mere thought of roleplaying anything with Stan was hilarious because his wife would string his balls up on their Christmas tree!  She’d given him that exact schpeal a time or two, actually.  Once she settled down, she smacked him on the chest and then kissed his chin. “I assure you, the only man I wanna roleplay anything with is you.  If you’re into that sort of thing.  I personally have tried it a few times and there’s good and bad parts to it.” Standing, she stretched her arms in the air and grinned, not fazed by what he said regarding Stan. “Come on, we’re halfway up and if we sit around here any longer, we’ll never make it to the top.”

“Oh we will…” Jon assured her, smiling as he leaned back on his hands and just stared up at her. She would role play but nothing in public, so exhibitionism was out. Fair enough. “I’ve done this climb once or twice.” And never alone because he wasn’t a total idiot, if he fell here, he wanted someone nearby to help save his big, dumb butt. “I’m enjoying the view just fine here, doll.”

Her cheeks flushed at his compliment as she raised a brow down at him, wondering if he even wanted to make it to the top. “I think you’d enjoy it a lot better up close and personal.” She slowly lowered to straddle his lap, sliding her hands up his muscular arms to rest them on his shoulders and brushed her lips against his softly. “I can give you an even better view, if you want.” That was such a loaded comment and Vallea knew it.  She felt his hands settle on her hips and it felt as though they were burning, searing, through the material of her clothes.

Jon was sorely tempted and even as he was kissing her, he was considering the pros and cons. Definite pro, she was gorgeous and stellar in bed. Given the disproportionately high number of sexy broads who didn’t know what they were doing these days, she was a keeper on that merit alone. Con… they needed the light to get where they were going and set up. Beautiful place to spend the night, dangerous if you didn’t get familiar enough with it to not sprain an ankle or fall to your death. Groaning, he gently untangled himself from her, pulling himself up onto his reluctant feet and taking Vallea with him. “Tempting doll, realllly tempting.” Jon didn’t even have to glance down to know he was sporting wood and hoped that disappeared before they got back to climbing.

He was determined to get up to the top of the mountain before settling in and she was fine with it.  Nothing wrong with a little tease, however. “Figured I’d offer, but I do promise I’ll show you a full view later on.” Winking, she walked over to the wall while Jon grabbed their gear and looked up at the rest of the mountain to climb.  If they went at a steady pace, they would still have plenty of daylight left.  She was looking forward to camping on top of the mountain with him and began scaling the terrain again, following Jon’s lead.  He’d been here before, so he knew his way unlike her.

Hell yes he was determined to get to the top of the mountain. Jon had every intention of having sex with Vallea beneath the starry skies. He had done a lot of travelling, and one thing he usually disliked was the light pollution blocking out the skies. Even here in his beloved Vegas, the sky was constantly lit up by the neon lights from the Strip. Out here, it’d be glorious and gorgeous. Determination did not make him careless however, he took his time, let Vallea know ahead of time if there was a weak or crumbling spot in the both natural and man-made areas they used to grip and pull. With the afternoon also came the sun beating down on them both and he was damn glad he had coated himself in sunblock because they were at risk of baking alive.  “Almost there Val,” He called down after some time, taking a moment to inhale, noting the change in the altitude. Nothing major, nothing that would cause discomfort, but his ears had definitely popped.

“Okay…” Vallea would’ve smiled up at him if it wasn’t for the sun baking her from the inside out.  Sunblock would only go so far, but luckily, she burned and then tanned instantly.  Monique hated her for it, complaining about burning in the sun, which was why Vallea had a nice bronze tan to her skin.  It wasn’t too dark or too light, a perfect blend. “SHIT!” One of the rocks had given way, forcing her to slip, but luckily Vallea caught herself on another one and took a deep, shaky breath to slow her now racing heart. “Keep going, I’m okay!” She called up, noticing Jon had stopped and continued pushing herself up the mountain.  This was definitely a workout she wouldn’t soon forget.

How ironic would it be if she managed to fall here? That was how they had sort of met, he could believe it would be how they ended, or her anyway. Fate was a tricky bitch that way. “Take a minute to breathe, and check the tape on your hands.” He used gloves, mostly because he worked with these hands, he wasn’t risking cuts or scrapes on a part of him that spent a lot of time touching oily men. That sounded wrong, even in his head. After a few minutes, she flashed a thumbs up and he nodded, resuming the climb. Eventually, he reached the top, a relatively flat area, and moved to the side to watch her progress as well as give her room to come up over the ledge. If he were honest, there was nothing sexy about rock climbing. It was fun, and there was a rush, but it left you a hot, sweaty mess and yet… she was pulling it off. He was doomed if he was already thinking that way, icy blue eyes narrowing.

The sight was absolutely breathtaking and it was just cool enough to be decent instead of boiling hot like it’d been in August when they first met.  October was a beautiful time of year, right before the Christmas rush would come in.  People, more often than not, went on vacation and Vegas was their destination for Christmas.  It was a sad, surprising fact.  Once they were up enough, Jon stopped and unzipped his bag, pulling the harnesses out.  He twirled his finger, ordering Vallea to turn around and she did without question, beginning to fasten the safety gear on her body. “Thank you.” She murmured once he finished, feeling his lips brush against the pulse point on her neck and proceeded to help him with his gear.

The view was spectacular and well worth the climb as Vallea pushed herself to stand and felt breathless all over again.  The sweat caked on her body, the slight dizziness she felt from the altitude – all worth this moment.  Nothing a little water and rest wouldn’t take care of.  It wasn’t too bad and the dizziness melted away at the sheer beauty of Vegas high up.  Why would anyone ever want to move anywhere else?  This was the perfect place to live, or damn close to it. “This isn’t real.  It can’t be real.” She murmured, feeling as though she could reach up and touch the blue sky, hazel eyes sparkling in the sun.

Jon just stood there and watched her, her profile in his line of vision. When she actually extended a hand, fingertips stretched out, he smiled. Quietly, he moved to wrap his arm gently around her. “Doesn’t it feel real, Val?” He rumbled, his lips brushing the shell of her ear. He still needed to shed his satchel, the backpacks already laying a few feet away from the ledge.

“No, it feels like a dream.  I know that’s cliché sounding and corny as hell, but it’s the truth.  I feel like I’m in a dream.” It was like another world up here aside from the chaotic mess the actual world was in.  The country was divided on so many topics and it was heartbreaking to see. “I felt that way about Red Rock Canyon too when I first climbed it.  Getting to the top – it was nothing compared to this though.  This is…I don’t even have the word to describe how incredible this is.” Breathing in the fresh mountain air was also a huge plus and being with a man who loved climbing mountains and rocks as much as she did. “Thank you, Jon.”

“You’re welcome.” He said simply, knowing eventually she would have found her way here. He knew that without a shadow of a doubt, Vallea was that kind of person. She liked adventure, that was glaringly obvious. “Help me get the tent up.” He didn’t plan on having a fire, not unless they managed to find something to burn. There was what looked like a cluster of fairly dead trees not too far off. “And when the sunsets, you’ll really think this is a dream.”

Chapter 11

Kissing his cheek, Vallea pulled out everything from the bag with him to set up the tent, showing Jon she knew what she was doing.  It didn’t take long to put the tent up and she grabbed the huge sleeping bag, spreading it out on the ground inside to make it comfortable.  Once that was finished, she walked out of the tent and stretched her arms in the air, taking the water Jon handed her to take a long pull from it. “I saw some dead trees a little ways from here, if you wanna help me find some brush and wood, we can build a fire.” She suggested, not realizing Jon had noticed it already and knew it would be chilly tonight.

“Sounds good doll,” She had read his mind. Jon was seriously contemplating asking her past this dating thing and into relationship territory, or at least, exclusive territory. It wasn’t like he had taken anyone else to bed in awhile and he didn’t even want to think about her sleeping with another guy. The idea of it made him irrationally angry. He wasn’t thinking moving in serious, just… serious. He’d think on it. Following her, he procured his pocket knife, eyeballing the brush and wood. “Watch out for snakes, Val.”

“Got it.  They can be real bitches.” Vallea had been bitten by a rattlesnake from her own backyard and it hadn’t been pleasant.  The venom had worked fast, but luckily, she had gotten treatment in time and it hadn’t caused any permanent damage.  The scar on her ankle was a beauty though and it reminded her to be more careful in nature in Vegas.  The brush wasn’t too bad and would burn well, at least long enough for them. “Watch out for scorpions too, you never know where those cocksuckers are too.”

“Scorpions are considered a delicacy in some places abroad.” Jon informed her, grinning at the disgusted expression that flitted across her beautiful face. “Just letting you know. They taste weird though, almost have a bitter taste to them.” He then proceeded to stomp the piss out of one that scurried out from beneath the deadwood he lifted, finally eyeballing the bottom of his boot. Gross. If either of them wound up being bitten by anything poisonous out here, it was going to royally suck to be them.

Any other woman would’ve screamed bloody murder and demanded to leave, but not Vallea.  She had jumped slightly, but that was it and continued piling brush in her arms, finally rising to her feet. “Come on, let’s get the fire going before the sun sets and then we can finally enjoy and relax up here.” They made their way back to where the fire would be built and she had found some rocks as well, beginning to outline them in a circle.  It wasn’t perfect, but would also make due and keep the brush and wood inside.  Once the fire was built, she stepped back while Jon started it by using a lighter.  Jon smoked, not often, he chewed more than smoked and she found the fact he chewed oddly hot. “So, what did you concoct or bring up here for us to eat for dinner?”

“Mmm, good question, I don’t remember what I stuffed in the bag.” Jon laughed, shaking his head. He knew he had plenty of dry rations, because they were light to carry in bulk. “Oh, yeah, a pot and ramen noodles.” Because those were also small and light, and he had brought a lot. At her look, he began grinning, trying to reign in the laughter. “I can add some scorpion for flavor?” If she killed him up here, he would probably deserve it and nobody would fault her for it.

“Very funny, Good.” Vallea muttered good-naturedly with a roll of her eyes, rather enjoying his dry sense of humor. “I’ll try it if you will.” It was her turn to laugh at the disgusted look on his face and slapped her knee. “That’s what I thought.  Ramen noodles is fine by me.  Give me the pot and I’ll start them up.” Jon handed it over along with the food and she proceeded to put it over the flames of the fire on a grill Jon had brought.  It was rather light, but would also work for what they needed it for.  They would be able to sit and eat while watching the sunset and it was already starting to drop in temperature a little.

The grill thing was a Wal*Mart special from a clearance section, he was a man with a retirement plan and quite frankly, old habits died hard. He had grown up beyond poor and while he knew he was fine now, he had that little niggling fear of being poor again. Jon had a healthy sized bank account due to this fear. “I’ll go see about bringing that dead log over here, making sure nothing’s nesting in it and we can use it to sit on.” He said after a moment, watching as Vallea set up shop at the fire a second longer and then headed over to do as he had said.

Watching him walk away, Vallea admired his beautiful backside in those shorts and smiled, itching to get her hands on him.  They hadn’t had sex in a couple weeks due to their busy schedules and not being able to meet up in Vegas.  This was nice to be able to disappear from reality and come to a stunning place like this, where they were completely isolated and alone.  To most people, the desert was an unforgiving, treacherous place to be, but Vallea thought it was the most beautiful and giving since she’d met Jon.  Christ, she really had it bad for him and had to shelve her feelings, just in case this didn’t pan out the way she wanted it to.  Lost in thought, she stirred the noodles a little more, seeing the water start to boil and looked up when Jon brought back the scorpion, bug-free log, both of them sitting on it. “The noodles are almost done.”

“Good.” Jon peeled off his shirt, muscles rippling with every moment and draped it over the tent before stretching his arms over his head. “Last I knew, there wasn’t any nearby water source, so I brought traveling wipes to clean up with, doll.” Not as good as hot water and soap but it beat going straight up grungy and nasty.

Vallea had to learn how to breathe again, wondering if she’d ever tire of seeing the man shirtless.  No, probably not.  If they were having sex tonight, which Vallea assumed, she would want to clean up as much as she could to be as fresh as she could, given the circumstances. “A con to being on top of a mountain, unfortunately.” Though, other mountains did have water sources, just not this particular one. “While dinner finishes, I’m gonna go change out of these clothes really fast.” Pecking his lips softly, she slid into the tent, with the wipes he handed her and grabbed her bag, contemplating if she should put the nightgown on she brought.  It was still a little warm outside, but the temperature would drop once the sun was fully gone.  Deciding to take a chance, she slipped into it, along with fresh garments, after cleaning herself up with the wipes the best she could, and put the sweaty clothing in a separate part of her bag.  The nightgown was simple black, went to her knees, spaghetti strapped and was a silk yet comfortable material.  Just as she finished brushing out her hair and deciding to leave it down, Jon came into the tent to let her know the food was done.  She stepped out with him and sat on the log again, taking the bowl he handed her along with dry food he’d brought, more jerky and fruit.

Who in the blue Hell brought THAT camping? Jon was not complaining by any stretch but it was also a first. He brought sweatpants to sleep in and not much else. The weather here at night did not phase him a bit, not after Ohio winters in unheated projects. He balanced his bowl on one knee, the dried stuff on the other, openly admiring her. “You might regret that when the bugs come out.” He said, sounding a bit sad, because he bet she had a hoodie or something for that event.

“It’ll be a little too chilly for the bugs to really bother us, not to mention the fire will keep them away.  I’m not worried.  Besides, I have a hoodie if they get too bad.” She didn’t know where they were going; Jon had only told her she wouldn’t be home until the following morning, so she brought sleep clothes, naturally.  Granted, she would probably be naked come morning and would have zero complaints.  They ate in companionable silence, filling their bellies after the strenuous climb their bodies endured. “I didn’t…cross a line earlier with you when we were at the halfway point, did I?  Because if I did, I’m sorry.”

Jon stared at her, wondering just what on earth she was talking about. Then it came to him and he had a ‘oh yeah’ moment, considering Vallea thoughtfully before finally shrugging his shoulders. “No, not really. I just don’t like talking about myself.” Which was mostly true. He’d talk about himself in terms of the present, but the past, that was something he usually considered off limits. He had never been with someone long enough, or liked them or trusted them enough, to discuss his childhood.

“You do realize, if we want to get to know each other, you’re gonna have to talk about yourself eventually.” Vallea pointed out in a joking manner, nudging him playfully and reached up to caress his bearded face with her hand.  What could’ve happened to him in his past he didn’t want to discuss?  There were so many mysteries about Jon and Vallea found herself wanting to unravel them all. “I won’t ask about your past again.  I can tell it bothers you.  So, new topic, what time do we have to leave this beautiful place and go back to reality tomorrow?”

She could get to know him as he was and his past was his business. If they got serious enough, he’d explain that to her. As it was… they were friends with benefits? Maybe, he didn’t know how to describe it and he wasn’t entirely comfortable with labelling it either. “You in that big a hurry to get out of here already, doll?” He teased, chuckling when she gave him an exasperated look. “I have to be on a plane at 5 tomorrow night, and we’re walking down so it won’t take much time getting down the mountain. We’ll have time to sleep in if that’s what you want.”

“I don’t think either of us will be getting much sleep tonight, Jon.” Vallea informed him with a sly smile before turning her attention to stare into the fire, having watched the breathtaking sunset with him while they ate.  It was glorious – she would never forget this date as long as she lived and it would honestly be hard to top. “And no, I’m not in any hurry, I just wanted to know how much time I had with you before you have to go back on the road again.  That’s all.” Scooting closer to him, Vallea felt his arm wrap around her waist and she snuggled into his warm chest, shutting her eyes momentarily to soak everything in.

“I could say the same thing you know,” Jon rumbled, having set his own empty bowl and fork aside. He let his head fall until his cheek was resting on top of her head. “You travel a fair amount too, Val.” So on the travelling front, they were going to have a hard time coordinating schedules. “You know, if I’m in the area, any area, you are, we could meet up.” He suggested, which was his way of letting her know he wasn’t against the idea of continuing this relationship, such as it was, with her.

“Yeah, we could do that.  I’d like that, actually.  I wouldn’t mind seeing you in the ring again either.” Vallea did enjoy watching him at work, doing his thing and dominating his opponent.  It made her all warm and fuzzy inside.  Jon wanted to pursue this with her and she honestly wanted to as well, to see where things progressed. “I know both of us traveling and being apart a lot won’t be easy, but…when we do see each other, it’ll be well worth the wait.” Looking up into his eyes, Vallea cupped his face in her hands and softly kissed him, unable to hold back any longer. “By the way,” She broke the kiss, breathing heavier and could tell he was too. “I’m an open book.  You can ask me anything you want.”

“I’m good, babe,” He brushed his lips against hers. “Learning is the fun part.” Asking was cheating. Well, depending on what it was, but for the most part, people tended to learn as they went about others. “So… if I bring a blanket out here in front of the fire, you going to let me ravage you under all these stars?” His eyes turned upwards, taking in the breathtaking view. This was a view he missed when he was in a city, or traveling constantly. It was good to come out here, in the mountains, and just reconnect and get away from all the technology and crap that came with it.

Nothing beat a Vegas sky, no matter where she was in the world and she had traveled a great deal of it, even overseas.  Nothing compared to the beauty of the mountains and sky in Vegas.  Not a lot of people thought of Vegas the way she and Jon did.  They didn’t appreciate the majestic, natural beauty it held because of all the distractions and bright lights. “Hmm, I think you could talk me into it…” Vallea slid her hand up his bare chest, enjoying the smoothness and knew he waxed probably on a weekly basis. “That’s if I don’t ravage you first, handsome.” Nipping his bottom lip, Jon growled and a shiver shot down her spine, her nose rubbing against his. “Better go get that blanket.”

And he was up and in the tent in a heartbeat, growling when he heard her giggling outside. Emerging, John spread the blanket out between tent and fire, away from the ledge because the worst way to die in any situation was naked. Mostly because it meant all bodily fluids and functions would be quite visible to everyone instead of potentially hidden by clothes. No thank you. “Get naked, woman.” He ordered, eyes raking over that silk clad body as she stood up from the log.

“You first.  I wanna see that beautiful body of yours in the firelight.” Moonlight too since it was a half moon out tonight, along with the stars.  Vallea chewed her thumbnail while watching him, admiring the physique and felt her mouth water along with her panties drench. “Mmm delicious…” When he growled at her to get naked a second time, Vallea knew better than to disobey and slowly slid the straps of the nightgown down her arms to let the material pool at her feet, wearing…nothing beneath.  She hadn’t put undergarments on, not seeing a reason or need since she knew how badly Jon wanted to sex her up on top of this mountain. “Like what you see, Jon?”

Chapter 12

“Yes, yes I do.” Jon then hesitated, realizing that he had not washed himself up or anything. “Hold that thought.” He was such a dill. He knew the wipes were nowhere near the same as using water and soap but… he didn’t smell like swamp nuts anymore. That was just embarrassing, the idea of her being anywhere near his junk and it reeked. “Bad Jon, bad.” He muttered, ducking back out into the night air.

“Everything okay?” Vallea gasped when he yanked her flush against his rock hard body, the skin on skin contact feeling incredible.  His mouth crashed on hers, kissing her with a fiery passion that left her breathless, shaky and needing more, craving more.  There was something different about this time between them, an electricity in the air neither could explain or describe.  It wasn’t just the simple fact they weren’t in a bed – this was on top of a mountain, under the moon and stars.  Something was changing between them, though neither refused to admit it aloud.  There was such a deep, raw, unexplainable connection between them and they hadn’t even known each other that long. “Jon…” He lead her down on the blanket he sprawled out and the dance between them began.

Jon didn’t bother trying to understand, he just went with it. Maybe it was how they had met, her dangling from that ledge, him rescuing her. Maybe it was their shared love of Vegas, the glitz and grit of the big city and then the adoration for the natural, majestic terrain once you left the city behind. Or maybe it was just the excitement of something new. Either way, tonight, under those stars with a roaring fire going besides them, he was focused solely on her.

“You know, I think I’m open to that idea of yours to fuck in the glass orb.” Vallea commented hours later, sprawled on top of Jon’s chest with his hand lazily stroking her back, her lips gliding over his warm, clammy skin. “Maybe I do have an exhibitionist in me after all.” She teased, nuzzling his chest and cooled down from the intense bout, slowly coming down from the sexual high.  It was a high unlike any other, no drug would ever compare to it. “Look what you’ve done to me, Jon Good.”

“Ain’t done nothing, woman,” He drawled, his voice a low rasp as he finger combed her rather mussed up hair. He had discovered that in the middle of a lusty bout, Vallea seemed to enjoy having her hair pulled on. “It’s easy to be an exhibitionist out here, we’re by ourselves.” Not that he wouldn’t like to have a go in the orb with her. “You get a group of people in line, staring up, you might change your mind…” He ran a hand down her spine and to her curvy ass, palming a cheek.

“True, I can’t argue with that.” Then again, having Jon’s cock inside of her that high up, there was no way she would pay attention to anything else besides this man screwing her against the glass.  Not a doubt in her mind. “I want to…talk to you about something, but…I’m not sure how to go about it.  I’m not good with this kind of thing, never have been.” Her brows drew together in thought, a hesitation coming over her features. “No forget it.  Sorry.  My brain is a jumbled mess.” Vallea couldn’t be selfish and ask him to sleep with only her when they barely saw each other, could she?  Would they be able to stay exclusive to each other given their jobs and how much traveling was involved, all those nights on the lonely road.  Temptation would sooner or later beckon to them and Vallea had never been one to be pinned down by a man.  Something told her Jon was the same way, which made this a lot more complicated.

Jon considered her, gathering whatever she wanted to say was important, or at least she thought it was important. However, given that they had just had sex, and he knew damn well that tended to mess up a person emotionally thanks to chemicals and happy endorphin's being released, he preferred to err on the side of not saying or doing anything out of a ‘moment’ that may not last. “If it’s still on your mind tomorrow, we can talk about it then.” He offered, figuring that would give her time to sort out if she still wanted to talk about it and how to go about it.

She appreciated the sentiment, knowing come morning, when he had to leave and both returned to reality, the real test would begin.  The night wasn’t over though, it was only beginning as she sat up to lean forward, capturing his mouth with hers.  Jon had stamina, there was no question about it, but just kissing, touching, feeling, exploring was enough sometimes too.  Vallea was in trouble and she could already feel herself falling for Jon, if she hadn’t already.  What woman in their right mind wouldn’t fall for a great man like Jon?  Eventually, they made it back to the tent to zip up for the night, the fire dying down and they fell asleep in each other’s arms just a little after 5 AM.

It was probably illegal or something but one of life’s greatest pleasures was the ability to take your morning piss off a mountain top. Of course, one had to check to make sure the wind wasn’t going to blow it right back in his face, but still… a pleasure. After shaking, tucking and using wipes to wash his hands, he stretched and enjoyed the view. The sun was making its morning rise over the desert, and while it was still pleasantly cool, he knew within the hour it would start warming up. Yawning, he turned back towards the tent, smiling slightly at the sight of Vallea’s sleeping form through the mesh door. Maybe he’d wake her up…

“Mmm…” Vallea shifted at the warm hand caressing her backside, since she was on her side, and slowly opened her eyes to meet Jon’s electric blues.  She smiled up at him sleepily, yawning and accepted a soft kiss from him.  What time was it?  He told her to get up and watch the sunrise with him, it would start any minute and he wanted to share it with her.  Vallea couldn’t turn that offer down, even though they’d only had about 2 hours of sleep and nodded, pushing herself to sit up with another yawn.  Pulling her nightgown on over her head, along with her hoodie, Vallea quickly went to relieve herself in the small grassy area the mountain had, the only place she could go to the bathroom, and then rejoined Jon after using wipes.  On little to no sleep, she’d never felt better in her life and knew she’d be going to be very early that night once at home.

Personally, Jon planned on getting his sleep on the plane. He preferred being awake, there was to much to do, to see and experience to waste it on sleep. Sleep was an evil necessity. He wrapped his arms around Vallea’s waist and rest his chin on top of her head as they faced the rising sun. He smiled when he heard her soft inhale as reds and oranges began streaking the sky. “We should do this again.” Different mountain, more time though.

“Yeah, I’m game.  This is breathtaking.” Vallea felt as if she were in a dream all over again and leaned her head back against his chest, not remembering the last time she felt so content.  There were mountains all over the place around Vegas, she would not mind climbing every one of them with Jon.  Hell, screwing him on every mountain top sounded like a damn fine idea, actually.  What she’d been thinking the previous night, what she wanted to talk to him about or simply say, was back on the forefront of her mind again.  No, she wouldn’t do it, she wouldn’t ruin this memorable moment with him and enjoyed the golden glow mix with the colors in the sky.

Most people saw the desert as being barren, lifeless and devoid of color. True, there was a lot of brown, but the various shades, dotted with greenery every which way, Jon saw a harsh beauty. Dangerous and deadly to the unwary and uneducated but beautiful nonetheless. “Good, we’ll figure out our schedules and plan something out, doll.” There, they were already making plans to see each other again, he smiled and dropped a kiss on top of her head.

Putting pressure on something like this that budded out of the blue and organically – the last thing Vallea wanted to do was screw it up. “Absolutely.” Maybe they would luck out and their schedules would mesh well together.  Only time would tell with that.  Vallea wouldn’t stop working for the other people she’d told him about and that was about to happen because Monique didn’t have any other work for her at the moment.  She had to keep food on the table and the bills paid, after all.  If they were truly meant to be together, to see each other, it would happen and she had to just let fate take its course. “Thanks for waking me up.  I would’ve kicked myself in the ass if I missed seeing something this amazing.”

“I know.” This was a killer view that too few people got to witness, their loss was definitely his gain because he didn’t like the idea of sharing this place, this scenery, with anyone but her. “You hungry, Val?” She was probably starving, they had gotten a lot of exercise and not much sleep. They’d probably need to nap before descending the mountain. Going down would be easier since they would be walking but that didn’t make it any less dangerous.

Her stomach gargled at that moment, making both of them laugh. “I guess I am, yeah.  Why don’t we eat and then try to get a few more hours of sleep?” She reached up to caress his bearded face with the back of her hand. “You look tired, even if you don’t want to admit it and I could use a few more hours myself before we have to leave.” They could always lay down and talk, but something told her as soon as they did, both would be out like a light.

~!~

“So, how was your date with the stud muffin?” Monique inquired a few days later, sipping her coffee with a cheeky grin.

“Oh, you know, nothing major.  Just climbed a mountain, stayed the night on top of it, had sex and left in the morning.” Vallea managed to say all of that with a straight face while Monique nearly choked on her coffee.

“You…you went on a date by climbing a mountain??” What was WRONG with these people? “Christ, at least tell me you two were safe…”

“Do you see me sitting in front of you alive and well?”

“Yeah…”

“Then we both made it back unscathed.” Vallea frowned when her phone buzzed and held her hand up in a one moment gesture to answer it. ‘Office.’ She mouthed, answering the call. “Hello?”

“Vallea, it’s Margaret.  Listen, I know you’re not gonna like hearing this, but…Ryan has asked for you again.” Ryan Stand was a douchebag, to put it mildly, and he’d had several arguments with Vallea over the years whenever she did work for him. “I’m sorry, but there’s nobody else and he’s specifically asked for you…”

Shutting her eyes, Vallea let out a groan of frustration, not bothering to hide it, and knew exactly why Ryan wanted her services. “Do I have a choice?”

“Unfortunately no, he said he’ll leave and go elsewhere if he doesn’t acquire your services for his upcoming trip to Stamford, Connecticut.  Apparently, he’s meeting with the head honcho over there by the name of Vince McMahon.” Margaret explained, not having any other information than that. “Something about an investment deal and he needs a PA with him to keep him organized.”

“Christ…” Vallea frowned, not liking the sound of this, but what other choice did she have? “How long?”

“Unknown.”

Fuck, Vallea thought, chewing her bottom lip and could tell Monique looked a little concerned. “All right fine, tell him I’ll do it.” Monique was shaking her head vehemently, knowing what kind of asshole Ryan was, but Vallea ignored her. “When does he need me to start?”

“Tomorrow.  You two have a flight to catch in the morning to head straight to Stamford.”

When Vallea got off the phone, Monique gave her a sympathetic look. “You should have turned it down.” She said after a moment, knowing what an asshat Ryan could be. “It’s not like you don’t make money with your other clients.” Her, for example. She made the company quite a bit of money because of her house flipping business, she was just on a break at the moment while she scouted a few properties. “Where’re you heading, did they say?”

“Stamford, Connecticut.  Ryan has business there and he needs a PA to keep organized.  She didn’t say anything else though, you know how that asshole is.  He doesn’t give a lot of information on his endeavors.” Rubbing her temples, Vallea didn’t have much time to pack her things, but she would finish her coffee date with Monique first. “You better tell me the second you need me to work for you again, just to get me away from that dick.  Promise?”

“I’m sure I can find something, I’ve had some promising leads in Ohio, of all places. Apparently there’s a housing crisis for middle class people.” Monique took a slow sip of her coffee, her eyes sparkling almost wickedly. “You know what’s based out of Stamford?” She asked, a hint of a teasing tone in her voice. “The head quarters of the WWE, where Jonny boy works.” Seeing the flush spread across Vallea’s face was worth the look she got. “Just thought you’d appreciate that little tidbit is all.”

“Wait a minute…are you telling me Ryan is going into business with the owner of the WWE, the same company Jon works for?” Fate really did work in mysterious, uncanny ways. “That’s very interesting.  I wonder what he would want to do with the WWE in the first place.”

“Hell, he’s an investor and it could be a number of things.  The WWE has their toes dipped in almost every available pool out there.  They’re global.”

Vallea caught the part about Ohio and reverted back to that. “Why do you want to invest in Ohio?  Not that they DON’T need help because I’m sure they do, but…what part of Ohio, exactly?”

“Cincinnati, Akron and Columbus,” Monique said after a long moment. “The housing markets there are saturated with low income housing and then the upper class shit nobody in between can afford. I’ve got some connections eyeballing specific areas that may be a good investment.” She liked making money, and providing something valuable or necessary in return also made her feel like she had done the good deed thing. Win win for her. “Why? You look pale, Vallea.”

Monique had no idea where Vallea was from or her background and it wasn’t exactly the best story to tell either. “I’m from Ohio, originally.  Akron, actually.  And Jon…well, I’m sure you know he’s from Cincinnati with your Wikipedia research…” This was a little close to home and Vallea didn’t feel up to visiting the past any time soon, but she also wouldn’t let Monique down either. “Let me know when you decide to do this and I’m onboard.  I’ll tell Ryan to stick it up his ass.” They finished their coffee date and Vallea went home to pack up for her trip to Stamford in the morning, contemplating telling Jon.  She decided against it, not wanting to bother him while he was working.

Monique, on the other hand, had no issues whatsoever in telling Joe who would then tell Jon. If by chance Vallea was going to be working with the WWE in any capacity, there might be some wiggle room there for her and Jon. Not that she would tell Vallea what she had done. Sometimes, surprises were awesome and Vall needed a surprise after agreeing to work with that asshole Ryan.

Chapter 13

“Vince couldn’t see me today, so we’re going to the arena to meet with him tonight for their show.  It’s called Raw.  Be on your best behavior.” Ryan instructed, dressed to the nines in a three piece designer suit that probably cost more than his current mortgage.  It was important to look the part and he was a rather powerful business man throughout Vegas.  This wasn’t the first time he’d done business with Vince and it wouldn’t be the last. “Do you have my schedule for tomorrow done?”

“Yes.” Vallea was momentarily shocked at the fact they would be venturing to an arena, an actual show, and she still hadn’t told Jon about her new temporary job.  WWE was emanating from Stamford, Connecticut tonight?  What were the odds of that happening?  Should she call Jon to give him a head’s up or surprise him?  Hell, maybe he wouldn’t even see her since they would go straight to Vince McMahon’s office, more than likely. “Here it is.”

“Thanks.  Stop daydreaming and get on the ball.”

Vallea had to bite her tongue to keep from lashing out at this cockblock.

Jon already knew and thanks to Monique’s gossipy, scandalous backside, he also knew that Ryan was a Grade A Douchebag. Being the guy that he was, he had paid some security to keep an eyeball for a man and a gorgeous woman, office people, and sure enough, he got word almost as soon as Vallea and the Douchebag were spotted. “’scuse me, coming through,” He was loud enough to be heard but too close for Ryan to do jackshit other than get plowed as he and Joe hauled ass by. He made sure to give Vallea a pat on the ass and tossed a wink over his shoulder.

“What the hell?!” Luckily, Ryan missed that ass pat completely and narrowed his eyes down at his personal assistant scathingly, seeing she was trying hard not to laugh.  Did she know them?  Not possible.  There was no way she was a wrestling fan, not with all the traveling she did and the way she carried herself.  He would’ve never thought in a million years she would rock climb and probably would’ve stroked out if he knew that information. “Imbeciles!”

“I don’t think it’s wise to call Vince McMahon’s employees that, Ryan.” Vallea chastised with a serene smile, making a mental note to beat Monique’s ass the next time they saw each other and shook her head, unable to stop smiling.

“Make a mental note, Vallea, you’re here to work and not offer your opinion.” Ryan said scathingly, shooting her a dark look. “You would be the best in your field if not for that mouth of yours.” And there were so many better ways for her to use it besides her idiotic opinions.

“Then perhaps you should’ve chosen someone more QUALIFIED to your stature, Mr. Stand.” Vallea kept the serene smile on her face while his slowly turned red and checked her phone. “Oh look, it’s my breaktime.  Excuse me, SIR.” Bowing mockingly at him, Vallea turned on her heel and walked off down the hallway, needing some fresh Ryan-free air.  She didn’t care if she had a crappy attitude; when Ryan decided to start treating her like a decent human being instead of a doormat, she would be more inclined to show him some respect.

She had absolutely no respect for herself and Ryan knew that because she kept taking him and his jobs on, which meant she was probably one of those women who got off on abuse. That or she was hoping he’d eventually bend her pert ass over.

Jon grinned when Vallea turned the corner and nearly screamed at the sight of him looming there. “Hey babe,” He snatched her up and kissed her passionately, not caring who the hell was gawking.

Instantly, her bad mood vanished at the feeling of being in Jon’s arms again and his lips against hers. “Hi.” She greeted back, breathing a little heavy and felt his hands settle on her hips. “I’m going to assume Monique ratted me out and told you what was going on.” He nodded and she hoped he wasn’t angry with her. “I didn’t want to bother you while you’re working, that and I’m dealing with a not nice person right now, so you may want to steer clear of me because of the jackass.”

“Momo already told me what an asshat he is, except she used a lot more colorful words,” Jon smirked though his eyes were glittering almost dangerously. Monique had a great, extensive vocabulary when it came to people she did not like or who messed with her friends, Ryan was apparent striking off on both of those. “Want me to fuck him up?” And she knew for a fact he could and would, she had seen him unleash his temper once already.

“Don’t tempt me to take you up on that offer.” Vallea was highly tempted to unleash Jon all over Ryan and she knew what the man’s problem was.  She had turned him down several times when he asked her out, making it clear she did not mix business with pleasure.  Then once she finished working for him, she refused him again and told her the truth.  She wasn’t interested.  He didn’t take too kindly to that and demanded her services whenever he needed a PA from that day forward, just to make her life miserable.  The man did not take kindly to being denied or told the word no. “Monique hates him.  And since when do you call her Momo?” That was new.

“Since she told me about sleaze ball and then gave him some info that I’m not allowed to discuss.” Because apparently, Vallea had a bucket list of shit she wanted to do or places she wanted to go. Jon liked adventuring, she liked adventuring, they could start checking that shit off together. “She’s good people, I like her. That and if she and Joe are gonna be serious, her and I got to be friends or shit gets awkward quick.”

“Did she tell you what she’s planning on doing for her next venture into the house flipping world?” Since they were such good friends, him and Monique, Vallea would enlighten him on just how big of a heart the woman had. “She’s going to start looking in Ohio and rebuild or fix up the low income housing in Akron, Cincinnati and one other place, but I can’t remember the name of it.  Anyway, she had no idea I’m from Ohio until I told her and she told me as soon as she gets that underway, she’ll get me away from asshole.  I told her just let me know when, so I don’t know how long I’ll be working for him or connected to this place.”

“Actually, she said middle class housing because there’s too much low income housing.” Jon’s smile tightened into a grim line. Monique hadn’t been wrong, and he had said something to her about maybe investing in said low income housing. Apparently, that came with a slew of government regulations and bullshit and Monique wasn’t wading into that cesspool, not that he blamed her. That’s how slum lords were created. “You’re going to Ohio.” Gross, he was pretty sure his feelings on that were written across his face.

“Believe me, I don’t like it anymore than you do and it won’t be right away.” Vallea assured him, knowing he wasn’t a fan of Ohio and neither was she, but it was a noble thing Monique was doing. “It’s gonna take a couple months for her to get things organized and settled before she needs my help again.  I don’t know how involved Ryan will be with WWE, but however long it lasts, at least I’m here and we can hang out and spend time together when we’re not working.  I’m on break right now since he’s getting ready to go into his meeting with Vince and I’m not allowed in.”

“If he’s invested in stock or media, maybe that’s why he’s here. Want me to go in?” Dean smirked at the look on her face. “I can waltz right in and Vince won’t bat an eyelash, he’s used to me being a dick.” Probably one of the reasons he still had a job actually, he was successful in the ring because that was who he was outside of it and that seemed to work. “I’ll smack him for you too, babe.”

“Jon.” Her voice held warning, a serious expression coming over her face. “Ryan is not someone you want to trifle with.  Please, don’t do anything to him.  I can handle him.” Vallea couldn’t jeopardize her job and placed a hand on his chest over his heart, her hazel eyes pleading with him to do things her way. “I promise, if he crosses any line with me, I’ll let you beat him to a pulp.  But not now.  Just stay with me, keep me company for a bit until he’s finished and then you can go off to do whatever it is you do to get ready for the show.” He still had a few hours before showtime.

“I’m going to go eat, so you’re coming with me.” Jon informed her, having no intention of hanging out in the hallway just to keep her company. “Come on, doll.” Wrapping his arm around her shoulders, he led the way down towards the cafeteria, pointing out who was who as they walked. Most people didn’t give her a second glance, there was just too much going on and people backstage who didn’t always belong wasn’t necessarily a new thing. “So why’d you take this job if he’s such an ass?”

“Because I need to keep paying my bills and living in Vegas isn’t cheap.  Besides, the company relies on me a little too heavily and Ryan is one of their biggest clients, so turning it down would’ve shown I’m not reliable.” Vallea always put her job first before anything else; she was very career-orientated and driven. “I’ve seen girls get fired because they turned down work from the agency.  I’m not going to be one of those women, so if I have to work for an asshole like Ryan for however long, so be it.  At least my bills are paid and a roof is over my head.” She honestly didn’t care what people thought of her or why she was with Jon, her focus solely on him for the time being.

“You’re an idiot, you’re the dumbest smart person I know, you know that?” Jon snorted, turning through a door and then one more before leading the way into the cafeteria. “If your company relies on you heavily, then that probably means you’re a major asset and you likely have a little pull, especially with asshats.” She was going to wind up either burning herself out because she was a dip about her clients or one of them was going to be the wrong kind of client. Working for someone who went out of their way to screw with you, belittle you, no job was that goddamn important. “Hungry?” He was famished, eyeballing the offerings.

Maybe she was stupid for taking the jobs with Ryan, but they paid well and there were no other jobs within the agency at the moment.  It was a bit of a slow time of year, even though Christmas was around the corner.  They would start booming in late November again, but until then, she had to take what jobs were offered.  If Jon couldn’t understand that, it was his problem. “Not really, but I’ll try to eat something.” There was a delicious looking salad made, so she headed that way while Jon stuck with meat.  Vallea idly wondered how many times a day he ate to maintain the physique he had.

Jon had worked jobs he had hated, but he had never had a boss go out of their way to run him down, harass him, or anything like that. He probably would’ve lost his mind the first time it happened. The ‘get tough and survive’ mentality from growing up had never left him. Sometimes, it tended to get him in trouble but it had also saved his ass more times than he cared to remember. After loading up on chicken -good protein that wasn’t overly heavy- he followed her to salad, eyeballing it.

Once they had their food, Jon lead the way to the back of catering and sat down with her to eat.  It was surreal how she was here with him at his place of work.  There were so many people in this company, no wonder it was a global phenomenon.  They definitely had the manpower to back it up for sure. “So, how’ve you been?” She asked cordially, taking a bite of her salad with French dressing.  They hadn’t really talked much since Jon had dropped her off, though he had left her with one last romp to remember him by.  A few text messages here and there was about all the communication they’d had due to his busy schedule.

“Oh you know, traveling the world, beating the shit out of people and getting paid for it, the usual.” Jon said around a mouthful of chicken. At her disgusted look, he flashed her an apologetic smile and closed his mouth. “Sorry, doll.” He was hungry. He usually ate five or six ‘mini meals’ because he tended to burn through everything, with snacks in between and a lot of water. “How about you? Climb any fun mountains lately?”

“Unfortunately, no.  It’s been raining a lot in Vegas lately and even I’m not crazy enough to climb them when it’s bad weather outside.” Vegas had their monsoon season, just like Arizona, and it was currently happening.  Flooding would ensue, but the desert would simply soak the rain up due to the dry heat.  At least the mountains nearby would have their water replenished. “Don’t apologize for eating.  I understand you’re a big man and you have a big appetite.” She smirked, taking another bite of her salad and chewed thoughtfully.  At least she had her own hotel room, so inviting Jon to stay with her wouldn’t be an issue.

“You would know that first hand, doll, wouldn’t you?” His voice dropped several octaves as he stared intently at her before a wicked grin spread across his face. “You got any idea how long you’re going to be in town?” He had no idea what the Hell she was doing here anyway besides following around a King Dick and apparently he was the deciding factor if they stayed in town tonight or not. He was guessing that tomorrow they’d be gone though and he pulled a face. “I should hire you. Think I can get that written off on my taxes as a business expense? Having my girlfriend being my very personal assistant?”

Her heart began to beat a little faster in her chest at what he called her.  His girlfriend.  That put a label on what they were.  That made it official.  Vallea felt a warmth spread through her body and slid her hand down to squeeze his jean covered thigh gently. “I don’t mix business with pleasure and you know that already.  We’ve had this discussion before.” She reminded him, moving her hand from his thigh up to stroke his beard. “Besides, I’d much rather have you as my boyfriend than my boss.”

Chapter 14

“I remember quiet explicitly you telling me that if done right, you enjoy role playing.” Jon said sweetly, though he kept his voice low because 1) he didn’t want to embarrass her and 2) he didn’t need any of the guys harassing her. “You could make money while having fun with me.” And then he realized he was basically implying that she could be his hooker or something, wondering if she would take offense. “Or not.” He took another bite of his food, his free hand dropping down to squeeze hers.

“Tempting.  Very tempting.  Not happening though.” Vallea thought along the same lines as him, not caring what people thought, but she knew if she became his assistant, there would be serious issues.  For instance, the agency would fire her on the spot since Jon was not one of their clients and Ryan would give her grief too.  This was a very new and fresh relationship…god, they were in a relationship now…and the last thing she wanted to do was ruin it by spending every waking hour with the man and him growing tired of her.  Her phone buzzed and it was Ryan wondering where the hell she was at, making her sigh. “Oops, break over time to get back to work.  Will I see you tonight?”

“If you want too yes, text me when you’re done with the asshole babe.” Jon eyed her barely touched salad, frowning slightly. “I usually bunk with Joey boy but since I knew you were coming…” He hadn’t know about her traveling arrangements, or where she’d be staying, or even how long but hope had made him go solo tonight instead of being his usual cheapskate ass. “If he gives you any issues, let me know and I’ll… nicely ask him to be a decent human being.” More like stomp his ass into a bloody puddle of goo.

She smiled at his overprotective nature and stood up from the table, brushing her lips against his cheek. “I’ll text you when I’m back at the hotel.” She rode here with Ryan and they would probably be leaving before Jon was done with the show. “Be safe in the ring.” Squeezing his shoulder, she dropped her barely touched food in the trash and headed out to meet with the warden, hoping he was in a better mood.

Ryan was somewhat in a better mood. “Here.” He said, holding out a healthy stack of paperwork and envelopes. “I need you to review all of this and then condense it into something more manageable for my board to go over.” Vince was open to this little business idea and that meant Ryan had to review and debate the pros and cons of Vince’s own terms and conditions. Vallea was precise with paperwork, the woman was brilliant, if only she wasn’t such a cold, frigid bitch.

“Will do.” Vallea was used to huge stacks of paperwork and it wouldn’t take long for her to go through everything.  A couple days, at most.  It would get her away from Ryan too since she’d be holed up in the hotel rooms in order to work privately.  He didn’t need to know anything about her personal life or the fact she was now dating one of the wrestlers that worked for WWE, for Vince McMahon. “Looks like the meeting was a success, so that’s good news for you and your company.” Being friendly was the right way to go when it came to Ryan; maybe he wouldn’t be such a dick towards her going forward.  Vallea highly doubted it since the man was probably born a dickhead.

“We’ll see. McMahon already has this kind of service, and he’s been with them for years.” Ryan said dismissively though he was also smiling as he began walking down the hall away from the temporary office. Of course, it was renewal time for the old provider and he had done his homework, swooping in with an offer. The fact that McMahon had agreed to the meeting and then came prepared with paperwork about what they needed, their current production rates, incoming and outgoing costs told Ryan the man was shopping around. “Where were you?”

“Getting some air.” That was all he needed to know.  Short, sweet and to the point.  Vallea had to tread carefully when it came to Ryan and made sure, when she booked their rooms, they were on opposite floors of the hotel.  She didn’t want to be anywhere near him anymore than she had to be. “Oh, I feel I should warn you ahead of time, but Monique is looking into another business endeavor and she’ll be needing my services once it gets underway.  I already told her I would, but it won’t be for a couple months, so hopefully by then, you’ll be set with the WWE and you won’t need my services anymore.” It also would give him time to look for a new PA, if he still required one.

“You’re already under contract to me for an indeterminate amount of time, Vallea.” Ryan said without breaking stride or looking down at her. “Monique doesn’t take precedence simply because she’s your friend.” How unprofessional, and that very thought drenched his tone, making it clear what he thought of her inability to prioritize appropriately. Honestly, he didn’t think this would take very long, the window of opportunity was slim for both him and the WWE, so a decision would be reached soon enough. Not that she really needed to know it.

“But I’m also not strictly YOUR PA.  I do other jobs for the agency as well and you know as well as I do, those contracts are usually six months along and no more.  The agency sees to it.  So if I have to wait six months to be able to work for Monique, so be it, I will.  She’s one of my clients just like you are.  It’s got nothing to do with her being my friend either.  It’s good business, keeping yourself open for new possibilities.  You should know that better than anyone.” Vallea informed him, keeping her tone syrupy and didn’t stop walking either, all the paperwork already nestled in her bag over her shoulder. “So, do we have to stay for the show or can I go back to the hotel to start my work, sir?”

“You can go.” Ryan was planning on calling the agency and requesting that Vallea be sent to training again because she was a snotty little bitch. She was highly unprofessional, talking about another job already and she had just started for him tonight. He already knew he’d be receiving a discount on hiring her, having to put up with her bullshit. “I feel I should warn you, when asked for a review of your services, I’m not recommending the pay raise option, you’ve gotten terrible with your attitude, Vallea. The amount of unprofessionalism, I expected so much more from someone of your supposed caliber.”

“And I feel I should warn you I will be telling Margaret how you’ve been treating me, Ryan.  I really don’t care what you think of me, but you WILL treat me with respect when I work for you.  I’m not your doormat and I was simply informing you of a job that is COMING UP in a couple months.  I was being PROFESSIONAL in telling you ahead of time, so you could find someone instead of stopping services with you in the blink of an eye.  My bad for trying to be professional, won’t happen again.  Goodnight.” Asshole, she thought angrily, stalking away from him and whipped her phone out to call a cab.  Screw him, she would NOT be taking a ride back to the hotel with him and if she had to, she’d fucking walk.

Ryan was already texting her boss, informing the woman that he would not be using their services again. He was one of their best clients and had provided fairly steady work for the agency over the years either via himself or by recommending them. He would be taking his business elsewhere and that would also include his contacts unless they rectified this situation with Vallea.  She had chastised him, offered her unprofessional opinions, and was basically being a condescending snot behind her sweet bullshit act. She had had the chance to turn down the job, she hadn’t, and now she was being unprofessional. Ryan was not someone to be trifled with and Vallea would learn. “You will return the hotel with me and if you even think about taking that paperwork out of my sight until you and said paperwork are SECURELY in a building, I will have you terminated for being a liability to your agency’s clients and potentially sensitive documents.” He informed her.

All Vallea wanted to do was slam the paperwork down on the ground and tell him to kiss her ass.  She was tired of this and being treated like crap from this guy!  Margaret had assured her it would be different this time and no, nothing had changed at all.  Ryan was even WORSE, if that was even possible.  Not saying a word, Vallea got in the backseat of the vehicle and stared out the window, not able to wait to get back to the hotel and far away from him.  On the ride there, she received a call from her boss and was reprimanded for her behavior, ordering her to make things work with Ryan or she would be terminated.  He even sweetened the pot with Ryan and added on additional time to her contract with the douche lord.  All Vallea could do was hold back tears until she got to her room, after parting ways with the asshole, and tossed her bag on the bed with the paperwork inside, refusing to even look at it.  A bubble bath and wine were in order after the day she had.

Of course, this all made Ryan very happy. Maybe, just maybe, Vallea would learn her place and remember that she was nothing more than a lowly assistant. She could do better, be better, of course, she just had no desire to do so.

“Babe, there’s a definite lack of texting from you…” Jon’s message arrived a few hours later. He wasn’t overly surprised by the fact that there wasn’t a text, they didn’t call or send texts all that often. But considering they were in the same city, at the same time, that was rare so… yeah. Maybe she had gotten swamped from the asshat Ryan and forgotten.

“Shit.” She whispered, remembering telling Jon she would text him when she was back at the hotel and groaned, rubbing her temples.  Ryan had her so riled up and then her boss reaming her out didn’t help matters any.  Vallea sighed, taking a long pull of her wine and sent him one back.   Sorry, came back to the hotel and took a bath to relax.  Are you done for the night? After her bubble bath and a couple glasses of wine, Vallea felt a little better about her current situation, deciding not to tell Jon what happened.  The last thing she needed was him blowing a gasket.

Vallea was usually pretty good about details and minute things, Jon had noticed that on their first little date. The day he had saved her and she had taken him out to dinner, then the ferris wheel. He had picked up on the detail thing and the subsequent time he had spent with her only cemented that. So this, even with their infrequent texting and calling habit, told him that either something was wrong or her night had gone south and she was swamped with work or something. “I’m done for the night. Which hotel are you at? Room number?” He’d just come to her, with liquor, just in case. 

Room 392 and I’m at the Marriott, same as the WWE.  Asshole didn’t want to be too far away from his conquest. Vallea knew that would get a chuckle out of him and wasn’t surprised when she received a text back that told her Jon was on his way.  After the day she had, seeing him would make everything go away.  She just wanted to forget about everything else and still hadn’t touched her pile of paperwork, deciding it would wait until tomorrow.  Ryan had pissed her off and she didn’t want to screw anything up in the current mood she was in.

Jon was not at the Marriott because the Marriott was expensive and gaudy, in his humble, poor boy opinion. Jon was a lot more comfortable at some sleazy motel within walking distance of a bar and a pool table. Not to mention, staying somewhere el cheapo meant when he left the room never to return, he didn’t feel terrible about wasting the money because he had spent so very little. Jon was one day going to have to address the lingering poverty issues he had. Soon enough, he was in front of her door, bag over his shoulder and rapped twice, icy eyes straying down the hallway. He wouldn’t be surprised if asshole wasn’t on this floor as well.

Vallea knew exactly who it was, so she didn’t bother checking first and opened the door, cracking a smile up at her boyfriend.  That was still fresh, the fact he had put a label on them and she didn’t mind it a bit.  It would just take some getting used to. “Come in.” She stepped aside to let him in and shut the door behind him, wearing one of the cotton robes the Marriott provided to their guests.  Her hair was down and still damp from the bath she’d had.  It was after midnight, a typical night for WWE Superstars with Raw since the show didn’t end until 11 PM Eastern time. “I watched your match.  It was good.” She had caught the last bit of Raw after her bath and Jon was in what they called the main event.

“Yeah, it was all right,” Jon agreed, bobbing his head as he surveyed the room, setting his not so posh duffel bag down on the floor by the door. “C’mere doll,” He held his arms wide open, not surprised when she moved into them, feeling her face in his chest and enfolded her in his embrace. “You smell delicious, Vall.” He murmured, brushing his nose against her damp hair. “How bad was it tonight?” Part of him was mad at Momo for telling him about Ryan because there wasn’t really jack he could do without going to prison.

She tried, really tried, not to start crying and couldn’t help it as the tears began sliding down her cheeks.  Jon comforting her opened the flood gates and there was no stopping it or holding it back. “Bad.” She whimpered, sounding pathetic and could feel Jon’s body tense from head to toe. “It’s better now that you’re here, though.” Vallea admitted, clinging to him and breathed his scent in, trying to will herself to stop crying.  Hadn’t she done that enough in the tub?

Carefully, Jon cradled Vallea’s face in his palms, tipping her head up so he could see into her face. This Ryan was a royal prick, making those gorgeous eyes flood with tears and he wanted to find the man and force him to apologize. Using the pads of his thumbs, he caught her tears, gently wiping them away. “You don’t have to work for him, Vallea.” He said quietly, knowing she would because that was her job, but walking away was always an option, she had to realize that.

Chapter 15

She was being stubborn and she knew it, but her job was on the line when it came to Ryan.  Her boss had made it clear, if she couldn’t work with one of their biggest clients, she could find employment elsewhere.  Honestly, Vallea loved her job and the agency, but it was just this one asshole that got under her skin all because she wouldn’t give him the time of day outside of work.  He wanted what he couldn’t have; she would have to tough it out and bite her tongue until this contract was over with. “Yes I do.  If I want to keep my job and stay with the agency, yes Jon, I have to work with whoever they assign me.  I’ll get over it, I’m just being a big baby right now.  Pathetic, right?” She barked out a harsh laugh and slid her hands up his arms to cover his. “I’ll be fine, just a bad night is all.”

Jon was unusually quiet as he studied her, really looking at her and letting what she had said sink it, rolling it around his head for a bit. “You are one of the strongest people I’ve ever met, Vallea,” He said finally, sounding oddly serious, which wasn’t the normal for him. “So for some dickbag bringing you to tears, that’s not pathetic. It means he’s a lot of trouble, especially if you’re crying about it.” This woman was tough as nails, he had learned that awhile ago.

There was no point hiding the truth from him. “Ryan called my boss and my boss reprimanded me for being unprofessional towards Ryan, even though I wasn’t.  I thought giving him a head’s up I’d be working for Monique in about 6 months was a good thing, but apparently, he didn’t think so.  He’s got this…obsession with me and he only chooses me to work for him through the agency.  He’s a big shot, brings in a lot of money, so they bend to his will most of the time.  My boss told me if I couldn’t make things work with Ryan, I could seek employment elsewhere.” Her eyes lowered, sniffling and reached up between his hands to wipe tears away. “I’ve never been fired from a job in my life and I’m not about to let this dickhead take what I’ve built for myself away.  I’ll play his stupid game and then get away from him when Monique needs me.”

Except, Jon could already see that not playing out the way Vallea was thinking. If this guy was that big of a deal that the agency was caving to him and threatening Vallea’s job… he could see this Ryan guy playing the unprofessionalism card if by chance Val was still working for him when Monique needed her. There was no mistaking the fact that the girls were friends, even a blind man could see it. Sighing, he simply nodded, kissing the top of her head. “Come on,” He backed her further into the room. “I’m here now, fuck that loser.” Curb stomping him didn’t sound half bad.

She smiled at him, despite how crappy she felt and accepted a soft kiss, her hands gently gripping his shoulders.  Jon lifted her, making her squeal out because she didn’t expect it and wrapped her legs around his waist instinctively.  He was right; he was here now and there was no reason to dwell on what happened because there was no changing it.  Jon sat down with her straddled on his lap and Vallea broke the kiss, rubbing her nose against his. “So, I need to talk to you about something else.  I just want to make sure I understand and we’re both on the same page.  You called me your girlfriend earlier at the arena…” Vallea didn’t need to elaborate further and waited for his response while staring into his beautiful pale blues.

Jon blinked, his mind instantly hitting the rewind button. Yeah, he did say it. It had come naturally out of his mouth and he had known for a few weeks now that he wanted to be exclusive. The idea of her being with someone else didn’t set well with him. He was fairly certain he wasn’t in love with her, but he was definitely in serious like. “You want to know if that’s me putting a label on us, right?” She was pretty much a standard chick with that one he supposed, though the fact that she hadn’t pressured him sooner or asked sooner told him she had a lot more reserve than most chicks. A plus in his book. “Well, it is.”

“I didn’t want…to pressure you into labeling us what we were because we’ve been having such a great time together.  But when you called me your girlfriend, I just wanted to make sure you meant it and that it didn’t just fly out of your mouth accidentally or whatever.  And just so you know…” Vallea slid her hands down his t-shirt covered chest until she came to the bottom, sliding her hands up once again on his bare flesh. “I’m fine with being labeled yours.” He was the only man she wanted to be with, the only man she thought of and dreamt about.  Her rock climbing savior.  Vallea wouldn’t be able to sleep with anyone else while hooking up with him anyway, that wasn’t her style.

“Damn right you are, I’m crazy awesome, babe,” Jon said with more than just a dollop of arrogance lacing his tone. “You’d be insane to not want to be my woman.” He had some diehard fans who were literally insane and would do anything including murder just for a chance with him. Not that he was telling her about those crazy fans of his, he didn’t need her scared off. He imagined eventually she’d have a run in with one, that’d be interesting to see.

“Yeah well, don’t need that head of yours growing three times your size, Good.” Vallea playfully chastised, brushing her lips against his and pushed the t-shirt up over his head to drop it to the side.  She could never, ever get enough of touching his body, his chest and back were the sexiest part of him besides his eyes and smile.  Hell, the man just dripped sexuality and he was right, she would be crazy not to want to be his.  What woman wouldn’t?  She squealed out and laughed when he suddenly shot up from the bed, turned her around to where her back was against his chest and delivered some kind of wrestling move on the bed.  It was a German suplex.

Obviously, he modified things a bit. Like the strength he used, the amount of force, and he made sure every delicate part of her was shielded just in case she came up off the mattress. Hearing Vallea’s peals of laughter made something in him tighten and radiate warmth. The woman was so far, perfect for him, and he hoped the good times kept on a’rolling. He also hoped Ryan minded his Ps and Qs because something dangerous had stirred in Jon at the sight of those tears and knowing someone had done it purposefully just to hurt her.

Ryan would eventually find out about her and Jon because she refused to keep her relationship a secret from anybody, including that asshat.  It wasn’t his business and she wouldn’t go out of her way to tell him so, but seeing them together at the arenas was inevitable.  A week passed by with no other problems from Ryan, though he was still a colossal dickhead.  Vallea toed the line, minded her manners and treated him with fake respect and giving phony smiles.  That was all he was getting out of her.  Ryan seemed fine with it and everything seemed to be running along smoothly.  Until…Ryan informed her that Dean Ambrose would be their main attraction when it came to making new designs for him for the new memorabilia Vince wanted.  The man had recently made a comeback and Ryan was capitalizing on the opportunity, after signing a rather lengthy contract with the WWE.  Ryan instructed his PA to go down to Dean Ambrose’s locker room, with some sketches he had another assistant draw up, and he wanted to know which one the man liked best.  Vallea numbly walked out of Ryan’s office and headed toward Jon’s dressing room, wondering how Jon would take this news.

“Babe, this is a welcomed surprise,” Jon was moderately shocked and a lot pleased at the sight of Vallea in the entrance of his room. He had left the door open to watch the flow of traffic, and shout profanities whenever Joe strolled by because that was just hilarious. “You sneak away from your pig of a boss?” He asked curiously, getting up from the bench where he had been tending to his wrists to walk over and close the door behind her before snatching her pert ass up.

Vallea kissed him back, basically traveling with him over the past week, without Ryan noticing.  She insisted on them taking separate vehicles from now on, even paying for her own and Ryan didn’t fight her on it.  Or that’s what she assumed and told him.  When really, she had been riding with Jon and rooming with him too, building their relationship. “Yeah, but there’s a catch as to why I’m here.” They stayed away from each other usually at the arenas because Jon had his job to do and so did she.  It wasn’t done intentionally, just the way it was. “You are going to be working closely with Ryan for a while.”

“I’m sorry, what?” Jon extricated himself from her grip, stepping away to stare down at her. The smile was still on his face but the warmth had left his eyes, now replaced with pure ice. “You want to say that again, doll?” There was no way she had just come in here to drop that shit on him. At Vallea’s nervous smile, he whirled around and grabbed the nearest item, which was a chair, and hurled it right at the wall. A string of curses left his lips. Working with Ryan. WORKING. WITH. RYAN. Jon was not overly pleased right now.

Vallea jumped at his outburst, not expecting him to do that and it honestly scared her a little. “Vince is the one who told Ryan to work with you.  Ryan has a huge design company that makes all kinds of memorabilia and shit for athletes like you.  Football players, baseball…he’s into pretty much every sport you can think of and has his hand in a lot of the product that goes out.  Vince has been shopping around and found Ryan’s company in Vegas.  You just returned, so that’s why Vince wants to…try Ryan’s work out on you, to see if you like it.” She explained quietly, unable to meet his eyes and didn’t blame him for being upset.

Jon let out a strangled half-scream of annoyance, the sound tapering into a growl before eventually he just started laughing. Of course, of course… he would have to work with this asshole, because Vince wanted it. And he couldn’t do jackshit about it without jeopardizing either of their jobs. How was he supposed to do this, not kill this pretentious, dirtbag asshole? His eyes landed on Vallea who looked afraid and he grit his teeth, hands moving to grip curls he no longer had. “C’mere, doll.” He ordered finally, holding out his arms to her. Most likely, near him was the last place she wanted to be but he needed her anyway.

That sound would haunt her for weeks to come.  Vallea couldn’t deny him anything, no matter how scared she was because she knew Jon would never hurt her.  She went into his arms with slight hesitation, hoping he calmed down and closed her eyes, hearing how fast his heart raced against her ear. “I’m sorry.” She whispered, not sure what else to say and felt his arms tighten around her slightly, but not to the point of hurting her. “Please tell me you’re okay…”

“I’m royally pissed that there’s nothing either of us can do.” Jon said, his voice still laced with rage but now softer, a bit bitter. “I don’t like the position your in with this creep, and I sure don’t like the fact that I got to play nice with him. And don’t you be sorry, this isn’t your fault.” It was men in charge with more power than they needed and more ego then what should be legally allowed.

Vallea could only nod, not wanting to upset him further and let him use her body to calm himself down.  She was his calming agent at the moment and honestly didn’t mind being held by her man. “I know you don’t.  I don’t like it either.” The sad part was they could nothing about this.  With Jon and Ryan, it was business pure and simple, but with her and Ryan, it was more about Ryan having complete control and power over her than actually being his PA.  And they both knew it, even though Ryan had been playing nice for the past week.  Maybe her boss had words with him too, she didn’t know and immediately pushed that possibility aside. “Everything will work out as it should.  We just have to…push forward.”

“Yeah.” Jon said, shaking his head and sighed. “Yeah, you’re right babe, you’re right.” He kissed the top of her head, his arms wrapped tightly around her and finally rest his chin on her hair, inhaling deeply.  He could act professional and give the man benefit of the doubt. Ryan was going to want to be all nice and shit with him since he technically worked for Vince and not the other way around, he began to smirk. Maybe he could Ryan’s life just a little bit miserable, well maybe. Not if there was a chance the man would take it out on Vallea. “Anything I should know about this guy before I meet with him?” Other than what he already did anyway.

“Other than he’s full of himself, thinks his shit don’t stink and he’s the king of the planet and can do no wrong?  Nope.  He’s also a very shrewd business man, from what I’ve heard through the agency.  I don’t know what all that entails and I really don’t want to know.  I just do the work he gives me and mind my own business.  Wouldn’t surprise me if he had some shady business going on though.” Vallea snuggled against him, not wanting to leave, but knew Ryan would be expecting her back. “I need you to look over the designs he’s made for you and choose the one you like best.  Then I need to report back to him.”

Jon did not need to know all that, he just needed to know what was pertinent to him dealing with Ryan. Not that that shit wasn’t interesting because it was. Eventually he may need to know but not right now, he stored it away. “And what if I don’t like any of them?” He snorted, letting go of her in order to resume his place on the bench and pat his knee. “Come sit down and show me what you got, doll.”

Chapter 16

The designs honestly weren’t that bad.  Ryan wouldn’t have a successful company if he didn’t deliver top-notch quality.  She sat on her boyfriend’s lap and went through them with him, massaging the back of his neck to soothe him.  Jon didn’t seem to mind, going through the designs slowly to look them over.  He finally chose two out of the 10 he liked the most, putting them on top and handed them back to her.  Vallea agreed with him on the designs and she knew who had done them; the woman could draw anything and make it look spectacular.  Ryan’s business rested on her shoulders a lot of the time because she had to keep delivering insane results and knocked it out of the ballpark every time.

Grudgingly, Jon would admit the designs weren’t bad at all, whoever had done them had also done their homework. He also knew, even if he didn’t want to admit it, that Ryan had to be good at his job with a stellar company if Vince fucking McMahon had decided to get into bed with him. Especially considering the old man had been pretty loyal to his vendors for years and then changed it up. Now that he was calming down, his mind was thinking this shit out. If Vallea went back to the man with good news, he was likely to be less of a jerk to her. “Pick out another you like and add it to the pile, doll.”

“But this isn’t…” Vallea trailed off at the look Jon shot her, it was stern and sexy all at the same time.  He truly wanted her input about this and it made her feel tingly. “All right…” Scanning the pictures, she pulled the one out that had caught her eye earlier while sifting through them with him and pointed. “This one.  The ones you picked out are great and everything, but there’s something about this particular one that stands out to me.  I’m not very good with this type of thing…”

“You’re not a fan, who appreciates the design, that’s good enough for me.” Jon said, planting a kiss on her forehead as he studied the design. It was a good one too, it hadn’t called to him the way the others had, but he was also aware that what he liked and what his fans liked were usually two different things. So she was probably seeing something he wasn’t, and it would probably sell like hotcakes.

“If you say so.” Vallea shrugged, wondering what Ryan would think about the three designs Jon and her picked out together.  Granted, she wouldn’t tell him about her involvement in the decision making.  It would be just like Ryan to immediately dismiss the idea simply because she liked it. “I hate doing this, but…I really do have to get back to work.” She softly kissed him, caressing his beard covered jaw and became lost in it for a minute or two, almost purring. “See you tonight and be careful in the ring.” One more peck, she was off his lap and out the door, stopping at the bathroom to reapply her gloss before heading back to Ryan.

Every time, she always said be careful in the ring, and it was cute, endearing even. Matches were worked through, discussed, and usually they were fairly safe. Bumps, bruises, aches and pains came with the territory, this was a physical job, but serious injuries weren’t technically the normal. But… the body did have a way of slowing people down, like it had him. Not that he wasn’t grateful, he probably never would have met Vallea otherwise. Sighing, he pushed himself up onto his feet, beginning to hop in place with his eyes closed as he started warming up.

“Does this…wrestler,” Ryan wanted to call him buffoon, but refrained and shook his head at the choices. “Have any idea what it means to make money?  The designs he picked out are HORRIBLE compared to the other ones!” In his opinion, flashy was better whereas Dean Ambrose went with a more subtle, darker route. “This won’t do.  The only one that we both agree on is the third choice.” Her secret choice. “I’m gonna have to talk to him in person about this.”

Vallea didn’t think that was a very good idea considering how Jon had reacted to being forced to work with him. “Why not invite him out for lunch tomorrow or something?” She suggested softly, immediately regretting the words as soon as they came out of her mouth.

Ryan studied her, contemplating that suggestion and snapped his fingers. “I’ll do one better.  I’ll take the man out for a steak dinner to discuss these options and see if we can’t come to a mutual understanding.” Money talked, after all.

Jon was a bit surprised when none other than fricking Ryan showed up at his dressing room. Considering he was about twenty minutes from kicking ass and taking names, pumped up with adrenaline rushing, he felt Ryan was a damn idiot. He flashed a feral smile, tempted to take the guy’s head off just because he could. “Who’re you?” He demanded, spitting into an empty water bottle. His dirty little habit, chew. He knew exactly who this jackass was, didn’t mean he wasn’t going to be belligerent. “Man, I don’t do autographs when I’m working, okay?” The look on Ryan’s face had him giggling on the inside.

Ryan cleared his throat, straightening his tie on the crisp three piece suit he had on. “Mr. Ambrose, I take it?  Do I look like the type of man who wants an autograph from you?” He chuckled ruefully, rolling his eyes. “My assistant came to you earlier with some choices for your next t-shirt idea.  I’m working with Vince McMahon, you see, and I wanted to discuss the options with you personally.  Perhaps over a meal?  Steak sound good to you?  I’ll have my assistant make the reservations.”

”I’m a vegan.” Jon said deadpan, cocking an eyebrow. “And I already made my choices, what’s wrong with them?” Better yet, why was he being asked input if the guy was obviously not okay with them. Then he snapped his fingers. “Oh…. you’re Vince’s new vendor, new lackey… man, you dress sharper than the last one. Makes you almost look important, good deal.” He rolled his head from side to side, muscles flexing as his glacial eyes raked over Ryan, obviously not impressed.

“I’m sure they can find you something.  And it’s not that I don’t like your choices, Mr. Ambrose.  I wouldn’t have them in the choices otherwise.” He had to give all of his artists the chance to make money, however, even if he favored a few of them. “I just think we need to go with something a little more…eye-catching, flashy.  We can discuss it over a meal like gentlemen since I know you have a match coming up.  And I assure you I’m nobody’s lackey.”

“No, you are.” Jon’s smile lost all humor, his teeth completely bared. “Else wise you wouldn’t be here bothering me about designs I already picked, out of designs you apparently already approved.” He knew, in the rational part of his mind, that he should be nice to this guy so he didn’t take it out on Vallea, but Jon really hated this stooge. “And there will be no meal…” He fluttered his eyelashes, attempting to reign his temper in. “You didn’t ask me nicely.”

Ryan didn’t appreciate the audacity of this punk and squared his shoulders, knowing better than to get into a fight with one of Vince’s employees.  That would not look good for his company and he was a lot smarter than people gave him credit for. “Very well, Mr. Ambrose.  If you won’t see reason, it’s your career and your choice after all.  I will send the designs to my team and get started on your new…merchandise.” He hoped they flopped hard, it would teach this punk a lesson in respect. “Good evening.” Walking out, Ryan gritted his teeth to the point of gnashing and went back to report to his assistant.

As soon as Ryan was gone, Jon let out a growl that would have done the Undertaker proud. He knew better, he knew he shouldn’t be provoking the guy but Jesus Christ. Not only was he an asshole to Vallea, but he had decided he didn’t like Jon’s personal choices out of designs that Ryan had likely approved. The man had issues with control and Jon wanted nothing more than to make the guy know what it was like to feel truly helpless, to be completely powerless and out of control of your own fate. That actually sent a flood of warmth through him.

“That punk thinks he’s better than me?  I’ll show him!  I’ll show him what happens when you don’t respect me!” Ryan ranted and raved for an hour straight to Vallea, who simply sat there with her mouth closed, pretending to listen. 

Jon wasn’t someone to order around the way Ryan was used to doing to people, even clients.  He thought he owned the world, that it was his way or the highway and it wasn’t.  The man had tricked himself into having that mindset and Vallea was glad and proud Jon had told Ryan off.

“ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME?!”

“Of course.”

“AND WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THIS?”

Vallea kept a straight face, knowing better than to cop an attitude or speak her mind right now. “Your reservation has been booked for 11 PM tonight, or do you want me to cancel it?”

Ryan wanted to scream at her for her cheekiness but she looked so serious that he wasn’t entirely sure if she was fucking with him. “Keep it, that bastard is going one way or another. Vegan my ass. YOU go deal with him.” He growled when he heard Jon’s theme blaring through the arena. “After his stupid match, I hope he breaks his goddamn ankle out there.” The man was hired help, just some stupid jock, who obviously thought that he was something special since he was on some shitty soap opera with a bit of groping thrown in. Tossing his hands up into the air, Ryan resumed his pacing, pretty sure his entire body was red from anger.

“What do you mean you want me to go deal with him?  Ryan, if he doesn’t want to go to dinner with you, there’s really nothing you can do to change his mind.  He made the choices.” Vallea decided a little sweet talk might diffuse his temper a little. “Besides, if he wants to ruin his career, like you said, that’s on him.  You’re doing your job to the best of your ability, so if he doesn’t want to listen to you, that’s on him.” Those words tasted bitter coming out of her mouth, but it seemed to do the trick because Ryan’s face slowly returned to normal.  This asshole had no idea what Jon had been through and, hell, she didn’t either, but the more she spent time with Jon, the more she wanted to know about his past and what he went through prior to WWE.

“You’re right, Vallea.” Ryan said, his voice back to normal and he missed the look of surprise on her face as he had turned his back to her, busy readjusting his tie. That was probably the first time he had ever said that to her. “Considering he’s recently back from an injury and the wear and tear he’s already put on himself, he won’t last much longer. Why waste time trying to invest in a worthless commodity? You are absolutely right.” He was all smiles again, winking down at her before eyeballing the stack of designs. “Put the three in for orders, if that’s what he’s decided…” Vince would see that Ambrose was a moron when none of them sold much.

“Will do.” Vallea let out a silent breath of relief and knew, as much as it pained her to say those untruthful words, it also swayed Ryan away from Jon.  That was her ultimate goal, to find a way to keep Ryan and Jon separated.  It worked; Ryan was sometimes too gullible for his own good and stupid.  If he couldn’t see the farce right in front of him, that was his problem.  She proceeded to take the designs over to the fax machine, which WWE graciously offered, and sent them over to the office immediately.  She already knew these designs would sell like hotcakes for Jon – the man was extremely popular and had a huge fanbase, according to Monique.

After his match, Jon shot Vallea a text. He wanted to make sure she hadn’t had to deal with Ryan taking his shit out on her, and apologized just in case the other man had since it would’ve been his fault. He had provoked the stiff, out of spite and hatred. Hate was a harsh, hard word, and not one he casually threw around. Hell, he barely knew Ryan, but he knew he hated the man on a level he didn’t understand.

I convinced him not to work with you anymore and to just send the designs we picked out to the office to do.  Don’t worry.  You won’t have to deal with him anymore. Vallea sent back, rather proud of herself for pulling the wool over Ryan’s eyes and glanced over at him.  He was currently chatting up one of the women in the company and the blonde didn’t look interested at all.  Vallea blinked when Ryan had the taste slapped out of his mouth and covered her mouth with her hand, looking away doing everything in her power not to laugh.  Whatever Ryan had said to the blonde pissed her off and now he had a red welt on his cheek for his troubles.

Jon didn’t know how she had managed it, but Vallea sent him a picture of Ryan at a very weird angle. It took him a moment to realize she had snapped it from waist level, so the idiot wouldn’t realize what she was doing, clever girl. He had him a smart woman. Then he really looked at Ryan, able to make out the red welt on his cheek. He read her follow-up text and began cackling like a hyena. He couldn’t WAIT for whichever woman had got him to go straight to Vince. Sexual tolerance was NOT something the company let slide anymore.

“WE’RE LEAVING!” Ryan practically bellowed at his assistant, storming past her and didn’t see the sheer amusement in her eyes due to how pissed off he was.  The blonde had slapped him for NO reason!  All he asked was if the curtain matched the drapes, trying to be seductive and he’d been slapped into next week for it!  How was he supposed to know she would take offense to it?! 

Vallea followed silently, smirking at Jon’s text message and promised to meet up with him at the motel just as soon as she parted ways with Ryan.  She already had a key to the room, but Jon didn’t want her going there until he was with her since it was a rather shady place to venture by herself.

He let her know he was on his way to said motel. They had agreed to stick to his usual routine. One, because it was comfortable for him. Two, nobody would think to look for her with him, or in a dump like this, especially Ryan. He doubted Ryan had ever spent a night in his life in a place like this. To Jon, it was comfortable. He stopped by a liquor store, picking up her favorite drink and a bottle of something fun for himself. He currently didn’t have a favorite alcohol, he was still trying them all out. They sold edible underwear…. he bought those too.

Chapter 17

At least the shower worked and it wasn’t rusty water like the other motel Jon had chosen.  He made sure to pick clean places at the very least.  She didn’t mind staying in places like these, honestly.  The Marriott and five star hotels weren’t really her style, though they did have some perks.  When Jon walked in, she was busy in the shower lathering her hair and humming softly under her breath.  Damn song was stuck in her head and she couldn’t get it out.  It wasn’t a loud, rambunctious yelling, just a soft hum that could barely be heard over the sprays.

Jon listened as humming became singing as he shed his clothes, having showered at the arena. The main downside to cheap ass places was that their showers were so damn tiny. No tubs, just usually a shower in the corner, a single one person shower that he couldn’t fit in without flooding the floor. He stripped down to nothing and then pulled on just a pair of loose fitting shorts before setting their drinks in tiny ass fridge that had been clean but seriously old. The edible underwear got tossed on top of her briefcase, she’d see it.

Ten minutes later, she stepped out with brush in hand and her body wrapped in just a towel, not bothering to bring her clothes into the bathroom to change.  She smiled at the sight of Jon sitting on the bed, but first she had to get dressed.  Staring down at the edible panties, Vallea’s cheeks tinged red as she picked them up and arched a brow at him, seeing him simply shrug.  If that’s what he wanted, she’d play ball and slipped them on beneath the towel.  Then, she walked over to him, standing between his legs.  Her hands slid up his arms to his shoulders, beginning to massage them and could tell he’d had somewhat of a rough night.

“What the fuck, doll?” Jon rumbled, pinching the towel between his fingers and tugging it until it came down. That left her in all her nearly naked glory right between his legs and those panties did look edible indeed. “Mmmm…” The massage felt wonderful and he let his head slump forward until he was resting against her stomach, the scent of her bodywash, her own personal scent, and the strawberry aroma from those edibles wafting up to him. “I’m going to devour you, Vallea.” He informed her, hands moving to cup her ass, pulling her closer to him.

“You’re so tense, let’s see if we can’t work some of those muscles out first before you devour me whole, hmm?” Vallea never stopped working on his trapezes before moving down his arms, taking her time to try to ease the tension in his big body a little. “Lay on your stomach for me.  Naked.” She requested in his ear, knowing he wouldn’t deny her and nipped his lobe, pressing her chest against his. “Please?”

Letting out a mock annoyed growl, Jon heaved a great sigh before gently nudging her away and standing up. His shorts was down and on the floor in seconds and he wiggled his eyebrows when her gaze dropped down. He was going to have to lay on that, she was a cruel woman. Very cruel, the corner of her mouth had just hitched up into an evil smirk. “You’re a terrible person, Val.” He informed her, arranging himself on the bed and tucking his erection in the least painful way possible.

“On second thought, on your back.  I’ll start with your front and if you want, I’ll do your back afterwards.” Vallea felt bad for him to lay on a full-blown erection and waited for him to reposition before straddling him.  She kept her edible panties away from his erection for the moment and started massaging his chest, feeling his big hands caress her sides. “I’m gonna take care of you, Jon.  Just lay back and relax.” She purred, moving down to his abs and scooted herself to adjust.  Something told her if she didn’t take care of his erection, he’d be in a great deal of pain going forward tonight, so after the massage, Vallea proceeded to pleasure him orally.

That kind of defeat the purpose of the underwear, her going down on him first. Like most men, Jon was all tired and relaxed after getting his rocks off, and then on top of busting his ass at work today. “Babe, I’m putty in your hands.” He was so relaxed and limp, it was pathetic. Rousing himself, Jon rolled her onto her back, propping himself up on his elbows. “Your turn.” He was not that kind of lover, she was going to get hers and damn it, he wanted to eat those panties off of her. Licking his lips, he began kissing his way down her chest and stomach.

Vallea’s laughter quickly turned into moans of pleasure, her hands fisting the sheets because he didn’t have long enough hair to grab onto.  Or else it would’ve been his hair.  Her body writhed and arched into his hot mouth as he devoured her, just as he said he would.  The panties were gone with each piece he pulled and ate off her.  She didn’t know if it was the panties that caused it or what, but Vallea had never climaxed so hard in her life, not even on top of the mountain.

“Well, doll,” Jon said when he had finished his feast, kissing his way back up her body. This time, she was panting and drenched in sweat, he loved it. “That was delicious.” He dropped an open lips on her parted lips, his tongue caressing hers, letting her taste both the strawberry flavoring and her own sweet essence. “Next time, I’m going with the watermelon pair.” Jon had no problem bringing toys, or ‘manual helpers’ into the bedroom, it spiced things up, or was just an amusing way to get into interesting territory.

“If they have peach flavored, get those too.  Raspberry would be good too.” Vallea said as an afterthought, trying to catch her breath and slowly came back down from the height Jon made her soar too.  Not every night had to be about sex.  Foreplay was a FORM of sex, granted, but Jon didn’t always have to be buried balls deep inside of her to have fun.  She smiled, feeling him snuggle against her and slid her hand through his short hair, in complete heaven. “What am I going to do when I can’t travel with you anymore?  I’m getting too used to this, you know.”

“Would you believe I don’t really care for the taste of peach unless it’s an actual peach?” Jon chuckled, draping his arm around her as he got comfortable on the bed beside her. They were face to face and he could feel her fingers grazing his scalp, feeling like he could purr from satisfaction. “Yeah well… your boss has a lot of superstars to get through, and merch isn’t just shirts. There’s hats, and accessories, all that fun crap.” He got what Vallea meant though, letting his head drop forward until he could brush his nose against hers. “We’ll figure it out doll, we were fine before this and we’ll be fine after. You know that, right?”

“Yeah, we’re gonna be fine, even if we have to be apart.” It wouldn’t happen anytime soon because Jon was right, Ryan had a lot of plans with the other Superstars besides him.  Vince didn’t like the vendor for the products he’d been using for years.  He thought it was time for a change and Ryan had capitalized on the opportunity.  Now, Ryan was in charge of all the merchandise throughout WWE and it wasn’t just t-shirts either.  Honestly, there was a very good reason why Ryan needed a personal assistant because there was A LOT to go through and keep organized. “We have the same days off too, so I say we go back to Vegas on our days off and find another mountain to climb.”

“How do we have the same days off?” Jon asked curiously because that was just way to coincidental and very unlikely to happen. He began laughing at her little pleased look and shook his head. “You’re devious, baby.” She was the personal assistant, she was the one who made the schedules and he had given her schedule for the quarter awhile ago so it wasn’t like she didn’t have access to his information. “Vegas is quite aways from here, you sure you don’t want to go explore somewhere closer?”

“Hmm…I’m game if you are.  And it wasn’t me, as much as I wish I could take credit.  Whenever the Superstars have days off, so does the rest of the employees and that means asshole and myself.  Though, if I had to schedule our days off together, I could easily do it too.” Being a personal assistant had perks and, as long as Ryan had everything he needed regarding meetings and arrangements, he didn’t really care what days off he had.  The man was a workaholic; she wasn’t. “We’re not far from mountains around here, are we?”

“Probably not, a lot closer to some here than in Vegas.” Jon said, stroking his chin thoughtfully as he stared at her, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he smiled. “We can break out the laptop,” Hers, because he didn’t use his very often. It was still almost brand new looking, a nice, expensive paperweight. “And Google it. Maybe find us a cozy cabin or something to hole up in.”

“A cabin, huh?  That sounds…amazing, actually.” Excitement boiled in her eyes as Vallea hopped up from the bed out of his arms to grab her laptop.  She grinned at Jon shaking his head at her and fired the laptop up.  It was a lot more expensive than his, but she used it a lot and the money was more than worth it. “I know, so not romantic, but it’s already Tuesday and our days off are coming up on Wednesday and Thursday.  Gotta get on the ball and start researching now, see if I can’t find us something we both agree on.”

Shaking his head, Jon pulled himself up and propped the pillows against the headboard. He wasn’t surprised when she moved to sit back down, laptop in her lap. He sat up as well, careful not to lean into her as she typed because that shit apparently annoyed her. “Something close. As long as there’s something to climb and a place to bend you over, babe, I’m a happy man.” He grinned, chuckling when her fingers hesitated as she started laughing.

“And I’m a happy woman to have you bend me over.” Vallea shot back with a smirk of her own, scrolling through the pages on Google and found a place in Tennessee, surprisingly enough.  It wasn’t far away from where they were currently, which was Alabama.  A stone’s throw away, actually.  Moneagle Mountain.  There were tons of mountains and bed and breakfasts to choose from. “What about this one?” She held it up to him, so he could see the screen clearly. “I know it’s a little pricey, but it’s the cheapest I can find and I’ll pay half.” She wouldn’t expect him to foot the entire bill.

Jon appreciated the offer. She was getting quite familiar with his cheapskate bullshit and surprisingly, she didn’t ride his ass for it or pry anymore. Because of that, occasionally, he’d tell her small, not so painful tidbits about his life growing up. “Hey, it’s a vacation, sort of, doll. That’s the best time to spend a bunch of money, right?” And she was definitely worth it. He didn’t even feel the gnawing, anxious feeling he usually got at shelling out for anything over five hundred bucks. This woman was having an influence on him apparently, he was going to have to sort that out eventually, without her around.

“You’re still not paying for it all.” Vallea insisted, not backing down and giggled when Jon demanded her to make the reservation for Wednesday and Thursday.  Twenty minutes later, it was done and she felt excited to be going on another adventure with Jon.  Would it always be this exciting and adventurous with him?  She sincerely hoped.

~!~

It was a snowy evening in Cincinnati, Ohio, where WWE was for the night.  Why WWE would come to this slum of all places was beyond him.  The finest hotel in the city didn’t provide nearly enough class and posh for his style either.  Vallea was currently off doing one of the many menial tasks he ordered her to do.  Doing his laundry had been added to that list along with picking up his dry cleaning.  He was making her miserable, pushing her to the breaking point and it was all on purpose.  He wanted to break her, to make her submit to him and beg for relief or to simply quit.  Ryan even forced her to work on her days off and he couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a day off when she wasn’t doing something for him.  The little bitch would break sooner or later.

Jon fucking HATED this place, and most people who knew him as Jon and not Dean, knew he did. Not everyone knew why, but… that was that. However, tonight, being back on his home turf, there were some advantages. He had been watching as Ryan steadily pounded Vallea into dirt and every night it seemed she was crying longer and longer in the shower. The man was purposefully out to ruin her, cause her a breakdown, and there was only so much a person could take before they snapped. Or before someone snapped on their behalf.

He might’ve snapped. Just a little. Proof of that was the number he had texted, asking for a quick meet-up.

The man in question was none other than Nick Gage.  He still lived in Philadelphia and wrestled in the Indies, after getting out of prison in 2011, but he was in Cincinnati for a very specific reason.  Jon Moxley, one of his old friends and rivals in CZW, called him up and asked to meet in Cincinnati, but he wouldn’t say why over the phone.  Nick was very intrigued since he hadn’t heard from Jon in a while, so he was curious what the man wanted.  He walked into the bar of Jon’s choice, looking around and spotted him after a few minutes since business was booming. “Hey man.” They collided hands, did the shoulder bump and sat down to discuss what was on the man’s mind.  Nick listened, raising an eyebrow higher and higher until it could go no more since he was bald, wondering if Jon was serious.  He was. “So let me get this straight, you want me to…”

“Oh I’ll help,” Jon had absolutely no problems in getting his hands dirty, again. Growing up rough, a lot of people tended to do shady shit at one time or another as a matter of survival. Be it for a place to sleep, something in your stomach, or to stop someone from taking whatever you had, including your dignity. “He’s a sick bastard, Gage.” Now, so were they, but there had always been lines. Women and children were usually where those said lines tended to existed. Unless it was a scandalous, knife wielding bitch, then sometimes exceptions were made.

“You will?” Nick had doubt in his voice because he couldn’t think of a time Jon had gotten blood on his hands.  Then again, the man had been born and raised in the Nasty Nati and it was the perfect place to pull something like this off. “No witnesses.  And I want compensated for my part in this, man.” Jon tossed over a folder stacked with bills and Nick let out a low whistle, knowing there had to be at LEAST 10 grand in here, maybe more. “When do you want this to go down?  And why do you want this guy outta the picture?”

Jon had always kept information about himself on a minimal and there were reasons for that, not to mention just sheer habit. “Tonight. I already got myself an alibi set up and a few witnesses to my whereabouts.” Because homeless people did a lot of shit for money, including lie. That was probably the most honest and least degrading thing they did actually. “Because he’s going out of his way to hurt people I care about.” Vallea’s name was not leaving his lips tonight, he didn’t need anyone knowing about her or her name, just in case. Her hands would stay snow white in this.

“Tonight?  You want this to go down tonight?  You gotta plan on how to make this happen?” Jon went over everything with him, down to the last detail and all Nick had to do was the actual deed.  Jon would hold the man down and Nick would take care of the rest.  They had an hour before everything would go down, so they had a few beers and then left the bar to go hunting.

Chapter 18

Ryan was right on time, sauntering out of a grungy motel straightening his tie.  He’d just paid a whore off to tickle his pickle and now it was time to head back to the hotel for some shuteye.  Naturally, he called the whore Vallea and ordered her to go by the name while he took her from behind, something he wanted to do to his assistant.  The whore screamed out and Ryan relished in causing her pain, just like he did with Vallea, even if it was only emotionally and mentally.  He could tell the toll working for him was taking on her and loved the agony in her eyes whenever he asked her to do something very demeaning.  If she didn’t do as she was told, her boss would get another phone call and she would more than likely lose her job.  Ryan had her by the figurative balls, so to speak.  The cold night air bit at his lungs and face as he trekked to his car, which was down the street from the motel.  He didn’t need anybody, especially Vallea, finding out about his extracurricular activities.  Ryan was checking his phone while walking down the side of the road and stopped at the sight of two men standing in front of his Cadillac, raising a brow. “What can I do for you gentlemen?  Here to get your rocks off too?” He couldn’t see them due to how dark it was and there was no street lights on this road.

“Something like that.”

Ryan knew that voice, he was just having a hard time placing it right now. His eyes narrowed, and then widened when one of the men dared to park his ass on the hood of his Caddy. His baby. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“Polishing it. Nice ride, man.” Nick, like Jon, wore a grungy old beanie over his head. It was dark enough that with their heads both down, their faces could barely be seen. “Who do I gotta kill to get something like this?”

At this point, Ryan was starting to get some weird, niggly feelings up his spine and in his gut. It wasn’t very often that he was anxious, or afraid, money usually tended to buy his way out of problems. Something told him that these two men weren’t going to care about who he was, his power, or his money. “A whore usually.” He tried joking, walking around slowly as he pulled out his car keys.

Nick didn’t move, purposely planting his boot on the hood and put a small dent in it, making Ryan stop in his tracks.  He was nothing more than prey out here.  They were the predators and Nick had a feral smile on his face, his gangly teeth glinting in the darkness. “What do you think, Mox?” He knew better than to use the man’s birthname right now and heard the deep chuckle. “Would a whore gain us this beautiful ride, or the owner itself?”

“A whore would be fun to take on a ride…” Jon sing-songed, reaching into his back pocket and procured a pair of black leather gloves, slipping them on slowly, letting Ryan sort of get an idea of what he was doing. Darkness made everything scary enough, add some weird noises… he wanted the man to be terrified. “Hey man, you should give us a lift.”

“Yeah. You should.” Nick said wickedly.

“Now, gentlemen-” Ryan had no idea who had moved first but one second they were right there and the next one of the men had bashed his head against the side of the car. He began cursing and crying at the same time.

“Aww look Mox, he’s crying like the little BITCH he is!” Nick crowed, wanting to draw this out a little longer and something told him Jon did too.  This man had done something horrible to Jon, who was like a brother to him, and he was going to pay the ultimate price for it.  Nick didn’t need to know the specifics; Jon asked for his help to get this done and it would…with no witnesses. “Tell me something, Ryan,” He watched the man’s eyes widen in shock at the fact they knew his name. “Do you know what happens to those who think they have all the power in the world?  Do you know what happens to those who THINK they rule all?” Another bash of his head against the car had Ryan screaming out in pain and Nick relished in it, the blood slowly pouring down the side of his face.

“All right, let’s load him up.” Jon said with a sneer, walking around to snatch the keys from Ryan. “We’re going to take your car and you on a ride man, it’ll be GREAT.”

Ryan could only whimper, hearing them moving around and then he was up in the air. Time went crazy, moving fast and excruciatingly slow as he was carted around his own car. And he was in a shitty party of town, nobody would blink twice about this. Most people would probably look the other way and pretend they hadn’t seen shit. Then he hit something hard, groaning as fresh waves of pain wracked him. He was in his own trunk.

“Time for a drive.”

Nick had no idea what Jon was doing and just followed suit, knowing the man was unpredictable and changed his mind more than his boxer/briefs.  He simply slid in the passenger side while Jon took the wheel and buckled up, safety first and all that.  He smirked at his own pun and blasted music to drawn out Ryan screaming and pounding on the roof of the trunk, trying to break free.  They had made sure to confiscate his phone and anything else, crushing it to pieces.  Jon hummed to AC/DC – Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap was playing, his favorite song and what he’d named his wrestling finisher after.  Dirty Deeds.  This was indeed a dirty deed they were doing, but it had to be done.  The world would soon be rid of a dirtbag.

It was a good long drive, mostly because Jon obeyed the traffic laws, not wanting to draw attention to their asses. He knew exactly where to do this, where nothing would be found for a good long while. Obviously, the car and the man couldn’t remain together, no, that was just asking for trouble. Jon had every intention of driving it to his favorite chop shop and just walking away, knowing damn well the car thieves would have it stripped down within hours if not less. When they had reached the spot, he cut the ignition and got out of the caddy, whistling under his breath. He was pretty sure he was whistling-

“Bro, is that… It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas or whatever that song is?”

Probably.

Christmas was in a couple days, but why Jon would be humming THAT tune, when they were about to annihilate someone, was beyond Nick’s understanding.  Jon was always a crazy, wildcard and he learned that in CZW.  Nobody could predict what he would do in matches, they were always called on the fly, on the spot, and somehow, everybody trusted him.  They both got out of the car, hearing the slight sobbing from the trunk and Nick looked at Jon, asking him silently if this is what he really wanted to do.  Jon answered him by opening the trunk and ripping Ryan’s sweaty, bloody body out of it into the cold, unforgiving, deep snow.

This bastard was humming Christmas carols! Ryan realized that and began crying even harder, knowing without a shadow of a doubt he was going to die tonight by these lunatics. He had no idea who they were or what he had done to them, but he also knew they weren’t going to show mercy and they couldn’t be bought. That was just instinct coming through and Ryan knew to trust his gut.

“I kind of wish it wasn’t snowy, I’d like to curb stomp your fucking skull in.” Jon sighed, then looked towards the old rendering plant. “You know who the Joker is, right? How he got his ass dropped in a vat of acid?”

“That’s sick, bro.” But… it was smart. It’d take a long ass while to find the body, if ever.

“I-I never watched it…please, gentlemen…”

Nick was sick of the formalities from this asshole and slammed his foot into the side of his head, ordering him to shut the hell up.  Ryan clutched his head, whimpering and pleading on his knees in the cold snow to spare his life.  It was falling on deaf ears.  Nick looked up at Jon and could see the resolve in the man’s eyes, knowing his mind was made up.  There was no changing it.  Jon had made it clear this dickhead had to die, but he hadn’t been clear on the specifics or how it would go down.  Now he did. “Up on your feet, dick.  We’re going for a little walk…” He yanked Ryan up by the back of his neck and punched him in the gut for good measure, watching him crash to the snow on his knees again. “What a pussy.”

“That’s what happens when you get soft, bro,” Jon said scathingly. “You can’t take your shit on your feet, like a real fucking man!” He planted his knee in Ryan’s chin, watching as blood spurted out of the man’s mouth and sighed. Bending over, he grabbed the smaller, older man and hoisted him up over his shoulder. “Try not to bleed everywhere, okay?” He led the way to the old plant, following the well-worn path through the snow. Hobos and homeless, junkies and whores, this place was somewhere people came, which was cool, it meant nobody would think twice about their tracks. Tonight it was all clear though, which was even better.

Nick followed silently, seeing the man unable to lift his head because of blood loss from his head injury as well as his face.  Jon wasn’t lying; he was going to dump this sack of shit into a vat of acid!  Where the hell did he find this place anyway?  Then again, it was Cincinnati, his hometown and where he grew up.  Jon knew this place like the back of his hand and he hadn’t grown up in the most…pleasant conditions.  Once they were inside, Jon ordered Nick to make sure there wasn’t a blood trail in the snow on the way here.  If there was, it would be evidence, should anyone come here.  Nick nodded in understanding and went to do as Jon requested, refusing not to deliver since he’d been paid a shit ton of money to do this.

While Nick was off concealing evidence, Jon lugged Ryan up onto the rusted, rickety scaffolding. “So, Ryan, I really think this is for the best,” He said conversationally, glad he was on the strong side or else this trip with this useless meatsack would suck. “Because you’re terrible at your job, you know? You question everything about everything and then you get proven wrong by sales…” His shirts, for example. Those were still selling fantastically. “And you’re a shitty boss.” Which was the reason they were here. “Smell that?” He inhaled deeply, setting his boots onto the metal grating and peered down into one of the vats. “Delicious, isn’t it?”

“P-Please…please, I-I’ll give you a-anything you want!  I-I’m rich!  You can have my c-car!  Y-You can have e-everything I h-have, just spare my l-life!  D-Don’t kill me…” Ryan was grabbed by the throat, trembling from head to toe and finally looked into the cold, icy eyes of none other than Dean Ambrose.  There was light in here and he could see the man’s vindictive face, swallowing hard.  Why was he being targeted by this wrestler, of all people?  His words pierced through Ryan’s mind about being a shitty boss, trying to find the final piece of the puzzle. “I-I won’t…question you…anymore.  Please…” He clawed at Dean’s arm, trying to get the man off him and Dean’s hand just squeezed tighter.

“See, it’s not about me, Ryan, bucko. I’m just the one handling it for her.” Jon purposefully let that last bit out, waiting to see if there was anyone truly at home in Ryan’s beaten, addled skull.

There was, but only slightly. Ryan licked his lips as he mulled that all over, light and comprehension suddenly flaring in his eyes. “V-Vallea?” He whispered hoarsely, his hands still grasping at Jon’s as he was raised over the ledge.

“Vallea.” He dropped Ryan without a second thought. His hands dropped to the railing as he stared over, watching as Ryan landed right in that vat. The screams were instant. Music to his ears.

Nick was still outside cleaning up the mess Ryan had left behind, though it wasn’t a lot and easy to cover up.  He could faintly hear the shrill scream from the man from outside and knew Jon had done it, dropping him in the vat of acid.  What a way to die!  Nick did NOT envy that man one bit and made a mental note not to piss Jon off in the near future.  He really didn’t want to be dropped in a vat of acid – that’s not how he planned on leaving this world. “Hey man, everything is cleaned up and the car guys are ready for us to drop the Caddy off.  You sure you don’t wanna keep it as a souvenir?” He chuckled, turning to look at Jon and noticed the faraway look in his friend’s eyes. “Yo, Mox, you straight, man?”

“Yeah, I’m straight, bro.” Jon said, reaching out to grab his friend’s hand, pulling him in for a one-armed hug. “Thanks man, couldn’t have done it without you.”

“Hey, we’re brothers, you know I’d do-” Nick didn’t get to finish his sentence.

Because Jon had snapped his neck. Quick, hopefully painless, and he really didn’t want Nick to finish that sentence anyway. This was one murder he would probably feel remorse over, he didn’t need anything added to that. Sighing, he lifted Nick’s body and turned back towards the plant. One down and then he’d get rid of the caddy.

No witnesses.  There could be none because Ryan was a well-known man with a million dollar company.  A corporate stooge that enjoyed abusing his power when it came to his employees.  Vallea was the perfect example of that.  After Ryan had established himself with WWE, he had ordered Vallea to take the brunt of the work load that came with it.  Instead of hiring someone more qualified, he forced his personal assistant, since she was under contract, to do all the work by herself and bogged her down.  It was his way of slowly breaking her down into nothing and proving his superiority over her.  When Jon found that out, he had to act before Vallea wound up dead from exhaustion and stress.  She barely slept at night these days because she had so many deadlines to meet with the designs and whatnot.  Now, her problem was solved with Ryan’s death and hopefully, Vallea would be able to breathe a little easier with that sack of shit gone and out of her life forever, thanks to her mountain savior.

Her exhaustion had played out in his favor tonight. Jon had told her he was going to meet up with old friends from the neighborhood and she had nodded once before passing the hell out. He had done as he said, and then come and done this. Once the caddy was in place, he headed back to the bar he had been hanging out in, pretty sure a lot of people would swear up and down he had been there all night. He changed in the bathroom, stuffing the clothes he had just committed double homicides in into a black bag, planning on tossing them into a hobo’s burn barrel.

Right now, he needed a drink.

Chapter 19

“ARGH, where is he?!” Vallea growled, pacing a hole in the floor of her and Jon’s motel room while trying to call Ryan for the millionth time.  He had a meeting with Vince McMahon in just a few minutes and was nowhere to be found! “Honestly…” His phone kept going straight to voicemail and it was making her head hurt. “Damn it, I’m gonna have to reschedule the meeting at this rate…” Would Vince feel jilted over this?  They had only been in business together a short while…and Vallea wasn’t even halfway done with her Christmas shopping yet, which she planned on doing today after making sure Ryan made it to this meeting. “Fuck my life…”

“Babe, what’s wrong?” Jon poked his head out of the shower, steam billowing out the door as he pushed it open all the way. In the warm weather, he liked ice cold showers. In the winter, scalding hot. Vallea had shrieked the first time she had gotten into the shower with him, for both seasons. He stepped out, a towel wrapped around his muscular waist. He frowned, taking in the phone in her hand. “Problems with the office?” He snorted, letting his tone convey just how he felt about Ryan.

Vallea heaved a sigh, rubbing her temples and felt a headache coming on.  Liquid Advil gels had become her best friend lately. “I can’t get a hold of Ryan.  This isn’t like him.  No matter how big of an asshole he is, he’d NEVER miss a damn meeting with the likes of Vince McMahon.  It keeps going to voicemail and…shit, I have to call Vince and reschedule the meeting.” Muttering under her breath, she didn’t see the devious smile cross Jon’s face with her back to him while she made the call to the owner of WWE.  Marlena, Vince’s personal assistant, answered on his behalf and told Vallea she would relay the message to Mr. McMahon as soon as she could.  Tossing the phone on the bed, Vallea wrapped her arms around herself and chewed her thumbnail.  Ryan hadn’t called her either, which was one of the first things he did every morning, waking her up most of the time.  Today, she had been able to sleep in with Jon’s arms around her and he’d waken her up in the most delicious, wonderful way.  Having his head buried between her thighs, tongue fucking her, was an incredible way to be woken up instead of from a phone call from Ryan.

The smile gone, Jon walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around Vallea and pulled her back to lean into his body. There was nothing sexual about it, just soothing, reassuring. “This isn’t your problem, doll.” He said quietly. “He’ll probably show up later tonight or something. After he’s done giving you gray hairs.” More of them, he mentally amended, eyeballing the few strands that were slowly but surely graying. Ryan had done a number on her, and even in his death, he was going to do a number on her. At least, just for a little bit longer, it would pass.

Jon was right.  This wasn’t her problem and she had other things to worry about besides the whereabouts of that dickhead.  She snuggled back against him, feeling his strong arms tighten around her and his lips brushed against her neck in a purely comforting way. “You always know what to say to make me feel better, you know that?” She murmured, resting her hands on top of his against her stomach and inhaled his fresh scent. “I’m not doing any work today.  He’ll get over it.  I have the rest of my Christmas shopping to do.” She couldn’t wait to get home to Vegas and spend the holidays with Jon, even though it would be late since WWE had events, both house and televised, during the actual holidays. “Besides the house show, what else do you have planned today?”

“Some rest and relaxation baby, maybe some shopping of my own.” She was very secretive about her shopping and he knew she had a few people she was buying for. Him, not so much. He had been sort of eyeballing things for her, taking note of her likes and dislikes, remembering shit she had expressed admiration or fondness for. “You sure you don’t want to lay back down?” He gestured towards the bed. They still had some time, she looked like some extra sleep wouldn’t go amiss.

As if on cue, Vallea let out another long yawn and hated how tired she was all the time these days. “I swear, I feel like I’m never going to catch up on sleep.  I don’t remember ever being this tired in my life, not even after climbing a mountain.” Stress did that to a person and took its toll on their life. “Maybe a nap with you wouldn’t hurt…” Jon was already guiding her towards the bed and Vallea laid down with him, the towel still draped around his waist.  Once again, he knew exactly what she needed as her lips brushed his, his arm pulling her closer to him and just his body heat alone relaxed her from head to toe.  Staring into his eyes, Vallea felt something bubbling up inside of her and it was a mixture of fear and excitement, such a weird combination.  She caressed his bearded face, noticing he’d trimmed it down, but it was still soft to the touch. “I love you, Jon.” The words left her mouth before she could stop them and Vallea kept perfectly calm, meaning it with every fiber of her being.  They’d been together for a while now and she couldn’t hold back how she felt for him any longer.

Well that was unexpected, Jon blinked down at her, pretty sure he was telegraphing his surprise that she had actually said that to him. Truth be told, a lot of women over the years had told him that they loved him, and he was sure they did, in their own crazy ass ways because they were all maniacs. But Vallea, she was a different breed, a woman unlike any other he had known, and when she said it, he believed her. “Good, that helps.” He said finally, smiling slightly as he leaned forward to brush his lips against hers. It did, it made what he had done even more worth it, he was glad he had done it. Sure, there’d be a rough bit going forward, but they’d weather it and she’d be free of Ryan forever.

Normally, any other woman would’ve been put out for the man not to respond the same notion, the same feelings.  Not Vallea.  She really was a different breed and honestly didn’t care if he loved her or not.  It felt as if another weight had been lifted from her shoulders because at least he knew where she stood.  Maybe in time, he would say the words back, but then again, maybe not.  It didn’t bother her like it probably should have.  She simply snuggled against his chest, draped an arm over his waist and was out like a light in minutes, the sound of Jon’s heartbeat lulling her to sleep.

Any other woman would have been kicked the hell out of his bed and out of his life for dropping those words when there wasn’t even a year under their belt relationship wise. So, for him to say that, with a smile, not a bad thing on his end. He was new at this, at least that’s what he was telling himself. Besides, he had killed for her, he got a pass. She didn’t know any of that and never would. Sighing, he simply let his head rest against hers, hearing her soft, steady breathing as she slept. Good, she needed it. “I love you too, doll.” He murmured, kissing her hair.

She didn’t hear anything or feel that kiss, too busy in dreamland.

~!~

Ryan was missing.  It was official.  Nobody knew of his whereabouts and they couldn’t even find his car, his Cadillac.  He had driven that bad boy all the way from Vegas to here in order to bring it on the road.  The company put it on the truck whenever they had to fly to the next town because he refused to leave his Caddy at home.  It was nowhere to be found.  It’d been 2 weeks since the disappearance of Ryan and authorities were all over Cincinnati, trying to find his body.  It was obvious he was dead.  Vallea didn’t know what to think or believe, trying to wrap her mind around the fact Ryan was more than likely dead.  She had no idea what he did in his spare time while he bogged her down with a job she should’ve been compensated more for.  Still, she couldn’t help mourning the man because nobody deserved to die under mysterious conditions, more than likely murder, due to the fact the last place he was seen had been in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Vallea was currently on the phone with Ryan’s company, the new head honcho named Dorian Dye and listened to what he told her. “So in a nutshell, you want to hire me as the new liaison and keep me on the road with the WWE?” She would basically be the spokesperson between the companies for future merchandise – something she had already been doing under Ryan’s cruelty. “I would have to leave the agency I currently work for, I assume?”

“Yes, you would but we would be more than willing to pay you a sign-on bonus, immediately, for any distress.” Dorian said politely. Unlike Ryan, he wasn’t an asshole. He wasn’t someone you’d get buddy-buddy with, but he understood the concept of basic human decency and respecting other people. Ryan, according to what the police HAD been able to find out, had spent his night with a whore… in a seedy part of town. No doubt he had been murdered because of how expensive he looked. “You’ve been with him there all this time, acting on his behalf, so we’re assuming you’ve developed contacts.”

“Yes, sir.  Ryan had me collaborate with WWE officials and staff on several Superstars with merchandise.  I gave them my contact information because Ryan didn’t want to deal with it.” Vallea would not lie, not even for a dead man, and heard Dorian heave a heavy sigh over the phone. “I appreciate the sign-on bonus, truly.  That’s very generous of you.  I will call the agency and put my resignation in and I accept your offer to work exclusively with the company going forward.” At least she would still be able to travel with her boyfriend and they wouldn’t have to be apart like before.

“Excellent, if there’s anything we can do to expedite the process, please call me.” Dorian said before adding his goodbye and ending the call.

Jon stared at her. She had been on the phone all day it seemed, and apparently this was the final call of the day. “Good news, bad news?” He asked, sorting through his laundry and procuring a fresh outfit for after his match shortly. “You look a bit… stunned, doll.” She had been worried, he knew that, this bit with Ryan had complicated her position both here with him and then with the agency. “Vall?”

“Yeah?” Vallea slowly set her phone down on the bed, trying to digest the conversation she just had with the new CEO of Ryan’s company. “Yeah…” Standing from the bed, she walked over to stare out the window of their hotel room and wrapped her arms around herself, no snow on the ground.  They were currently in Texas, deep south in Corpus Christi, so there was no snow compared to other parts of the country.  It was currently raining outside, in the low 70’s, which was about as cool as this part of Texas would get at this time of year. “I – um…I just got a new job with Ryan’s company…as their new liaison…and I have to put my resignation into the agency…”

It took him a few minutes to digest all that, finally everything clicking. “Wait, you’re… the liaison? How does that work?” What exactly had he gotten her into? He listened as she explained her new role, which was basically everything she had already been doing. Ryan had had her doing all this for peanuts for weeks now, and it sounded like the quality of her life was about to raise exponentially. “This is good news, right doll?” He asked tentatively, unsure of how she felt about it. One very nice thing about Ryan being dead was that she didn’t have to sneak around to be with him anymore. Granted, they weren’t going out of their way to announce their relationship, but they weren’t hiding it anymore either.

“I-I yeah…yeah, I guess it is.  I’ll be making more money and finally be compensated for all the work I’ve done while under Ryan’s tyranny.  They’re also giving me a sign-on bonus, but I have no idea what that entails.  I’ve been with the agency for a while, so leaving is not going to be easy.” That part bothered her because it meant she wouldn’t be able to work with Monique anymore.  She also had other friends within the agency, but this would change her life for the better. “Is it wrong to feel…vindicated in a way with his death?  Or am I a selfish, heartless bitch?”

“Well…” Jon said slowly, digging into his pouch of chew as he considered her, tucking a piece behind his bottom lip. “Mmm.” His icy blues were soft as he studied her face. She looked sort of disgusted with herself and he shook his head. “That man was a scumbag, Val. He was running you into the ground, you were on your way to a heart attack or a nervous breakdown, doll.” That was just a plain fact. Hell, even now she was starting to look better, she was finally sleeping again, properly. “I’m not saying it’s good that he’s dead, but… it doesn’t make you selfish or heartless.” Nah, that was all him.

“Dorian noticed it too and pointed it out to me, after I told him everything I’ve been doing for Ryan.” The man was still missing, not pronounced dead yet, but it was a body search right now.  They were certain Ryan was dead and she thought no differently.  Nobody did. “I need to make this phone call before I lose my nerve and email Margaret instead of telling her over the phone.  Then, I’m all yours and we can do whatever you want.  I know I’ve been busy on the phone all day, want to go to dinner or something?” Even with her new position and Ryan’s death, she felt as if she could eat a horse.

“Yeah sure, sounds good.” Jon gestured at her to have at it. He was good at occupying himself. While she continued working up her nerve, Jon began fiddling in the bathroom, trimming his facial fuzz and eyeballing his hair. He needed to get his ass into the gym, maybe he’d take up a routine or something. He had had a few sleepless nights since Ohio, both of them revolving around Nick because he didn’t give two shits about Ryan. It was a shame he had had to take care of a friend though. But Nick had kept asking him if he was sure, that right there wasn’t a good thing.

Chapter 20

“Oh Vallea, don’t worry about us over here, dearie.  You’ve done more than enough for us and we’re happy for you, truly.” Margaret assured her softly, after Vallea started crying over giving her resignation. “Are you sure this is what you want to do?”

“Yes.  I can’t pass this opportunity up and Dorian is so much better to work for than Ryan was.” Vallea murmured, wiping her tears away and could feel her chest clench painfully because Monique had no idea about this yet.

“You always have a home here with us, if things don’t work out.  Remember that, Vallea.”

She sniffled, nodding and could hear Jon in the bathroom, taking a deep, shaky breath. “Thank you.  Goodbye, Margaret.” She hung up the phone and tossed it on the bed again, shutting her eyes to let another weight lift from her shoulders.  Now, all that was left was to call Monique, but she would wait to see the woman in person to break the news to her.

“You gonna call Momo?” Jon asked from the bathroom, having heard Vallea end the call. He wasn’t surprised by the silence and popped his head out, seeing the look on her face. “She’s going to be happy for you, Val. She hated Ryan for one, and two, she’s like your best friend.” And she was hella cool, he knew because he had made her HIS friend on the grounds that she was banging his best buddy.

“I’ve been on the phone a lot today…” Vallea sounded wary and frowned when Jon took her phone to place it back in her hand, edging back toward the window. “I’ll try to be quick.” She flashed him an apologetic smile and dialed the number, waiting with bated breath for Monique to answer.  She did on the third ring.

“Hey girl, what’s up?” Monique was cheerful as always, even with the disappearance of Ryan.  She honestly didn’t care for the guy and hoped he was dead, as awful as that sounded. “Don’t tell me you’re moping over that asshole.  I’ll kick your ass if you are.”

Vallea laughed softly, shaking her head. “Not on your life.  No, but…something happened and I need to talk to you about it.  You’re not busy, are you?”

“Nope, fire away.  Wait, did you and Jon break up?”

“No!  Why would you even ask me that?”

“Well, you sound…off.  I don’t know.  You don’t sound happy and that man can keep a smile on your face like no other.  So, what’s going on?”

Vallea launched into the story of what happened with Ryan’s company and the new CEO, Dorian, the job offer, her resignation from the agency, all of it. “As much as I love the agency, this gives me a chance to better my life with more pay and I get to stay on the road with Jon.  I…I told him I love him, Monique.  I’m really serious about him and…I don’t know, I just feel like I HAVE to do this.  That means we won’t be working together anymore…unless you want me to freelance for you or something…”

Monique was silent for a moment, digesting all of that and finally she inhaled deeply. “Okay, okay.” She was calm. “As your friend, I am so happy for you girl, you have no idea. You got a bad ass job AND more time with your bad ass man.” She liked Jon, he was just what Vallea needed in her life. “As your sometimes boss, you fucking suck! Where am I going to find someone as awesome as you?” But there was no bite in her tone, mostly teasing.

“Look, I know I promised you to help out in Ohio and I’ll still do that.  I just…need to work it into my schedule, which I’m sure I can…” Maybe spreading herself too thin wasn’t the best thing in the world to do, but she had promised to help Monique.

“No, no absolutely not, no.  You’re not stressing yourself out MORE than what that asshole did.” Monique argued, caring more about Vallea’s wellbeing than her company or her need of a personal assistant. “I will find someone else, they just won’t be as awesome as you.  And you BETTER keep in contact with me, woman.  I still want our coffee dates whenever you’re in Vegas.”

“That’s a promise and I won’t lose touch with you.  By the way, how are things going with the Samoan stud in your life?”

“Hmmm let’s just say things are progressing very well.  I’m spending Christmas with him and his family in Pensacola this year, actually.  Heading there once Joe has his days off.”

“Jon and I are spending it in Vegas, walking the strip with all the Christmas lights and then staying at either his place or mine.” She wasn’t sure about that yet and would have to finalize everything with Jon during dinner tonight.

“Christmas in Vegas, you know, it’s pretty much like any other night other than the big ass tree.” Monique said after a moment, chuckling. Vegas was the city of lights and it never slept, Christmas was pretty much the same. “One day, I might go somewhere that gets snow for Christmas.” She highly doubted it, she liked her warmer weather. The only thing she liked about snow was how pretty it was in pictures.

“Yeah, Jon is NOT a fan of snow at all.  Even though we’re Midwest kids and grew up in the snow, we both despise it and would rather just spend it in the desert.” She giggled when Jon shouted out ‘DAMN RIGHT!’ behind her and shook her head. “Listen, I hate cutting this short, but we’re getting ready to head out for some dinner.  I’ll keep you posted on what’s going on, though.”

“You better.  Talk to you soon.”

Vallea hung up, feeling a lot better now that all the phone calls were done and she could finally breathe, slowly turning to face Jon. “I’m all yours now, handsome.” She softly kissed him, knowing he had chew in his mouth and simply brushed her lips against his.

“Yeah, for tonight. Wait until Vinnie Mac learns you’re the new liaison, I bet he runs your pretty ass around in circles just to make sure you-” Jon hesitated and cocked his head to the side as he studied her. “Shit, Val, I hope Dorian whoever he is can talk Vince into letting you stay on. The old man is a dick when it comes to abrupt changes in his business.” But… if Vince sat down and spoke with Val, he didn’t doubt Vince would want her to stay, she was a gem at her job.

She simply smiled at him, caressing his beard with a new air confidence. “I’m not worried about that. I’ve been working closely with Vince since Ryan handed all the work to me.  The only thing Ryan did with Vince was meetings and I was an attendance for all of them besides the very first one.  I don’t think he’s going to have a problem with me being the new liaison.  And just for the record, I’m all yours regardless of my job.  Now feed your woman, I’m hungry.”

“Oh no doll, YOU feed ME,” Jon laughed, shaking his head before brushing his nose against hers. “You’ve kept me alllll day, Val.” He was picking on her and winked to let her know it. “What sounds good? Let’s go out babe.” They’d been living on hotel food and whatever fast food drive thru was nearest. Mostly because for awhile she’d been too dead to drag anywhere without risking her falling asleep, and now all these damn phone calls.

“Well, there’s an Outback Steakhouse not far from here we could go to.” She suggested lamely, not knowing Corpus Christi at all or where all the small diners were, which is what Jon preferred. “Honestly, I wouldn’t mind sinking my teeth into a nice hunk of meat.” No pun intended. “Steak sounds good, we’re going there.” Taking his hand, she lead him to the door with an extra kick in her step, makeup free and full of vigor for the first time in over 3 months.

Outback Steakhouse, it took Jon awhile before he remembered why he liked the place. “Onion blooms, blossoms, something.” He said, snapping his fingers with the hand that wasn’t on the steering wheel. He grinned when Vallea gave him an amused look from her seat. “Deep fried onion, oh my God it’s so bad for you but so delicious…” Yep, he was going to have to get back into that gym routine. “And of course, doll, a nice juicy piece of meat for your beautiful mouth.” He caught her hand before she could nail him, knowing he would’ve deserved it. He should have killed Ryan sooner.

“Don’t make me puke, please.  I love you, I really don’t want to puke all over you.” She mocked vomiting with a finger in her mouth, rolling her eyes at Jon’s balking face and laughed.  It was full of mirth and life, the light back in her hazel orbs.  It had been gone ever since she started working with Ryan, even while traveling with Jon.  Vallea hadn’t been the same upbeat, energetic firecracker she’d been when Jon first met her.  Hopefully, she would get back to who she used to be now that Ryan was gone.

“Babe, you throw up on me and I might have to hurt you.” Jon threatened, pulling into the parking lot and surveyed the other vehicles. It wasn’t overly busy, that was a plus. He hated waiting twenty or thirty minutes just to get a seat. And this also meant they were less likely to be bothered. “I’ll paddle that ass…” He leaned over the seat to kiss her, biting down gently on her bottom lip. “Or ride it…” That could fun too, maybe a combination of both.

Her cheeks flamed up as Vallea groaned at his teasing, her stomach rumbling stopping her from pursing anything else. “First we’re eating and then we’ll talk about you riding my ass.” Anal sex was not something to fear – if done right, it was the most exotic and intense, pleasurable experience a woman could have during sex.  If Jon wanted to ride her ass, who was she to deny him, but there would be prep work first.  They would definitely have to work their way up to that point because jumping right into it wasn’t an option.  Walking inside, they were seated almost right away at a booth in the far corner of the restaurant and each ordered a beer. “I can’t remember the last time we actually went out and had a meal together like this.”

And there would never, ever be anal sex after a meal, that was just never happening. He pushed all that out of his mind, not wanting to ruin his appetite with disgusting visuals. “It’s been… a long time.” He couldn’t think of a time either. He knew there was probably something, but chances were she had been near asleep or on her cell conducting business because Ryan was an asshole. Reaching across the table, Jon took her hand and squeezed gently. “You got roses coming back into your cheeks, Val.”

Tears pooled in her eyes because she had made Jon suffer right along with her and didn’t even realize it until now. “I didn’t mean to…” Get ahold of yourself, Vallea, for god’s sake, she mentally chastised herself, taking a deep breath and squeezed his hand in return. “I won’t ever neglect you again, Jon.  I should’ve told him to shove the work up his ass and dealt with the consequences.  But I’m here now and I promise, I will make time for you and our relationship from now on.” How did she get so lucky to find a man who put up with a woman who put her career first before him?  Jon should’ve left her high and dry long ago, but he hadn’t and he’d stuck by her side, through all the trials and tribulations, tears and anguish she’d endured from Ryan.

“Whoa, slow your roll.” Jon said sharply, shaking his head. “Vallea, you told me when we first got together,” More like when they first started seeing each other. “That you were a career woman and I accepted it, just like you accepted me being on the road all the time because of what I do. I never had an issue with that. My issue was that bastard abusing you the way he did.” And that would never happen again because Jon was a problem solving kind of guy. “I just want you to be happy, doll. If that means working until your eyes bleed, so be it.” Obviously, that wasn’t happening but she got the picture.

“I know, but that was then and this is now.  I’m still career-orientated and that’ll probably never change about me, but…I need to stop every now and then to smell the roses.  To feel the sunshine on my face and breathe fresh air.  I haven’t done that since I started working for that…that…” Vallea gritted her teeth, knowing it was wrong to curse a dead man and shut her eyes, reigning her temper in. “Anyway, what’s done is done and now I can continue doing things without him hovering over me or breathing down my neck, warning me of deadlines.  It’ll be nice to be left to my own devices.”

That acid bath eating piece of melted shit, Jon finished mentally for her, flashing her a sweet smile. “Am I a device?” He teased, taking a long pull from his beer. “You can get at me all you want.” Well, within reason. He had a feeling they’d wind up in jail if they did something on live TV or in front of fans, though the idea of it brought a wicked smirk to his face. “We need a vacation babe, I bet you could take one while they’re sorting out all the paperwork.”

“We never did go to that bed and breakfast up in the mountains in Tennessee…” Vallea pointed out wistfully, remembering how heartbroken she’d been when Ryan demanded her to work on her supposed days off.  Jon was PISSED and let her know it, but there was nothing she could do at the time.  She sipped her beer thoughtfully, sliding the pad of her thumb around the rim of her beer bottle. “Speaking of a vacation, what are we doing for Christmas since we’ll be back in Vegas?  Maybe we should take one then since you’ll have an entire week off and so will I.” Because her schedule coincided with his and the WWE.

“Christmas is sacred, babe, you don’t take vacations on Christmas.” Jon said, his entire face serious as he regarded her. “You set up the tree, the decorations, you order Boston Market, and open the presents you bought yourself.” He began laughing. She had looked so serious when he first started that sentence, only to realize he was being a dill. Jon had no idea why the waitress had left straws, he had no idea why Vallea got hers out of its wrap. Then she had spat beer at him via the straw. “Val!” All in his face, but he was laughing.

Chapter 21

Vallea covered her mouth with her hand after doing that, eyes wide and couldn’t stop laughing, feeling as though she was choking.  She had aspirated some of the beer and luckily, none came out of her nose. “Boston Market?  Really?  No, if you want to be REALLY traditional, you make a damn ham or turkey with all the fixings, darling.” She batted her eyelashes at him, smiling serenely and helped wipe the spit beer from his face. “And I don’t think there’s gonna be time to put up a tree and decorations either…” Not with their hectic schedule, even if they had 5 days off coming up.

“Wrong, it takes me less than an hour to get my Charlie Brown special up.” Jon had done a real tree in Vegas only ONCE, and he would never do it again. Even with water in the container thingy, it had still been so dry that the damn thing had caught fire from the lights. He was good with his tiny little fake tree with the LED lighting. “It’s the full nine yards babe, you’ll see.” He said confidently, now mopping beer off his face and inhaled deeply. “Oh yes, food is coming….” He was starving, his appetite had returned full force, seeing her so happy and relaxed.

“Charlie Brown special?  I love Charlie Brown!  If you have the Charlie Brown Christmas tree…” Vallea beamed when a Cheshire smirk curved his lips and clasped her hands together. “You do!  That is awesome!  We’re watching the Merry Christmas Charlie Brown special too.  I have it on DVD and watch it every year.” They were definitely staying at Jon’s place this year for the holidays, which was perfectly fine with her.  All she had to do was go home to grab her belongings for the road and that wouldn’t take too long.  Doing laundry was a must too. “I still have to finish my Christmas shopping too.  Mind if we stop at a few places after this to see if I can knock it out?  I already got yours, so I don’t mind you tagging along with me.”

“That’s fine, I’m going to need to work off the onion blooms anyway.” Bad, greasy food that they were. Why was all the delicious food bad for you? When he retired from wrestling, Jon had every intention of getting fat and dying from fair food, life goals right there. “You’ll still love me when I’m fat, right, babe?” He asked, smiling at the look on her face, that was a bit of a topic swerve and he knew it. “And do you know where you want to go?” He didn’t know much about this area, Texas kind of sucked.

“Of course I’ll still love you, even if you go completely bald and have a pot belly.” Vallea assured him with a chuckle and tried one of the onion blooms, immediately spitting it out in a napkin.  Ugh.  She shouldn’t have because fried onion were gross and nothing would change her mind on them.  At least the had SOME differences as far as food went. “There were some shops near downtown I was eyeballing on our drive here.  Or maybe I should just wait until we get home and do it then.” Vegas was a lot better shopping wise then this place. “Yeah, I’ll just wait.” Her order of chicken wings arrived and she dug in.

“Uh, no, we’re going shopping today. I still need to find Joe something.” Jon tended to do gag gifts, and he was already thinking about something very redneck for his buddy. “Besides, I want to see what kind of shopper you are.” Some women were all crazy about shopping, some weren’t. Same with men. He tended to be borderline, he had to be in a specific mood. “There is NOTHING wrong with those onion blooms by the way.” He crunched one with a grin. “Pot belly and bald?” He hoped he didn’t go bald.

“I would HOPE you wouldn’t let yourself go THAT much, not until you’re much older, anyway.  But if you do, my feelings for you won’t change a bit.” Their food arrived a few minutes later, along with fresh beers and, by the time they finished, Vallea felt like she was ready to explode.

“Dessert?”

“Oh god no, no thank you.  I can’t eat anything else.” She had devoured all of her wings and the entire meal; Vallea hadn’t eaten like that in months and was sure she’d gained at least 10 pounds alone.  It was definitely time to hit the gym; she hadn’t done that either due to how busy she’d been lately. “Just the check, please.”

“Right away, miss.”

“I’m paying for this meal tonight, Good.  Don’t even THINK about grabbing that check when it gets here.  This is my treat since you wanted me to take you out.” Vallea smirked, leaning back against the booth and groaned, hoping he really didn’t explode all over the place.  That would be a mess to clean up.

“That is true, I did.” Jon had absolutely no problem in letting her pick up the check and he leaned back, folding his hands behind his head as he grinned at her. “I’ll treat you next time, to a Jack in the Box.” He was teasing, and she knew it by the way she was now laughing at him. “So can you cook? This ham or turkey we’re gonna do?” He could decorate, and buy the groceries, she could make him a delicious meal like the good little house mouse- “OW!” Apparently Vallea seen the thoughts on his face because he had just gotten a kick to his shin. “I’ll cook, ma’am.” He groaned, bending down to rub the spot.

“No, we’ll cook together.  We’ll decorate together.  Everything will be done TOGETHER.” Vallea informed him, her tone leaving no room for argument and smiled up at the waiter handing over the check. “Thank you.” She would leave a good tip since he left them alone for the most part, only coming back with drinks and asking twice if they needed anything else.  She hated overly friendly waiters and waitresses that bothered people every couple minutes.  After handing over her card and scrawling her signature on the paper, the waiter took off to do the transaction.  Ten minutes later, they were walking out of Outback Steakhouse and Vallea groaned, holding her stomach. “A walk is definitely in order.  Those shops are just across the street, let’s leave the car here and go shopping to work off some of this food.”

“It’s like we’re married, you’re already telling me how shit’s gonna be.” Jon said as they crossed the street, his fingers laced tightly with hers. “Do I need to get my checks deposited into your account too, wifey?” Which was definitely a joke because he would never do that one. Ever. He had money issues and control over his money issues. Luckily for him, she knew about said issues and didn’t heckle him over it.

She snorted, rolling her eyes and leaned against him, feeling his arm tighten around her waist. “Please don’t call me that.  We’re not even CLOSE to talking about marriage.” That gave her slight anxiety.  Vallea wasn’t the marrying kind and probably never would be.  She didn’t know if she’d accept a proposal from Jon, if he ever asked her.  Something told her he wasn’t the marrying kind either. “And I’ll never add my money to anyone’s account; I prefer to keep my funds separate.” Her money was her money, bottom line.

“Exactly, see, this is why I love you. You GET it.” Jon crowded, then frowned. “Babe, this is NOT the place to be stopping.” She had froze in the middle of the crosswalk. He lifted her up by the waist and carried her the rest of the way, depositing her back onto proper, safe sidewalk. “I know I’m all that and a few bags of chips, but stopping was a bad idea. It’s because of what I said right?” He wasn’t as romantic about it as she was, he knew it, but he also knew he loved her. He had MURDERED for her.

“S-Sorry…sorry…”

Christ, she didn’t expect him to say it back so soon, maybe ever!  Her heart was hammering against her chest and it felt like it would fly out to land at her feet at any second.  Jon loved her and she was having a complete chick moment, which was embarrassing.  Vallea had never told another man she’d loved them – she didn’t toss that word around lightly.  Did he?  Probably not, considering how he’d been brought up, which was mostly by his grandparents since his mother wasn’t around for him a lot of the time throughout his childhood. 

Jon had told her all about it and it broke her heart to hear, but it also brought them closer because she’d been in a similar situation, only her parents had died when she was a young girl.  She’d been put in foster care and finally left at the age of 18, when they kicked her out of the orphanage -nobody had adopted her- to start her life, where she found Vegas.  The road was treacherous to get here, but Vallea wouldn’t have changed a single thing.  It lead her to where she was today, with a handsome, strong, adventurous and slightly off the rails man, who loved her.  They were both from Ohio too, which was crazy in itself, at least to her it was. 

His sentiment didn’t have to be romantic, hers had just popped out of her mouth before she could stop it because of all the intense feelings bottled up inside of her.  The feelings that had developed, bloomed and blossomed and it was more than just mind-blowing sex between them.  There was a deep, raw connection that kept drawing them together and the only logical explanation was love.  Maybe it truly was love at first sight when he saved her from that mountain – Vallea was starting to think that was a possibility of happening.  She didn’t believe in fairytales; everyone had to work hard for what they wanted in life and no woman ever truly got her prince charming, but Jon was about as close to a prince charming as she would ever get.

“Cool, we love each other.  Awesome.” Vallea did a thumbs up and grabbed his hand as they started down the sidewalk again.

He returned the thumbs up with a goofy grin followed immediately by a hand right to her ass, smirking when she jumped. “You should be swooning, doll. I’m quite the catch.” He informed her, then stopped in front of some weird looking store. “Looks all witchy, let’s go inside.” Places like these were so full of shit. Lots of bullcrap about magic, but also the best places to get statues, incense, and other misc things he liked.

“I’m not commenting, I don’t need your head swelling up even more.  Your top one, anyway.” She smirked at his groan, knowing that was a blatant tease and began looking through the store.  They hadn’t had sex in over 2 months due to how exhausted and stressed Ryan made her.  Something told Vallea they would be making up for lost time now that Ryan was gone and she didn’t have nearly as much pressure on her.  Sexy times would come later, but right now she had shopping to do.  There was a beautiful lamp that had a spider web design on it.  Monique was a huge fan of Spiderman; it was her secret fetish and she’d even gone to a Halloween party one year dressed as a spider woman.  Placing it in the cart, she decided that would be Monique’s Christmas present.

Jon let her browse by herself, instantly locating the good smelling stuff. He liked candles well enough, but he forgot about them which made them a fire hazard. Incense was the way to go. He loaded up on several different kinds after smelling them, not going with anything too strong because he had no idea how Vallea was when it came to this shit and incense was heavy. Then, his eyes landed on a figurine on top of a shelf. It was massive, and he had to have it, for her.

Candles were her favorite, so she picked up some of those, not realizing Jon’s phobia of fire.  She would take them to her place anyway, just to have.  This wasn’t the first time they had shopped together; she knew Jon was into this kind of thing, so she picked up a few more items she thought he’d like for Christmas.  While he kept browsing, she checked out and asked for certain items to be double bagged, not wanting him to see them.  Just as she finished, with bags in hand, Jon came waltzing up and told her to wait outside.  She smiled at him, not questioning it and obeyed, sitting down on the nearby bench with the bag in front of her on the sidewalk.  A few minutes later, he joined her and she didn’t bother peeking in the bag, simply grabbing his hand to continue strolling down the sidewalk to look at all of the other stores.  Walking off their big meal was the smartest decision they could’ve made.

Jon’s bag was an actual cloth tote thing, with his box wrapped in brown paper so its contents couldn’t be seen on the packaging. He had dropped a lot of money on this, but he had seen it and he had to have it for her. It had been the colors that had gotten to him, they were desert colors when the sun was first rising, streaking the dark sands with its deep reds that gradually became orange like fire until settling into the various shades of brown. She had always found the desert to be beautiful, harsh but beautiful, and this statue seemed to be manmade crystals, piled together in those shades, harsh yet beautiful. When the sun hit it just right, it would bring a bit of the desert into her home.

Once they were back at the hotel, Jon and Vallea tore into each other like never before, their mouths crashing together. “Make love to me, Jon.” Vallea breathed out the sweet request, aching to feel him inside of her again.  Two months was far too long to be without each other and she vowed to never let it happen again.  Jon obliged, apparently needing her as much as she did him.  Instead of screwing each other hard and fast, Jon went agonizingly slow and laced their fingers together, slowly driving his cock in and out of her warm receptive body.  His lips caressed her neck and chest before finally resting them against hers, their breathing turning harsh.  It was the most intense sex they’d had yet with each other and Vallea chalked it up to the fact they both admitted how they truly felt.

They loved each other and nothing, nobody, would tear them apart.

Chapter 22

Drake Younger, who was a referee on the main roster and one of Jon’s old friends from the Indies, trudged down the hallway with sorrow in his heart, tears in his eyes.  He couldn’t believe what he’d just heard from Scotty Vortekz, another wrestler in the Indies Drake and Jon knew well.  They were brothers and their friendship had never faltered, always having that connection.  The announcement had come over the radio throughout Cincinnati, Ohio of Nick’s disappearance, as well as Philadelphia, where he currently resided.  His girlfriend had been the one to report he was a missing person and they had to wait 72 hours before the search could officially begin.  He was still on probation from being in prison, so he couldn’t leave the state of Maryland for any reason, not unless the judge granted permission.  Nick had done it anyway to go to Cincinnati, Ohio and that was the last place he’d been spotted, according to his girlfriend, but she had no idea why he had gone there.  Scotty was convinced Nick was dead, even though nothing had been officially announced.  There was a search party out for him – Ryan’s had been disbanded after no luck.  The odd part was, the same night Ryan had disappeared, so had Nick and neither had been seen since.  Stopping outside of the locker room labeled Dean Ambrose, Drake knocked and waited for the ‘come in’ shout before pushing open the door, his head lowered. “Moxley.” The sound of his voice caused Jon to stop his pre-match warmup shadow boxing, his icy blues moving to Drake. “I need to tell you something, man…”

Considering not many people called him Moxley anymore… that was Jon’s heads up that there was a problem. Frowning, he moved to pull his friend inside and closed the door behind him. “What’s up, Drake?” He asked cautiously, gearing up for bad news. He listened as Drake began explaining about Nick being dead, his pale blue eyes widening. “No…” He shook his head, a hand moving up to try gripping his hair. He had cut his hair again, what was he thinking? “Don’t fuck with me.” He said, enunciating bits of words harshly.

“I-I’m not…” Drake couldn’t hold back the tears any longer, letting them trek slowly down his cheeks and could tell this hit Jon extremely hard. “H-He has a search party right now…and they think he was linked to that Ryan’s guys death.” Who still hadn’t been found yet. “You know Nicky was into some pretty deep trouble, even after the bank robbery.” That was what the man had gone to prison for in the first place. “I just can’t believe it…his girlfriend is the one who phoned in a missing person report to alert the police what Nick had done.  He wasn’t supposed to leave state and he did, he broke his probation.  So if he is alive, he’s in deep shit and in deep hiding.  I don’t think he’d do that though.  I don’t know why he broke his probation…” It was a clusterfuck mystery.

Except what his friends thought and what the police would think were two different stories, and Jon had known that. He had known about Nick’s shady shit, it had made him the perfect tool, the perfect accomplice. He just hadn’t expected Nicky to be so damn ‘are you sure’ about the whole thing. He groaned, dropping down into a crouch and buried his face in his hands, his head shaking back and forth.

“I know, man, I know…” Drake’s voice cracked, more tears falling over their lost friend and clamped his hand on Jon’s tensed shoulder.  The man didn’t cry; he couldn’t remember ever seeing Jon cry in all the time they’d known each other.  Even with all the powerful promos he delivered over the years, which a lot that was said had been the truth.  Jon had made lemonade out of the lemons life and fate had dealt him by channeling all those negative moments into the character that was now known as the Lunatic Fringe in WWE. “Shelly is gonna let me know when the services are.  There won’t be a body unless they can find him, but she said they’re only gonna search a few more days and then call it.”

“How can they call it without a body?” Jon whispered, rocking back and forth after shrugging away the hand. “What if he ran?” Last he knew, people weren’t declared dead until seven years had passed or a body was found. Up until that point, it was missing. He shook his head again, slowly straightening up onto his feet and stared intently at his friend. “They’ve checked all the people he used to fuck around with, right? Made sure he wasn’t into anything stupid?”

“As far as I know, yeah.  They said he could be connected to that guy Ryan because he went missing the same time Nicky did.” Drake wiped his tears away, shuddering at all the possibilities of what could’ve happened to their friend. “I mean, he was rich and that Ryan guy had been with a prostitute, according to reports.  They questioned her for hours, but nothing came of it and she was let go.  They can’t technically call him dead without a body, you’re right, but…Nicky wasn’t that smart when it came to running from authorities.  You know that.” He’d been busted within hours after the bank robbery happened – too much evidence left behind. “Scotty thinks Nicky was involved with that Ryan guy somehow.  Makes you wonder how they both went missing the same night and there’s no bodies, no evidence…”

Maybe Jon should’ve offed the whore. “I don’t man… did Nicky know the broad maybe? Maybe a shake-down gone wrong?” His voice came out hoarse, harsher than usual. It wasn’t unheard of, people teaming up to pull a con or something. Nicky wasn’t that bright, he could have been easily double crossed and then hung out to dry. Or die in this case.

“Maybe…that wouldn’t surprise me, actually.” It still didn’t hurt any less with his unofficial death. “All the prostitute said was she fucked Ryan, got paid and left.  She didn’t see Nicky anywhere and she had no idea where Ryan went next.  I don’t think she’s involved, but then again, could be wrong and she could be lying to save her own ass.” That was also a possibility. “Either way, it’s all fucked up and I was gonna wait to tell you, but…you deserve to know.  I gotta call Sami and tell him.” Sami Callihan was currently working for Impact Wrestling, which used to be known as TNA before the company was bought out and revamped. “Him and Nicky were close too…”

“Yeah, they were…” Jon said slowly, his voice distant. Poor Nicky. This could have been avoided if the man had quit asking questions and pussying out on him. “I can’t believe this, man…” He moved to drop down onto a metal folding chair, resting his hands on his knees and just shook his head again. “You let me know what, if, they find anything out, and about any funerals, please.”

“Yeah, I will, man.  Just…keep your head up and do what you do best out there.  You’re the best this company has, don’t forget that.” Drake figured a small pep talk was in order after dropping such a horrible bomb on Jon before his match that night.  Jon waved him off and Drake left, not realizing he’d been talking to both Ryan and Nick’s murderer or staring him in the face.

This was right after the holidays too.  Christmas had been wonderful for Jon and Vallea, their own Charlie Brown Christmas.  They had put up some lights, decorated the very small Charlie Brown tree and wrapped their presents for each other in separate rooms.  The figurine Jon had gotten her reminded her of the desert and currently in her bedroom at the condo.  It really was breathtaking.  Jon had also gotten her some jewelry, but no ring, just a beautiful necklace that had an orangish red stone.  Jon enjoyed his gifts too, which had been an AC/DC wall clock that went in his living room.  Luckily, it wasn’t that big, but it still went well with the décor of his bachelor pad.  She also got him a plain white gold chain since his broke a while back and he’d been talking about having it replaced.  They only got each other two things a piece, not needing to go overboard since their relationship was still fresh and new.  After exchanging gifts, they made love on the living room floor, right above the Charlie Brown Christmas tree.  It was perfect.

New Year’s was spent out in the desert at Red Rock Canyon, in the back of his truck with Hank Williams JR playing through the speakers.  Jon had brought a cooler with beer, champagne and snacks for them, along with a thick blanket to spread in the bed of the truck.  They gazed up at the stars, toasted each other with glasses of champagne, talked about what they wanted to happen in the year of 2019 and made love out in the open desert.  There was nobody around, they were out in the middle of nowhere and Vallea had zero problems riding her man completely naked in front of the Red Rocks.  She was sure screaming his name had echoed throughout the canyon as she climaxed and it was honestly a powerful feeling.

Now, they were both back to the grind after their 5 glorious days off and it’d been a month since Ryan had disappeared with no trace of him found anywhere.  It was as if he literally disappeared into thin air.  Nobody could find him or his remains.  They presumed him dead, kept the case open and everyone had moved on with their lives.  It was WrestleMania season now, a few weeks until the Royal Rumble, which would officially kick off the Road to WrestleMania.  It was supposedly a huge deal in the company, their Super bowl, so Vallea was bogged down with all new designs and everything for the event.  Not to the point of stressing her out, but Vince had granted her an office where she could work privately and have meetings with the Superstars to discuss their merchandise as well as WWE officials for the WrestleMania memorabilia.  Business was indeed booming and Vallea was getting back to old herself again.

“That is one fucking hot bitch.”

Jon had no idea who dipshit was talking about, he simply nodded. He was busy reviewing a potential script for this year’s WrestleMania, sitting at a table, drinking something that was supposed to be healthy but tasted like piss. That could have also been the chew in his mouth. Pretty much as soon as Drake had left, he had put it right back out of his mind. He was a murderer, he was the one who was going to live with it, die with it, probably burn in Hell for it. He could deal with all that because it was worth it, Vallea being happy was worth anything.

“So is it true, you’re the one fucking her?”

Jon didn’t even look up. He knew now who ‘fucking hot bitch’ was, his woman. He reached out at a nearly impossible speed, grabbed the other man’s shirt and pulled down hard, heading face smacking with table. “Yep.”

“Whoa, whoa Dean, calm down!” Joe was over to his friend in an instant, taking his hand away from Colby’s throat, who was known to the WWE Universe as Seth Rollins. “Christ man, what the hell did you say to him?”

“Only that that’s one hot bit-” Joe slapped a hand over Colby’s mouth, shaking his head warningly.

“Don’t say it again.  Her name is Vallea, get it through your head, Rollins.” Joe growled in a low voice, thankful Vince, Paul and Stephanie hadn’t saw that. 

Vallea was clueless as to what happened and currently had black dress pants, a deep wine colored long sleeved buttoned down top and her hair was pulled back in a tight bun on top of her head.  She smiled at something Vince said, jotting down the notes and tapped the pen in her hand against her lips in thought, suggesting something else.  Vince’s eyes went wide and then the old man cracked the barest hint of a smile, apparently agreeing with her suggestion.  She jotted it down as well and stepped out to go back to her office while the rest of the talent arrived for their meeting.  There was no need for her to be part of it since it had to do with the Superstars and their upcoming feuds for WrestleMania.

Jon had been quite calm when he had done that, he hadn’t turned red, no foaming or frothing at the mouth. Hell, he hadn’t even looked up to see the who, what or where, he had just reached out and introduced Rollins to the table. Word would reach Vallea, he was sure of it, it might take some time but gossip was constantly running in this place. It was the downside to the business.

“-then Dean bashed his head in apparently, there was blood.”

“I heard he had to get stitches…”

“I’m sorry, what?” Vallea looked up at the Bella Twins, Nikki and Brie, raising a slow brow at them. “Who are you talking about?” She’d been zoned out typing on her laptop and barely heard them come through the door to discuss their WrestleMania merchandise.  They had recently made their comeback three quarter of the way through 2018.

“Dean Ambrose.  Apparently, he bashed Seth’s head into the table at the meeting earlier today.”

“Seth needed stitches from the cut on his head.” Brie chipped in, folding her arms in front of her chest. “It wasn’t bad, but I wonder what set Ambrose off.”

“He’s a lunatic, anything sets him off.  That’s why John doesn’t like him or respect him very much.” Nikki Bella shrugged at the look of absolute shock on Vallea’s face. “Wait, are YOU dating him though?  How the hell can you be with someone like that?”

“For real.”

Jon had…hurt someone at work during a meeting?  That didn’t sound like him at all.  Granted, she knew he had a temper and he’d unleashed some of it upon her a time or two during petty fights they’d have, squabbles, but never had he hurt her physically. “Ladies, I think we should focus on your merchandise for WrestleMania.  I’m not talking to you about my personal life, no offense.” She kept a cool, calm demeanor, her tone sweet, but it did not touch her eyes. “Now, I was thinking of this one…” Professional all the way, but Vallea made a mental note to talk to Jon later on at the hotel about this incident.

Brie and Nikki dropped it, sharing looks. By the time they were done, however, they had already gotten it set into their identical heads that Vallea was potentially in an abusive relationship or something. The man was definitely unhinged and only someone equally crazy would defend him, or someone who was covering for him.

“Babe, is it my turn yet?” Jon had been fined so hard that he had physically flinched because that was a LOT of money and Jon LIKED his money. “Vince said- what’s wrong?”

Vallea jumped at the sound of his voice from the doorway, not expecting him to be standing there and could only hope he hadn’t overheard the gossiping twins. “In a minute, Dean.” She knew better than to call him by his birthname in the world place, even referring to Joe as Roman.  It was just the way things operated in WWE.  Her attention turned back to the twins. “Okay, so we agree this is the design you two want?”

Nikki and Brie nodded simultaneously, thanking her for her time and walked out past Dean Ambrose, leaving him alone with his girlfriend.

“Okay, this one and these are out.” Vallea muttered to herself, putting a big X through the other three designs since they were adamant about the one.  She tried not to let what the twins were talking about bother her and slowly looked up at the man she loved, shaking her head. “How much of that did you overhear from them?”

“How much of what?” Jon asked curiously, his head cocking to the side as he stared down at her out of slanted pale blue eyes. He hadn’t heard a thing because he wasn’t one for eavesdropping or snooping, that shit was just rude. The way Vallea was looking, however, told him that maybe he should because whatever the topic of conversation was, she looked… weird. “What’s up, doll? The Bella’s giving you shit?”

“We were not!”

“Brie!”

Chapter 23

Rolling his eyes, Jon poked his head out and spotted the pair being nosy. “Scat!” He growled, laughing when they shrieked and took off like their backsides were on fire. “What the hell is that all about?”

“They umm…” Vallea waved it off dismissively, not about to question Jon at their place of work. “Never mind, it’s nothing.  They were just gossiping like they always do and you came up in the conversation.  Not a big deal.” Jon wouldn’t lash out at someone unless they really deserved it, kind of like that man who tried ‘saving’ her from him when he bent her over his car.  Granted, he’d been a little rough with her, but Vallea hadn’t complained, rather enjoying when she was manhandled by Jon.  Not in a bad way either.  She was far from being in an abusive relationship when the man treated her like gold. “So, let’s get started on your designs for WrestleMania.  I was thinking of these, but there are others you can look at too.” She set them on the desk, sprawled out, so he could look at each choice the same.

Jon took his time, studying each design intently before finally placing a hand on one, the other hand on another and slid those towards her. “These, I like these.” He said, looking into her face. “This one more than the other.” He tapped said design in question. “But they’re both really good.” He had noticed an uptick in quality of designs since she had taken over. Vallea was taking this job seriously. She weeded out shit that she knew wasn’t going to make the cut, unlike Ryan had done. “Which one was your pick?” Because she usually already knew what he was going to pick before he did it and Jon was not surprised in the least when she smiled and pointed. “You know me a bit too well, babe. All the mystery is leaving.”

“I’m sure there’s still some mystery left and secrets to uncover about you.” Vallea walked around her desk to sit on top of it in front of him, pulling him to stand between her legs, her hands gliding up his bare chest. “Come here.” She crooked her finger, beckoning him to lower his head until his lips caught hers, kissing her passionately, only pulling back to break it when they both needed oxygen. “You know I love you, right?  And if there’s anything on your mind, good or bad, you want or need to talk about, I’m here for you.” Vallea caressed his bearded face, kissing him again and felt his arms wrap around her to pull her against him, her arms encircling his neck to deepen the kiss further.  Ever since Ryan’s disappearance, their sex life had skyrocketed back to where it used to be, fiery, passionate and smoldering.

Well, that wasn’t suspicious or anything, Jon mused, even while he was kissing her. If he had to chance a guess, he would assume the Bella’s had come in talking about what he had done to Rollins. “All right, beautiful,” He rumbled once the kiss was broken, his hands moving to grip her hips and rocked into her, letting her feel just what she had done to him. “Out with it. What’d the harpies say?”

Sighing, she rested her forehead against his and caressed his muscular arms, a slight nervousness entering her eyes. “They told me what you did to Seth Rollins.  You bashed his head on a table during the talent meeting regarding WrestleMania and…he needed stitches.” Her eyes never once left his, not an ounce of fear or judgment, only curiosity in them. “What happened?  Did he provoke you or something?”

“Mmm, no, not really.” Jon mused thoughtfully, though a slight hint of ice began glazing his eyes as he stared at her. “I was sitting there, drinking some new vitamin water shit they want us to endorse, and he was talking at me.” He stepped away from her, a hand moving up to stroke his beard as he snorted. “He was talking about a hot bitch, Val. And it wasn’t until I realized who he was talking about…” He shrugged. “I got a little pissed off. Nobody calls you a bitch and nobody is going to talk about you that way, especially in front of me.”

Seth was talking about her that way in front of Jon, KNOWING they were together?  Or maybe Seth didn’t.  They didn’t exactly announce it to everyone they were together, but then again…Vallea was so confused and let out a groan. “Oh, Jon…” Her tone was full of exasperation at him losing his temper over mere words instead of actions. “Good grief, it’s not like he sauntered up to me and hit on me.  I would understand you hurting him if he did.  I’m sure he didn’t mean anything by it.  Maybe ‘bitch’ is a term of endearment to him or something…” Once again, he had lost his temper with a man over the silliest things. “You really should learn to control your temper better and don’t let what others say get to you, especially about me.”

“It has nothing to do with liking you or not, and bitch is not a term of endearment to any man.” Jon said sternly. “He knew exactly who you were to me, or I might’ve let it slide. Seth and I go way back, Val, he knew he was pushing my buttons.” And he had paid the price for being a punk bitch button pusher, stitches sucked. “It’s about respect. You don’t have to understand doll, but that’s just how it is.” Seth had walked through the door that Seth had opened and Jon had proceeded to slam it in his face, so to speak.

“You’re right, I don’t understand it.  I’m sure the man didn’t deserve to be busted open at a meeting, of all places…” Vallea pulled away from him and slid off the desk to walk around to sit back in her chair, shaking her head. “So, what are you going to do when someone else inevitably talks bad about me and calls me names?  You gonna lash out and bust them open too?” She folded her arms in front of her chest, eyebrows drawing together. “Because that’s a surefire way to get your ass fired.  Handling it in the ring is one thing, but doing shit backstage…your temper is going to get you in trouble, Good, that’s all I’m saying.”

“Maybe, we’ll see I guess.” Jon shrugged his massive shoulders, a slightly feral smile crossing his lips. “It’s one thing for someone to talk shit about you, it’s another for a guy who is occasionally a friend to purposefully fuck around. Not. Happening.” And did she really want him to set his temper off in the ring? He’d get away with live murder because it’d be blamed on an in-ring accident or something. “Anything else, doll?” Nikki and Brie were indeed gossipy, harpy women.

“No, nothing.  I shouldn’t have told you in the first place because I knew you’d react this way.” Leaving well enough alone had been her gut instinct, but keeping things from Jon wasn’t easy to do either.  It was impossible, actually.  Vallea wanted an open, honest relationship with him where there were no secrets, no lies, just pure truth, good or bad. “Just…try not to send anyone else to the trainer’s tonight.” Didn’t Jon realize she had to deal with Seth Rollins and work with him on his WrestleMania merchandise?  The man was going to hate her because Jon had attacked him FOR her!

Jon had attacked because Seth had ran his mouth, because of her, not for her. For her implied he was defending her or something, this had been a warning to shut the fuck up. Jon had issues, he knew, she knew it, pretty much everyone around him knew it. If Seth was half the man he pretended to be, he’d take his issues up with Jon. “Not. A. Word.”

“You ever consider therapy, bro?” Joe asked, falling into step alongside his friend.

“I did that, when I was like ten. School counselor sent me.” Jon said, wrinkling his nose.

“How’d that work out?”

“They all quit?” He wasn’t sure if that was good or bad.

“Damn it…” Vallea hated fighting with Jon, especially at work and pushed it in the far recesses of her mind, needing to focus on the task at hand.  She filed away the choices from the Bella’s and Jon, after faxing them over to the office to get the WrestleMania gear started.  Alexa Bliss, Braun Strowman, Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre were just a few of the Superstars that had a meeting with her.  They were quick and to the point, she had no time to dawdle.  Her final meeting of the night, while the show was still going on, was…Seth Rollins. “Come in!” She called out, not looking up while finishing filing paperwork away and heard a throat clear. “Have a seat, I’ll be right with you.  Your choices are already on my desk to choose from, Seth.” Calling him Mr. Rollins was too formal, to her at least.

Seth had no idea how he felt about this woman. Earlier, he would have said she was a hot piece of ass he wouldn’t mind taking for a drive. Now, however, he knew anything he said was going to get back to Jon and Jon had made it abundantly clear that he wasn’t tolerating any bullshit about Vallea. He fingered his stitches, wincing and scowled. “Have we met?” No, they had not. When she looked at him in surprise, he cocked an eyebrow. “Mr. Rollins, please.” They were NOT friends.

Of course he would cop an attitude with her after Jon attacked him because of his mouth.  She could play the game better than most and smiled serenely at him. “Very well, Mr. Rollins, if that is what you want me to call you, I will.” She extended her hand, being completely polite and wasn’t surprised when he didn’t take it. “I’m Vallea.” She heard him grunt and nodded in acceptance, sitting down behind her desk to get straight down to business. “Now, I’ve had the company draw up four different designs for you for WrestleMania, like everyone else.  I need you to choose which one you like best and I will fax it over straightaway.”

Frowning, Seth leaned forward to study the designs. He didn’t see why it mattered so much right now, he doubted he was going to sell much when a few of the other guys seemed to be the be all, end all to the fans at the moment. Seth was having a crappy night, he knew it, he knew if he took it out on Vallea, Jon was going to add to his stitches. His fingers moved up to sweep against the swollen, tender skin and he sighed. “They’re all kind of awful.” He said finally. So much for not taking it out on her.

Seth Rollins was actually one of the top stars in the company, one of the top babyfaces and delivered stellar performances night after night.  Jon was set to turn heel against him at the upcoming pay-per-view event, Royal Rumble, and they would start a feud together leading into WrestleMania for the Intercontinental championship.  If Seth didn’t think or believe that, it was his problem.  She frowned, looking at the amazing designs in front of her and knew he would not like hearing what she said next. “I’m sorry you feel that way, but we’re on a deadline and there’s no way we can draw up anything else for you.” She informed him kindly, a hint of regret in her tone. “If you could choose the least awful one, that would be great.” He wasn’t the first Superstar not to like the designs, but Vince had approved of them all, so obviously the old man saw something some of the Superstars didn’t.

Vince McMahon was fucking insane. Seth was quite happy that Stephanie and Paul were going to be taking over because the shit Vince talked and had tried to do. He was SOOOO glad he hadn’t been around for the pregnancy thing, when Vince had talked about passing their child off as his and Steph’s, gross. Vallea had obviously done this many times before, dealt with people not liking her shit many times before, because she had sorrowful yet professional tone down. “This one.” He said finally, tapping a finger on the least stupid design, sighing when she nodded with a hint of satisfaction. “You do know, your boyfriend is insane, right?”

“I don’t think he’s insane, he just has…anger issues he needs to work on.” Vallea slid his choice off the desk and set it by the fax machine, turning back to face him. “For the record, I don’t appreciate being called a ‘hot bitch’.  I appreciate the sentiment of being hot, but that’s not a term of endearment I would use when speaking about a woman going forward.” The company was very big on women at the moment, a revolution – hell, all the women wrestlers were known as Superstars, just like the men, and had their very own pay-per-view event back in November, which was a complete success. “What Dean did to you was wrong, but you’re not exactly innocent either, Mr. Rollins.  I’m sure if the company knew what you said about me, in front of my boyfriend, you would’ve been fined as well.” The Bella’s had informed her of that fact. “Now, was there anything else I can help you with regarding your merchandise?”

“Add fucking hot bitch to the back, sweetheart and it’ll be perfect.” Seth quipped icily before walking out, snorting to let her know just what he thought about her. She was as crazy as her boyfriend and obviously only here because she had followed Jon’s dick. “It’s shady as fuck that you’re suddenly in that spot, don’t you think?” He had halted in the doorway. “You went from a lowly assistant to a boss. I don’t think it’s because of your professional skills sweetheart.” He smirked, walking out and closing the door behind him.

Rolling her eyes, Vallea didn’t give Seth a second glance and walked over to the fax machine to send over the photo for his merchandise.  Not everyone was going to like her and, after what Jon did, of course the man would lash out at her.  It had happened BECAUSE of her, after all.  Seth had no idea – NO IDEA – what she’d gone through to acquire the position of power she now had.  It was honestly none of his business either.  She would stay professional when it came to him, refusing to let him ruffle her feathers and was silently glad Jon had bashed the fucker’s head into the table at the meeting.  Not so much the fine, but Seth had deserved it and he proved it by how he spoke to her just moments ago.  She owed Jon an apology and would make it up to him once they were back at the hotel.

Chapter 24

Jon remained oblivious to the fact that Seth had a death wish, and he made sure to be nearby the Bella’s whenever possible just to see them pale and scamper. He was mean that way but the two idiot twins needed to learn to stop with their gossip. He knew John Cena didn’t care for him and it seemed like his dislike was rubbing off on his woman and her counterpart. He hoped he and Vallea never got that way, part of the fun, part of the relationship was still maintaining who you were, your individual likes and dislikes, and shit like that, while still making it work. “You look tired.” He commented at the end of the night, bag over his shoulder as he met up with Vallea in the hallway. “Rough night, doll?”

“I am, but it’s nothing I can’t handle.” Vallea had her own bag in hand, another over her shoulder and took Jon’s hand, lacing their fingers together. “It’s a good kind of tired, an accomplished tired, you know?” He nodded in understanding and she smiled, leaning against him while they walked out of the arena together.  Why did people think he was insane?  Jon was pretty laid back and had a level head on his shoulders, too level to be dubbed insane.  Hell, everyone had a little crazy inside of them, herself included. “I wish people would stop pointing out you were crazy and insane to me, though.  It’s getting rather annoying.”

“Well, in their defense, I may be a little off the rails.” Jon said good-naturedly, his mood greatly improved from earlier. Where that insanity thing tended to come from was the way he tended to occasionally snap. It took quite a bit as a general rule to push his buttons, but when it finally happened, he had a habit lashing out ruthlessly and without warning. Kind of like what had happened with Seth earlier. “Usually for a good cause, I promise.” He winked down at Vallea. Her being one of his new, good causes. Seth had more than earned that co-cocking he had gotten earlier.

“As long as you’re fine with it, that’s all that matters.” Vallea stopped them before they could get in the rental car to drive back to the hotel, their bags already tossed in the back.  It wasn’t that far of a drive. “I’m sorry about earlier.  What I said…it was wrong.  I shouldn’t judge you based on what people say about you.  Because there’s always two sides to every story.” After Seth’s parting shot to her earlier, Vallea felt her man defended her and nothing more with that headshot. “You did what you felt you had to do.  I still think you do have some temper issues, but…nobody’s perfect and you’re a smart man.  You know how far you can take things with someone who has wronged you.  I’ll try to keep that in mind going forward and everybody else who comments on the fact I’m with a lunatic or an insane guy can fuck off.”

If only you knew about my temper issues, Jon thought dryly, though nothing showed on his face to give away his somewhat darker thoughts. The fact that she was apologizing, when she hadn’t really been in the wrong, was weird. Technically, neither of them had been in the wrong because they each had their own opinions on it, and their own methods of dealing with shit. “You had to deal with him tonight, didn’t you, doll?” He asked, not even needing to ask. It was the Road to WrestleMania, she was dealing with everyone.

“Yeah…and I handled it.  I’ll leave it at that.” Vallea had apologized because she felt she had to after the way she treated him earlier.  She HAD been in the wrong to say what she did about his temper issues, even if it was partially true.  What Jon did at work was no business of hers and she needed to stay out of it.  Let him do what he was going to do.  She had enough on her plate without having to add Jon’s work issues to it.  He’d solve them his own way.  They got in the car with Jon behind the wheel and pulled out of the arena to head back to the hotel for some food, shower, sex and sleep.

She handled it. That meant something besides work. That rotten little bastard had probably said something to her, something that he shouldn’t have and Vallea wasn’t likely to tell him because she knew how he’d ‘handle’ it. If Seth wasn’t going to mind his manners, he would wind up getting his ass beaten on a regular basis. Well, maybe not, Jon wasn’t sure he could afford the potential fines Seth Rollins was likely to rack up. He let it be.

~!~

“Hey Vallea, have you seen Jon around?” Drake asked, walking up to her in catering a few days later, looking solemn and stoic.

Usually, Drake was upbeat and he had become one of Vallea’s good friends through Jon, who assured her he was a great guy.  Jon hadn’t been lying.  Drake was a sweetheart. “No, I think he might be out in the ring practicing…” She touched Drake’s shoulder, concern filling her hazel eyes. “Is something wrong?”

“No, I just wanted to tell him about Nicky’s funeral arrangements…” Drake saw her expression change from concerned to confused, raising a slow brow. “You know our friend that died…”

“Umm…” Vallea had no idea what Drake was talking about, frowning deeply.  Why hadn’t Jon told her about this?

Drake was wondering the same thing, frowning as well. “Our good friend, Nick Gage, disappeared around the same time as your boss, Ryan.  Jon really didn’t mention anything about this to you?” He found that hard to believe, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. “Shit.  I probably shouldn’t have said anything then…”

“No, no it’s fine, I just…I’m so sorry for his and your loss…” Vallea couldn’t wrap her mind around the fact one of Jon’s close friends had disappeared the same time as her old boss, who they still hadn’t found.  Apparently, they hadn’t found Nick either.  What the hell was going on? “When are the arrangements?  I’ll tell him about them when we see each other later, unless you run into him beforehand.” Drake told her everything she needed to know and luckily, the funeral was on their days off, even though there was no body found.  Nick’s girlfriend still wanted to do something to mourn and celebrate his life because she was certain he was dead.  Suddenly not hungry anymore, Vallea left catering and went back to her office, so many different emotions rushing through her at once.  Drake had also told her one other thing – he thought Ryan’s death was connected to Nick Gage’s and that alone was unnerving.

“Ow, ow…” Jon whined, heading backstage from the ring, where he had been dumb enough to practice with Joe. “I’m telling Momo you beat me up.” He pouted as they stepped through the curtains, sidestepping technicians who were finishing up everything for the night’s show.

“She’ll probably laugh at you and tell you to man up.” Joe shot back, flashing his white teeth in a broad grin. His woman had no problem telling him the same thing either when he complained about aches and pains. Said it was part of his job and he knew better. She wasn’t wrong. She also still gave him massages.

Momo was currently on the phone with a frazzled Vallea, talking to her about the bomb Drake Younger dropped on her. “Maybe he forgot, sweetie.  I mean, he was friends with Jon and I get that, but it’s WrestleMania season.  Shit happens.  Did he really say this could be connected to Ryan’s disappearance?”

“Yeah.  Those exact words came out of his mouth.  What are the odds of Ryan being connected to someone Jon knows, though?  And someone who isn’t even part of the WWE?” Vallea paced back and forth, chewing her thumbnail nervously.

“Well, according to my research, Nick Gage robbed a bank in 2011 and he got out on parole recently.  He broke his probation by leaving Philadelphia to go to Cincinnati that night, according to reports.” The man had a 4 year probation period and if he broke it, he’d be right back in prison. “With Ryan, you know about the prostitute and she claims Gage was nowhere to be found during their activities.  Ryan paid her off and he left.  That’s all she told authorities.  So unless Ryan and Gage met up somewhere afterwards…”

It was a huge possibility.  Cincinnati was full of thugs and Jon hadn’t painted the city in the best picture.  She was from Akron, which wasn’t any better, to be honest.  A lot of Ohio was full of scumbags and there were only a few parts of the state that didn’t have drug or violence issues.  She had also read everything Monique just reiterated to her and rubbed her temples, leaning against one of the equipment trunks. “Why wouldn’t Jon tell me about his friend’s death if they were so close?  It makes no sense.  We don’t keep things from each other, at least I don’t keep things from him…”

“Like I said, maybe he forgot or maybe they weren’t as close as Drake thinks or believes.  I honestly don’t think Jon did it on purpose.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right.”

“And there’s the fact that Jon isn’t the most forthcoming about his past where it involves Ohio,” Monique said thoughtfully. She knew that from both Vallea and Joe, it had taken Jon awhile to even start telling Vallea anything and usually, small bits here and there. “It sounds like he had some shady friends, that isn’t anything to be proud of. Or, maybe he knew about the potential connection and he didn’t want to upset you.” That one was more likely, Ryan had been a major dirtbag who had nearly broken Vallea.

“So, what am I supposed to do about this, Monique?  Should I let Drake tell him about the services or should I tell him and let him know, subtly, that I know what happened?” Vallea was literally stuck between a rock and hard place, not wanting to start distrusting her boyfriend.

Monique was quiet for a minute, contemplating the choices. “Well, if you tell him about the services, he’s going to know you know.” That was obvious. “However, if you wait it out and let Drake find him to tell him and keep it to yourself, you’re not being truthful with him.  It really is a catch 22, isn’t it?”

“It really is.” Looking at the watch on her wrist, she knew the show was starting soon and she had more meetings to get done before the night was out. “I’ll call you later and let you know what happens.  Hopefully by the end of the night, I’ll know what to do.” They ended the call together and Vallea headed back to her office, troubled and distracted.

Luck was and wasn’t on Vallea’s side because Drake found Jon before she could see him. He repeated everything he had told Vallea and then added the bit about already relaying all of this to her. “Why didn’t you tell her?” That was the burning question on Drake’s mind.

Jon stared at his friend like he was insane. “Ryan nearly murdered her with everything he made her do, she was dying from exhaustion.” He said slowly, frowning. “And then to hear that Nick went the same night, potentially connected with everything?” He shook his head. “No man, that was shit she didn’t need on her plate at the time.”

“It’s all right, bro, I understand and I’m sure she does too.  Why don’t you go talk to her on her next break?” Drake suggested, placing a hand on Jon’s shoulder and squeezed it gently. “This isn’t an easy time for any of us and we gotta stick together.  You’re coming to the funeral, right?” He wasn’t surprised when Jon gave a stiff nod, knowing the man wasn’t fond of them. “Listen, I gotta run.” He was the referee for the main event that night on Raw and headed out of Jon’s dressing room, already in his referee gear.

Jon had no time to talk to Vallea because he had to go see the higher-ups about the fine from before. He knew there would be an investigation, and he was hoping he wasn’t about to be ordered into some sort of idiotic class or something. Fighting, drugs, and sexual harassment had all been cracked down on heavily in this new era for the WWE. On one hand, it was a good thing, on the other… it was a pain in the ass because sometimes some people needed their asses beat.

Stephanie McMahon was in charge of the proceedings when it came to fining the wrestlers, on top of other responsibilities within the company.  Paul sometimes helped, but he was busy with his baby, NXT, down in Florida.  Vince gave him full power and control over the show and it was honestly better than the main roster.  Poor booking and writers had a lot to do with it.  Paul knew exactly how to run a show and what was best for business, proving it every single time NXT went head to head with a main roster pay-per-view event.  NXT blew them out of the water every time.  She looked up when a knock sounded at her door and saw it was Dean Ambrose, nodding at him. “Have a seat, Dean.  I’ll make this as quick as I can.”

“How about as painless too, while you’re at it, Stephy.” He flashed her his most winsome smile, not surprised when her baby blues narrowed. “Woman, he can’t be THAT good.”

“He is, trust me.” Stephanie gestured to the chair across from her temporary desk. “Park it, Dean.”

Groaning, he dropped down. Stephanie was like Linda. She was sweet and nice, and then you screwed up and she did that crazy shit all mother’s could do. Scold the hell out of you and make you feel lower than dirt.

“Now then, why don’t we get right down to business, shall we?” Stephanie folded her hands on the desk in front of her, crossing one leg over the other. “I want to know what happened between you and Seth in that meeting last week.  You gave the man 6 stitches, Dean.  That’s unacceptable and you know it.” There was no blood -color- on their programming anymore unless it was completely accidental.  Things happened and the network understood that, but it wasn’t complete gore and violence anymore in WWE. “Seth told me he said something about your…girlfriend and it made you snap and hurt him.  Is that true?”

“He called her, and I quote,” Jon leaned forward in his chair, knees spread apart. “a fucking hot bitch.” His pale, icy blues held Stephanie’s as she considered it. “Followed by asking me if I was… having relations with her, except he used fucking there too.”

“Do you have to say it?”

“Well it’s my side of the story! And I reached out and bashed his head into the table. Pounding in the manners.”

“You can’t pound people, Dean.”

Chapter 25

Granted, it wasn’t right for Seth to say something like that about another man’s girlfriend, especially in front of said boyfriend.  What the hell was he thinking doing something like that?  She knew Seth had issues with Dean; the men did not like each other.  They had amazing chemistry in the ring and called each other their wrestling soulmates, but in no way, shape or form were they friends.  Seth hadn’t been completely truthful and forthcoming, which Stephanie suspected and that was why she had this little meeting with Dean to hear his side of the story one on one.

“You two are hereby ordered to take on-road counseling through the company.  And if you don’t comply, I will suspend you.  Same with him if he doesn’t do as he’s told.  There is a zero tolerance policy for violence in the arenas, for any reason, Dean.  If you have a problem, you need to handle it better and more professionally.” Stephanie instructed, keeping her tone cool, calm and collected, tilting her head at the disgust written on Dean’s face. “Seth will be fined the same amount as you because I do believe he deserves to be punished as well.” Being an antagonist was going to cost Seth Rollins a pretty penny.

“Therapy? You’re sending me to therapy?” Jon was not amused at all and he already knew how this was going to end. “You may as well just put me on suspension, Stephanie. It’d be kinder to whoever you’re feeding me too.” He could deal with thirty days off, he’d go rock climbing in Vegas… drink and gamble a little, fucking lose his mind because Vallea was on the road and he wouldn’t be. “You suuu-uuu-ckkk.” He drew it out, whining.

Stephanie flashed him a tiny smile. “So I’ve been told.” She sighed wearily, not wanting to do this because her father really wanted to see Seth against Dean at WrestleMania this year, something they couldn’t do last year due to Dean’s injury. “If you don’t go to counseling with Seth, I’ll have no choice except to take you out of WrestleMania this year, Dean.  I know how much you hated missing last year due to your injury and I’d hate for it to happen again because of your insubordination.  Same with Seth.  Neither of you will be on the card if you don’t get your acts together and do as you’re told.  So, are you willing to sacrifice WrestleMania for your pride or attend a counseling session or two to discuss your issues with Seth?  The choice is yours.”

“My issues with Seth don’t require counseling though!” This was STUPID. “He ran his mouth so I pounded him, that’s not ‘issues’, that’s a one time deal. Issues imply there’s something else and there isn’t because I don’t have the time for that little punk bitch.”

“It sounds like issues, Dean. Punk bitch?” If he had said that out of this office, in front of people, he’d be in so much trouble. “I’m giving you a choice here. Counseling or you’ll miss another WrestleMania.”

“Fine.”

“Fine to which one?”

“I’ll do the counseling.” He wasn’t responsible when the therapist quit though.

“Good, glad we understand each other.  The counseling will start next week before Raw.  It will be an hour long and, hopefully, you two will only have to do it once or twice.” It would be twice, Stephanie would see to it. “I will make sure the counselor sticks to issues between you two and nothing more, Dean.  Nothing personal in your life, all right?” She knew he had a hard time talking about his past – the Stone Cold Podcast from hell came to mind instantly.  That had been a complete disaster. “No more pounding people.”

“But mommy…”

“Grow up.” Stephanie sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose with one hand and used the other to wave him off. “You’re dismissed and I mean it. You need to show some of that street and let shit slide off your back.”

Jon huffed. “On the street, it’s a shank to the side.”

“And there will be none of that.” Maybe three sessions were in order, just to be safe.

~!~

“Come in!” Vallea called out, busy typing an email on her laptop to send to headquarters about some last minute changes.  The Bella’s had changed their mind and went with a different design, which wasn’t a huge deal.  Nothing had started printing for them yet, thankfully, so the change wouldn’t take long to process.  She heard a throat clear and looked up from her screen, tensing at the sight of Seth Rollins in front of her desk.  What could he possibly want from her now? “If you’re here to talk about anything else except business, just leave, Mr. Rollins.” She was NOT in the mood to be trifled with.

“I can’t.” Seth said flatly, not overly pleased at being here. After Jon and Stephanie’s meeting, he had been called in and had his ass reamed three ways from Sunday because Jon was a tattle tallying little punk bitch. He had to do therapy sessions with the abusive idiot AND had been fined to Hell and back AND informed that he had better watch his words from here on out because they could be misconstrued as sexual harassment. Icing on the cake, he was being forced to apologize to her and he hadn’t even done anything -technically- to her. “I apologize, for the words I said about you the other day.” He managed to spit out.

That surprised her, her eyes and expression conveying it and didn’t bother standing from her chair.  That was it?  That was all he came in here for?  She hadn’t told anyone, not even Jon, what Seth had said to her in her office, so why was he apologizing to her?  Did he maybe have a change of heart?  She highly doubted it judging by the way he spoke through gritted teeth.  What was she supposed to say to him?  Anything Vallea said at this point would anger the annoyed man, but she wouldn’t leave him hanging. “Thank you.  I appreciate that.” Forced or not, it was an apology and she accepted it. “I thought about what you said regarding the artwork and told my boss about it.  He’s getting together with the team to discuss alternatives for you, so I SHOULD have four new designs for you to choose from next week.  If you have any ideas you want to incorporate in your merchandise, let me know and I’ll fax them over to the office.”

Seth was actually apologizing for calling her a fucking hot bitch but she didn’t know that and he didn’t realize she didn’t. “Thank you.” That was surprising actually, that she had taken his words into consideration  AFTER what he said to her about the hot fucking bitch line being on the shirt. He had meant the bit with what he had said to Jon. As far as he knew, nobody but her knew about what he had said to her. He knew Jon didn’t know because Jon would have put his ass through a window.

“No problem, I don’t want you unhappy with the product that is brought out for you.  You’re not the only one who didn’t like the designs for this year’s WrestleMania, which is why they wanted me to get on this early, just in case changes had to be made.” Vallea explained, standing from her chair and shut her laptop, deciding to finish the email after Seth left.  This was a team effort on her part and all of the Superstars, along with WWE.  They all had to work together to achieve victory. “Hopefully, you’ll be satisfied with the new designs and we can get your merchandise underway.”

Well now Seth felt like an asshole. She was a hot… female, and she was professional. He had been an ass wipe to her and he knew it. “I am sorry.” He said again, this time a bit more genuinely. “And thank you, for the designs. I’ll see you next week then.” She was decent, he thought as he walked out, flashing Stephanie -who had been waiting just in case she needed to bitch slap him- a thumb’s up. Too decent for the likes of Jon, that was for sure.

There was no reason to be mean to him when he came in here to apologize to her.  Seth didn’t have to do that.  She was a nobody compared to him, someone behind the scenes that took care of merchandise.  Vallea wasn’t a bitch, not unless the situation called for it.  Maybe she should’ve apologized on Jon’s behalf and immediately shook that thought out of her head.  No, that was Jon’s business and if he wanted to apologize, that was on him.  She had no part to play when it came to the issues between Jon and Seth.

“Judging by Seth’s reaction coming out of here, I’m assuming everything went smoothly?” Stephanie had poked her head in with a gentle smile to check on Vallea.

Stephanie had been behind Seth’s apology; it all made sense now, but Vallea still appreciated it nevertheless. “It wasn’t necessary, but I appreciate him coming in here and apologizing.  Thank you, Stephanie.”

“Not a problem, but we do need to talk about your…relationship with Dean.” Stephanie shut the door, not wanting others to overhear this. “I understand there’s been some…talk about him recently throughout the locker room.  As long as you remain focused on your job and don’t get distracted or sucked into the gossip, as long as you two check your own personal issues at the door when you come to work, all will be fine.” It was a talk she’d had with all the other WWE couples.

Vallea nodded in understanding. “I honestly don’t see Jon that often when we’re at work because we’re both so busy.” It was the truth.  If Jon didn’t come to her or they didn’t catch each other in catering, she didn’t see him until the end of the night. “Hopefully, nothing like this happens again.”

“Hopefully.” Stephanie got a concerned look on her face and touched Vallea’s shoulder. “Just…watch out for Seth, okay?  And anyone else who bothers you, please let me know about it.”

“I will.”

Stephanie put out a PSA that people needed to chill on the gossip as it was causing friction between coworkers. Technically, Vallea wasn’t HERS, she was a liaison between companies, but there were other people causing issues for other superstars. So this just served as a blanket warning and hopefully things settled down. Sometimes, it was like being a principal of a high school, so many people acted like idiot teenagers. She seen why her dad let it go unchecked for so many years, grown ass people acting like fools brought on mega headaches.

~!~

“Jon, we make pretty good money, right?” He grunted in response and she smiled while they drove to the motel from the arena. “I don’t think it would hurt us to splurge every once in a while on a hotel room with a jacuzzi.  I know how much you love a hot dip after a long night at work.  You should treat yourself and I’ll even pay for it if that’s what you want.” Vallea coaxed, caressing the back of his neck in a gentle massage and wanted to work some of the tension out of his body. “You and me in a jacuzzi sounds great, doesn’t it?” Jon hadn’t mentioned anything about Nick’s death and she wasn’t bringing it up.

“Sure babe, whatever you want.” Jon said absent-mindedly. Tonight had been a cluster of what the fuck. Drake. Stephanie. Seth. His aching fricking arm because it had gotten wrenched weirdly. The trainers had assured him it was nothing damaging or permanent, just a pain that would go away on its own. “They’re having a funeral for my friend.” He didn’t look at her, she already knew. “When… when they have it, would you go with me?”

“Of course, I won’t let you go through it alone.” Vallea assured him softly, hearing the stammer in his tone and knew it was difficult for him to talk about.  She had noticed him grimacing at his arm and that was one of the reasons she wanted to get a room with a jacuzzi or hot tub. “I have a little confession to make.” She gestured with her fingers, showing a small space between them. “I already got us a room at the hotel the WWE is staying at and I made sure they had a jacuzzi in it.” Kissing the side of his neck, Vallea snuggled into his side and didn’t care about her seatbelt.  Screw the rules, her man needed comfort at the moment.

Of course she had, the woman had the best ideas. Shaking his head, Jon wrapped his arm around her and steered with the other, ignoring the pain. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Nicky.” He said quietly, figuring they might as well get this done now while they were in the car, opposed to comfortable and relaxed in the hot tub. “When I heard he might’ve… been connected to Ryan somehow, I-” He sighed. “You were already under a lot of pressure, and nearly having a breakdown, I was trying not to make it worse, doll.”

“I know, it’s okay, Jon.  At first, I was confused and a little hurt, I admit, that you didn’t tell me, but…I understand why you didn’t.” Being linked to Ryan, that definitely would’ve been even more stress on her and Vallea was at the breaking point already. “I’m sorry you’ve been dealing with this by yourself.  I never want you to feel like you can’t come to me and confide in me or vent to me.  You’re everything to me and you’re not alone anymore.  You don’t have to deal with pain and grief by yourself.” His eyes looked down at her, after stopping at a red light, and Vallea reached up to caress his bearded face, seeing the slight wetness in his eyes.  She leaned up, brushing her lips against each eyelid and then his lips before he pressed on the gas to drive the rest of the way.

That had gone better then he had assumed it would, and he felt like a weight was off his shoulders. Nobody was going to associate Nicky with Ryan, not unless Nicky’s dumb ass had told someone he was going to Ohio BECAUSE of Jon. He had destroyed that cell Nicky had had, after deleting everything from him. He had left no stone unturned so there would never be a connection back to him. He wasn’t about to let anyone or anything come between him and Vallea, he loved her a bit too much, he was willing to kill for her. It occurred to him that he was definitely a bit more than slightly crazy but that was just going to have to be his little secret. “Here we are, babe.”

“Good, come on.  I’ll order us some food, we can eat and then we can take that hot dip.  I’m gonna work on your arm too.” Pecking his lips, she slid out of the car and grabbed her bag while Jon got his, nursing his hurt arm for the moment.  It was his left one, thankfully, not his right surgically repaired one.  They walked inside, checked into the suite and Vallea didn’t waste time.  She ordered two steak dinners with the fixings, since this was a five star hotel, and then changed into one of the terry cloth robes.  After dinner, she fired up the jacuzzi tub and walked up to Jon, taking his hand to guide him toward it.  Pulling open the robe, she slid it off his broad shoulders and down his arms, kissing his chest before doing the same thing. 

Chapter 26

Naked, they both sank into the hot bubbly liquid, both groaning at how wonderful it felt.  Vallea kissed him, straddling his lap and felt his arms wrap around her waist to pull her closer, moaning softly. “Mmm down big boy, not yet.  Give me your arm, I’m gonna try to relieve some of your pain with the help of this lovely jacuzzi.”

His response was to slid right into her very receptive body, causing them both to hiss out. “Sorry babe, doesn’t work that way.” He growled at her, his mouth moving down the column of her throat. You couldn’t straddle him, naked and inviting, and not expect him to take the bait so to speak. His hands dropped down to her curvy hips, moving her on him. “This is the best pain relief, Val.” It was the quickest way to relax every last inch of him.

“Oh god, if you say so…” Vallea could feel herself spasm around him, stretching her to her limits and gripped his shoulders as leverage to slam up and down on him.  The water constricted them a little, but it felt amazing the combination of his cock inside of her with the hot water.  It was obvious Jon wanted her badly or else he would’ve restrained long enough to let her work on his arm.  No, he needed this, he needed her and Vallea would not deny him, tilting her head back when his mouth captured one of her already hardened nipples in his mouth. “Mmm…”

Jon could remember when she had made him lay down for a massage, and when his erection presented a problem, she had made him lay on his back. She had straddled him then, massaging him, and he had nearly cum like some thirteen year old boy by the time Vallea finally let him have his way with her. There would be no repeats of that tonight. The water kept him from putting all his strength into this, which wasn’t a bad thing, and the feel of her body sliding against his was doing some very wicked things to him. Snaking a hand between them, he used his thumb to stroke her nub.

Best idea ever.  The water lapped against the sides as she tried upping the pace, needing to cum more than words could say.  More than the air in her lungs or the beat of her thudding heart.  His name spilled out of her mouth in a breathy cry as that hot coil within her belly formed and threatened to spring free.  Vallea could feel it building, driving him deeper and harder inside of her, as much as the water would allow. “Cum with me, Jon…” She murmured against his lips, biting lightly on his lower one and threw her head back, the ecstasy of it all taking over her, making her body shudder and it felt as though she shattered into a thousand pieces against him.

“Not. Happening.” He rasped through grit teeth, beads of sweat forming on his brow from both the hot water and the woman coming apart in his arms. Jon had every intention of riding this out and making her cum more than once before he even thought about his own release. If not for the fact that she was orgasming, he would have thought Vallea was purposely tightening just to torment him, it was a delicious Hell, the feel of her walls clenching and spasming around him. “Again, Val, you have another one in you, doll.” She had several.

She whimpered, not sure if she had another one in her and she was already sensitive from the first orgasm.  Her pussy quivered and clenched his dick to near suffocation, holding onto him as his thrusts became even more powerful.  Was that possible?  Christ, if he wasn’t careful his dick would go right through her back wall!  Never once did he pull his hand away from her bundle of nerves either, continuously stroking her, forcing her to submit to him again.  Vallea cried out hoarsely, not taking long at all to fall apart and surrender to him, giving Jon exactly what he wanted.  If he made her go a third time, she may very well pass out.

She went through the pain and pleasure mixture from being over-stimulated and Jon already knew he was going to leave her a quivering mess by the time he was finished. He carefully lifted her up, ignoring her whimpers and vacated the tub, pulling her along with him. Moments later, he had Vallea bent over the bed, not caring that they were dripping everywhere and pulled her back by her hips, sliding home again.

“C-C-Can’t…c-c-can’t…god…” Vallea was having a hard time breathing, collapsing on the bed in a drenched, trembling heap, her chest feeling as though it was burning.  Jon had literally stolen her breath away, the intensity of the bout something she hadn’t experienced with him before.  Not even up on a mountaintop.  There was something…feral and animalistic about tonight she couldn’t quite put her finger on.  No complaints, she never had a bad thing to say about Jon in bed, but this time was different than the others and she had to catch her breath before she wound up passing out.  Coughing, she managed to roll over on her back to stare up at the ceiling and shut her eyes, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she slowly regained oxygen to her lungs. “H-Holy…s-smokes…”

Jon waited until the risk of hyperventilating had passed before grabbing her ankles and hauling her ass right back towards him, bending down to feather kisses around her naval. Her chest was still heaving, she was red and sweaty all over, her eyes wild… he smirked, feeling rather proud of himself. “You need water.” She was probably parched and he reluctantly left her beautiful ass there to retrieve her a bottle from the mini-fridge, handing it over and watching as she chugged it down like she was dying of thirst. “Ready for more, doll?” He teased, running his fingers up the length of her calf and back down again, laughing outright when she whimpered.

“Have you…lost your…mind?!” Vallea could only gape up at him, wondering if he was serious and shivered at the feeling of his lips against her stomach, her tired body already responding to him. “Jon…” He was going to kill her!  What had gotten into him?  It was as if his hurt arm never happened or he was just ignoring it.  That was a huge possibility with him. “Shit, how can you already be raring to go again?” She asked once her voice stopped shaking and settled back to a regular tone.  Vallea was sure the explosion he had would’ve been the end of the night for him, even though it took quite a bit to build up in the first place.  Having sex regularly meant his climaxes took longer to achieve, which was a downside to having an active sex life. “You’ll have to do all the work, I can’t move…”

“Well that’s no fun,” Jon laughed, dropping down onto the bed alongside her. He lay on his side, his head propped up on his elbow as he studied her. His free hand was nice this time, rubbing quivering body up and down. “Am I wearing you out, babe?” She had said relax, and that was quite relaxing, nothing on him hurt anymore thanks to the chemicals and endorphin's released by that lusty bout. He felt great.

“Tonight, yes.” She reached her hand up to touch his face and smiled as his lips brushed against her palm. “Let me catch my breath and…maybe I’ll have another round in me.” Vallea loved sex as much as the next person and could go multiple times in a night, but after that intensity, she really needed a moment or three to recuperate.  Jon had pushed her body to the breaking point, that line where pain and pleasure met and it was exquisite.  He began kissing down her neck, just light kisses and his hand slid down her stomach to stroke her sex again, bringing it back to life in the gentlest way.  Her pussy was already throbbing from the pounding it took earlier, but somehow, her body was able to respond and Vallea turned her head to catch his mouth with hers. “Take me again, baby…” Hissing out as soon as he slid past her quivering folds, Vallea was sent right back to that place of where pain and pleasure met.

“Ow, ow, ow… OW!” Nothing was quite as painful in a very annoying, aggravating way as claw gouges from sex. They were ragged, and felt horrible, and God help you if you sweat and the sweat get into them. He was a wrestler, he sweat a LOT. Vallea, while sniggering at him, was disinfecting the marks and it did not feel so hot. “Babe, we’re cutting those talons off… you got my inner thigh too…” She could have punctured a ball or something.

“Uh huh and how do you think my pussy feels right now?” Probably swollen and bruised from the countless thrusts Jon gave her.  The claw gouges would heal fast, he’d just have to wear a shirt while wrestling for the house shows this weekend.  Luckily, they had two days off starting today, but they had a funeral to attend in Cincinnati, which she knew Jon wasn’t looking forward to. “You told me to ride you as hard as I could…” How was she supposed to know her nails would dig that far into his inner thighs? “Just hold still, I’m almost done…”

“Doll, your pussy is gonna be fine, those things are meant to pop out babies… a punctured ball means death!” Obviously, she didn’t realize there was a major difference. “Or, it means my balance will be off because they’ll be lopsided.” Now he was just being a goof and her giggles made him smile. “Want me to do you next?” Not rubbing alcohol or anything, not in those delicate areas, but he had some salve that’d help.

Bruising is all she suffered from his big, strong hands gripping various parts of her body. “Salve would be nice, yes.” She sat back while he grabbed a jar out of his bag and came back to start the process, her fingers sliding over his buzzed hair, dropping a kiss on his forehead. “I love you.” His massaging wasn’t sexual, only soothing and she turned to where he could get her shoulder blades, wondering how the HELL he managed to bruise her there.  Then again, Vallea was smaller than him and the man had big hands. “Our flight leaves in a few hours, so we might as well get ready to leave.” Both would be passed out on the plane before it took off, that much she was certain of.

“If we’re quick enough, we can find a place to get something greasy for breakfast.” Jon said thoughtfully, the idea of bacon, eggs and a million other things flashing through his mind and made his stomach growl. He needed to replenish everything he had just lost, she probably did too. “How bout it? I’ll even let you pick the place so you can have something healthy if you want.” He had started eating a little better, but breakfast was something there was no compromising on. Breakfast was the best meal of the day.

Turns out, there was a breakfast nook of sorts right inside the airport with delicious food.  Jon got his bacon, eggs, pancakes smothered in syrup, hash browns and coffee while she had biscuits and gravy with the same sides.  They were in food comatose by the time they boarded the plane, both leaning on each other and completely satisfied.  Vallea held his hand, lacing their fingers together and leaned her head back, closing her eyes just as the plane took off.  Just as she predicted, they were out like lights before the seatbelt sign came on to take them off.

Arriving in Philadelphia, Jon had woken up on edge and Vallea chalked it up to him hating this place.  She noticed he became a little edgier whenever they were in the Midwest for some reason.  All she could do was be here for him.  The drive from the airport to the hotel was made in silence with the radio playing soft classic rock.  She stared out the window as the snow fell and was glad she had bought some winter clothes to come out here with since it was in the dead of winter.  His phone rang and Jon asked her to answer it because he was driving, doing as he asked.

“They found him, man.” It was Drake Younger’s voice and it was thick with sorrow and hoarse. “They found that Ryan guy too…”

“This isn’t Jon.  He’s driving.  I’ll put you on speakerphone.” Vallea murmured, pressing the button and could hear Drake’s agonized voice flow through the phone.

“Jon, they found him.  They found Nicky…and that Ryan guy…” Drake sniffled, not bothering to try fighting his tears back. “T-They were dropped in vats of acid, dude!  It’s a miracle there’s any remains left, but they managed to find scrapes…”

“Oh god…” Vallea covered her mouth with her hand, hazel eyes wide and could see the different emotions playing on Jon’s face. “Vats of…ACID?  Who the hell would do something like that to human beings?”

“I don’t know.  Sick fucks, I guess?  Cheyenne has postponed the funeral until next week.  I know you’re probably already here, but she didn’t expect their bodies to be found at an old plant on the outskirts of Cincinnati.” Drake still couldn’t believe it, but at least some of the mystery had been solved. “Can you believe they dumped the acid out and the workers there found their remains?”

“Jesus…”

Jon was silent, his jaw working furiously as he took all of that in. “I thought the plants were closed?” He managed to ask finally, his voice coming out thick.

“They reopened them, man. That is… a horrible way to die.”

Well yeah, that had been the point in Ryan’s case. He didn’t want the man to die immediately, he wanted him to be in agony and aware of how he was dying. “God, yeah… yeah it is.” He inhaled deeply. That was his bad, last he had known the plant was shut down for good, a lot of homeless had moved in. “So what next, Drake?”

“The investigation is on-going… this is a breakthrough, but… with as mangled and… melted, as the bodies were, they don’t there’s any evidence left to salvage.”

The bodies were found together, in the same place, so that convinced Vallea Ryan and Nick Gage were somehow connected.

“It’s looking like my assumption was right as far as them working together and something going wrong.” Drake scrubbed a hand down his face, feeling sick to his stomach and relieved at the same time. “Hopefully, they can figure out what happened and put this to rest, to give us some kind of closure.”

“Yeah, hopefully.” Vallea grabbed Jon’s hand, not able to imagine what he was going through and feeling right now. “We’re in Philly now, Drake.  Are you here yet?”

“No, I canceled my trip and I meant to get a hold of you sooner, but…”

“It’s okay, you don’t have to explain anything.  We’ll just stick around Philadelphia since the house shows are coming this way anyway.” Vallea figured there was no reason to fly home for a day, only to have to come back this way for the house shows and Raw.

“Sounds good, talk soon.”

Vallea pressed the end button, feeling overwhelming sadness over Ryan and Nick’s deaths.  Nobody deserved to be killed by being tossed in a vat of acid – what a horrible way to go!  She didn’t bother asking Jon if he was all right and remained silent, knowing when he wanted to talk, he’d initiate the conversation.

Chapter 27

Well, this put Jon in a pretty pickle. He had no intention of talking right now, focusing on driving and lost in his own thoughts. Ryan and Nicky’s deaths were going to be investigated probably as a double homicide and he already knew where that road was going to eventually lead. They both had one thing in common and that was him. He and Nicky had been friends and he was dating the woman who used to work for Ryan. Jon had to wonder how opposed to fleeing the country Vallea would be… providing she didn’t turn him in herself if that thought crossed her mind. He frowned, brows furrowing together. He hadn’t ever meant for her to find out. What would she think?

It wasn’t a huge surprise when Stephanie called for an emergency meeting for all talent and employees in WWE that were on the road wit the company.  With Ryan’s body finally found, the investigation was underway.  Ryan and Nick’s deaths were ruled as a double homicide, but authorities weren’t entirely convinced that was what happened.  It could’ve easily been tossed out, but Ryan and Nick’s families wanted justice for their lost loved ones, especially Nick’s girlfriend.  She wanted to know what happened and why he was in Cincinnati in the first place since he hadn’t told her a damn thing.  WWE was in Cincinnati for Raw the night both men disappeared and wound up in the same vat of acid.  Naturally, the authorities started with the company and its employees, wanting every single person that was on the road that night questioned individually.  Since Vallea was Ryan’s personal assistant at the time, she was one of the first the authorities pinpointed.  To say she was nervous would’ve been an understatement, even though she was innocent and had no idea what happened to her former boss.

Stephanie wasn’t happy because her father had flown in once he learned about this investigation. The WWE was a globally traded company and the fact that a lot of the roster was being interviewed about murders did not look good to their shareholders, or anyone else to be quite honest. She had been indignant, her superstars being questioned, it was insulting but… the fact that this kid had been a sort of wrestler once, and then Ryan had been working with wrestlers, that was a bit too much to overlook.

“Where were you on the night of Arrow and Gage’s murder?”

“The hotel.  I was sleeping.” More like out cold and dead to the world, but Vallea didn’t think that was the right thing to say.

“Is it true you are dating Jonathan Good?”

Vallea nodded with a small smile. “Yes, sir.”

“How long?”

“Since late August.”

The police officer jotted notes down, nodding. “So, it’s safe to assume you two share a hotel room together, correct?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Do you know the whereabouts of Mr. Good on that evening?”

Vallea frowned at the question because she didn’t remember much past collapsing on the bed.  However, there was one thing she did recall. “He told me he was going to a bar in Cincinnati called Madonna’s Bar.  Said he was meeting up with friends after the show since he used to live around here and I told him that was fine.  I passed out in the hotel room shortly after and didn’t see him until the following morning.”

The other cop made a weird noise in his throat. “I see.  Very well.  We will be questioning your boyfriend, so hopefully, you’ve told us the truth about everything.” It honestly wasn’t much to go on since she’d been sleeping throughout the fateful night. “Awfully coincidental how your former boss and one of Mr. Good’s best friends just HAPPEN to go missing on the same night, isn’t it?”

Hazel eyes narrowed at the officer and folded her arms in front of her chest. “What exactly are you implying?  If you want, slap a lie detector test on me and I’ll pass with flying colors.  I have no idea what Ryan was up to that night other than he shacked up with a prostitute.” It had been in the newspapers, that fact. “My job was to make sure everything was organized and sent to the office.” She didn’t bother informing them Ryan had forced her to be a liaison of the company without being compensated fairly, not to mention his dry-cleaning and laundry. “He never once told me anything about his personal schedule or where he was going.  I wasn’t his keeper.”

The other officer held his hand up to stop the other from continuing. “Very well, Miss Scholar.  Thank you for that information and we’ll be in touch if we need anything else.” That was his subtle way of dismissing her.

Nodding stiffly, she rose from her chair and walked out to head back to her office, feeling nauseous.

Jon was amongst the superstars lining the hall, each of them waiting their turn to be called. He seen the greenish tinge to her face when Vallea emerged from the ‘questioning’ room the cops had set up in, the detectives. He wanted to say something to her but didn’t, frowning when his name was called next. Of course he was next. Him and Drake both had ties to Nicky. He slapped Drake’s hand when Drake held it out, inhaling deeply before stepping into the room.

“Have a seat, Mr. Good.”

That just sounded wrong, he thought, dropping down in the wooden chair.

“Where were you on the night Ryan Arrow and Nick Gage were murdered?” The cop cut right to the chase while the other looked on silently, each having their pads of paper in hand.

“Madonna’s Bar in downtown Cincinnati.”

“Mmmhmm and how long were you there for?”

“All night, I left around 1 to head back to the hotel for some sleep.”

The officers shared a look with each other.  They had questioned the bartender at Madonna’s Bar because Nick Gage had been spotted there earlier that night. “Did you see Mr. Gage that night at Madonna’s Bar?”

“Yeah, hung out with him and a bunch of other guys I haven’t seen in a while.”

“And did you know Mr. Gage was on probation, prohibited from leaving the state of Maryland?”

This is where Jon had to lie through his teeth. “Nope.  Didn’t tell me a thing.  I was shocked to walk in the bar and he was there with a bunch of our other friends.” Drake had been there too, Jon recalled, but by the time he and Nick snuck out of the bar to kill Ryan, Drake had already left to go back to the hotel.

“Along with Drake Wuertz?” That was Drake’s birth last name.

“Yes.”

“Now, you were seen leaving and then coming back.”

Oh boy. Jon sucked air through his teeth, managing a tight smile. “I was…”

“The bartender said you were spotted with a blonde.”

He was? Jon had no idea where the Hell that had come from but he wasn’t above taking Mana from Heaven so to speak. He didn’t say a word however, just in case. When they didn’t say anything either, he groaned. “Look, my old lady will have my balls. What exactly do you want to know?”

There had been a blonde talking to Jon that night, but it hadn’t turned into anything.  However, drunk people tended to blur things and exaggerate, so naturally, the bartender had said he left with the blonde.

Now they were getting somewhere. “You left with the blonde, correct?”

Jon thought about it for all of three seconds and nodded. “Yeah…”

“And where did you go?”

Jon cleared his throat, rubbing the back of his neck. “The parking lot…”

The officers shared another look, knowing exactly where this was going, but they had to do a thorough investigation. “Did you have sexual relations with this blonde?  And what was her name?”

“Mindy, I don’t know her last name.  She wasn’t a prostitute, just a fan of mine and I wanted to show her a good time.” He leaned forward, clasping his hands in front of him. “My old lady was stressed out from her old boss and too exhausted to give me what I needed, so I found it elsewhere.  You get what I’m saying?” This was the only way to save his backside and to keep them from finding out the truth.

“Uh huh.  So the parking lot could mean a variety of places.  Where exactly did this take place?”

Jon groaned, hating police that were nosy and gritted his teeth. “Against the back of the building where it was dark.  I didn’t want anyone to see us fucking.”

“And that lasted 2 hours?”

Now he was smirking. “I’m not a one minute man…and we wound up in her car after I fucked her against the building.  Backseat with her on all fours…”

“That’s enough details, Mr. Good.  We understand what happened.” At least the man had a solid alibi, but it didn’t help he didn’t know the last name of the blonde he had cheated with.  That would’ve helped even more so they could question her too. “You’re free to go, we’ll be in touch.”

Jon walked out of that room feeling a few different things. One, he was pretty damn sure he was solid. People had seen him in the bar before and after the time of the murders, and the bar tender -cock sucker- had even given him an alibi during those few hours he HAD been missing. His dilemma lie with Vallea. She was going to lose her mind if she found out about what the cops thought, about what he ‘did’, and he’d own that shit too. He’d rather her think he was a cheater than know he was a murderer. Cheaters could regain forgiveness, murderers went to prison.

Throughout the night, after the interrogation, Vallea went over the night of Ryan and Nick’s murder in her head.  Sleeping was all she remembered; she hadn’t even heard Jon come in from being out at the bar or felt the bed dip as his arms encircled her.  Vallea woke up to find him snoring gently, spooned up against her with his hand splayed on her stomach.  He didn’t look too worse for wear and it was obvious he had taken a shower prior to coming to bed.  Something bothered her though about that night, something she couldn’t quite put her finger on.  There was no way he committed the murders, but what if someone was trying to pin them on Jon since he was in the area?  She frowned, hoping that wasn’t the case and decided maybe taking a trip to Madonna’s Bar in the near future wouldn’t be a bad idea.  Nobody would know her there and she could easily ask some questions.  Maybe Ryan was there too and Jon hadn’t seen him since Madonna’s Bar wasn’t too far away from the motel Ryan had taken the prostitute.  Hell, Drake Younger had been there too, so maybe he was trying to pin Ryan and Nick’s murder on Jon.  She didn’t know Drake well enough to cancel him out as a suspect.  Anyone in the WWE was a suspect and, for some reason, Vallea wanted to find out what really happened to her old boss.  Nobody deserved to die the way he and Nick Gage did.  Looked like Vallea would have to do her own investigation, wanting this feeling in the pit of her stomach to go away.

~!~

“The cops asked me about where you were that night.”

This was not exactly something Jon was ready to do, he had known it was coming after that story had been spun but still. It made sense they were going to corroborate it with the other superstar who had been near the scene. His life kind of sucked. Jon sighed, looking at his friend. “Yeah?”

“Man, is it true, about you… fucking a bar rat?” He didn’t want to believe it, not when Jon had Vallea, but Jon hadn’t exactly been picky on his conquests prior to Vallea either.

Jon had to saddle up and he knew it, he had to deal with the lie and keep to the story. At least Vallea wasn’t anywhere around to hear this. “Yeah, I did.” He jut his jaw out defensively, eyes narrowing at the look he was being given. “Drake, things with Val were tense okay? She was dead half the time, or having panic attacks in the shower. I couldn’t exactly go to her for… things.”

On one hand, Drake got it. On the other… “If she finds out… fuck dude, that’s wrong.”

They weren’t alone to have this conversation.  The ‘harpies’ as Ambrose liked to call them had listened in and both twins gaped at each other.  Since everyone in WWE was being questioned and interrogated over Ryan Arrow and another Indie wrestler’s death, they could all paint a picture of what happened.  Besides that, word spread around very quickly because NOTHING stayed secret in WWE.  If it was spoken about between two people, chances were, others would overhear.  The twins continued listening and waited for the men to part before scurrying off without either noticing, contemplating what to do with this newfound information.

“What are we gonna do?” Brie asked her sister, seeing the wheels turning in her sister’s head. “Poor Vallea, she’s such a nice girl too…”

“Yeah, she really is and she deserves better than that cheating asshole.”

Nikki was feeling particularly vindictive since her relationship with John Cena had crashed and burned after 6 long years.  They had even been engaged to be married; he asked her at WrestleMania, which was coming up, in front of millions of people on the Network and pay-per-view.  Her heart was broken and why should she be the only one to be in pain?  Spreading the misery helped.

“We’re telling her.”

Brie wasn’t sure this was a smart idea because, if Ambrose found out it was them… “God help us if he finds out…”

“He won’t.”

~!~

It had to be done right. They just couldn’t burst in on Vallea and tell her, that would be like playground tattling and nobody liked that shit. So Nikki bided her time and it came. Vallea was walking down the hallway, her nose buried in her smart phone, and Nikki felt spite warming her up. “That’s what he said, he, you know, did her in the bar parking lot.”

“He did not! Ambrose is a pig!” Brie wasn’t really on board with this but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t play devil’s advocate for her twin. They halted when they realized Vallea was now stopped and staring at them. “Oh honey, we’re so sorry.”

“At least he had the balls to tell you though.”

It’d been a week, a very long week, since the interrogation went down and so far, Vallea hadn’t heard anything more from the police.  Jon hadn’t been questioned again either.  They hadn’t talked about their interrogation because neither wanted to upset the other, at least…that’s what Vallea assumed.  She felt her chest tighten at what the twins were saying, knowing she shouldn’t believe a word they said, but…at the same time, Jon hadn’t been very forthcoming about his time that night at Madonna’s Bar.  She still hadn’t gotten a chance to do her own investigation there, deciding to do it the next time WWE was in Cincinnati for a show, which wouldn’t be for at least another month or so.

“What are you two talking about?” She demanded, trying to keep the tension out of her voice and narrowed her eyes at the twins, especially Brie Bella, who looked very uncomfortable suddenly. “What have you heard?”

This was a really, REALLY bad idea. “We assumed you knew already…” Of course, that was a lie and Brie congratulated herself for keeping her voice even.

“Knew what?”

Nikki smiled sardonically, shrugging her shoulders. “Your man admitted what his alibi was the night your old boss was killed…and he was with another woman.”

“A blonde.”

“Don’t know her name though.”

“The referee, Drake, was talking to him about it.”

“And your man didn’t deny any of it.  In fact, he told Drake things between you were…tense and he couldn’t go to you for certain things.  So he got them elsewhere.”

Brie frowned, seeing the heartbreak in Vallea’s eyes and reached out to her. “We’re really sorry, sweetie.  We wanted to tell you, but haven’t found the right time due to how crazy everything’s been.”

Chapter 28

Jon was with a blonde at Madonna’s Bar the night Ryan and Nick were killed?  He cheated on her while she was dead to the world, sleeping at the hotel? “I have to go.” Vallea couldn’t hear another word from these bitches and took off, heading right back to her office, trying to regulate her suddenly harsh breathing.  Upon arrival, Seth Rollins was waiting for her and she mentally cursed, needing to push all of this Jon drama in the back of her mind until she was out of work, remembering Stephanie’s warning. “Hello, Mr. Rollins, please come in and I’ll get your new designs out for you to look over.” She had been on her way from catering and felt like vomiting everything she just consumed, pushing it down for the moment.

Even Seth could see something was wrong. Vallea was damn quick to cover it up and slap on her professional face, but he had seen that second of anguish and there was something off with her eyes. Something painful. “Is everything okay?” He asked hesitantly. He knew she had been questioned first by the cops, but since she hadn’t been hauled off in cuffs, he assumed it had gone as well as it could.

The smile on her face was phony and did not touch her anguish-filled eyes as she nodded, lying through her teeth. “Yeah, never better.” Vallea turned her back, closed her eyes briefly and continued pushing the pain down, ignoring it.  She had NO idea what she was going to say to Jon when she saw him later that night and couldn’t think about it right now.  Slapping him across his face or kicking him in his junk was a great possibility, however. “Okay here we go…” She set the new designs on the table in front of him, making sure each one was visible and had to admit, they were MUCH better than the first round. “I hope these are to your satisfaction, Mr. Rollins.”

Seth studied them, dropping down into the chair and nodded. The quality was definitely a lot better. The other ones hadn’t been that bad, but obviously, someone had been having an off day or something because the quality in these new ones showed serious improvement. “I like them all.” He admitted with a groan, knowing he couldn’t pick them all. “What do you think?”

That was great to hear, or would’ve been, had she not just discovered her boyfriend’s infidelity only minutes prior. “I’m with you.  They are all fantastic.  But if I HAD to choose one, I’d go with the third.  The fire is brilliant and really stands out.  Your character is all about ‘burning it down’, after all.” That got a smile out of him and she reciprocated it. “That’s just me though.  They are all fantastic and you can’t go wrong with whichever one you choose.  My advice is go with your gut instinct.  Which one stood out to you the second you saw it?”

“The third, but it’s a close call.” He nodded, staring at them. “Yeah, the third. If there needs to be a second option, then this one.” He tapped the design he was talking about, chuckling. “If that’s all you need.” He pushed himself up and away from the chair, staring down intently at her. She seemed a little more animated, but it was obviously forced. “You sure you’re okay?”

Seth was the last person she should talk to about this, especially since he and Jon couldn’t stand each other.  The men had to go through counseling to be reminded how to act in the work place. “Yeah, I’m fine.  Are you sure the third is the design you want faxed over?” When Seth looked at them again and nodded in affirmation, Vallea took it over to the machine to set it on the pile of others she had to fax over. “That’s all I need from you then.  Glad we finally got this taken care of and you’re happy with the design.”

“Well, if I hadn’t been a total dick the first time we met…” Seth trailed off awkwardly and then managed a stiff smile. “Well, actually, we wouldn’t have these awesome designs now, still doesn’t excuse the behavior.” Yeah, he wasn’t making this any better, was he? “Sorry, I’ll go.” Clearing his throat, he headed out, shaking his head at what an asshat he was.

She was too distracted to go after him and let him know she didn’t have an issue with him, her mind reverting back to what the Bella’s said.  Did Jon really cheat on her?  If they overheard it from both Drake and Jon…Vallea shut her eyes, willing the tears back.  She couldn’t cry at work; it wasn’t an option.  She refused to be unprofessional and began faxing over the designs from the Superstars, including Seth’s, feeling a headache coming on.  What happened now?  Did she get her own hotel room?  Did she leave Jon?  Why wouldn’t he just come to her and tell her how he felt if it was that bad?  She told him from the beginning, if he got bored with her or wanted out of this, all he had to do was say so.  THERE WAS NO REASON TO CHEAT!  Maybe he didn’t love her as much as he claimed…or he said those words because she had, because he felt obligated.  Once the final design was faxed over, Vallea packed up her things and headed out of the arena for the night, not bothering to wait for Jon.  She needed time to think and process everything; lashing out at him wouldn’t solve anything and, honestly, she needed to have a good, decent cry by herself.  Hopefully, there was a vacancy at the hotel the WWE was staying at since her and Jon’s motel was on the outskirts of town.

~!~

Jon was a little miffed when he was done working and there was no sign of Vallea. Frowning, he headed to her office and that was empty. Maybe she had gone to the parking lot, it had been a helluva night for everyone. “What. The. Fuck.” Their rental car was gone. She had left. Without him. Confused, Jon began walking towards the street, figuring he’d just have to catch a cab or something. He pulled his cell out of his pocket, calling her. Somehow, it wasn’t surprising that it instantly went to voicemail. He called again. And again.

Unfortunately, there was no vacancy for Vallea and since she wasn’t required to be at house shows, unless she had leftover meetings to do, which she didn’t, she hopped a redeye flight to Vegas.  Stephanie assured her it was fine since she wasn’t on the roster to perform in the ring.  The entire flight, Vallea cried while staring out the window silently, already missing Jon fiercely.  She hadn’t been without him in months; they traveled everywhere together and maybe that was the problem.  Maybe they spent too much time together and Jon was bored of her, which was why he cheated.  She hadn’t been in a good place while Ryan was alive, even she would admit that, but all Jon had to do was speak up.  Tell her he was tired of being neglected and Vallea would’ve done something to change it.  Sniffling, she exited the plane with red-rimmed eyes, a broken heart and felt as if her soul had been ripped out of her body, feeling lifeless.  It was a little after 4 AM when she finally collapsed on her bed in her condo and sobbed herself to sleep.

Jon had to wait for his next days off to go to Vegas, which is where he was assuming Vallea had fled. He was furious. She hadn’t returned any calls, any texts, nothing. It had crossed his mind that perhaps she had somehow found out about his little white lie that was actually kind of a big deal, to her and their relationship but he was fairly certain that Drake wasn’t about to spill that information. Which meant someone had probably been snooping and had a goddamn death wish.

When Jon showed up at her condo, with key in hand, the locks had been changed and he couldn’t get in.  She had made her decision to end things with him, it was just a matter of telling him to his lying, cheating face.  Vallea wasn’t home at the moment, she was out having a coffee date with Monique and talking about what happened.  Monique stayed quiet, letting her vent, which she appreciated and simply hugged her, trying to comfort her the best she could.  Doing what best friends did best.  Vallea left not feeling any better and had black shades on to hide her swollen, red-rimmed eyes since she couldn’t stop crying.  Even throughout the coffee date, she had cried and could tell it broke Monique’s heart. 

Upon arrival at the condo, Vallea spotted Jon sitting on the porch steps and parked her car, knowing he would show up sooner or later.  It was Thursday, she knew he had to work another house show on Wednesday, so he only had one day off this week instead of two.  Taking a deep, shaky breath, she stepped out of vehicle and wasn’t surprised to find him right there in her space, invading it. “What the hell do you want, Jon?” She demanded in a monotone voice, not bothering to remove her shades because she didn’t want him to see how much pain she was in.

“An explanation, doll, would be awesome.” He said quietly, already resigned. He was guessing that whoever had been lurking and listening in had gone straight to her and spilled the beans about his alibi lie. The house key that no longer worked dangled from his fingertip. “Anything in particular you want to talk about, Vallea?” His bloodshot eyes finally raised, studying her face intently. She looked like shit.

“No, not really.  I know what this is, okay?  I know what happened and you can deny it all you want, but I know the truth.  I know what you did that night at Madonna’s Bar.” Vallea leaned against the car, not having the energy to stand for a long period of time and could already feel the hot tears building in her eyes. “I told you, if you wanted out of this, all you had to do was say the fucking word.  I’m not the type to pine for a man.  I’m not the type to beg a man to stay with me.  You don’t want me anymore, fine I get it.  It was a fun ride while it lasted.  You can leave now and go fuck whoever the hell you want.  You’re not tied to me anymore, you’re free.  Now go and leave me alone.”

“I don’t want you anymore? You know that’s not true.” Jon stood up from the steps, shaking his head and stuffed his hands into his pockets so he didn’t grab her. He couldn’t tell her the truth, he couldn’t tell her he had murdered not one but two people that night. “I fucked up, Val, that doesn’t mean I don’t want you. I don’t deserve you,” That was true as Hell and for reasons she’d never understand. “I’m sorry.”

“You’re sorry for what?  For getting caught or for fucking that blonde in the back of that bar?  Which is it, Jon?  What are you REALLY sorry for?” Vallea demanded, feeling the anger cresting inside of her and clenched her fists tightly at her sides, afraid if he came any closer, she would belt him one. “The words came out of your mouth – there was tension between us and you couldn’t ask me for certain things, so you got it elsewhere.  That doesn’t sound like a man who is sorry for screwing a blonde behind his girlfriend’s back.  That doesn’t sound like you’re sorry for cheating on me.  No, that sounds like a man who is sorry he got fucking caught!” Tearing the shades from her bruised eyes, Vallea tucked them in her t-shirt and blinked as huge tears slid down her cheeks, scorching them all over again. “That also sounds like a man who doesn’t want to be tied down in a relationship.  You may say you want me, but your actions speak far louder than words.  And don’t give me that ‘I don’t deserve you, I fucked up’ bullshit.  For once, be honest with yourself instead of saying shit you think I want to hear.”

“You were fucking dead Val, you were hiding in the shower every night bawling because you didn’t want me to hear. You were barely eating, your hair was turning gray.” He remembered that vividly, he had plucked some out while she slept, unsure if she had ever even noticed them. “Every time the phone rang, you flinched. I was out drinking, figuring I’d blow off some steam of my own because coming to you seemed like adding more pressure you didn’t need. I didn’t PLAN on her.” What the fuck was this fake woman’s name? “I didn’t plan on any of it and I AM sorry.”

“Then you should’ve told me.  Instead of fucking someone else behind my back, you should’ve told me how you felt.  You should’ve left me the RIGHT way instead of being a lying, cheating dick!” Vallea’s voice rose with every word that came out of her mouth, the anger boiling in her bruised hazel eyes. “I’m sorry too.  I’m sorry I ever met you and fell in love with you.  I’m sorry I gave you my heart, only for you to take it and stomp it into the ground.  I’m sorry I couldn’t be the perfect woman for you because it’s obvious I’m not and I wasn’t.  I’m sorry when things got a LITTLE stressful, a little hairy, you stuck your dick in the first cunt that paid any amount of attention to you!  And I’m sorry for being on that mountain the day you saved me; I kinda wish, looking back, I would’ve fallen to my death because I wouldn’t be in the excruciating pain I’m in now over a scumbag like YOU.  Now leave, and don’t ever come back again.”

“Fine.” This was the price he was going to have to pay for what he had done. He was going to have to own the lie of being a cheater instead of spending life in prison for the truth. Hell, if it was known what he had done, she’d wind up under investigation because fingers would point, wondering if she had egged him into doing or something. Of course not, when she wasn’t having meltdowns about perceived slights against her person, Vallea had a heart of gold.

“Goodbye, Jon.” Vallea walked past him and didn’t look back, going straight into her condo to close and lock the door.  She slid down it, burying her face in her hands and sobbed violently, her entire body trembling from head to toe.  Was it possible to die from heartbreak?  Vallea wouldn’t doubt it and felt as though she was having a heart attack, her chest tightened to the point where she could barely breathe.  Curling up in a tight ball didn’t help matters either, but it was all she could do to alleviate some of the pressure.  After several hours, she finally managed to peel herself off the floor by the door and trudged to the bedroom, once again collapsing in bed.

Chapter 29

By the time Monday morning rolled around, Vallea had cleaned herself up and the bruises around her eyes were nearly gone.  It was nothing makeup couldn’t cover up.  She was ready to get back to work, refusing to quit her job just because her ex-boyfriend couldn’t keep his dick in his pants.  Breakups happened every day and, even though it would suck having to work in the same company as Jon, she would do it with a smile on her face.  The company relied on her for merchandise and, as long as the numbers kept crunching positively, she would have a job for a long time to come.  With her hair swept back in a neat French braid, makeup on her face, black dress pants and a light blue long sleeved top, Vallea walked into catering to grab some coffee before heading to her office to get started on her work.

“So, we heard that you’re single again.”

Of all the bitches to deal with on Monday, the Bella’s were definitely the worst. Jon was hungover. He had drank in the safety of his apartment, knowing better than to go out and get toasted in public. There was a chance, with his mood coupled with alcohol, he would either shoot off at the mouth or he would wind up committing another murder. “Go. To. Hell.”

“Poor Vallea, when we let her know.”

He cracked his knuckles.

“You know,” Nikki sauntered up to him, ignoring his cracking knuckles and slid her finger down his chest. “If you would’ve just manned up and told her how you really feel, you wouldn’t be in this situation right now.  Just a little food for thought for you, Looney Tunes.” She cackled, blinking when he lunged forward and Brie pulled her back just in the nick of time.

“Time to go.” Brie SHOVED her sister down the hall away from Ambrose, swallowing hard and couldn’t believe the audacity of her sister.  Nikki had officially lost her mind.

Dean and Bryan, her husband, were good friends from the Independents and had several matches together.  Bryan went to Dean for advice on several occasions, especially when Dean made it to the main roster.  They confided in each other, even when Dean was in the Shield and Bryan was doing his own thing with Kane – their team was Team Hell No.  The Shield and Team Hell No had EPIC matches that had actually put tag-team wrestling back on the map in WWE.  If Bryan found out what her and Nikki did, he wouldn’t be happy at all.

Well, now he knew for a fact which harpies had helped along his own damnation. Vallea was never going to forgive because she assumed he didn’t want her, he didn’t love her, and that he had dipped his dick in some blonde chick he had never met. He had made his bed, now he had to lie in it, he got that, he just didn’t need the Bella’s tucking his ass in. He was going to be having a chat with Bryan about keeping his wife away if he didn’t want to become a widower.

A month had passed since the events of that day and word spread around quickly Vallea and the Lunatic Fringe were over.  Vallea sank herself into her work, hardly coming out of her office and made sure every single person would be ready for WrestleMania this year.  Currently, there were boxes upon boxes stacked all around her office while she opened each one to see what was what.  A checklist was in front of her to tick off the ones they received and ones that were still set to arrive.  They would all be loaded up on the truck to be taken from show to show to promote WrestleMania.  There were certain boxes that would be saved for WrestleMania Axxess, since it had its own store, along with the actual WrestleMania pay-per-view extravaganza.  A knock sounded at her door and Vallea didn’t bother looking up, lifting a box to set on the floor before opening another one. “Whoever it is, you’re gonna have to hold on a minute, okay?” She called over her shoulder, breathing a sigh of relief when she found Daniel Bryan’s merchandise and ticked his name off the list. “What can I do for…you?” It was Seth Rollins.

“I’m supposed to check in about the new shirt and grab one.” So he could start wearing the damn thing and advertising. This job was not just wrestling in a ring. It was doing media circuits. Charity events. You had to help promote the Brand and your own personal brand. It was a lot of shit actually, and a lot of people tended to crash and burn when they realized wrestling was not just wrestling. He leaned in the doorway, folding his arms over his bare chest. He and Finn Balor had been working out together and the tank he had been wearing was now in a laundry bin somewhere, soaked with sweat.

Sweet Jesus, save me, she thought, immediately averting her eyes from his sweaty, muscular body and mentally counted backwards from 10.  Why did seeing this man get her hot and bothered?  Seth had an insane body and here was a reason people, especially fangirls, referred to him as CrossFit Jesus. “Okay, let me find yours, give me a minute.” Didn’t she just see his merchandise an hour ago?  His name was already ticked off the list and several Superstars had come in to grab one of the shirts to start promoting them.  It took her five minutes and Vallea could smell his scent wafting in the air, filling her office. “Finally…” She muttered, pulling down the box and squealed out when they began toppling on her.  Seth reacted instinctively and yanked her out of harm’s way, the boxes crashing to the floor where she should’ve been standing. “S-Shit…”

“You need help doing this,” Seth said, his eyes roaming the boxes that took up quite a bit of office space, both vertically and horizontally. “Ask Stephanie for a temporary assistant.” There were a lot of superstars and each one looked like they had quite a bit of merchandise in these boxes. He let Vallea go, watching as she straightened herself out. After a moment, he began lifting boxes easily. “Where do you want them?” And not piled on each other, she was going to wind up dead via t-shirts.

“Mr. Rollins, you don’t have to…” He shot her a look and she smiled sheepishly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “The boxes won’t be in here forever.  They’re all being put on trucks sometime tonight and I have to go through each of them to make sure everyone has their merchandise.  Stephanie isn’t going to hire someone for me…” Why would she?  This wasn’t the WWE’s responsibility, it was hers and Vallea would do it to the best of her ability. “I’m sure you have better things to do than help me, so take your shirt and go do it.”

“She has a bunch of interns, she’d send you one to help out. If you get hurt in the arena, the WWE will have to foot the bill because you’re in the building they’re responsible for.” Seth explained. “And it wouldn’t look good if you died under all this merch.” Considering the WWE had just gone through the murdering thing with her old boss and that Indies wrestler and somehow managed to come out none the worse for wear. “And I don’t have anywhere to be for at least an hour.”

Vallea smiled softly at him, seeing he really did want to help her.  Who was she to deny him? “All right, Mr. Rollins, if you could put each of the top boxes on the floor for me, I’d appreciate it.” Caving wasn’t that bad and she enjoyed watching him work that toned body of his.  He wasn’t as big as Jon, but he still had a chiseled out of stone body.  Vallea was careful not to be caught ogling and helped him with the boxes, leaving the heavier ones to him. “Okay, that should do it.” She announced 20 minutes later and turned to face Seth, grabbing up her checklist again. “Thank you for your help.”

“Not a problem,” For him, the boxes hadn’t been that heavy but the repetition had given him another workout, and he was fairly certain she had checked him out at least once. He had, admittedly, eyed her ass a few times, hopefully discreet. She was Jon’s ex, and he knew without a shadow of a doubt that Jon would probably break every bone in his body if he knew about the thoughts in Seth’s mind. It wasn’t a secret that the two had split, the Bella twins, Nikki in particular, had made sure to spread that word everywhere and to everyone. Bryan had come down on his wife for the gossip but it had been a bit too late. “You can call me Seth, if you want.”

“You sure about that?  I don’t want to ruffle your feathers or anything.” They both chuckled and she reached up to brush some hair off her neck that had gotten loose from her French braid.  Vallea had started using the style a lot more, it worked for her and kept her long hair under control.  It was time for a trim soon, maybe the stylist in WWE could do something with it if they weren’t busy with the other Superstars. “I think your shirt turned out really well.” She held it out to him, letting him spread it out to take a good, hard look and could see the smile form on his bearded face. “I’m going to assume you like it then, Seth?”

“Yeah, this is perfect. You were right about the flames really standing out and making it pop.” He said, remembering that chat from a month or so ago. A lot had changed in a month. She was single. He was less of a douche. Jon was still insane, so maybe not much had changed. He draped it over his shoulder, not about to put it on until he had grabbed a shower. No point in getting the shirt all reeked in his sweat and stench just yet. “Thanks, Vallea. If you need any more heavy lifting, or rescuing from a mountain of boxes, just holler, okay?”

“I’ll keep you in mind for sure.  I’m glad you like the shirt.  Thanks again for your…help…” The smile deteriorated from Vallea’s face as she spotted the individual standing in the doorway and knew the reason he was here.  Same as Seth was.  Every Superstar had to start sporting their new WrestleMania gear in March to hopefully sell their merchandise like hotcakes come the actual show.  Jon stood in the doorway; they hadn’t seen or spoken to each other since the day outside of her condo where she told him to leave and never come back.  Vallea had devoted most of her time to her office since then, working and getting everything ready for the biggest event of the year, not wanting to disappoint either company.  Professional, she had to remain professional and had to check their personal issues at the door. “Mr. Ambrose, please come in and I’ll get your shirt.”

Jon had been there long enough to hear that they weren’t pissy with each other and Seth had apparently been flexing his muscles Vallea’s way. He nodded curtly at the other man, watching as Seth hesitated.

Seth was hesitating because… well, just because. He glanced back at Vallea, who nodded at him and he flashed her a smile. “Seriously, holler.” He winked before heading out, not closing the door behind him because fuck Jon.

She looked delicious. She probably wasn’t falling asleep with a bottle of something strong with a burn every night either. Jon hadn’t felt much remorse about killing those two, but her thinking he had fucked around on him was shredding him, tearing him apart. He was definitely going to Hell.

Vallea nodded at Seth, acknowledging she heard him and tried not to let Jon’s presence affect her.  He always did and probably always would.  She opened one box and then another, finally finding his merchandise on the third one, pulling out the design he chose.  It really was a beautiful design and she silently hoped it did sell well for him, even though he cheated on her. “Here you go.” She walked over to him with the t-shirt in hand and made the mistake of looking up into his pale blues, feeling her heart start thundering in her chest.  Damn it, she thought, mentally chastising herself for being so weak and could not pull her gaze away from his.  She missed him so much, this past month without him had been hell on earth, but she had to stay strong and keep moving forward with her life. “I – um…I hope you like it…”

“It looks great,” Jon said, his eyes hadn’t even moved from her face, he was sure the shirt looked great. He took it, careful not to touch her. She had made where she stood quite clear and he wasn’t going to drag either of them through anymore Hell. She was out from Ryan’s thumb, she was on a good career path and she seemed to be doing just fine without him. No point in mucking it up. “Your face is red.” And she looked like she had been sweating actually. Seth had too. He didn’t like those thoughts.

“Yeah well, look around.” Vallea gestured with her hand, finally pulling her gaze from his and wished her heartrate would return to normal. “I’ve been busy with WrestleMania coming up.  Nearly got smashed by some boxes, which is why Seth was in here helping me.” He saved her from being crushed, actually, since some of the boxes weighed over 50 pounds or more.  Vallea was strong; she wouldn’t be a mountain climber if she wasn’t. “Heavy boxes equals a little bit of sweat.”

She had a thing for needing to be saved. Seth had saved her. Jon could already see that relationship forming and crushed down the visions that flickered through his mind. He opened his mouth to offer to help her but what came out was basically verbal diarrhea. “It’s Seth now? No more Mr. Rollins?” WHAT. THE. ACTUAL. FUCK. His hand convulsed, nearly coming up to facepalm himself for that. “Sorry, none of my business.”

Vallea could SEE the jealousy boiling in his eyes and FEEL the animosity oozing out of his pores. “He said I could call him Seth, so that’s what I’m going to do.” Her brow slowly raised, not understanding what the problem was. “I only called him that because he requested it and was a jackass at the time.  People change.  It’s not a big deal.” He was right; it was none of his business because he was too busy sticking his ‘business’ in other women.  What Vallea did with her life was none of his concern anymore.

Chapter 30

“Right.” Jon said flatly, taking the shirt and holding it tightly in his fist. She wasn’t his concern anymore. He wanted to rip the weaves right off the Bella twins heads for their vindictive bullshit. Overall, he wasn’t a bad guy, right? Ryan had gotten what he deserved. The only thing Jon figured was he was being repaid karmic vengeance for Nicky. People changed. She knew him fairly better than anyone but she believed he had cheated, she believed she hadn’t been enough, the woman was insane. His perfect match. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.  Oh, I mailed your things to your place, so you should have boxes waiting for you whenever you make it back home.” Since they were no longer together, she took her two days off a week to go back to Vegas and did her thing, having meetings with the company too, mostly Dorian.  He was a really nice guy and treated her well, always asking if she needed anything.  Unlike Ryan, he didn’t want to bog her down with too much work and she appreciated that. “Just thought I’d let you know, so yeah…” This wasn’t awkward at all.

“Yeah… that shit was probably stolen by now.” Because it was fucking Vegas and the apartment complex didn’t have the security thing, or a damn person to take packages. He didn’t know his neighbors that well so… he tried to remember what he had left at her place. “If you let me know when you’ll be home, I’ll have a courier bring your things directly to you.” Because he wasn’t a scumbag contrary to popular opinion. “See you, Val.” If he couldn’t remember, then it must have not been that important.

“No, it’s not stolen because I had your landlord bring the stuff in for you.  I called ahead of time and she assured me the boxes would be brought into your place.” Vallea paid the landlord a little bit extra to ensure nothing was taken or tampered with, even though it wasn’t anything too important.  Clothes, toiletries, things of that nature he’d left at her place. “I’ll be back there on Wednesday and Thursday, so if you want to send it then, I’ll be home to grab it.  See you.” Turning away from him, Vallea began going through boxes again, opening up another one to see it was Alexa Bliss’s merchandise and checked her name off the list.

Well that was illegal as fuck and Jon was mildly annoyed as he left her there. The landlord had no business in his unit and couldn’t enter without giving him so many hours of notice. The fact that the crazy broad had gone in there on Vallea’s say so ground his ass because the landlord was creepy. He was going to have security cameras installed, just in case. He didn’t like the idea of anyone being in his one safe place from this shit hole world.

It was either leave his stuff outside for people to steal or enlist help from his landlord to make sure the boxes were put in his apartment safely.  It was a catch 22 situation, honestly.  He’s lucky she didn’t burn any of his items, which had crossed her mind a time or two.  Vallea was trying to do the right thing for her cheating ex.  Sighing, she pushed Jon out of her mind, not wanting to think about him since he invaded her dreams on more than one occasion.  Some of the dreams were good, but a lot of them left her hot, bothered and scared.  There was one where he actually let her fall off that mountain to her death and she could still hear the echo of his laughter in her ears.  Shaking herself mentally, Vallea kept going through boxes and finally finished just after midnight, feeling exhausted.  Every Superstar presently in the company had gotten a shirt to wear for the show and Stephanie had been very happy with the results and designs.  Trudging out of her office, once the final box was taken out to be loaded onto the truck, Vallea was ready for a shower and bed.

Well, she HAD said she kind of wished he had never been there to save her, so that was her own words coming back to bite her in the ass in those dreams. Jon drank himself to sleep, it kept the nightmares away. The first night he had dreamed that it was her up on that scaffold, he had shoved her into the vat of acid, it had woken him up vomiting his guts out. Bring in the whiskey. And there was a lot of working out, it helped tire him out and kept him busy. If he could wipe her from his mind, he would’ve.

~!~

“Another nightmare?”

“Yeah…I hate this, Monique.  I really do.  I miss him so goddamn much…” Vallea had woken up crying again from another nightmare with Jon and called her best friend, the only person she could rely on these days. “I don’t know what to do anymore…”

Monique frowned, wishing she had the answers, but she didn’t.  Nobody did when it came to heartbreak. “You just…maybe you should just quit and come back to the agency.  You could work for me again and I’ll even up your pay, if you want, and you’d be away from Jon.  Maybe the nightmares would stop…”

Sniffling, Vallea had to admit the offer was tempting, but her stubborn pride wouldn’t allow her to quit.  Not over a man and failed relationship.  No, she would stick it out and hopefully, the nightmares would go away sooner or later. “I just wish I could stop loving him.  All I want to do is find him and hurt him as much as he’s hurt me and then…”

Monique suddenly got an idea and a sly smile curved her lips. “Well, if you want to hurt him the same way he did you…there is a solution to that.”

“Don’t say it.  Please don’t say it.” Vallea groaned, already knowing where her friend was going with this.

“There is nothing wrong with a little revenge sex, woman.  Just find a hot, hunky wrestler on the roster that only wants sex and go to town.  Hell, maybe that’s what you need to do to start healing and forgetting about him.  Fuck someone else and see what happens.”

“THAT’S the best advice you can give me?”

“Yup.”

Vallea was screwed.

“Just don’t tell Joe I said that.” Monique added thoughtfully. So far, neither Jon nor Vallea had played the ‘friend’ card on either of them, which was great because their relationship was still going strong and they were trying not to get involved too much in this drama. Joe dealt with Jon and what was said between those two remained with those two. Same with her and Vallea. “He might not find it as amusing as I do. There’s got to be at least ONE guy since Jon you’ve looked at and went yum.”

“I mean…” Yes, there had been one man she had glanced at more than once and Vallea thought it was too cliché the way he had saved her from being crushed by boxes of t-shirts.  Jon had saved her from falling to her death on the Red Rocks and Seth had saved her by pulling her out of harm’s way.  Why did she have to be with men who saved her?  Maybe she had a savior complex.  Vallea sighed heavily, hearing Monique coaxing her to say the name and her eyes shut. “Seth Rollins.” She was going to hell in a handbasket.

“Wait…. the guy Jon bashed against the table? THAT guy?” Monique had gotten the story from both Joe who had been there and from Vallea who had heard about it. Apparently Seth had provoked Jon with a less than polite compliment concerning Vallea being a fucking hot bitch and Jon hadn’t responded nicely to it. “Um… how’s that working out? My curiosity is pretty peaked right now, Val.”

Vallea chortled, knowing that would definitely peak Monique’s interest and took a sip of her coffee. “He was an asshole to me at first.  Demanded me to call him Mr. Rollins instead of Seth, but I wasn’t a bitch to him and actually helped him come up with a design for WrestleMania he loves.  The company’s first batch wasn’t that great, even I can admit that.  I don’t know how it happened we just…well, he came into my office to grab one of the new shirts to wear on Raw and he saved me from being crushed by a bunch of boxes of t-shirts.  And he did apologize for his comments towards me, so…I don’t know.  I’m losing my mind, girl.”

“Um, yes, yes you are,” Monique agreed, drinking her own coffee since it was morning and probably too early for this conversation.  She was game either way. “You have a thing for guys saving you don’t you?” Everyone had a kink, maybe this was Vallea’s. Two wrestlers, both saving her, couldn’t be coincidental that she found each of them yummy. “Maybe he’s not as big an asshat as you thought…” Obviously. Maybe their first time meeting had been tainted because Jon couldn’t reign in his temper.

“Maybe.  I don’t know.  I don’t know if fucking him will help me though or make me feel better about any of this.”

“It’s a great stress-reliever and it’ll get your mind off of it for at least a few hours.”

That was a good point too. “Damn it, you’re actually making me think about this now.  Hell, he’s probably not interested since I used to be with Jon…” That was a downfall, but at the same time, he had called her hot.  A hot fucking bitch, but still hot.  That meant Seth found her attractive to some degree. “Do you really think it’s wise for me to fuck someone Jon hates?”

“Who cares?  The bastard cheated on you, why should you care what he thinks?  It’s none of his business who’s in your bed anyway.”

Vallea had a lot to think about. “A month is too soon, isn’t it?”

“For a fuck and duck?  Nope.”

Vallea started laughing. “A fuck and duck?  What, you want me to fuck him and then leave him?”

“Yeah, why not?  Make it clear to him you just want sex and nothing more.  Don’t go into this with him thinking there’s a chance at anything more than hot sex.”

“Okay…”

Monique was fairly certain Vallea was going to try this and inwardly cheered her on. She had thought Jon was IT for Val, the way they had been. Hell, he had even gone out of his way to befriend her because she was Val’s best friend. That man was a devil in disguise and deserved all the bad he had coming his way. “Seriously. Be upfront that it’s just sex, most guys like that anyway.”

The problem was Vallea had no idea how to go about doing this or approach Seth with the subject.  Seth and Jon were facing each other currently at WrestleMania, feuding over the Intercontinental championship.  Ever since Vallea began working as a liaison in WWE, she had started paying attention to the product and had to admit, it wasn’t half bad.  Watching sweaty, muscly guys going at it in the ring, beating the hell out of each other for the sake of entertainment, was kind of hot.  Sighing, she hung up with Monique and proceeded to go on with the rest of her day, having a great deal to think about.  Would sleeping with another man really help her get over Jon?

It might not help right away, but something had to be the catalyst to start the process because it was glaringly obvious that Vallea was not over Jon. She was still hurting from what he had done and still grieving their relationship. She needed to jump start her life again and finding a man who found her beautiful, wanted her for one night only, and made her feel like the damn fierce goddess she was would probably give her that boost.

Christ, what if Seth already had a girlfriend and she was setting herself up for failure or rejection?  Vallea battled with herself the entire walk up the stairs to Seth’s hotel room.  She found out his number from the receptionist, after proving she did indeed work with the WWE.  Stopping off at her room to freshen up and change into something a little…revealing, Vallea had wrapped herself in a robe before heading to Seth’s room.  Just do it, just knock on the door and tell the man what you want, she mentally coached, trying to channel her inner goddess and stopped just outside of his room.  She knocked three times, heard him approach the door and zoomed away to hide behind the wall since his room was just off a split hallway, hearing the door open.  No, she couldn’t do it, not this way it didn’t feel right to her.

Seth poked his head out and then when he spotted nobody, stepped out into the hallway. He was fresh out of the shower, wearing nothing but the towel, rivulets of water still running down his chest, his stomach… his thighs. Frowning, he reached back to scratch his neck and shrugged turning to go back into his room. Probably just some punk kids pranking people throughout the hotel.

Something forced her to move around that corner and the moment she did, spotting Seth in nothing except a towel, fresh out of a shower…something warmed inside of Vallea. “Seth.” She called out softly, trying not to sound timid and watched those deep dark chocolate eyes turn to look at her.  Her caramel chestnut hair was down, no makeup on her face and her hazel eyes were full of determination to actually go through with this. “Sorry, I didn’t um…I didn’t mean to interrupt your shower…” While she spoke, she took a few steps toward him and stopped, swallowing hard.

“That… you’re the one who knocked?” Seth asked, his eyes showing his confusion. He tried not to blatantly look her over. “I was out of the shower.” He was in the process of drying off actually, hence his towel. She nodded and he tried not to smile, still confused. “So why were you hiding over there, Vallea?” She looked nervous now that he thought about it. “Everything okay?”

Vallea kept asking herself over and over again why she was here, hating that Monique’s voice kept EGGING her on, demanding her to take the leap.  What happened to the headstrong woman who knew what she wanted in life?  Nothing held her back in life and then she met Jon and he turned her world upside down! “Yeah, everything’s fine.” Not really. “Do you mind if I come in and talk to you for a minute?  I don’t wanna have this talk out in the open like this…” How was she supposed to come right out and ask this man to sex her up?

Chapter 31

“Uh, sure?” Seth was beyond confused. He held open the door, gesturing her inside and then followed, closing the door behind him. This was, he wasn’t going to lie, weird as hell. Vallea was here, after working hours, and he could not fathom why. She looked and smelled delicious though, her hair was still damp so he was guessing she had showered too. “Is something wrong?” While he had a hard time believing something was wrong, it was a bit late for that since the merchandise had been produced on a mass scale it was also the only thing he could think of.

“No, this has nothing to do with work.” Vallea had a shot of whiskey before coming here, liquid courage and wished she would’ve taken a few more. “I need something from you.  I just…don’t quite know how to ask you what it is.” She was not making any sense and unfastened the robe to let it fall open, slowly turning to face him.  Beneath the robe was a black negligee that was sexy and showed some skin, but still left plenty to the imagination. “Before I ask you, I need to know one thing.” She stepped up to him, wanting to reach out to touch that bare chest of his and could feel the desire course through her while staring into his confused dark chocolate orbs. “Are you single?” That pretty much summed up and would tell her if he had any kind of girlfriend, lover, wife…anything of that nature.

And THAT was not anything on any level Seth had expected from Vallea from all people. His brown eyes nearly popped out of his skull, raking over her hungrily as milk chocolate burnt darker. “Yes.” He knew exactly what she was asking, eyes dropping to the hand that was wavering over his chest. He reached out and took her wrist, guiding her palm to skin and felt her instantly skimming, feeling him.

He was so warm, his heart beating against her palm and her hand seemingly had a mind of its own, gliding down to feel the small hairs on his stomach.  It had a perfect line that probably went all the way to his dick, a trail she desperately wanted to run her tongue along.  Vallea swallowed hard, her stomach tightening and every part of her body felt as if it was ignited in flames. “Seth…” She had to get it together, remembering what Monique told her about making it clear what she wanted from him.  Both were skimming and feeling him now, her hands on his towel gripping it, wanting to tear it away. “I need you to fuck me.  There can only be sex between us.  No feelings, no strings attached, no relationship…” Leaning forward, she pressed a soft kiss against his chest and then another, hearing him groan. “Can you do that for me or should I leave now?”

There was no chance for a relationship or strings because that would mean going public and Seth was ballsy, not stupid. He wasn’t sure how Jon felt about her but he did know Jon wouldn’t take the idea of them together on any level very well. “You’re not leaving.” He informed her, giving her his answer and his hands moved to her hips, drawing her flush against him, his hips jutting against her.

Her heart belonged to Jon, but that didn’t mean Vallea didn’t have needs like every normal human being.  It’d been a month since she found out Jon cheated on her and, maybe that wasn’t a long amount of time for some, but for her it was.  It wasn’t often a woman went to a man’s hotel room and asked for sex either – Vallea surprisingly didn’t feel any shame from it. “I was hoping you’d want me to stay.” Pulling the towel loose, Vallea wrapped her hand around his cock and began to stroke, feeling him come alive in her palm and pulsate.  Not as big as Jon, but as long as Seth could get the job done, that was all that mattered to her.  There would be no stay overs either, she would leave as soon as they were finished, meaning what she said.  Sex only.

Because he was the very definition of typical male, Seth was okay with the sex only thing. He had a career he was focusing on and he knew better than to get involved with someone he had to work with. If that shit went sour, it led to awkward, potentially stupid and painful situations. Kind of like her and Jon. That did not mean he wasn’t a generous lover, he liked giving and receiving, so he let her fondle him for a little bit, and then stopped her, his hands moving to that black lingerie.

Generous, indeed.  He definitely wasn’t a one minute man either, thank the stars.  She was slightly worried about that possibility and was pleasantly surprised at how good Seth was in bed.  Not mind-blowing, but it was good nevertheless and she would not mind doing it again in the future.  There was no cuddling afterwards or anything; Vallea slid out of bed since they lay side by side and pulled her robe back on.  The black negligee, sadly, didn’t make it through the ordeal, but that was fine.  She could always buy another one. “Thanks for helping me out, Seth.” Tying the robe, she turned to look down at him while he stayed sprawled on the bed, a smirk curving his bearded face. “I appreciate it.”

“Oh anytime, Vallea,” His voice was soft, every last inch of him enjoying the lethargic, relaxation that usually came after good sex. She had been a bit stiff, hesitant, and he had a feeling one night stands were not her deal, that she was new to this. That was okay, she hadn’t sucked in bed and by the end of it, it was like that hesitation had washed away.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Vallea didn’t know if it would happen with him again.  Once she came down from the sexual high he sent her to and reality crashed over her, she didn’t know how she would feel. “Sweet dreams.” She winked before heading out, closing the door behind her.  It was done.  The deed was done.  Monique would probably sing her praises, but Vallea felt…empty.  Luckily, the robe went to mid-thigh, so it covered her and didn’t show the fact she was completely naked beneath.  Seth had torn her panties and negligee off her body, showing his animalistic side.  Maybe now she could finally get a good night sleep without being plagued by dreams and nightmares about Jon.

Probably not. Jon had had a late night but he was still sober enough to be allowed to buy a bottle to bring back with him. Or he was just that good at faking it, or they hadn’t cared. He didn’t care either. He came to a halt at the sight of Vallea, not wearing all that much and cursed. Maybe he was beyond drunk and she was a hallucination.

Running into her ex-boyfriend, after just screwing another man, was NOT what Vallea expected to happen.  Her hair was haphazard from tumbling in the sheets with Seth, she was still slightly flushed and she really needed to clean herself up.  A shower was definitely in order because she probably smelled like Seth too.  Her neck more than likely had red marks, burns, from his beard, as well as her inner thighs.  He’d spent a great deal of time pleasuring her with his lips, tongue and beard, teasing her.  Clutching the robe against her neck to try hiding the red marks, Vallea kept walking barefoot towards him since he just stepped off the elevator.  Maybe taking the stairs would’ve been a better option.

As soon as she was about a foot away from him, the stench of another man washed over Jon, even over his own alcohol breath. He could smell male bodywash, and sex, it reeked from her and his glassy, glacier eyes widened and then narrowed. That hadn’t taken her long at all, had it? It was none of his business, it was none of his business, that was a goddamn love mark on her neck she was trying to hide and he had to bite down on his tongue to keep from spewing something he may regret later.

What did she have to be ashamed of?  Nothing!  This man cheated on her with a bottled blonde against the back of a bar building! “Do you have a staring problem, Ambrose?” Vallea snapped, knowing it was irrational, but the judgment was clear as day in his eyes.  The tension between them couldn’t be severed even with the sharpest knife.  Without realizing it, tears formed in her eyes as she stepped on the elevator and then thought better of it, brushing past him to head to the stairs.  Why did she feel like crying?  And why did her chest feel like it would cave in at any second?

“Sorry doll, it was an odor problem. You smell like you were scrubbing someone’s balls with shitty old Spice.” He snapped, just as the door slammed behind her and he could practically hear her crying. What possessed him to say that? Jealousy. Shaking his head, he stormed down the hallway to his own room. Of course she had moved on, she was a vibrant, sexual person… and he had ‘cheated’ on her. “Fuck Karma.”

Of course she did!  She just got done having sex with Seth Rollins and if he knew that, Jon would lose his mind!  Vallea did not stop until she was back in her own room, slamming the door shut and tore the robe from her body before heading straight for the shower.  Only after she was under the hot sprays did the tears start to fall and she dropped to her knees, sobs wracking every part of her body.  Damn it, what had Jon turned her into?  What happened to her carefree, don’t give a flying rat’s ass attitude she used to have?  Did being in a relationship really destroy that part of her?  Vallea didn’t know how to get back to who she was before she met Jon.  After scrubbing her body and washing her hair, Vallea stepped out wrapping a towel around herself and brushed her teeth and hair.  Not bothering to dress, she walked out and saw her phone going off, narrowing her eyes at the Jon’s name flashing back at her.  Why she answered it, Vallea would never know and put the cell to her ear. “Got anymore scathing remarks for me, Ambrose?”

Jon was like, ten sheets to the wind, and the fact that he had even managed to dial out was amazing. It had taken him a solid five minutes just to get the number in focus he was that inebriated. He did have more scathing remarks actually but his tongue felt thick, and getting them out wasn’t going to happen. “I love you.” He finally said, hoping the words came out, he was pretty messed up. “And you’re fuckin’ around.”

“What would you have me do?  Sit around and mope and pine for you?  YOU CHEATED ON ME, DICK, not the other way around!” Vallea shouted, tears already falling down her cheeks at his confession, wanting more than anything to believe him. “If you loved me, you wouldn’t have cheated on me and we wouldn’t BE in this situation right now!  I love you too, but I refuse to be with someone who cheats on me when things get a LITTLE rough.  And the only reason I’m fucking around is because I’m having nightmares about you and I have to do something before I lose my goddamn mind!” Vallea cried harder, clutching the phone and covered her eyes with her free hand, the pain radiating through every nerve-ending of her body. “Damn it…”

“More ‘n lil rough, he was killing ya.” Jon slurred, though he did have some sense of mind to NOT state what he had done. Cheating. He had been out fucking around that night. That was the official story, THAT was his ass biting truth. And she had come out and said what his heart had already known, on two levels. She still loved him and she HAD been out sleeping with someone. “Give me ‘nother chance, Val.”

Squeezing her eyes tightly shut, Vallea gripped her wet hair between her fingers and shook her head, even as her heart was SCREAMING at her to do it.  To forgive him.  She cried harder, letting him hear the amount of pain and anguish she was in over leaving him. “Don’t.  Please don’t...” She whispered brokenly, trembling from head to toe.  There were actual tremors in her voice.  Vallea couldn’t trust him not to do it again and without trust, there was no room for a relationship to grow. “Go to sleep, Jon.  You’re in no condition to have this talk right now.” It was a scapegoat, a copout, but the best she could come up with since he was plastered.

He snorted, taking another pull from his bottle, not that she could see. His mouth opened to tell her if she only knew the truth, she’d understand. She’d know he would never do anything to hurt her, not when all he wanted to do was take care of her. Even drunk Jon managed to stop himself. He hung up, exhaling shakily and took yet another drink, shaking his head almost frantically.

~!~

~!~

“So, how was YOUR night?  Did you do it?” Monique inquired the following day, having her daily talk with Vallea while she was on the road with the WWE.

It was way too early for this conversation and Vallea’s head was killing her from lack of sleep.  That phone call from Jon bothered her for some reason and she couldn’t put her finger on why.  It was almost as if she SENSED he wanted to tell her something more, but he was either too plastered or hesitant to say what was really on his mind.  It made her brain race, along with her broken heart shattering all over again in her chest. “Yeah…” She held the phone away from her ear as Monique squealed out. “Christ woman, my head is pounding, can you NOT do that please?”

“I’m sorry!  So sorry, but oh my god, how was it?!  Did you enjoy it or did he suck in bed?  Seth, right?” Monique had copious amounts of coffee already this morning, on her 4^th cup, so she was buzzing a little bit on a coffee high.

“It was good.  And I didn’t stay afterwards either, I left.  I made it clear to him it was sex only and he was fine with it.” Vallea popped some Advil liquid gels and refused to get into the whole running into Jon and their brief phone call where he begged her for another chance. “I didn’t sleep well…”

“Guilt?”

“Maybe.”

“Been there, done that.  So hey, maybe you just weren’t ready to have sex with someone else yet.”

Vallea didn’t know ifs he ever would be ready for that step, clenching her hand in front of her in a fist. “I don’t think I was either…”

“Well, I’m sorry for pushing you into it.” Monique said after a moment, willing to own up to her part in the whole affair. She had nudged Vallea into jumping onto someone’s dick and Val had. “At least now we know, right?” She laughed, shaking her head at herself. “But… it was good, so there’s that.” Maybe after a day or so, Vallea wouldn’t feel bad about it at all, and then she’d be able to think about what she wanted to do next, if anything.

“Shit, I gotta go.  Meeting with Dorian is in 5.  I’ll call you later.” That was a small lie, but Vallea didn’t feel like being on the phone right now.  She needed her headache to go away and to get Jonathan Good out of her head.  Hopefully, Seth wasn’t a douchebag about this situation and kept what happened between them to himself.  She hadn’t really thought past sleeping with him or what the repercussions would be.  Another shower was in order to hopefully wake her up and then a meeting with Stephanie to discuss the progress of the WrestleMania merchandise.

Chapter 32

Seth had absolutely no intentions of discussing what had transpired to anyone. Word would reach Jon and Jon would decide they needed to have a come to Jesus meeting. Seth was good. He liked his head being where it was. Not to mention, if he started running his mouth, Stephanie would have his ass flayed raw on top of the fines. He didn’t know if Vallea would ever look him up again, but… he should probably let her know that door was open. No strings. Just sex. He liked that kind of relationship best, where there wasn’t one.

After her meeting with Stephanie, Paul and Vince, which went very well, Vallea felt marginally better about her life.  Professionally, anyway.  Personally, she was a complete mess.  A jumbled, heartbroken mess, but apparently, she had put up the perfect front with the bosses.  On her way to her office, Vallea ran right into Seth after turning a corner, barely keeping her footing. “Shit, sorry about that, Seth…” She’d been walking a lot faster than intended, once again deep in thought, when she slammed into him.  Once again, he was bare from the waist up and looking delicious.  Even if she was hung up on another man, she could always appreciate a good looking one, regardless.

“You okay?” He had reached out to steady her on instinct, even with Vallea managing to keep herself upright. He let go of her, smiling down at her and shook his head. “You were hauling ass, Val.” Which was not a good thing in this place unless you like six feet minimum and at least 250 pounds, then you could withstand the rebound effect from running into people. He was pretty damn sure his cheeks just tinted red because she had so checked him out.

“Yeah, I’m fine just…I was deep in thought and didn’t realize how fast I was going.” Vallea smiled apologetically, stepping back to smooth her top out and cleared her throat. “I’ll be more careful.  And slower.” She chuckled, stepping to the side when he did to get out of people’s way since it was always hectic backstage at a WWE live event.  Even house shows were crazy, just not as tense since they weren’t televised. “You looked like you were hauling your cookies too.  In a hurry to get somewhere?”

“No, not really, just had a bit more coffee than I should’ve.” He didn’t overly care for the taste of energy drinks, it was like drinking chalk. No thanks. He liked strong black coffee, without the bitter, so he had a habit of adding a pinch of salt just to negate the bitter taste and leave him with all the rest. “Maybe I’m a little jittery.” He flashed Vallea a warm smile.

“Adrenaline, I get it.  I should go and get some work done.  Have a good show.” Vallea stepped around him, not touching him in any way and could feel those dark chocolate eyes zeroed in on her backside.  Seth was checking her out and she couldn’t help the slight flush rise in her cheeks.  At least someone found her attractive and desired her.  It just wasn’t the man she wanted to be with.

Well yeah he found her attractive. He had said so in a less than polite way and now he had had the pleasure of actually having sex with her, seeing without those clothes on. Vallea was a stunningly beautiful woman and Jon was a complete tool for cheating on her with some bar fly. Why the hell would the man go to some skank who probably took it from everyone when he had Vallea waiting in bed for him? Shaking his head, he kept on going.

~!~

“Wait a minute, you DRUNK dialed her after catching her in the hallway?  Oh man…” Joe was listening to his friend vent while pumping iron since there was a small gym within the arena.  Nothing like getting a pre-match workout in.  He loved these types of arenas and could already start feeling the slight burn in his arms, knowing he couldn’t go much longer.  Joe didn’t need to get hurt in his match tonight, especially with WrestleMania just a few short weeks away.  He was the Universal champion and would continue to be after WrestleMania. “Please tell me you didn’t go off on her, bro…” What Vallea did behind closed doors was no business of Jon’s, not anymore, but Joe would never say that aloud.

“I don’t think I did,” The only reason Jon remembered catching her in the hallway and then calling her was this morning he had been on his cell. He had a new habit of checking his outgoing calls and text messages to make sure he hadn’t confessed to his actual crimes. He had apparently drunk dialed Vallea, and that had brought back some memories he had been obviously drinking to forget. “Maybe, who knows?” He did remember the smell of men’s bodywash, his nose wrinkling.

If Jon did, he would hear about it because of Monique.  They talked about everything, including what was happening between their friends right now.  Both decided not to choose sides because people made mistakes and they hoped one day, Vallea forgave Jon.  They were the perfect match, or damn close to it.  Being biased, Joe and Monique considered themselves the perfect couple and often joked about it. “Maybe you should go talk to her and find out exactly what was said since you’re fuzzy on the details.” Joe suggested, continuing to pump the iron bar up and down and finally racked it, finishing his reps.

“Or maybe I won’t, you big dip.” Jon said, shooting his friend a disbelieving look. “Considering she wants absolutely nothing to do with me, I can just imagine how awkward that conversation will be. Yo, Val, when I drunk dialed you last night AFTER you were out with another man, you remember what I said, because I need a playback. Yeah, no. Don’t help.”

Joe laughed hard, shrugging and figured Jon would do what Jon wanted to do. “I don’t think she doesn’t want anything to do with you, bro.  I just think she’s hurt and confused and doesn’t know why you fucked around on her.  I still don’t get it, personally.” They had briefly discussed what happened, but Jon hadn’t gone into details about it, only saying the blonde had been a fan of his and he’d felt neglected from Vallea.  He never thought Jon would be the type to cheat, but then again, everybody made mistakes and at least he was owning up to it.

“The world may never know.” Jon wasn’t expecting anyone to ‘get it’ because it hadn’t happened. Not to mention, he didn’t think cheaters were inclined to say why they had actually done it, just that they were sorry, never meant for it to happen, etc. When he had said those things to Vallea, he had meant them because they were true and not a cop out.

~!~

“Hey Vallea, can I talk to you for a minute?”

She looked up from her computer screen and raised a brow at Drake Younger, wondering what he was doing in here.  Referees didn’t have merchandise of any kind in the company. “Sure, have a seat.” He closed the door behind him and walked over to sit in the chair across from her, a troubled look on his face. “What’s up?”

“I know it’s none of my business, but it’s Jon.  Something is bothering me about that night and his story.  I talked to Scotty Vortekz, who was at Madonna’s Bar that night Jon claims he cheated on you.” Drake recalled the conversation and both he and Scotty agreed there was more to the story.  Something else happened because Jon wasn’t the type to cheat.  He’d had his fun in the Indies with women, but once in a relationship, he was the most loyal person on the planet. “Scotty wasn’t that drunk like the others and he told me the only blonde Jon was talking to was one of the new bartenders.  She never left the bar either, but he did for a couple hours.  He left alone.”

“But the bartender said…”

Drake cut her off, holding his hand up. “The bartender is covering for Jon.  They go way back, you have to understand.  This is where Jon really planted his roots in both life and pro-wrestling.  He KNOWS these people and the bartender is an old friend of his.”

“How do you know all of this?” Now Vallea was confused, her work suddenly the last thing on her mind and clasped her hands in her lap.

“Because Scotty went back to talk to the bartender.  Her name is Dianna and she’s an older woman, thinks of Jon like a son.  She’s been working there for years.  Scotty demanded to know the truth from her because shit doesn’t add up and Dianna came clean about covering for him.  He left the bar for a couple hours and then came back, but nobody knows where he went or why.” Drake thought back to Nick Gage being in town, but Jon had assured he had no idea why their friend would break his probation to come to Cincinnati that night.

That meant Jon’s alibi was null and void when it came to the police. “Why would he lie to the police though?”

“That’s the million dollar question.  Why lie to the police and make you and everyone else believe he’s this cheating douchebag, when he’s not?” Drake had an unsettling feeling in the pit of his stomach over this situation and Scotty felt the same way. “Jon claims he didn’t know about Nicky coming to Cincinnati that night.  Nicky and your old boss wind up dead that night and nobody knows where Jon went…if this Ryan guy was involved with Nicky in any way, I think Jon was trying to stop something from happening and…accidents happened.”

“Accidents…?  What do you mean?  You think Jon KNOWS what happened to them?”

Drake held his hands up. “I’m just saying he didn’t cheat on you and there’s a lot more to this story he’s hiding.  Maybe he’s afraid the authorities will arrest him for their murder, but I honestly don’t think Jon would murder someone.  I think Nicky and Ryan had something going on and Jon met with Nicky to try to smooth shit over, since Ryan was connected to you, the woman he was dating, and shit went south.  That’s what Scotty and I think, anyway.  The place they were at wasn’t very safe to begin with, someone could’ve easily fallen to their death in the acid.  Maybe Ryan fell and took Nicky with him or vise versa and Jon couldn’t get there in time to stop it.” The only person who knew the truth of the situation was Jon.

“My god…” Vallea whispered, covering her mouth with her hand and could feel tears burning her eyes.  If all of this was true and Jon had watched both Ryan and his longtime friend die…she was such a heartless bitch! “I-I don’t know if I wanna know the truth about what happened anymore.  I’m afraid to know.”

“You and me both, Vallea.”

Drake took a long breath. “Look, I’m not saying ask Jon about that night because I don’t think he’d ever tell the truth of it to anyone, not even you.” He said finally. “But maybe… Hell, I don’t know. I don’t know.” He chewed on his bottom lip. “I just don’t understand how Nicky and Ryan would know each other though, let alone ever meet. Nicky wasn’t… he wasn’t the kind of guy to run in anyone important social circle, you know?”

“Ryan was very shady and had a lot of connections, I know that much.  He did a lot of shady bullshit and the company is just NOW uncovering a lot of it.  There’s still a great deal they don’t know.  I don’t either, for the record, and I worked the closest with him.” Vallea rubbed her temples, overwhelmed by this newfound information because she’d JUST slept with Seth Rollins the previous night.  If Jon didn’t cheat on her, she had done it for no reason and had lost all this time with him for no damn reason!  She did agree with Drake; Jon wouldn’t tell the truth of what happened that night if he was involved. “And I know Jon would never introduce Ryan to any of his friends because he hated him.  It really is a mystery…”

“I know coming from me it seems like I’m just trying to do my buddy a favor, but I’ve known Jon a long time and shit don’t add up. He was insanely happy with you, I don’t think Jon’s ever been like that with anyone,” Given his rough upbringing, Drake didn’t blame him at all. “And I know he’s not the kind of guy to mess around, not when he’s in a relationship.” That also probably stemmed from his childhood and his mom.

Vallea felt it in her heart deep down, the entire time, something wasn’t right with this situation.  It came completely out of left field too.  At first, she’d been so stunned to hear from the Bella twins what happened and then for Jon to come out and admit it openly, flatly, the way he had…almost callous, almost forced…Drake was right, something didn’t add up with this.  Vallea had to talk to Jon, but how the hell was she supposed to bring THIS subject up to him?  Christ, just to save his ass, he would keep lying to her about where he actually was and what really happened.  And forgiving him right off the bat, after sleeping with another man, wasn’t an option either because he’d know something was up.  Vallea was stuck between a rock and a hard place – it was a catch 22 situation – damned if she did, damned if she didn’t.

“I’m not saying anything to him, he’s going to lie either way.” Or maybe he was telling the truth and someone else was lying. Either way, it was a giant fuck all of lies and Drake didn’t want to sort any of it out because he didn’t want to know where the truth would lead him. “I didn’t mean to spring this all on you but… you needed to know, Vallea.”

“He didn’t cheat on me.  I felt it the moment he told me he did.  There was no truth in his words, no conviction, no sorrow or remorse.  He was…cold, callous about it.  That’s not who Jon is.” In the short amount of time Vallea knew Jon, and all the time she spent with him, he was quietly passionate and believed in what he did and said.  There was something about that particular night, however, that changed everything…and changed him.  Not for the better either. “I appreciate you coming to me with this, Drake.  I promise, this conversation stays between us.  You have my word.” It took a lot of guts for this man to come to her, considering what she was going through.  In a weird way, Drake had given her that glimmer of hope that maybe, just maybe, Jon wasn’t a scumbag after all.

Jon was a scumbag. He was a murdering prick who border line scumbag. He had killed two people and the only one that mattered was Nicky. He probably should have done it elsewhere, so the bodies weren’t connected, but… it was what it was and over now. He was also known as the cheating prick who went off on rages for little reason -thanks Bellas! Jon was considering becoming a full time functioning alcoholic.

Chapter 33

Seth had come to ask Vallea out on an actual date and she declined politely, having other plans.  Jon never stayed at the same hotel as the WWE, unlike her, so Vallea had to catch him outside of the arena.  She took a week to figure out what she wanted to do and the only solution to this problem was confronting it head-on.  Vallea thought about telling Monique about her talk with Drake and immediately nixed the idea, not needing more advice from her friend.  The last advice netted her a one night stand with Seth Rollins she initiated and it seemed as though the man was still interested in her past that night.  It was one week until WrestleMania and things were extremely hectic, but if Vallea waited any longer to have this talk with Jon, it would devour her.  Jon walked out with Joe since they were traveling buddies ever since Jon and Vallea split and she pushed away from the truck she’d been leaning against, waiting for him to come out. “Hi, how are you?  I’m great, fabulous, thanks for asking.” Her voice was full of nervous sarcasm. “I need to talk to you.  Privately.  I wasn’t coming to your motel room because I have no idea where you’re staying, so ambushing you out here was the only way to go.  Unless you’re busy or you don’t want to…”

“Don’t want too.” Jon didn’t even stop.

“Bro…” Joe was a bit bemused by that one. But then again, after that drunk dialing incident, Jon had basically stopped talking about Vallea. Maybe he was finally moving on. He shot Vallea an apologetic look.

Jon groaned when she planted her ass directly in front of him. “Make it quick.” He ordered briskly, his eyes icy and guarded. It wasn’t anything against her anymore, not really, but he had gotten his emotional ass tromped a bit too much and he had done what he used too back when he was a kid and teen, retreated and put up the walls.

“This is not going to be a quick talk.” Vallea informed him, folding her arms in front of her chest and could see the hesitation in his icy blues, but also the resolve.  He wanted nothing to do with her.  She didn’t know why it shattered her so badly considering she had been the one to end things between them.  What was she supposed to do?  Stay with someone who admitted to cheating on her? “Forget it.  Sorry for bothering you, Ambrose.” Shaking her head, she walked away to head toward her car, not looking back at him and Joe.  I’m such an idiot, she thought, pulling her keys out to unlock her rental with her bag over her shoulder.

What had she begged? Please don’t do this to me? Yeah, that was it. It had come back to him during the stupidest of times, he had been working out an those words had resonated in his head, from the call he had made. So here he was, not doing this to her anymore. He had hurt her more than enough and he had been hurt more than he thought he ever could be.

“You sure that’s how you want to play it, bro?”

“It’s for both our sakes, drop it man.”

~!~

It was a long, difficult decision, but if Vallea wanted to move on with her life, she had to get away from the WWE.  She had to start over fresh somewhere that didn’t remind her of Jon.  Working with him wasn’t an option anymore.  She had tried to talk to him about what happened and he wanted nothing to do with it.  Whatever he did that night, whatever went down, would forever be a secret.  She put her resignation into the company, both of them, and left.  Leaving Vegas behind and all her friends, her comrades…Vallea just needed to start over with her life.  Plenty of tears were shed in the process while she packed up her condo and Monique begged her not to leave, but once she made her mind up, there was no changing it.  It was October now; she had moved to Arizona, someplace where it was warm all-year round and there were no mountains.  She never wanted to climb another mountain again and had thrown all of her gear away, giving it up completely.  Currently, she had a boring 9-5 desk job at some law firm, being a receptionist, and it was slowly sucking the life out of her, but at least it paid the bills and kept a roof over her head.  She didn’t talk to anyone, kept her head down and spent most of her nights alone on the back patio, looking up at the stars drinking wine.  She hadn’t spoken to Monique in months or anyone from Vegas, cutting off all contact.  Anyone associated with Jon, she cut herself off from to have a fresh start.

~!~

“I hate this place.” Arizona sucked. It was flat, hot and boring. He missed mountains and color.

“You hate everywhere.”

“Shut it, Aquaman.”

Jon thought it was hilarious to call him that. A few years ago, it had been Kal Drogo from some TV show.  Joe wasn’t overly amused with the nicknames, some actor he apparently resembled, but try telling that to Jon.

~!~

WWE was in town.  She lived on the outskirts of Phoenix and had read the flyer in the newspaper, having no interest at all.  After leaving the company, she vowed to never watch it on television or read about it again.  Unfortunately, she had a few coworkers that were diehard wrestling fans and wouldn’t shut up about it.  Mondays and Tuesdays were her HELL at work.  When they asked if she wanted to go to the show that night, having an extra ticket, Vallea declined and headed home, stopping at her favorite diner for some dinner on the way.  It would be a cold day in hell before she stepped foot inside a WWE arena again, or any arena for that matter.

“Jon, I ordered for you.”

“What… is this a salad? Babe, my food eats that shit, why do I have to eat it too?”

Joe shook his head, trying not to laugh as Jon’s current ‘friend’ pouted at him. He didn’t understand why Jon bothered with her. She was trying to get him healthy and all Jon was doing was passing time. “It’s good for you.”

“It’s disgusting. Gimme a steak any day.”

Pushing open the door to the diner, Vallea smiled at the woman behind the register, who knew her by heart.  She stopped here at least three times a week to grab dinner, not big on cooking.

“Hey sweetie, the usual?”

“Yeah, add an extra slice of cheesecake, will you?” Vallea requested, feeling like it was a two piece of cheesecake kind of night.  Probably due to the fact WWE was in town and way too close for comfort.

“Not a problem, it’ll be a couple minutes, so sit tight.”

Vallea nodded, taking a seat at the counter and waited patiently, pulling her phone out to scroll through emails she’d received during the day.

“Jon, we need ketchup…” Joe was examining his plate, and then had looked for the bottle of deliciousness. It was empty. That had to be a crime somewhere.

Jon eye balled Joe’s steak fries, a bit jealous and sighed. Pushing himself upright, he leaned over and tapped the woman behind him on the shoulder. “Hey, can we borrow your ketchup?”

Vallea snapped her head up at the tap on her shoulder, having been engrossed in her email and set her phone down. “Yeah, sure.” She had heard the man’s request and reached for the ketchup bottle in front of her.  Each station had their own ketchup bottle and apparently, theirs was out. “Here you…go…” As soon as she turned around and came face to face with those icy pale blues, Vallea’s jaw dropped and the glass ketchup bottle slipped out of her fingers, splattering all over the floor.  What the HELL was Jon doing HERE?! “Oh shit!”

“Well fuck me….” Jon was inwardly groaning. He had been awesome lately. He had cut back on the drinking. He hadn’t bashed anyone’s head in outside of the ring. He hadn’t committed murder. “I wanted it for fries, doll, not my shoes.”

“Who are you-” Joe stood up, peering over. His eyes widened slightly at just who that was. “Hello Vallea.”

“Who’s Vallea?” A hand appeared on Jon’s forearm. “Jonny?”

His teeth gnashed at that. He hated being called that.

“S-Sorry…” Vallea backed up to give the woman with Jon, a blonde, more than enough room and swallowed hard, nodding at Joe to acknowledge him.  Her hair was cut short to her shoulders and she looked good as well, still fit since she’d taken up running instead of mountain climbing.  She needed something to keep from going insane with her current job.  WWE was in town, sure, but this diner was near the outskirts of town, near where she currently lived, and the arena was on the other side of Phoenix.  Why come to this particular diner when there were so many others to choose from?

“Vallea, are you all right, honey?” Bell asked, walking around the counter with the bag of food in hand and set it down. “Carter, grab the mop, babe!”

“Coming right up!” Carter called out, rushing out with a mop and gently guided Vallea away from the mess while Bell took care of the others. “Accidents happen, it’s all right.”

The shock had forced her to make this mess. “Carter, I can help you…”

He waved her off dismissively. “Not at all, Vally.” He winked at her, placing a hand on her shoulder. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost though, sweetheart.  Why don’t you take your food and head home, hmm?”

Bell and Carter were an older couple, reminding her a lot of her grandparents, which were now deceased. “Thanks…” Vallea took her food and walked out of the diner, groaning at the ketchup covering her pants. “Shit.”

“Well that wasn’t awkward at all.” Joe said, watching with them as Vallea passed by the window. So this is where she had run off too. Boring Arizona. Monique had pretty much lost her shit when Vallea cut ties with her, he wasn’t about to say a word, not wanting to rip that band-aid off. He glanced at Jon, who was now focused on his salad with a bit too much intent. “Nothing to say?”

“Shut up, Joe.” He growled around a mouthful of lettuce. He was going to pretend that didn’t just happen. He was going to pretend that his heart hadn’t done a funny jump in his chest.

”Wait, you know her?” Blondie asked curiously.

”That’s the love of his life, running from him again.”

“Wait, I’m supposed to be the love of…” She hesitated. Jon had never said he loved her, ever. Not that they had been seeing each other long. “What happened?”

“I’m a serial cheater.”

“Oh you son of a bitch!”

And that was how Blondie was the next woman to storm out of his life.

She wasn’t running from anyone.  Vallea had her food in hand and there was no reason to stick around to make things more awkward.  Her heart was thundering in her chest powerfully and Vallea couldn’t remember the last time she had felt something like that.  It looked as though Jon had moved on with the blonde and that was good on him.  Why did it hurt her so much then to see him with another woman?  She sighed heavily, pulling out of the parking lot and cursed violently when someone nailed the corner of her vehicle while trying to pull into the parking lot. “SERIOUSLY?!” She could NOT win to save her damn life tonight!

By the time Jon and Joe vacated the diner, blondie was long gone and a local cop was taking statements from what looked like a minor car accident. Jon halted when he spotted Vallea looking mildly annoyed beside a police officer. “She has got the shittiest luck ever.”

“You’re the one who did it to her.”

“Don’t remind me.” He had thought he was helping her, apparently he had jinxed her for life.

Vallea caught a glimpse of Jon and Joe leaving, but she had to focus on the officer questioning her.  By the time she finished with them, they were long gone and on their way across the city to the arena.  Luckily, there wasn’t any major damage done to her vehicle and the older lady that hit her handed over all insurance information.  She was on her way home with a dented side and cold food – brilliant.  Against her better judgment, for some reason, Vallea turned her television on and switched to the USA channel, just as Jon was coming out for his match.  He was the Intercontinental champion, currently, and the crowd booed him, which told her he was a heel.  Why was she torturing herself like this?  It’d been a year since they last saw each other, besides tonight, and Vallea felt the pull towards him as much as she had the day he saved her on that mountain.  Pulling out her cheesecake, she began eating while watching him perform, quietly cheering him on from her living room.

Something went wrong, Jon could feel it. He had gotten nailed in the head but… it hadn’t gone as planned, like it hadn’t been done the way it should’ve been. He blinked, groaning as everything began swirling around him. The lights were way too bright. The crowds were too loud and blurring. He had to move, had to turn, he knew he was supposed to be getting his ass kicked in a second but he didn’t think he could move in time.

His opponent dead stopped when Jon hit the canvas without being touched.

USA cut to commercial.

“What the hell?” Vallea shot off the couch in an instant, setting her half-eaten cheesecake aside and frowned, wondering if this was for show or if Jon was legitimately hurt.  She had seen him get nailed in the head and it hadn’t been lightened.  It was a lethal blow, actually.  When the show came back on the air, EMTs were out there loading Jon up on a stretcher.  The Superstar in the ring, she couldn’t remember his name, stared on with a legitimate worried expression on his face.  Oh god, was Jon hurt again?!  Vallea covered her mouth with her hand, watching them wheel him to the back and didn’t show anything more.  Without thinking twice about it, she grabbed her car keys and raced out the door with purse in hand, racing to the hospital as fast as she could without getting into another car accident. 

Somehow, Joe wasn’t surprised when Vallea came through the ER doors. Nobody was allowed back there because Jon had had everyone pulled off his emergency contact list BESIDES Joe. Joe wasn’t being allowed back because they weren’t done with Jon. “The um,” He began, standing up to meet her, rubbing the back of his neck. “EMTs think he had a concussion that wasn’t caught.” And those could sometimes take weeks to manifest. “And tonight’s hit… added to it, did another, I’m not sure how to explain it, Val.”

A concussion?  Why wasn’t that caught by the WWE doctors?  Weren’t they supposed to be some of the best?!  Vallea had to catch her breath because she sprinted in here, wearing cotton shorts and a tank top, her sleepwear.  She had tennis shoes on, no socks, having slipped them on while rushing out the door to get here. “Is he okay?  I just need to know that, please…” Joe nodded and Vallea leaned against the wall, taking several more deep breaths. “Is he awake or is he still unconscious?”

“He’s unconscious.” Joe was lying through his teeth because he had NO idea if Jon was okay. The doctors here had said that sometimes when a concussion doesn’t show symptoms for a week or so, it wound up being diagnosed as everything but the actual problem. “Val, that’s really all I know. They haven’t come back out since we got here. When I can go back, I’ll find out, okay?” He smiled down at her tiredly. She had cut her hair.

“Okay…okay…” Vallea had a hell of a night already and the adrenaline was slowly wearing off, but it was clear she was worried about Jon.  The amount of concern in her hazel eyes was unmistakable and if it wasn’t, the tears certainly were.  She wouldn’t let them fall because at least he was alive. “Okay…” Closing her eyes, she leaned her head back against the wall to will the tears to stay in her eyes, to dry them up and let out a shaky breath. “Do you mind if I…stay with you until you can go back and find out how he’s doing?  I promise not to bug you or anything.  I just…I can’t leave until I know he’s all right…”

“Yeah, sure, that’s fine.” Joe didn’t have the heart to send her packing, she looked so pathetic and miserable. It was obvious she still loved Jon, shit just hadn’t worked out for them like it was supposed to. He wasn’t sure if her being here would help or hurt Jon, Jon didn’t talk about her ever anymore. Jon hadn’t shown any distress at seeing her in the diner but the man had put up some majorly hard, cold walls. Everyone responded to things differently. Hers had been to run and start over, cutting everyone out of her life, including her former best friend. His had been to become a harder person.

“Thanks.” Vallea knew Jon wouldn’t want to see her and that was fine.  She just wanted to hear the words ‘he was all right’ and then she would be on her way.  It wasn’t easy packing up her entire life, leaving everybody behind, including Monique.  Not a day went by she didn’t think of her best friend.  Vallea couldn’t handle seeing her with Joe though, which was very selfish on her part.  It hurt too much to see her happy while Vallea was miserable.  Again, she knew she was a selfish bitch and she brought this all on herself by leaving and starting over.  Giving up a great job the way she had in the blink of an eye…Vallea really was a fool-hearted woman and a coward.  Sinking down in one of the chairs, she remained silent and waited.

Chapter 34

Joe lapsed into his own silence, his mind going back to Jon. Getting whacked that hard on the head with a concussion already present, that was a recipe for a few weeks of mind exploding headaches, vomiting and probably a whole slew of things Joe didn’t want to think about. He already knew Jon was going to be off for at least a week, minimum, because he had been wrestling with a concussion that hadn’t manifested until tonight after being clocked again, the WWE wasn’t going to take any chances. “I’m here.” He said, hearing his name being called and stood up. Finally, some news.

It took every ounce of resolve not to shoot up to her feet, but Vallea stayed put and just listened in as the doctor explained what was going on with Jon.  She could barely make it out, but it sounded like he was being kept overnight for observation.  He also couldn’t fly for a week due to the pressure in the cabin of planes.  It would aggravate the concussion further.  Vallea frowned, knowing this was bad if Jon couldn’t even get on a plane and watched Joe head to the back to see him.  Instead of leaving, even though she knew Jon was all right, she stayed put and waited again.  Waiting sucked.

After a few minutes, Joe came out, looking amused. “He’s awake, and he knows you’re here.” He began, not surprised she was still here. She and Jon had issues, with each other, caused by each other and he hoped that they could resolve them one way or another. An amicable parting and understanding would be better than the individual Hells they had condemned themselves too. “He’s a little out of it but you can come back.”

Joe told Jon she was HERE?  Why would he do that?! “I don’t…think that’s a good idea…” Blinking, the big Samoan stepped up to her and gave her a push toward the doors that lead to the back, not giving her much of a choice.  Vallea just wanted to make sure he was all right.  She never expected to actually see him or for him to WANT to see her.  Hell, Jon had moved on with that blonde…she walked slower than normal, but it didn’t make the time pass any slower.  Through the window, she could see Jon hooked up to monitors with an IV in his arm to push fluids.  Looking up at Joe, he nudged her again by pressing his hand against her lower back and the door pushed open with her standing in the doorway.  One more push, she was inside the room and the door closed behind her, leaving her alone with the former love of her life.  One look at him broke her heart into a million pieces; Vallea absolutely hated seeing him in that hospital bed hurt in any way. “Hi…”

She hadn’t thought it a good idea but she had thought coming here from wherever the Hell she lived was? Nope, Joe wasn’t having that cowardly bullshit. She had come this far, she was going the rest of the way, with his help if need be. He figured he’d give them about two minutes alone. That was probably more time than Jon had to give in his current state, and just a few minutes shy of Vallea having a panic attack or something.

“Hey.” Jon’s eyes were glassy, this time not because of alcohol, that would have been so much more fun. This wasn’t awkward at all. “C’mere.”

His voice was low, gritty and weak, his hand raising to gesture her over.  Vallea had crossed the threshold and there was no turning back as she walked over to him, so much concern swimming in her watery eyes. “You scared me tonight.” If that wasn’t obvious. “The one time I actually turn the damn TV on to watch you perform and you collapse like a sack of potatoes.  What am I going to do with you, Good?” Her voice was low and soft, not wanting to aggravate his pounding head more than it already was.  Resting her hand on his, a few tears slid down Vallea’s cheeks she couldn’t stop and immediately wiped them away.

“I got a few ideas but none of them are gonna happen at this very moment,” Jon said quietly, turning his hand over so his palm was up, feeling her fingers automatically threading with his. It was however, good to know that on some level she still cared for him. Hell, maybe she had wanted to talk things out that night he had been short with her, letting her know he didn’t want to hear her words. He had been trying to not hurt her any more than he had and royally fucked it up. “Every time I try to do right by you, I hurt you more.” He was talking more to himself than anything. Killing Ryan had been the start of all this misery.

Now wasn’t the time or place to have this conversation, not this particular topic anyway.  She never forgot that talk with Drake or the night Jon had completely shut her down when she wanted to talk to him.  That night she thought Jon wanted nothing to do with her, especially since she’d screwed another man.  Vallea had been broken completely; that was the straw the broke the camel’s back and she had fled like a coward.  Not a day went by she didn’t think of Jon, hoping he was happy and safe.  Hoping he was taking care of himself and thriving in his wrestling career.  She had no idea what would’ve happened had she stayed in WWE, but at the time, all she could see was darkness and despair.  Hell, that’s all her life had really been since moving away from Vegas to Phoenix and starting over – darkness and despair. “We can talk about that later, okay?  I want you to get better first.” Reaching out, she caressed his bearded face tenderly with the back of her hand.

He made a growling noise in the back of his throat, neither good nor bad, just a growl. “Where’s my bitch?” Joe, Joe was his bitch. Momo had agreed to custody terms. Jon got the Samoan when they were on the road, she got him when there were days off. It was a fair trade. “Where’s my Aquaman?”

“Right here, dumbass.” Joe stepped into the room with two cups of coffee, one for him and one for Vallea. He set hers down on the small stand besides Jon’s bed. “You’re stuck here overnight, and then you’re grounded from flying for at least a week. I already called in for you, the boss is extending your stay at the hotel so you can rest up.” Because Jon made money, so Vinnie was investing in him.

Vallea did not know why the next words popped out of her mouth, but she couldn’t stop them. “I don’t think staying at the hotel by yourself is a good idea, Jon.” Her eyes never left him as she squeezed his hand, brows drawing together. “I have a two bedroom house.  It’s not too far away from here, in case you need to see doctors or whatever.” Jon probably wouldn’t be able to drive either if he couldn’t fly.  She wasn’t sure about that. “Just stay with me, so I can keep an eye on you.” What happened if his concussion got worse and he collapsed again with nobody around?  Vallea didn’t want to think about that happening and let out a shaky breath.

“Uh, that seems like a bad idea.” Joe said after a long moment. Because if they had a fight or something, Jon was royally screwed, in a place he didn’t know, without a ride or anything. “Why don’t you stay at the hotel with him? They can do adjacent rooms or a two room suite.” If Vallea was worried enough about him, she’d likely do it. “Besides, Vince is going to have a private physician check in on him the first few days, it’ll be easier if he’s where Vince is booking him.” Considering how everything had panned out last time, they needed to be on some non-personal turf, her house was her private area, Jon didn’t need that if things went sour again. Vallea didn’t need it either, she’d probably feel like the place was tainted and move again or something.

“Okay, yeah…yeah, I can do that.” Luckily, she had vacation time stored away she could take from the law firm in order to stay and help Jon.  Joe made several good points – if everything went sour between them, at least she would be able to leave the hotel and go home.  However, this was all up to Jon and his ultimate decision. “I don’t want you to be alone.  If there’s someone else who can stay with you, besides me, that’s fine, but if there’s not, you can’t be alone right now.” Joe would have to go back on the road to resume traveling while Jon was left behind for a couple weeks until he was cleared to go back. “Do you want me to stay with you at the hotel until you’re better or do you want to have someone else do it?”

“He’s out.” Joe looked down, a bit surprised Jon hadn’t been awake longer but also, not surprised. It was weird. “It’s up to you, with as bad as his head is going to hurt, I doubt he’s going to care, Val. But… he might be a big douche.” Because Jon’s go to pain relief was the one thing he couldn’t actually have with a concussion: alcohol. “And…” He hesitated. “I don’t want him to get hurt again. I don’t want you to get hurt, but he’s my best friend. He’s just now picking up the pieces and you look like you’re doing okay for yourself. If you think for even a second, something is going to go wrong or you two are just going to wind up hurting each other, don’t stay with him.”

Another good point.  Vallea looked away from Joe and down at Jon, her heart breaking all over again.  She had so many questions for him and only he had the answers.  Would he even be truthful with her?  Would he tell her what really happened that night Ryan and Nick died? “He lied to me.  And I don’t know why.  We were so happy, at least I was.  And then I was told he cheated on me and…at first, I believed it.  I believed every word, but deep down, I knew it wasn’t true.  And yet he still claims he did it.  Something happened the night Ryan and Nick died, Joe.  Something he’s been keeping bottled up inside and he won’t talk about.  He hurt me by lying to me and pushing me away, pushing me out of his life.” She pulled her hand away from his and sat down in the chair beside him, clasping her hands together. “It’s been a year…and I can’t shake him.  I left Vegas to start over, cut everybody off that had any kind of contact with him.  I lost my best friend because of what he did to me, because of his lying.  And it stops now.  I am staying with him and I’m going to help him get better and then…we’re having a long talk about what exactly happened.  Maybe something will come out of it, maybe it won’t, but I’m TIRED of him hiding the truth from me.  He didn’t cheat on me, and I want to know why he came up with that lie in the first place.  I want to know what he’s hiding.  I want the truth and he’s the only one who can give it to me.”

“And what if he won’t, Vallea?” Joe asked curiously, staring at her intently. “If he’s living this lie out, then whatever he’s hiding is something nobody wants to know most likely.” Most likely, Jon was protecting someone, probably her. “Can you live with knowing he’s lying to you and still love him, or are you going to demand the truth or walk away again?” If Jon hadn’t cheated but he was allowing people to think he did, including her, then something major had happened.

“One way or another, he IS going to admit to me he never cheated.  If he doesn’t want to tell me why, if he wants to keep whatever happened that night to himself, that’s fine.  I can live with that.  I WON’T be with someone who lies to me though, Joe.  Who makes me believe they cheated on me when they really didn’t.  And I never stopped loving him, not even after finding out from those Bella twin bitches he cheated on me.” Vallea shut her eyes, burying her face in her hands and slid her fingers through her short caramel chestnut hair. “I just want the truth.  I just need to know, once and for all, if he cheated on me or not with that blonde.  And I already know he didn’t, but I want to hear it from his mouth that he didn’t.  If we’re going to mend and get back to us, where we used to be, he HAS to be honest with me.” There was a possibility she would walk away from him again, but only if he kept lying and being deceitful.

Joe got that, he did. He didn’t know what he would do if he were in her shoes and Monique was in Jon’s. Probably lose his mind is what. He prayed he NEVER was in that position actually. He enjoyed being happy and in love, he’d rather not have even a taste of the craziness that had plagued Jon and Vallea the last year and some odd months. “I hope everything works out for you, Vallea.” He said finally, honestly. “I just wish I could tell you that things were going to work out the way you want them too.” It was Jon. He was a damn wild card and never did anything the way he was supposed to.

~!~

The following day, Jon was released from the hospital and had to be taken out in a wheelchair, which he grumbled about the entire time.  When he woke up, Joe was gone and Vallea hadn’t moved, staying by his side beside using the bathroom or getting something to eat.  She was never gone more than 10 minutes at a time, just in case he did wake up.  He seemed perplexed to see her there and she informed him what would be happening once he left the hospital, not giving him much of an option.  There was nobody else to help him; she was the only one and had already called the law firm to request time off for a family emergency.  In a way, this was a family emergency. “Okay, you can get up now.” Vallea said once they were in front of her still dented car and opened the passenger door for him, smiling serenely at his grumbling. “Stop complaining, at least you’re not in the hospital anymore.”

No flying. No drinking. No exercising. For a week. He was going to lose his mind in a hotel for a week with nothing but TV to keep him entertained. He didn’t see Vallea staying by his side for very long and to be honest, he kind of wished she’d go away. He wasn’t going to say it out loud, he wasn’t looking to hurt her. Being near her, however, was doing some terrible thing to his already scrambled mental state. “True.” He agreed with a grudging smile.

Chapter 35

If she knew what he was thinking at that moment, she would’ve nailed him right in his balls.  The LEAST he could do was be appreciative of her instead of wishing she’d go away.  What kind of person wanted the love of their life to go away?  Jon really did have issues, but Vallea was headstrong and steadfast.  The ride to the hotel was made in silence with the radio on softly and Jon was told he could take aspirin to help with the barrage of headaches he’d experience over the next week.  Vallea would not bring up a single thing to him until he was 100% and then they would be talking.  Pulling into a spot in the parking lot, she grabbed his bag from the backseat and let him lead the way inside.  This was a nice hotel, five stars, Vince wanted Jon to be completely comfortable and had gotten him the best suite the hotel had to offer.  It even had a jacuzzi, which would make Jon very happy since he enjoyed a hot dip and Vallea nostalgic.

Vallea had run off and tossed away relationships and friendships before Jon had even thought about entering her life. She should’ve kept her stones in her own glass house. Fortunately for them both, neither could read the other’s mind. Jon had no desire to even consider that jacuzzi right now, his luck would be he fell and slipped and killed himself due to a brain hemorrhage or something. He sat down on the edge of the bed, groaning as he studied her. She was actually here. It was fucking surreal. “Arizona huh?”

“Yeah…it was time to move and I wanted a fresh start.” While he was waiting to be released from the hospital, knowing he was being monitored, Vallea had raced home to pack a bag and showered.  She set their bags down by the wall and sat down beside him, clasping her hands in her lap. “I saw on the show you’re one of the champions now.  Congrats on that.” Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she looked around the room, any place except him, because those pale blues of his would draw her in like a moth to a flame. “So besides the whole concussion thing, how’ve you been?” What she really wanted to ask was how serious his relationship with that blonde was.  It couldn’t be too serious if she wasn’t here taking care of him instead of Vallea.

“Been great… traveling as usual, kicking ass… getting concussions…” That last bit was sarcastic and he noticed she was actively avoiding looking at him while he had absolutely no problem whatsoever staring at her. In fact, he was very blatant about it. “Why’d you cut your hair?” She had been very vain about it actually, so seeing it short was just weird. “It’s cute and all, but why?” Fresh start… in Arizona. Jon smelled bullshit.

“Got tired of taking care of it, honestly.  Long hair is a lot to deal with, especially in this dry heat state.  I never thought I’d cut it.  And then I did and I cried because it was over 10 inches that was hacked off.” Vallea had donated her hair to Locks of Love, where they made cancer patients wigs.  At least it was for a good cause. “But after I felt that weight lifted off my head, it was amazing.  And showers don’t take nearly as long now either, so that’s a plus.” Short hair was the way to go. “Also, I think it looks more professional for the job I have now.” When Jon asked what it was, she finally looked up at him and not an ounce of happiness over it shined in her eyes like being a liaison had.  Or working for the agency in Vegas. “Receptionist at a law firm, 9 to 5 Monday through Friday, weekends off.” It didn’t pay nearly as much as her other jobs had, but enough to where she wasn’t homeless and could afford food in her fridge.

Arizona was dry. It was arid as Hell, he was pretty sure it had Nevada beat for the dry thing. Or he was biased, he knew he was biased. He bet she went through gallons of that lotion she had used to love slathering herself in. “Sounds boring.” Jon remembered when they had met and she had confused the Hell out of him with her job description. She had said she was a travel agent who also acted as a personal assistant. She had gone everywhere. A gal like her didn’t seem suited for a regular, boring desk job. “You like it?”

“Honestly?  No.” Vallea shook her head as if to emphasize that answer. “It’s a job though.  It pays the bills and keeps me…grounded, I guess.” She missed traveling and didn’t realize how good of a life she had until everything fell apart with Jon.  Giving that all up simply because a relationship didn’t work out – why hadn’t she gone back to the agency or to work with Monique again?  Vegas reminded her of Jon in general, Monique was dating Jon’s best friend and, in Vallea’s dark mind at the time, she had to get away from it all. “You’re right, it is boring.  I can’t even deny it.” Looking away from him again, she stood up to draw the curtains in the room since sunlight would not be good for Jon’s concussion and currently, it was streaming brightly while setting on the horizon.  It had taken all day to get Jon released from the hospital, which she knew he was thrilled about. “What do you want for dinner?  I’ll order from room service unless you want takeout.  I’m not really…familiar with Phoenix, this side of it anyway.”

“Anything but healthy shit and no salads.” He was DONE with that crap. He liked chicken breasts sure, but he preferred steak. It wasn’t like he was out cramming cheesecake and ice cream every night, and he drank plenty of water and milk, on top of working out. Salad was just being a killjoy. Her job was boring, she admit it and she had left behind beautiful Vegas for this arid hell hole.

“You were never the salad, healthy eating type.” Vallea knew him better than that and would never think to order him something healthy.  The man worked his ass off to obtain the body he had, which was still scrumptious to this day.  He could eat whatever the hell he wanted. “You want a cheeseburger?” When he ordered her to make a double, she chuckled and saluted him, placing the order.  Her stomach was still in knots being here, so she went with a crispy chicken salad, something light.  Vallea had gained a few pounds since being in Phoenix, mostly depression eating, but she still had her figure, just some meat in other areas. “It’ll be here in about an hour.”

“An hour for a cheeseburger?” What the shit. Jon flopped back onto the bed and instantly regretted it, closing his eyes as dizziness addled the hell out of him. “Shit.” He pulled himself up, ignoring her confused look as he made his way to the bathroom. There he proceeded to vomit all the Ginger Ale and lime Jello the hospital had given him. They had warned him upon discharge nausea and whatnot was going to be an issue, he wished they had been lying.

Jon had managed to shut the door right before he started hurling his brains out.  Maybe a cheeseburger wasn’t the brightest idea.  She contemplated changing the order, but decided against it and touched the door with her hand, wishing there was something she could do for him.  When she didn’t hear him vomiting anymore, she knocked gently on the door and heard him groan out incoherently.  Opening the door, Vallea grabbed the nearest washcloth and drenched it before kneeling down to wipe his mouth off. “Come on, let me help you.” This is why she was here as she tossed the rag in the sink, flushed the toilet and managed to get him back to the bed, laying him down gently.  Then, she grabbed a small trashcan and set it right on the side of the bed, just in case he had to vomit again. “I know you’re not gonna like hearing this, but…maybe a cheeseburger will be too hard on your stomach right now.  Why don’t you try a ham sandwich or something and maybe have a cheeseburger later on?”

“Dude, no, cheeseburger and I’ll vomit it all back up if I have too.” Jon groaned. “I bounced back, that’s what did it. Babe… could I get my toothbrush and some paste, please?” His mouth was fricking disgusting and he was trying not to run his tongue anywhere because he could still taste that acidic combination of jello and soda, mixed with leftover bourbon.

Vallea nodded, going to his bag and found his toiletries, already knowing where he packed them.  She had actually helped him with his packing regimen and was surprised he had kept up with it because everything stayed organized.  Pulling his toothbrush and toothpaste out, she also filled a plastic cup of water and went back to the bed, so he could brush his teeth. “Spit in the garbage after rinsing your mouth out.” She smirked at his eyeroll and sat down on the bed, waiting for him to finish. “Better?”

“Yes, mom.” Jon drawled sarcastically though the corner of his mouth was hitched upwards into an amused smirk. “Or nurse, you could still be a hot nurse.” She had gained some weight, something he had instantly noticed. Since most of it seemed to have gone straight to her ass and thighs, he wasn’t bitching. Thick was yummy. “Don’t cancel my burger woman. I’ve been living on lettuce and fat free dressing for two weeks. Take pity on me.”

Something told her it had to do with the blonde he was with at the restaurant. “In a way, I am your nurse, so I suppose I have to take pity on my patient.” She teased gently, taking the toothbrush, paste and cup of water from him to put them in the bathroom. “Burger it is, just don’t blame me if it comes back up later, Jon.  Do you need anything else right now?” When Jon shook his head, she decided it was the perfect time to change into her sleepwear for the evening. “I’ll be right back then.  I’m gonna change into my sleep clothes.” Grabbing her bag, she went into one of the spare rooms and closed the door behind her.

As soon as that door closed, his smile fell right off his face and he quietly groaned. WHY hadn’t he insisted on someone else being here? Or doing this solo? He was a fucking glutton for punishment, that was his damn problem. Being around her hurt, it stirred things he had thought he had killed with alcohol and repeating the lie. But no, it hadn’t, it was there, just buried. Seeing her, smelling her, so much was the same and so much had changed. “I’m screwed…” But he didn’t flop backwards this time, not about to have another vomiting episode.

Over the next week, Jon put up a front with Vallea and she could feel it, but she refused to leave him alone.  The private physician told him he was doing well, but he still had another week to go before he could go back on the road to join the WWE.  Vallea contemplated when would be the best time to bring up what had been on the forefront of her mind since running into him again.  The dreaded TALK.  One week wasn’t long enough, but if she waited much longer, Vallea would miss her opportunity.  How was she supposed to bring the subject up though?  How was she supposed to approach him with this?  Maybe it was best to just rip the band-aid off quickly.  It was three days before he was set to go back on the road and Vallea sat in her room, feeling the overwhelming urge to run again.  No!  There was no more running and she meant what she said; one way or another, she would get the truth out of Jon.  Taking a deep breath, Vallea left her room and could see Jon was in the middle of watching some kind of game on ESPN.  She walked over, shut the television off and stood in front of it, her hands reaching back to press against the edge of the dresser it was on. “Why did you lie to me, Jon?” There was no other way to come out and ask it except directly, her eyes locked with his. “We were so happy, at least I thought we were…I damn sure was.  So why would you sabotage that by lying to me?”

“Lie about what, babe?” Jon SHOULD have been expecting it, he had felt the tension from her, emanating in waves. He had seen the thoughtful, somewhat worried look on her face from time to time. Like she had been contemplating something and just didn’t know how to go about saying it. THIS wasn’t what he had been expecting. He had quipped so casually, his pale blue eyes moving to her as he draped an arm along the back of the headboard. “Oh…. It’s not a lie, Vallea.” He had spent over a year with that shit, he could almost believe it himself, almost. “Besides, if it was a lie, you wouldn’t have cut ties with everyone and everything and ran off. You’d of-” She had tried, and he mentally slapped himself, his face going stone wall blank. That night she had wanted to talk to him and he had shut her down.

He was really going to do this, wasn’t he?  He was REALLY going to sit there and lie to her face AGAIN! “Yes it is, Jon.  You lied to me about cheating!  You know how I know?” She wouldn’t drop any names, but Vallea would make sure he believed what she was about to say. “Someone came to me and told me what really happened that night.” Now his face had gone from stone wall blank to slightly pale. “How you were talking to the bartender, a blonde, and she NEVER left the bar with you when YOU left for a couple hours.  You LEFT Madonna’s Bar that night…and nobody knows why.  Convenient considering you’ve been putting on this show and trying to make people think the worst of you, myself included.  The moment you told me you cheated on me, I felt in my heart it was a lie.  But my brain told me otherwise and I listened to the wrong part of myself.” She pointed at him accusingly, her hazel eyes alighted with new fire. “You. Lied. To. Me.  You pushed me away and I demand to know why.  I DESERVE to know why it was so easy for you to throw us away on a LIE!”

Whereas she was getting all riled up and raising her voice, Jon just snorted, shaking his head. “You don’t deserve anything Vallea. You threw away your job, your career, and your friends because of a ‘lie’,” He even did the air quotes gesture, his voice very calm and collected. “You don’t get to demand answers, or anything, from me when you’re just as big an asshole as I am. I hurt YOU. You hurt everyone around you. Monique, for example. You just shut her down. Your life in Vegas, you tossed aside very easily. So, no, you don’t demand and you don’t deserve.”

Chapter 36

It was her turn to scoff. “Do you really think any of that matters to me?  You RIPPED ME APART with this lie, Jonathan Good!  Nothing else mattered to me anymore!  My job, my friends, my career, none of it mattered WITHOUT YOU!  And you threw it away, us away…” Her voice had gotten quieter, the anger slowly draining out of her body.  All the pent up emotion and frustration had spilled out, leaving her somewhat drained. “I couldn’t…stay in Vegas because all I thought about was you.  Vegas reminded me so much of you, I couldn’t stay there.  I couldn’t go to the Red Rocks and I haven’t mountain climbed since the last time with you.  And I never will again because of you.” He had destroyed that passion of hers with this lie. “Monique dating your best friend, I couldn’t handle it.  I couldn’t handle seeing them together, hearing about them…while I was miserable.  I’m a selfish bitch and I’ve accepted that.  But what I will NOT accept is you trying to weasel your way out of this with your smart remarks and ACT.  That’s all it is from you is an ACT.  You’ve been lying to me, to everyone, for the past year.  You destroyed me in ways you can’t possibly imagine and, yet, here I am, punishing myself by helping you because you’re a disease I can’t get rid of.  I came here to Phoenix to start over because I thought it would help me forget all about you and what you’ve done to me and put me through.  I didn’t even watch WWE programming until that night almost 2 weeks ago when you collapsed in the ring, after seeing you at the diner with Joe and that blonde.  Since you won’t come clean to me, I just have one more question and then I’m leaving since you’re back on your feet again.  Did you ever truly love me?  Or was that all an act too?”

Wow, what a selfish bitch, was Jon’s initial thought. She didn’t give a fuck about the people she had hurt because SHE had been hurt. Well, Vallea had never said she was perfect, he would always give her that. His second thought was a flashback to those crazy fan girls who had lost their shit and carved his ring name into their flesh. Nothing mattered. Not her job or friends, not without him. Crazy. But… who was he to judge? He had murdered for her. If that wasn’t love he didn’t know what was. She knew she wasn’t perfect, she hadn’t said she was a scumbag but she wasn’t denying it either. She was a heartless bitch who cared that her world had been destroyed and she owned it. He… adored that. He fucking adored her. And she thought he had lied about loving her. “It wasn’t an act, you know better.” He growled, icy blues flashing. “I never stopped loving you.”

“And why should I believe you?  HOW can I believe anything you say?” Vallea stepped back from him, shaking her head and didn’t bother stopping the tears from flowing down her cheeks. “You lied to me about that night fucking that blonde!  I gave you everything – EVERYTHING – I had and more and you didn’t care!  You just tossed it away like it was nothing to you and it probably wasn’t!  You got what you wanted from me.  You never loved me.  You DON’T destroy the people you love!” That was exactly what he did with this enormous, heartless lie of his.  He had completely destroyed her from the inside out – she was a shell of the woman she used to be and Vallea would never be the same again…because of him. “If you loved me, truly loved me, you would tell me the fucking truth instead of sticking to this damn story and lie of yours.”

“You believe, no, you KNOW,” Jon was on his feet now, the stony expression melting into something exasperated, desperate and pissed off. “That I didn’t cheat on you but it’s IMPOSSIBLE for you to believe that I LOVE YOU?” She made absolutely no sense! It was maddening. “Did you ever stop to think, Vallea, that maybe the truth is so goddamn horrible that the LIE IS BETTER FOR EVERYONE?!” She KNEW him. She knew him better than anyone and she knew, deep down, that he wouldn’t be lying if he thought the truth wasn’t going to wreck Hell, but it would.

Good, she wanted him angry and fired up because usually, when people got like that, they spilled secrets.  They spilled the truth.  If getting him pissed off and riled up was the ONLY way to get him to admit what she already knew, so be it. “IT’S NOT BETTER FOR ME!  Making me believe you fucked another woman is NOT BETTER FOR ME!  Making me believe you never loved me IS NOT BETTER FOR ME!  YOU NEVER GAVE A DAMN ABOUT ME!  YOU NEVER LOVED ME OR YOU WOULDN’T HAVE DESTROYED ME!!  YOU WOULDN’T HAVE LIED!  YOU WOULDN’T HAVE TOSSED ME AWAY LIKE GARBAGE!” Vallea erupted, clenching her fists tightly at her sides since they were toe to toe, both breathing heavy, both with fire in their eyes. “I don’t give a fuck what you did that night, Jon!  I really don’t!  You don’t have to tell me a fucking thing about that night, if you don’t want to!  The ONLY thing I want to hear from you is the TRUTH!  I want to hear you say you lied to me and you NEVER fucked a blonde or any other woman while you were with me!!”

“OKAY, I DIDN’T TOUCH HER!” Which was the first time Jon had ever actually admitted that. When those detectives had dropped that bullshit right into his lap, and he still had no idea where it had come from, he had taken that gift ball from the Gods and ran with it. He hadn’t wanted to go prison, not over some dickwad like Ryan. And he hadn’t wanted anyone to think, even for a second, that Vallea was somehow involved when she wasn’t. “I don’t even KNOW a fucking Mindy!” Which was very true.

All this time they could’ve been together was destroyed based on a lie, a fabrication.  Vallea should’ve been irate and beat the hell out of him for putting her through so much hell, but all she felt was relief.  Whatever he had done that night, if he was involved with Ryan and Nick, didn’t matter to her because they were dead and they couldn’t be brought back.  The deed was done. “And the truth shall set you free.” She murmured, clasping her hands together and didn’t bother wiping the tears away. “I’m not going to ask what happened that night.  I know you won’t tell me anyway and I’m fine with it.  I can live with you keeping that secret from me.  At least I know you’re not as big of a scumbag as I thought, but you’re still an asshole for lying to me about cheating on me.  Thank you for finally telling me the truth.”

“There’s a reason for the lie, Val.” Jon said darkly, a hint of warning in his tone. And if anyone else asked, he would go right back to telling it. “There was always a reason for it.” Drake had come to him, once, a little fucked up, and laid out his suspicions and asked a lot of questions. Jon had lied through his teeth then too. “And I AM an asshole.” He knew it and accepted it. Hell, she wasn’t part of the WWE, not even as a liaison, anymore, there was no reason to keep lying to her, it wasn’t like she was going to tell anyone.

“Yeah, I know there is.” Her voice had dropped to a monotone, feeling both relieved and dead inside because she had no idea what came next.  She had no idea if Jon even felt the same way about her anymore.  Granted, he admitted he never stopped loving her, but a person could love someone and not want to be with them.  There were different types of love in the world.  Vallea didn’t know what else to say to him, so she walked back into her room, wiping her tears away angrily.  She told him she was leaving and she meant it, her bag already packed up.  Now that she had the truth, she had no idea what to do with it or how to fix what had been shattered.

Had the truth brought her any relief? Anything at all? What had it changed? Nothing. She had uprooted and destroyed her own life because she couldn’t deal with a lie, and now… what was going to drive that now? Jon knew better than most, anger fueled you quite a bit, and when the root cause of that anger had been dealt with it left you cold, and wondering what came next. “Do you even feel better?” He asked, leaning in her doorway. “Or does it leave you hollow?”

“I feel relieved knowing you never cheated on me.” Maybe she did feel hollow inside and it was his fault she did.  This was all his fault – her uprooting her life and leaving Vegas because she couldn’t stand being in the same city as him.  In a way, Vallea hated him for lying to her and destroying their relationship.  Vallea also loved him unconditionally, irrevocably, insanely…she was in love with him and had fallen for him the moment their eyes met on that mountain.  Her world had completely changed the day she met Jonathan Good and no other man compared.  No man ever would either.

He hadn’t made her do a damn thing. That was all on her. Jon knew where his fuck-ups lay and he accepted the consequences. “You always knew I never cheated.” He said quietly. “What do you think happened that night, Vallea?” He wasn’t trying to tell her the truth, but he was also genuinely curious about what exactly she thought. There were too many coincidences, and a lot of them led to him. She was a highly intelligent woman, he knew it was only time before she pieced it.

“Does it matter?” Vallea looked back at him, having come to her own conclusion about that night long ago.  The talk with Drake cemented the fact Jon knew Nick was in town prior to Madonna’s Bar. “You really want me to tell you what I think?” At his nod, she sighed out shakily and dropped her bag on the floor, turning to fully face him. “You were with them that night.  That’s what you’re hiding and what you’ve kept bottled up inside.  You…watched them both die, fall into that vat of acid.  What I think happened is your friend was in cahoots with Ryan.  It was a deal that fell through and they both took the other out…and you couldn’t save either of them.  I also think you knew Nick was in Cincinnati that night for the deal between him and Ryan to go down and you tried stopping it, but you couldn’t in time.  You were in the wrong place at the wrong time and with no other witnesses, you would go down as suspect #1 if the cops ever found out you were there that night with them.” She searched his face, knowing she was either close or had nailed it. “Am I warm?”

Jon was STUNNED, she had just… he probably looked like he had taken a hit, he could feel the blood draining from his face. He hadn’t realized just how highly Vallea thought of him and that actually made him feel like the lowest of low. She thought he had gone there to stop a deal gone sour. She thought he had tried to save them. She couldn’t have been further from the truth. “Lukewarm.” He rasped, feeling like something was caught in his throat.

“Like I said, I know you were there, but I don’t know why and I’m not gonna ask.” Lukewarm, what did that mean?  Her curiosity was burning fiercely, but Vallea would stick to her word.  If Jon ever wanted to tell her, she would be ready to listen.  She didn’t know if that time would ever come, though. “I don’t care what happened that night, Jon.  They’re dead and there’s no bringing them back.  How they died was horrific, but…what’s done is done.  And I swear to you, I’m not gonna say anything to anyone about it.” Vallea could’ve gone to the cops a long time ago with her theory about that night, but she didn’t because she didn’t want Jon locked away behind bars.  No matter how much he hurt her with lying and broke her heart, she still wanted to protect him.  Reaching up, since she’d moved toward him while giving her thoughts about that night, Vallea cupped his face with her soft hand and felt him tense up.  She didn’t pull away and slid her fingers down his cheek to where his beard began, her eyes locked with his. “Whatever happened that night, whatever went down, you have to forgive yourself and move on.”

“I don’t need forgiveness, babe.” Because Jon still very firmly believed that Ryan deserved what had happened to him. Nicky, well… he had grieved and moved on. “Not… for whatever it is you’re thinking.” He lowered himself to his knees, wrapping his arms around her thighs. He could feel Vallea tensing and ignored it, resting his head against her. His entire body was trembling, he hadn’t held her like this in a very long time.

Vallea hadn’t expected this type of reaction from him and the way he trembled broke her heart all over again.  She slid her hand over his head in a gentle caress, refusing to push him away.  Whatever kind of comfort she could give Jon at the moment, Vallea would do it without question or hesitation.  Slowly, her body began to relax against him while he held her, his face now buried in her stomach, which both felt amazing and tickled, thanks to his beard.  Even through the material of her tank top, she could feel the heat from his breath puff against her skin and closed her eyes, her other hand massaging his right trapezoid.

He had begged, well maybe not begged, but asked -which in his case was begging since she had left him- for her to come back to him. At the time, he wouldn’t have been able to tell her the truth even if he wanted too. Not with where they both had worked, not with everything so fresh. He needed the alibi, and if she had gotten an honest streak, the story she thought of what had gone down would have not been viewed at all that way by the cops. He hadn’t wanted to lose her and he had lost her anyway. “I still love you, Val.” He mumbled into her top.

Chapter 37

Her eyes remained shut, squeezing slightly at his confession and a whole new slew of emotions rushed through her.  Vallea went back to the night he drunk-dialed her and confessed the same thing.  He still loved her.  That phone call had haunted her because she had no idea what to do about it.  At the time, she was still under the belief Jon had cheated on her, even though deep in her heart she knew it was a lie.  And she had jumped into bed with his rival, his nemesis, like a bitch in heat all to try to forget the pain Jon inflicted on her.  That was a secret she would take to the grave – Jon could NEVER find out who she was with that night. “You already know I never stopped loving you, Jon.” If he didn’t, the man was blind, deaf or both.

Both, he was both. “Could’ve fooled me.” He still wasn’t moving his head away, though he was smiling. She had moved state, abandoned her friends, quit her dream job or so he thought it was, because she hadn’t wanted any memories or reminders of him. If that wasn’t a lack of love, he wasn’t sure what was. Finally, after what felt like an eternity but was probably only minutes, he tipped his head back to look up at her, not entirely sure what he was seeing in her face. “What now, Val?”

It was because of her love, her feelings, she couldn’t stay and be around him.  No reminders, in her eyes, meant she could heal.  The healing never started, however.  She just found a job, after getting her house, and started working to keep herself occupied.  Nights were spent alone and it gave her way too much time to think.  Nights were her hell and they used to be her favorite time in a 24 hour period. “I don’t know.” Her voice cracked from the intense emotions coursing through her, not pulling away from him. “You tell me.” They had proven in the past they could make a relationship work long distance, hardly seeing each other, but at the time, she had been traveling and keeping busy.  Now, Vallea had no idea if they could mend what was broken…what Jon broke between them.

Jon still went mountain climbing. He had never returned to Solar Slab, he could never return there, not without her. It hadn’t felt right the one time he had tried to make that trip. He went climbing and every time he scaled to where he was going, he felt empty. He had gone back to Red Rock too, stared down at the spot she had slipped and remembered how he had climbed down to rescue her. That had been the start of the end, or so it had felt. Now, now he felt something very akin to hope fluttering in his chest. He hated that feeling. He had felt it when he was a small boy, that feeling that maybe something was going to come through, only for it to be crushed when inevitably the good never came. “Come back to me.”

God help her, she wanted to.  She wanted to be with him more than anything in the world, in the universe, in all the galaxies.  However, Vallea wouldn’t let him get off that easily and just fall back into his arms, pretending nothing happened.  Jon had lied to her and destroyed their relationship all to cover up whatever he was hiding from her, from everyone. “One condition.” Slowly, she lowered herself to be eye-level with him and cupped his bearded face in her hands, fresh tears forming in her eyes. “No more lying.  I don’t care what you do or how bad it is, you CAN’T lie to me again.  I-I can’t feel this way again, Jon.  This nearly killed me.” It changed her for the worst too. “If you EVER lie to me again, you WILL lose me permanently.  I won’t be with someone I can’t trust.  You have no reason to lie to me because nothing you say or do will stop me from loving you or make me fall out of love with you.  It’s never going to happen.” She rested her forehead against his, hot tears slowly sliding down her cheeks. “No more lies – that’s the only way we can mend this and get back to us.”

“Deal,” He began kissing away those tears, hurting more than words could convey because he knew just how badly he hurt her. He knew because he had felt the same. Joy was gone. Happiness, the happiness of others had left him bitter, angry and depressed. He moved his thumbs to catch her tears when they didn’t stop falling, returning his head to rest against hers. “I won’t lie Val… never again.” He might have to learn how to say: ‘don’t ask because I can’t tell’ but he would never lie again.

Doing the one thing she only dreamt of for the past year, ever since their split, Vallea kissed him and wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her body against his.  They were both on their knees, so Jon was still a lot taller than her and had to bend in order to be at her level.  Instantly, the pieces of her mangled, shattered heart began to piece back together again and, even as she began losing oxygen, the kiss didn’t break.  Jon held her tightly against him, returning the kiss with equal passion and fire, the connection between them never-ending.  It had never truly vanished, always there hiding in the shadows.  Finally, the kiss broke mutually between them and Vallea hugged him tightly around the neck, closing her eyes to breathe him in, relishing this moment for as long as possible.

There were so many things they needed to talk about, to sort out. How was this going to work? Obviously, she couldn’t take over her old job, that position had been filled a long time ago. She lived in Arizona, he would come here to her. Jon had to take a moment, his face buried in her hair. He was already mentally rushing things, knowing he couldn’t do that. Too much had happened for him to just think she was going to swan dive right back into things how they had been. If things could ever be like that again… that would take time.

Once again, she beat him to the punch and pulled back to stare into his gorgeous pale blues, sliding the pad of her thumb along his bottom lip. “I miss Vegas.  Take me home, Jon.” Vallea didn’t want to spend another day in Phoenix, Arizona, willing to leave it all behind her and go back to where they were happy.  The mountains, the Red Rocks, the valleys and city of lights.  Her house was very small, quaint and not her style at all, hardly filled with anything because Vallea didn’t have that much stuff to begin with.  She would absolutely swan dive back into this with him because he’d never cheated on her and he finally admitted the truth.  There were plenty of jobs in Vegas.  Everyone was always hiring and something told Vallea, if she went back to the agency, they would welcome her back with open arms.  Her boss had even told her so when she left to pursue the liaison job since it’d been on great terms, even giving them notice.  The house in Phoenix could burn for all she cared; this wasn’t her true home.  Vegas always would be.

“Gladly, doll,” Laughing, he scooped her up into his arms bridal style, turning in slow circles. He felt like a million bucks, no more effects from the concussion, and the doctors had cleared his ass. This was icing on his cake. This was the cake. This was everything. Maybe she’d move in with him since they were just diving right back in. “Live with me.”

“Well, I need a place to stay temporarily until…” Wait, did he just…was he asking her to live with him permanently?  His apartment was small, too small for both of them, but it would have to do for now. “You’re serious, aren’t you?  You want to live together?” Was this moving too fast?  Hell, Vallea had moved fast with Jon the day they met when he saved her from the Red Rocks.  They slept together that first night and after that, it was off to the races.  Why would anything change?  Why would they suddenly go slow when going fast was all they’d ever known with each other? “Okay, I’m game.” Her blithe nature had been one of the many things that attracted Jon so much.  She had this carefree spirit, always willing to take a risk, always willing to dive headfirst into any kind of situation, good or bad. “I think we should talk about finding a bigger place because your apartment is really, really small for both of us.  We don’t have to do it right away though.”

“Wait… wait…” Jon stepped away from her, shaking his head and put his hands up. If they were going to do this again, they were going to do it right. Not on the moving fast issue, but with the clean slate thing, the no more lies and shit. “Wait…” Because… there was always that very slim chance that he could one day be found out, before the statute of limitations and he wanted her… to make her decision, to know that if she did stay with him, there would always be that sliver of a shadow over him. Or, he wanted to give her the chance to walk away, or run… if she was any kind of smart, she’d probably run. A lot of women wanted the insane, protective guy who would literally do anything for them, including kill, it was usually an entirely new ballgame when they got said guy. “I need to tell you something first, Vallea. About that night.” He sucked in a deep breath.

His whole demeanor had changed and Vallea mentally braced herself for what was coming. “I told you I don’t-” Jon pressed a finger to her lips, silencing her and pulled it back, beginning to pace back and forth.  Whatever happened that night was eating him up inside and had been for a long time.  No matter what came out of his mouth, Vallea would not be scared off.  Love made people do crazy, insane things and changed morals, values, all of the above.  Seeing he had made his mind up about telling her, she moved to sit on the bed and clasped her hands in her lap, her eyes not leaving him. “All right, out with it, then.  What do you need to tell me about that night?”

“I’m going to tell you right off the bat that I don’t feel bad at all for what happened.” Jon said, wanting that clear. He wanted it clear because he wanted her to completely understand just what kind of person he was. “Not a single drop of remorse, babe. Ryan was fucking killing you. You were losing weight, crying when you thought I couldn’t hear… I was plucking out gray hairs from your head when you DID manage to sleep!” He was getting agitated just thinking about that shit.

Ryan had done a number on her, several in fact and she’d gotten into quite a few arguments with Jon over the situation.  He BEGGED her to quit the agency and work for him, to be his personal assistant, but she’d been steadfast.  Her stubborn nature told her she wouldn’t let any man break her, but Jon had in a way she thought was impossible. “I know, Jon.” She spoke quietly, wanting to reach out for him, but touching him wasn’t an option right now. “I know it was bad with Ryan and I’m sorry for…letting my stubborn pride stop me from telling him to fuck off.  I should’ve, looking back on it now.” Maybe everything would’ve been different had she simply told the man to go to hell. “Please calm down…”

Well, if she had told Ryan to go to hell, there would be a lot different in their lives. They never would have spent a year apart, he would have never committed a double homicide. But that was neither here nor there and he wasn’t one to waste time wishing for things to be different. What was done was done and there was no changing it. “I’m the one who killed him, Val.” He said it so quietly she had to strain to hear.

Vallea lost her breath, or that’s what it felt like, upon hearing that confession come out of his mouth.  No wonder he came up with that lie with the blonde at Madonna’s Bar!  He was the one who committed the murders…both of them.  If he killed Ryan, he definitely killed Nick too.  There was no two ways about it.  What she thought had been a deal gone bad between Ryan and Nick had actually been two murders at the hands of her boyfriend.  And Jon only did it because of her…because of what she was going through at the time. “Okay…” Freaking out was not going to help matters any because the deed was done and they were dead.  She licked her dry lips and didn’t attempt to stand right now because her legs were jelly. “Okay.  I get it now.  I get the lie…that…explains a lot…” She swallowed hard, trying to find the right words to say.  What the hell COULD she say?! “Doesn’t change anything.  I still love you and I still want to be with you.  And I swear, this goes to the grave with me.  And we can still go with the whole lie, just to make sure your alibi stays concrete and you don’t end up as a suspect.  I mean, people who cheat they get back together all the time, so it’s not far-fetched and people won’t think it suspicious or anything.” She was talking more to herself than him, nodding as if to convince herself that was the right thing to do. “Yeah…yeah…it’ll be okay…” If she was any other normal levelheaded woman, she would’ve RUN as far and fast as she possibly could away from Jon because he was a murderer. 

Again, love made people do crazy, stupid things.

“I never said anything about quitting with the lie.” She was panicking and Jon did not blame her one bit. He had just disrupted her happy, naïve notion that he had been trying to STOP what was going down. He had gone from hero to cold-blooded killer. “You need to chill out and process.” He said, crouching down to be eye-level with her. “Really, look at me, Vallea.”  He grabbed her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes. “I killed him, and Nicky.” She had to get through this or else she was going to panic herself to death.

Chapter 38

Fresh tears rushed down her cheeks as Vallea buried her face in her hands, the harsh reality of the situation crashing over her.  Jon killed his friend and her old boss…for her.  He had murdered two people for her.  There were other ways to handle her situation, such as her walking away from Ryan.  Taking the job offer Jon gave her to be his personal assistant…and she didn’t.  This was her fault.  She drove Jon to murder…to protect her.  Ryan…she understood why he killed the douchebag, but Nick…that one had her puzzled.  It took her several long minutes to process this, to get it through her head what Jon did and finally, she pulled her hands away from her face to look in his eyes again.  Not a single thing changed in hers, she still loved him and wanted to be with him. “Why did you kill your friend?  Was he…in on Ryan’s murder or did he threaten to turn you in or something?” There HAD to be a reason why Jon would off one of his closest friends.  Her voice was shaky, but a lot calmer than before, an eerie quiet.

“Nicky was an idiot.” Obviously, the man had broken his probation pretty badly. “He was also really into beating Ryan’s ass after he came out of that whore’s room but when it came down to crunch time, he showed his underbelly.” And that had been yellow. Vallea wasn’t to blame for any of this and if she thought as much, she was a dope utilizing the victim card for no reason. “Ryan was a scumbag, he treated the women backstage like whores, and he used you like a slave. He had it coming.” Pure, plain and simple. “He would have eventually spilled his guts.” And Jon hadn’t had any intention of going to prison. “This is the kind of person I am, Val.”

“No.  No you’re not.” Vallea would never believe that, shaking her head. “You protected me the only way you knew how.  Jon, if you were a killer, you would’ve let me die on the Red Rocks that day.  You saved my life and that shows me you’re a good person.  You’re right, Ryan was a scumbag and he wouldn’t have stopped until he broke me completely or I wound up dead.” That was the fact of the matter.  Nick was collateral damage; no loose ends.  It made sense why Jon would off him and set it up to be a deal gone south between the two men. “And you haven’t killed since that night.  I could see how much it bothered you, even though I had no idea what really happened.” Until tonight. “Again, if you were an actual killer, you would’ve killed others and you haven’t.  You don’t kill people that have wronged you either.  You did this…because someone you love was being hurt and your friend you asked to help you would’ve more than likely turned you in.  If this is the type of person you are, someone who is fiercely loyal and willing to kill to protect the ones he loves…” She cracked the barest hint of a smile. “There are far worse people in the world than you, Jon.”

“That’s not what bothered me, I don’t understand why you keep trying to gloss me over, doll.” Jon shook his head, a bit curious about how her mind worked. He had been curious about how she had operated when he had first met her, not much had changed, had it? “I was upset about Nicky for like… one night.” Mostly. “Killing doesn’t bother me.” And it never had. He had grown up in a harsh world and he had learned how to do harsh things to survive. “Quit prettying me up, babe. I’d slit someone’s throat in a heartbeat if they fucked with what’s mine.”

“I’m not prettying you up.  You’re assuming I am.” Vallea wiped her tears away and blew out a deep breath, sliding her hands down his t-shirt covered chest. “What do you want me to say?  Do you want me to freak out and call you a cold-blooded murderer?  Will that make you feel better?  I’m not gonna do it because that’s not how I view what you did.  Anybody can kill if they’re pushed far enough.” That was the harsh truth to the messed up world they grew up and lived in. “I accept what you did, I’ll take it to the grave and after tonight, we’re not discussing it ever again.  We’re going to move on and be together, like we should’ve been this past year, with no more lies between us.” Jon had told her his secret, so it was time for Vallea to return the favor to him. “And now, I have something to confess to you since this is a clean slate between us.  It’s about who I was with the night at the hotel…” The night he called her to tell her he still loved her and accused her of fucking around.

When she kept saying he felt bad and shit, that was gussying it up. Jon’s full attention however, snapped to her when she mentioned that night. The night he wished he had been able to blackout and totally forget everything. He had drunk dialed her. He had told her she reeked like some dude’s Old Spice. He had called her and told her he loved her. He had been a total lovesick, heartbroken jackass and he knew without a shadow of a doubt he would wind up doing it all over again. “All right.” He wasn’t so sure he really wanted to know but… she hadn’t wanted to know about his murdering habit either.

“You can’t kill him, okay?  He didn’t hurt me or anything and he didn’t seduce me either.  If anything, I…seduced him.” Vallea pulled away from him and stood up from the bed, finally regaining feeling in her legs again. “I only did it because I was so heartbroken over you…and I was having nightmares about you, Jon.” She inhaled sharply and could see his face darkening. “Nightmares about you killing me, actually.” That was way too coincidental. “I couldn’t sleep because my dreams were filled with you, so…I went to Monique for advice.  And she told me how she got over one of her breakups…by fucking another man.  It snapped her out of her depression, it was onetime and she was back to her old self.  I thought it would work for me…and it didn’t.  It only made me feel worse and after it happened, I left and ran into you and then you called me and…” Vallea was never good with this type of things and swallowed hard, throwing her hands up. “It was Seth Rollins, okay?!  Fuck…”

It took Jon a very long moment to process all that. He had been following her, doing mental commentary. She had seduced a guy. Okay, he could believe that. She hadn’t been shy with him, her only real condition had been not in public, in that glass wheel. She had been having nightmares about him killing her, that was weird and unrealistic. He loved her. He didn’t like the idea of her sleeping with another man, but he wasn’t going to kill him. It was hilarious that she thought she had to warn him he wasn’t allowed to kill the guy. That right there told him it was someone he knew. He had been kind of leaning towards Joe or something, but then she mentioned Momo -who was a bitch right now because she gave shitty advice- and his eyes narrowed. “Seth? The dickbag who called you a bitch?” That explained why he felt like puking whenever he passed the Old Spice wearing motherfucker. “Really?” He was mad, but not overly. She had forgiven him for two murders and lying. “Okay… why HIM?” That had him curious.

Vallea had a savior complex and realized it when Seth rescued her from being smashed by the boxes of t-shirts. “He apologized for calling me a hot bitch and I accepted.  That’s not why I fucked him though or chose him, rather.  Do you remember the day you came into my office and I had all those boxes of t-shirts?  Well, before you came in there, Seth did and…I was nearly crushed with some of the boxes.  He pulled me out of harm’s way at the last second.” It really could’ve been bad and an ER visit she didn’t need. “Monique asked me if I found anyone else attractive besides you in the company and…I told her Seth.  Probably because he did save me from being crushed by those boxes, kinda like you with the Red Rocks.” Savior complex, indeed. “It wasn’t that great with him, if that makes you feel any better.” She wouldn’t apologize for it either because, at the time, she was single, thanks to Jon’s lie.

“You got a thing for men who save your hot ass, don’t you?” Jon didn’t feel better. Well, he did, just a bit. Just a smidge. Of course it wasn’t that great. Nobody was ever going to fuck her, or make love to her, like he did. “So why can’t I kill him?” He asked, his tone very serious and Jon knew it was a dick move, to say that right after he had confessed to killing people, but… it was also hilarious to see the myriad of expressions shoot across her face. “Babe, I’m joking!” He laughed only to groan when he got thunked upside his head. “Concussion woman!”

“Which you’re cleared of.” She thunked him again for good measure, shaking her head and nudged him in the shoulder. “Don’t joke about killing people, please.  Not right away, anyway.” Her hands slid up his chest to his shoulders until she draped her arms around his neck, reaching up on her tiptoes until he bent down a little to give her some slack. “I love you, Jon.  You’re the only one I want and need in my life.  I wasn’t going to keep this from you, not after you told me what happened.  I felt I owed you the same thing.” Vallea softly brushed her lips against his, a soft moan escaping her. “So, back to what we were talking about earlier, you still want me to move in?”

“Yes.” Honestly, he was a bit surprised that she still wanted to move in with him. He was tempted to crack another joke, about her being paranoid about sleeping around him, but… he wasn’t taking another thunk to the head. “What was that earlier, about a bigger place?” He wrapped his arms around her, pressing his forehead to hers. “Why do we need a bigger place?” It was just them and he didn’t have THAT much shit.

“Because your apartment is far too small for both of us.” It was literally a studio apartment, didn’t even have actual rooms that were somewhat sectioned off. “And I want a place we can call ours.  I’m not gonna be on the road with you, we won’t be seeing each other often, so I want to have a place I feel comfortable and safe while you’re gone.  Apartments are expensive, so maybe we should invest in a house…” She saw the surprise in his eyes and softly kissed him again, caressing his bearded face tenderly. “Think of it as an investment to our future together.  It’ll just make everything feel more…permanent, locked down, unbreakable…”

“You’re going to need a job.” Jon said after a long moment, eyeballing her. A house. She wanted to get a house. He had a feeling she meant to buy, own. That would be weird. It was permanent, it was a commitment. He loved that idea, his icy blues lighting up. “Unless you want me to knock you up and you can be my stay at home baby machine?” He got another thunk.

“No!  No definitely not, no.  No kids.  Ever.” Christ, why would he bring that up?  Vallea felt her cheeks flame up and pecked his lips, moving her legs to sit Indian style. “I know I’m going to need a job.  Vegas is always hiring.  If I have to, I’ll go back to the first job I ever had in the city of lights.” This was something Jon didn’t know about her and Vallea had hoped to avoid it, but she was still in fairly good condition and had a toned body, mostly. “Stripping pays well.” That got a LOUD growl out of him that resonated around the room and Vallea actually jumped, giggling nervously. “No?  Don’t like that idea?”

“No, I do,” Jon said a bit harshly. She had been a stripper?! Why was he surprised, honestly? It was Vegas. What woman hadn’t been a stripper at one point or another in the city of sin? “If that’s what you want to do babe… I will definitely come watch you at work.” He had a raging hard-on all of a sudden, imagining her fine ass gyrating on a pole.

“That means I would have to gyrate my fine ass on a pole in front of other men.” Now the smile deteriorated from Jon’s face, the dark expression back and she smirked, squealing when he tackled her to the bed suddenly. “See, I KNEW if I pointed that part out to you, it would change your mind.” Having him on top of her like this, hovered over her and feeling the power emanating from his body was reigniting the flames she thought were permanently doused. “Stripping will be a last resort, but if I can’t find any other job, I might have to do it until I do find something…I’m not gonna let you support me.”

“Why don’t you work for me? My last PA just quit.” That had been Blondie. Bad idea there. He hadn’t hired her and he hadn’t even realized what the fuck she was doing up his ass all the time until after he had taken her for a spin. “You can be my stripper personal assistant.” He chuckled, gathering her wrists in one large hand and pinning them over her head. His free hand caressed her face. “And ONLY my stripper.”

Before, her excuse had been not mixing business with pleasure, but after everything that happened, Vallea couldn’t think of a single reason NOT to take him up on this offer.  She was jobless and the WWE would pay her to be his personal assistant, as long as they rehired her.  Then again, she hadn’t technically worked for them before, it had been Ryan’s company. “Do you really think WWE will hire me after what happened?  You don’t think things might…fall apart with us if I’m your PA?” She breathed out, feeling his lips and tongue teaser her neck, melting her into a puddle in the center of the bed. “If you can get the company to agree, I’m all in.”

“As long as you don’t try to change my diet or feed me Keto shakes or whatever the fuck those things are, things will be fine. Also, Thong Tuesdays and Thursday are officially in effect.” Jon, putting in his recommendation for a PA, given his history of running them off on top of her stellar track record, he didn’t see a problem with her being hired. “We were fine, being around each other all the time, and you’d be surprised at how little you’re with me.” She’d have to attend meetings without him, be his go-between with people for different shit. She’d be busy.

At the end of the night, Vallea would be with him and sleeping in the same bed, feeling him hold her in his arms.  She wanted nothing more than to be on the road with him again. “Mmm sounds good and I’m not a thong wearing type, but…for you, I think I can make an exception…” She smiled up at him, slowly feeling like her old self again and wiggled her wrists, trying to break his grip. “And why would I try to feed you healthy shit?  Those keto shakes suck ass, I tried one once and nearly threw up from it.” They were NASTY drinks. “And since when do you let ANYONE change ANYTHING about you in the first place, Good?”

“If I tell you, you’re going to laugh at me and then kick me in the nuts.” Jon said after a moment, making sure his grip was good and secure on her wrists as he pulled his head away from her neck to study her face. “That blonde, in the diner, she was my last PA.” That had been a disaster. “And she’s one of those fucking people who doesn’t know how to process the word NO. It just got to be easier to let her have her way and-” He snorted. “And I’m a pig so…” He shrugged. He hadn’t made love to any woman since Vallea but he had gotten his rocks off a few times. “She left.” Women did that, left him. Maybe he wasn’t so charming.

“She’s insane to leave you.” Vallea was glad she did though because she wanted to be the only woman in Jon’s life.  Both personally and professionally.  She wouldn’t leave him ever again, not unless he actually did cheat on her, which she didn’t see happening.  Jon wasn’t the cheating type, not in her eyes. “You eat and drink what you want, I’m not gonna treat you like a 5-year-old.” That sounded exactly like what the blonde was doing to Jon. “Come here.” He softly kissed her and it quickly deepened, his free hand sliding down her side to caress her hip.

The blonde had been a lifelong fan who somehow managed to hide that shit when she had been vetted for the job. She had seen him before and then after his leave due to his arm and decided she liked fit, cut Dean Ambrose and had done her duty -the salads- to ensure he remained fit and cut. “I love you,” He whispered against her lips once the kiss broke, inhaling deeply. “I missed you.” He didn’t have words for how much he had missed her. His hand had moved from her hip to her inner thigh.

It'd been a year for her since any sexual activity happened and Vallea was pretty sure she had cobwebs in her vagina.  The only other man she had slept with was Seth and that was just the one time.  The feeling of his hand on her inner thigh made them both start to tremble, her pussy quivering beneath the jean shorts she had on. “I love you too, so much.” Vallea murmured, feeling release her wrists to touch him and pulled him closer to her, gripping the back of his head as she very lightly brushed his lips. “Vegas can wait another day.” Pushing his tank top up over his head, she pulled Jon back on top of her again in another explosive kiss. “Make love to me, Jon.”

It wasn’t a huge surprise for him to oblige that sweet request.  Jon took his time with her, letting her know with action how much he truly did miss her.  It was slow, raw and intense, both reaching heights together they didn’t think possible.  Each thrust was made with precision, his cock driving just a little further inside of her with each passing second, driving her mad.  All Vallea could do was cling to him, meeting him for every thrust and cried out his name multiple times at how amazing he felt inside of her again.  After all this time, they still had magic and explosive chemistry together in the bedroom.  Jon rolled them over to where she straddled him, his cock still nestled deep inside of her and ordered her to ride him, to finish them both off.  Vallea was already sensitive and had climaxed more than once, so it did not take long for her to fall over that edge again.  Their fingers laced, their breathing erratic and soon, all she felt was the explosion of his seed penetrate her insides, their bodies shuddering simultaneously.

Vallea collapsed on top of Jon in a sweaty, satisfied heap, not minding the slickness of his body against hers.  It felt inviting and comfortable, familiar.  She groaned, feeling Jon slip out of her as his dick grew limp and she kissed his chest, cooling herself down.  Never in her life could she get enough of this man, this delicious specimen, and knew they were both in for a very long night of reconciliation.  Now that the slow lovemaking was out of the way, there wasn’t a doubt in Vallea’s mind, once Jon managed to get himself hard again, they would be going for a more hardcore joining.  Jon did not disappoint her, both devouring each other whole and finally, just as the sun began rising over the horizon the following day, they passed out in bed together with his arms wrapped firmly around her waist, spooning her.

Chapter 39

Had it really been 6 months already? 

Vallea sipped her coffee while staring out the window of the beautiful home her and Jon shared, staring in the far distance at the Red Rocks.  It was as close to Red Rock Canyon as they could get, on the outskirts of the city, but not far away either.  The airport was 10 minutes away, along with the strip, so they hadn’t completely isolated themselves.  The house was modern with an open floor plan and glass windows all around.  Jon was insistent on the glass windows because it reminded him of the glass ball they had ridden together.  Vallea didn’t mind it since their neighbors were a couple miles apart from them on either side.  She had decorated it, but there was nothing frilly or girly about the design.  It was a very crisp, modern décor that fit both of their personalities beautifully.  For instance, in the dining room, on the wall were all of Jon’s nun-chucks he had collected over the years.  She had hung them in the shape of a yin-yang and he loved it, showing her how much by christening their new dining room table.  The kitchen had black granite countertops, smooth to the touch, along with the white and black tiling on the floor and black appliances.  That was where she currently stood in just a silk black robe, fresh out of the shower and ready to start the day.  They had five glorious days off the road, after Jon had a grueling 2-week tour overseas, and before that was the pay-per-view event known as Summerslam.  Fall was on the horizon, but luckily in Vegas, it was always warm and never dropped below 60 degrees.  One of Vallea’s favorite things to do was getting up to watch the sunrise, feeling completely content and tranquil.  Never did she think in a million years she would be in a beautiful home, with the man of her dreams, sipping coffee and being completely at peace. 

It was almost too good to be true.

Jon had taken up climbing every morning when he was home just because it was a total body workout and not boring. He stepped through the door, scuffing his shoes off at the door and grinned at the sight of her. He had loved coming home and seeing her in their house. That was still weird, their house. They owned a house. He owned a house. He never thought something like that was in the cards for him, especially after all the bad he had done in his life, but here it was. He tended to pinch himself occasionally, afraid he was still dreaming and when he woke up, he’d be back at the hotel with a concussion and she’d be walking out the door to get back to her life in Arizona. “Hey babe,” He walked around her to pour himself a cup of coffee, eyeing her. “I guess I missed shower time?” He could probably entice her to join him.

She still climbed mountains and rocks every now and then, but nothing compared to Jon.  He enjoyed doing it by himself and had admitted it openly because she was a delicious distraction.  His words, not hers.  Vallea smirked at him, taking another sip of her coffee and set it down before walking over to slide her hands up his sweaty back.  She pressed soft kisses against his heated skin and unfastened her robe, letting it drop from her body to reveal her naked form.  Skin on skin contact, she was certain he could feel her hard nipples against his back. “Mmm get me nice and dirty and I’ll need another one.” She purred, delving her hand beneath the basketball shorts he had on and lightly stroked him.  Every time Jon came in from climbing a mountain or scaling a rock wall, it lit a fuse inside of Vallea.  Maybe it was the scent of him mixed with the outdoors. “Think you’re up for another workout?”

She was a dangerous distraction. Apparently a year without her had given him issues and every time they had climbed, he spent more time checking out her ass in those delicious climbing shorts of hers then on the wall he was scaling. He had actually messed his hands up twice doing that. Dangerous woman. “Definitely.” He growled, lifting her up and depositing her naked ass onto the granite counter, guiding her legs around his waist. He loved this open floor, lots of windows plan. They were out in relative privacy but the open windows made it feel a bit more naughty. He looked down, watching as she pushed his shorts down far enough to let his erection spring free and tsked her. “Naughty, doll.”

He was the only one she would be naughty with, her hand still pumping his cock and felt it come to life, bulging against her palm.  Their sex life was right on point; most of their free time was spent naked, if Vallea was honest with herself.  They did go out ever so often to keep things fresh, but for the most part, they enjoyed each other’s company naked.  Being on the road with Jon also made Vallea take better care of herself and getting back in shape enough to climb mountains and rock walls.  She worked out at least once a day, while on the road, since they couldn’t eat the healthiest food.  For her anyway.  Jon ate whatever he wanted and she gave him no slack for it because the man was in the best shape of his life. “Mmm, fuck your naughty woman then, handsome…” Guiding his cock inside of her, Vallea felt his mouth capture hers and moaned in his mouth, tasting him.  She could never get enough of it, of him.

Jon planned on fucking her until one of them called uncle. Right there on the kitchen counter. If he were honest, they had christened every room in their house, several times, but it wasn’t getting old. At least not for him. He liked the idea of walking into a room and knowing which places he had bent her over, gotten head, or eaten her out at. It was like marking their territory in a way. “Christ Val…” He grunted, looking down at where they were joined, admiring the view for a moment before thrusting a few times, smirking when he felt her nails digging into his upper arms.

“Harder…oh that’s it, right there…” Vallea had no problem voicing how incredible her man sexed her up and gripped the back of his head, his mouth sealing to her neck.  He’d already ravaged her breasts and knew the spot on her neck that drove her absolutely crazy.  One thing about Jon was he had tremendous stamina and could go more than once in a night.  It also made Vallea feel great knowing she could turn her man on like the flick of a light switch.  Feeling the hot coil form in her belly, it wouldn’t take long for her to reach her end and continued meeting Jon for every sharp thrust he produced inside her receptive body.  His teeth sank into her shoulder, the spot where shoulder met neck, causing her to cry out in a mixture of pain and pleasure and her nails sank into his skin, raking them down his back.  Those would sting in the shower for sure, much like the bite mark.

He was like a teenager again who had no control of when wood was going to strike, at least not with her. No woman had done this to him and he doubted any woman ever would. Hissing through his teeth, he bit her again, feeling her nails coming back down over the fresh wounds she had left, glad he had a few days off or else sweating into those in the ring would suck. Or getting slapped on the back. “C’mon Vallea,” He licked at the spot he had just marked, tasting a tinge of blood. “Cum for me, doll.” He could feel her body quivering, knowing she wasn’t far off.

It wasn’t the first time he made her bleed and it wouldn’t be the last.  It was such a delicious pain and made the moment, the bout, much more intense.  Luckily, she wore tops at work that would cover this love mark up, which Jon attacked every chance he could.  It was almost as if he wanted her to be marked by him permanently and Vallea had zero complaints over it.  As long as it wasn’t in a spot that couldn’t be covered up, she had no qualms.  The neck, for instance, wasn’t an option and she’d made it clear to him she would hurt him if he even THOUGHT about giving her a hickey.  Anywhere else that could be covered up on her body was fine, just not her neck.  Whipping her head back, Vallea was thankfully far enough away from the window, no cabinets where she sat, where she didn’t crack it. “JON!” Shattering into a million pieces, her hot juices flowed and soaked him, wrapping him in a warm wet cocoon, her body shuddering.

Jon would eventually get her neck and Vallea would just have to sport a turtleneck for a week or join everyone else in the 90’s trend that had made a return: chokers. Chokers were hot actually. “Fuck,” He grunted, feeling her body seemingly clamping down and around him, taking what breath he had left from him. “One more time, doll,” And he knew she could because he had spent countless hours wringing orgasm after orgasm out of her tight little body. One hand moved between their bodies, his thumb finding her nub and he began caressing her, feeling her starting to shake uncontrollably as another crest began peaking.

Vallea had a couple chokers she wore sometimes with certain outfits and Jon attacked her every time.  She hadn’t cottoned onto the fact he thought the chokers were hot, yet.  Her hair had grown over the past 6 months, no cutting, and it went past her shoulders now.  Vallea planned on growing it out to the same length it’d been when Jon first saved her, missing her long hair and she knew he did too.  She could always get extensions like the other women in the WWE, but she didn’t want anything fake or phony on her person.  Hissing out between her teeth, Vallea could already feel another climax building and pressed her forehead to his, feeling his teeth nip her bottom lip. “T-Together…” She rasped out, hooking one arm around his neck and the other digging her nails into his chest, but didn’t rake them like his back. “J-Jon!”

Nodding, he tried to keep a rhythm but his own joygasm was approaching and soon the only sounds in that kitchen were flesh smacking flesh and some growls. Jon roared her name as he came, his hands now on her waist, fingers digging into her flesh as he pulled her against him until there wasn’t even a tiny silver of space between their bodies. “Christ,” It was a breathless gasp, his head resting against hers as he willed his body to stop spasming like he had been electrocuted. She would definitely need that shower.

Not to mention, the kitchen would need to be sanitized.  That didn’t matter to either of them at the moment, both relishing in the sexual high they had reached together.  Vallea smiled through heavy breathing, kissing the side of his neck to cool down and felt him leave her body.  He never once pulled away from her, his body had to physically do it for him.  She loved that he wanted to be joined with her until the very end instead of pulling his own dick out. “Mmm, time for that shower…if we can walk without falling on our faces…” She laughed breathlessly, nuzzling his chest and wrapped her arms around him in a gentle embrace. “Think you can manage it?”

His response was to huff and step away from the counter, pulling her into his arms and cradling her against his chest. He wasn’t going to lie, his body felt a little drained -not in the bad way- but his legs were quite steady. There would be no question of managing. “I got it, doll.” Smirking down at her, Jon walked towards the bathroom, not minding his nudity at all. Perk of living where they did.

After the shower, where they only washed each other, both needing time to recuperate after that romp in the kitchen, Vallea stepped out first to give Jon time to soothe his aching muscles.  He had two workouts back-to-back and that couldn’t be easy on his body.  While he finished, she dressed and went to the kitchen to start cleaning their mess up, making sure there were no bodily fluids anywhere on the counter or floor.  Once it was clean and smelling great, she pulled out some lunchmeat from the fridge to make Jon some lunch while she stuck with a salad.  They both had all the fixings and toppings both loved; she had premade her salad the previous night and it just needed some French dressing with chopped boiled eggs.  Just as she finished his huge, stacked sandwich, Jon walked out in just a fresh pair of basketball shorts and kissed her cheek, smacking her backside. “Down boy, go sit and I’ll bring your food to you.  Do you want some chips and a beer to go with it?”

“Oh God yes please,” Jon was in Heaven. The only thing left to do was basically marry the broad and not have babies since she was very adamantly against children and if he were honest, he’d probably be a very shitty dad. “You’re way too good for the likes of me.” He said once all those goodies were before him, his icy blues taking in the food before moving to her. “What’d I do to deserve an angel like you? Besides save your beautiful ass.”

She rolled her eyes at his statement and shook her head, not believing it.  If anything, Vallea wasn’t good enough for him. “I am no angel.  Have you seen my halo lately?  It’s black and rusted through.  My horns have to hold it up.” Vallea joked, sitting down beside him and slid her fingers over his head, kissing his shoulder. “I enjoy taking care of you, so get used to it.  You’re a hardworking man and it’s not often I get to make food for you.  Now eat up.” Instead of grabbing the remote, she let him watch whatever while she ate her salad, both content to eat silently while watching ESPN.  She also had a beer, figuring the salad would make up for it.

He was a hardworking man but as she very well knew, he played just as hard. Usually with her, in very fun for both of them ways. “Wait babe, making a sandwich isn’t making food… it’s slapping food together.” He caught her hand before she could thunk him, laughing and pressed a kiss to the top of it before letting go. “So what’re your plans today?” Now that his workout was out of the way, he had an open day.

“Well, I think after the grueling tour we just had to endure,” Vallea had to go with him everywhere since she was his personal assistant.  It still amazed her the company had been so understanding and hired her on the spot, with one stipulation.  It was actually a stipulation they both agreed on.  She was ONLY Jon’s personal assistant and could work for no other WWE Superstar, male or female.  They were perfectly fine with that and made sure it was in the contract, which was also linked to Jon’s. “We deserve some rest and relaxation.” That wasn’t their forte though.  Lounging around and watching television, eating bonbons wasn’t who they were. “I have no plans besides doing some laundry.” Monique still hadn’t forgiven her fully and Vallea was done trying to win the stubborn woman over. “Oh, I did get a call this morning about the house in Phoenix and it FINALLY sold.  They’ll be sending me a check in the mail in a couple weeks, along with paperwork to finalize everything.”

Chapter 40

The reasoning behind her being only Jon’s PA was actually a valid one. While she had provided notice last time, she had still bailed during an important time. Since she was Jon’s girlfriend and he vouched for her, on top of her stellar work record and ethic, they figured if she left again, Jon was already usually anti-PA so it wouldn’t be a big deal. Or at least, that’s what Stephanie had told him. Followed by a ‘don’t cheat idiot’ line. Stephanie was such a sweetheart. Monique was going to hold that grudge for a while. Something about throwing away years of friendship and work history over a man… Momo had a temper. “Laundry is boring, let’s hire a maid.”

Vallea choked on the drink she just took of her beer, pounding her chest since it went down the wrong pipe and couldn’t stop coughing. “W-What?!  Y-You…hire a maid…?” She coughed harder, groaning since that hadn’t felt good going down. “Y-You’re a cheapskate, remember?” Jon nearly had a stroke when he found out the price of this place and refused to get it, until Vallea promised him every cent that came from selling her Phoenix home would go toward their home.  Jon had agreed after that and now that they had their home, he didn’t regret buying and owning.  They still had separate bank accounts, both not comfortable with joint and wanting to keep their money separated.  It stemmed from their childhoods, more than anything. “What do you want to do?  Do you have something rolling in that brain of yours?  And I didn’t say you had to do the laundry, I said I had laundry to do.” She didn’t mind doing his along with hers.

“We don’t have a lot of time off, Vallea.” Jon said patiently, trying not to sound amused by she had just choked on beer over his remark and that was kind of hilarious. “Do you really want to spend that time cleaning and shit?” As if he’d let her do the laundry by her lonesome, he knew a large chunk of it was his and he could do his own laundry. He wasn’t asking anyone to deal with his nasty, smelly socks. That was just rude, especially since she was his love. Well, he would PAY someone to deal with them. “Look at it as an investment in our time together.” Which could be spent better. Unless she wanted him to entertain her on the washer, the vibrations and shit might be interesting.

“I’m aware of that.  There’s a place on the strip we could drop our laundry off at to have done.  I don’t want any strangers in our house.  That doesn’t make me feel comfortable, Jon.” Vallea could tell he agreed with her on that front.  The house was spotless since, like he said, they rarely got time off.  Unless they were on the West coast, they usually stayed on the road until they were close-by or in Vegas to actually come home.  In the span of 6 months, this was probably their 5^th time actually staying in their house. “Okay, you win.” She took his empty plate from him, set her own bowl down and straddled his lap, kissing him passionately. “How would you like to spend our time off?” If all he wanted to do was sit here on the couch making out with her, Vallea would not deny him.

“Naked, outside, pretending to work on tans but actually having wild, passionate sex.” Jon teased, shaking his head. They did have quite a bit of sex, which wasn’t a bad thing. “Why don’t we go for a drive in the canyons?” She was getting back into the mountain climbing thing, and they still had a lot of outside Vegas to explore. “Or, we could go on a camping trip… maybe revisit Solar Slab?”

Vallea was always up for a camping trip, but climbing a mountain didn’t sound like something she wanted to do. “Not in the mood for Solar Slab this time, handsome.  But I wouldn’t mind going for a drive through the canyons and then stopping to sleep under the stars with you…” After sex, of course.  Vallea and Jon did not care what anyone else thought or said about their relationship.  It was sexually driven and there was nothing wrong with that.  They were still in their ‘back together’ honeymoon phase and Vallea never wanted it to end.

One of Jon’s eyebrows slowly rose. “Solar Slab or mountains in general?” Because she had loved camping up on the mountain, the view itself had been worth the climb. When she said mountains in general, he leaned over to check her forehead, just in case. “Okay, no mountains. We’ll just drive and find a spot.” Since they had more than a day off, they could pack for a few and just see what happened. “There’s a river, we could follow that.”

“It’s not that I don’t love the mountains because I do.  It’s just…we’ve done that already and I wanna do something else.  Go on a new adventure and experience something different with you.” If they did the same thing over and over again, it would get boring and wouldn’t be special.  She rubbed her nose against his, pecked his lips and slid off his lap to clean up their lunch mess.  Then, Vallea began gathering all the dirty laundry they needed done while Jon was outside packing up the car with everything they’d need.  Just as Jon finished, she walked out with a huge bag over her shoulder and he took it from her. “Thanks.  That was heavier than I thought…”

After dropping the clothes off at the laundromat and setting up a time to pick them up in 3 days, they were off on their new adventure.  Jon and Vallea never tired of each other, always finding something to talk about, no matter how ridiculous.  The windows were down to let the warm air blow throughout the car and their eyes were shielded by black shades.  This was Vallea’s happily ever after and she thought nothing would be able to destroy it, after everything her and Jon had been through. 

She thought they would be together forever and nothing else would ever be able to tear them apart.

She couldn’t have been more wrong.

~!~

Snapping her eyes open, Vallea stared at the wall with slightly blurred vision from the tears in her eyes, knowing letting them fall couldn’t happen.  A pair of lips caressed her neck, making her eyes slam shut because they weren’t the lips she wanted against her skin.  The dick rubbing against her backside didn’t belong to the man she loved…only the one she had to pretend with.  Every night was the same with him – he’d wake her up with his dick and lips and she had no choice except to withstand it.  Tensing wasn’t an option.  Fighting him off wasn’t an option.  All Vallea could do was lay there and deal with whatever he wanted to do to her.

“Oh fuck baby, you feel so fuckin’ good…” He hissed out, moving her long hair away from her neck to suckle her soft skin and growled, spreading her thighs apart to drive deeper inside.

Spoon fucking was his favorite position, something Vallea had learned quickly and she was grateful for it.  At least she didn’t have to stare into his dark eyes while he fucked her.  He wouldn’t be able to see the sheer hatred and anger burn in her hazel eyes.

“Tell me you like my cock inside your pussy, Vallea, come on…”

Rolling her eyes, Vallea was so used to this game by now, she had perfected fake moaning just for him in the pitch black room. “Oh yeah, I love your cock inside of me…”

“Say my name, Vallea.” He growled, smacking her backside none too gently. “Say it again with my name…”

Again, her eyes shut and Vallea had to swallow down any scathing remark she had, blinking the tears out of her eyes. “Oh yeah, I love your cock inside of me…Seth…”

To get through this, Vallea often thought back to the past, back to when she was happy…with Jon…

~!~

Jon seemed to find the most perfect spots, on flawless days where the sun was shining and at night, the moon was full in the sky.  It reminded Vallea so much of the mountain campout.  She helped him setup, knowing they would be here for a couple days and nights, instead of just a quick night.  There was nobody else around them and behind them was a beautiful waterfall that cascaded into a lake.  The water was clear, beautiful and untainted, it was even drinkable. “Where did you find this place?” She asked in awe, looking up at him and could see the smirk curve his lips. “Jon, this is spectacular…”

Jon didn’t really like thinking about their year of separation, which is how he now referred to it, opposed to being split up. However, some good had come of it, like discovering new places. “Last year, I had a few days off…” He had been a royal bitch, actually so Stephanie had sent him home to get over his issues and come back ‘less of a PMSing cuntrag’, he hadn’t known the Princess even knew words like that. “I didn’t really have anywhere I wanted to be, so I just drove… and followed the river.” This place was amazing and he had both loved it and hated it. Loved it because it was gorgeous and hated it because there was only one person he wanted to share it with. Now she was here, with him, and it was perfect. “You make it better, babe.”

Taking his hand, their fingers laced together as they continued watching the waterfall for a few minutes, enjoying the sound of it. “It’s things like this, places like this, I want to explore and discover with you.  All over, not just in Vegas, but anywhere we want.” They had the luxury of going anywhere and doing anything as long as they abided by his WWE schedule.  Whatever his schedule was, hers was the same.  Perk of being his personal assistant. “Come on, we’re jumping in this water and going under that waterfall.” Releasing his hand, she slipped her sandals and shorts off, pulling her tank top off next.  She stood clad in white cotton panties and a red bra, not one for matching her undergarments.  They could go for a swim and then get out to build the fire.  Jon had stopped at a local market on the way to grab stuff for smores and some hot dogs to cook over the flames with buns.  And more jerky, of course. “Race you!”

Jon feinted running and then stopped just to watch. Cotton panties were not something he would have ever considered sexy but God damn if she didn’t make them so. Her perfect ass, running, Jon grinned and finally began running after her. Laughing, he followed her over, diving into that deliciously cool water. He was mindful of the waterfall, not wanting to get his ass stuck under it and pounded to the likely rocky bottom below. When he surfaced, he wasn’t surprised to find her treading water, taking in the view of the waterfall from a different angle and swam over to her, pulling her bra strap back up and laughed. “Amazing, isn’t it?”

“Amazing isn’t a strong enough word to describe how beautiful this is.” Vallea had the biggest smile on her face, turning her head to look at him and caressed his bearded face with the back of her hand.  The water felt incredible against her heated skin; it was the perfect place for a dip since it was nearly 100 degrees outside.  Even in late September, going into October, Vegas weather remained in near double digits.  She could stay here forever as long as it was with Jon. “You know, I think we should get a pool with a small waterfall and slide.  I know it would be expensive, but…we do have a huge backyard and I know you want to get a hot tub…”

Insurance would go up, that was for damn sure. “I don’t care,” Jon chuckled, reminding himself that it wasn’t so much as just throwing money but investing in their house, their property, and them. “We can get it built and have the fire department come fill it.” Which would save so much money, but that also usually meant if there was a fire in the area, the fire department had rights to drain the pool to use the water. In that event, Jon was totally cool with it because it was dry so fire spread quickly, and the area would likely be where they lived. He moved so he was floating on his back, smiling when she did the same and held out her hand, reaching out to lace his fingers with hers. “You know, we should put up a gazebo or something too.” The backyard really was way too large for them but considering he had grown up in apartments, he loved it.

“Oh!  We could get one of those firepits too, the really nice modern ones.” Vallea added, willing to sink all of her money into their home to make it theirs.  Granted, they weren’t there a lot, but when they were, she wanted to be comfortable and live in luxury.  Something Jon didn’t know how to do and neither did she. “We need to go shopping for outdoor furniture to fill that gazebo too.” Was this what happened when two people who loved each other got a place of their own and started building their lives?  Apparently so. “I want an in-ground pool, not one of those stand-up ones.  I want one we can build a patio or deck around.  It’d look a lot better than a regular stand-up pool.”

“Yeah no stand-up pools, that thing would be dead the first week we left.” They could do an in-ground pool, with the proper cover, and the timed pump and cleaning things, all that crap. First bad weather for an above ground pool would probably leave the damn thing in a flooded heap when they got back, and he wasn’t about to deal with a mini-swamp in the desert. “Patio, better options, but only like… half of it.” Grass didn’t always grow so well out here but there were some varieties that could be ‘rolled out’ and would root, specially bred for this climate. Jon realized they were getting all jazzed up over their backyard and these plans and began chuckling. “I love you, Vallea.” This was what normal people did, right?

“I love you too, always.  Don’t ever forget that.” No matter what the future had in store for them, she would make sure to tell Jon every single night those three words.  They were important, especially with all the hell they’d been through. “Come here.” They both moved out of their positions and into each other’s arms, Jon holding her up in the water mostly.  She kissed him passionately, tasting him and broke apart a few minutes later. “Let’s go see what’s under that waterfall.” Turns out, as soon as they managed to withstand the barrage of water on their heads to get past it, there was a small cave and an entrance that lead back to where they had set up camp. “Take off your shorts.” How many people could honestly say they had sex under a waterfall?

Chapter 41

Jon was studying the cave floor and shook his head. Not a chance. He wasn’t getting any bits or bobs scraped on that wet but rough looking stone. “How about you come here?” He crooked a finger at her, smiling wickedly. He wasn’t asking her to get on her knees either. Shorts were awesome, he could free himself without having to do much more than unbutton and adjust, wrapping an arm around her when she pouted. “I said c’mere babe,” He growled, his free hand delving beneath the waistband of her soaked panties.

Well, it wasn’t exactly sex under a waterfall, but damn good foreplay, if she did say so herself.  Jon had made her climax multiple times and stroked him until she could swallow his seed, having her daily protein shake.  The taste of him was intoxicating and it only made her wetter.  A win-win for them both.  After that, they went back to the camp and began setting the rest of it up, including a fire, since the sun was started to descend on the horizon.  It would be a crisp 66 degrees tonight, the perfect weather for a fire under the stars.  While Jon finished building it, Vallea got out the food and dessert, both changed into fresh dry clothes.  After eating hot dogs and chips for dinner, it was time to roast some marshmallows and make some delicious smores. “Mmm this is heaven, it can’t get any better than this…” She commented, watching her marshmallow be licked by the flames.

“No, probably not.” Jon sighed contentedly, knowing he was going to have to do something extra after this little mini getaway of theirs to burn off the junk food. Maybe actually use the treadmill she had brought into the house. Apparently, Vallea had taken up jogging in Arizona and then she had made the suggestion that he try it as cardio would help improve some things that would be useful in the ring. She wasn’t wrong, he was just stubborn. “Well, wait until the fire dies down a bit and the rest of those stars come out, maybe then it gets better…”

“No, look at the color of the sky right now.” It was a mixture of orange, red and yellow with a splash of blue, all from the beautiful sunset they were experiencing.  She pulled the marshmallow out of the fire and blew it out before carefully removing the outer layer.  Placing the Hershey’s chocolate bar on the graham cracker, she added the marshmallow and put another graham cracker over it, setting her stick down beside her.  The first bite was orgasmic; Vallea couldn’t remember the last time she had a smore and felt Jon’s arm wrap around her waist. “You have the best ideas, handsome.”

“It’s because I’m still a child.” He informed her, letting his own marshmellow ‘bake’ a little longer. Jon liked his pitch black on the outside and scalding hot in the inside. He pulled the flaming mallow from the fire, letting go of her and blew out the flames. “Perfect!” He laughed, glancing down at her. “All burnt and crunchy and bitter outside, sweet beneath. Kinda like me.” Winking, he retrieved the crackers and chocolate, wondering if he really wanted to use the crackers or just stick with the good stuff.

“You don’t give yourself enough credit.” Vallea waited until he devoured his smore before kissing him softly and made herself a second smore, looking up at the stars now peeking out one by one.  This was a moment she would never forget and cherish forever, even when she was 90-years-old, providing she made it that long.

~!~

It was one of the memories she held onto because memories were all she had left to keep from losing her mind.  After Seth had his fill of her and passed out, Vallea slipped from the bed to stare out the window, silent tears falling down her cheeks.  She wrapped her arms around herself and looked down at the three stoned diamond ring on her left hand, which felt like a 1000 pound weight.  They weren’t married yet, but Vallea knew it was only a matter of time before she was forced down the aisle.  It made her cringe on the inside; she didn’t want to marry Seth Rollins.  Jon was the only man she wanted to marry, to be with, but it could never happen.  What Ryan put her through was cake compared to Seth; what he put her through and forced her to do…Vallea never wished for Ryan to be alive more than this moment in her life.  She would give anything to deal with his overbearing as opposed to being in a involuntary engagement with a man she loathed, who also forced her to have sex with him whenever he wanted.

“I love you, Jon.” She whispered, pressing her forehead against the glass and turned the diamond ring over to where it just looked like a white gold band with no stone. “I’m so sorry…”

Vallea could be sorry all she wanted but this was her only option. Of the possibilities presented to her, she had never considered any of them but this. This was it. This was the only way. The only thing she could do. She belonged to Seth Rollins now and soon enough, she would be Mrs. Rollins and there was nothing to be done about it. She would walk down the aisle, smiling and pretending to be happy, with the man who wasn’t her soul mate, who wasn’t the love of her life, who wasn’t Jon.

To this day, Jon still didn’t understand what happened between them.  They were so blissfully happy, like a newlywed couple, without the actual marriage.  So many plans were in store for their home and they talked about even more that night under the stars, camping by the waterfall.  It was like a fairytale; Vallea had finally found her prince charming, or damn close to it, and she thought nothing would be able to destroy them.  She thought they would last forever.  What a foolhearted woman she’d been to actually believe that nonsense!  The worst part of this entire situation was she couldn’t tell Jon why she left him for Seth.  All she’d told him was she didn’t love him anymore, lying through her teeth, and that she wanted to be with Seth instead.  Seth was right there, front in center, to make sure the breakup happened exactly as it should have, not risking her blabbing the truth or the fact he was blackmailing her.

And if that wasn’t bad enough, she STILL had to be Jon’s personal assistant because of how their contracts were set up.  There was no breaking them, they were iron-clad and she still had 3 years left on hers before it expired.  Seth already told her once it did, she would be staying off the road and pumping out babies for him.  He was going to turn her into the perfect wife, even if it killed her and Vallea had no say in the matter.  Her life was literally controlled in every way by Seth Rollins.

What KILLED Jon was that even though she had stood there telling him all this bullshit that he did not necessarily believe but at the same time there was that slight hint of doubt, he couldn’t hate her. He couldn’t bring himself to stop loving her. What had given him that doubt was the fact that she had alluded to what he had done, without actually saying it or making it clear for that twat crotch Seth Rollins. She had implied that not only did she not love him, she didn’t trust him to ‘do the right thing’, and that had hurt Jon more than their first break-up. All this time, she had been living with him, with that fear?

Of course, it was all a lie.  Every poisonous word that came out of her mouth that night was a lie.  She trusted Jon wholeheartedly, with every fiber of her being, and loved him too much to let him get hurt.  Seth made it clear she was to ‘hit Jon where it hurt the most’ if she wanted to protect him…if she wanted Seth to keep his blackmail a secret.  What killed HER the most was the fact that after making Jon promise there would be no more lies between them, now Vallea was doing the same thing.  She was lying through her teeth and she would never be able to tell him why.  Just like he wasn’t able to tell her why he had lied about cheating on her, which everyone still believed happened…everyone except Seth.

The murders didn’t bother her, as crazy as that sounded.  Jon had done it for her because Ryan was slowly killing her.  She accepted it, understood and they had moved on, never to talk about it again.  All skeletons were meant to come out of the closet though, all secrets were meant to be discovered, sooner or later.  How Seth discovered what Jon did was beyond her.  He had approached her outside of the arena one night…and she would never forget it because it changed every aspect of her life.

~!~

Thanksgiving in their new home had been amazing. 

Vallea cooked up a storm, even though it was just the two of them.  Jon had told her it wasn’t necessary and had no idea what they were going to do with all the leftovers.  They only had a couple days off before having to rejoin the WWE.  That was what freezer chests were for…for most of the food, anyway.  Vallea assured him it was fine and she didn’t mind making a Thanksgiving feast.  They ate, drank beer, had pumpkin pie and made passionate love in front of the fireplace in the living room, after their stomachs were settled.  Jon had even grabbed the cool whip to smear it on her body and licked every spot covered, including her nethers.

Two days later, they were back to the grind and Vallea was outside of the arena, getting some fresh air.  Monique had finally texted her back, agreeing to meet for coffee, but made it clear she still didn’t forgive Vallea.  It was a step in the right direction and hopefully, one day, they would build their friendship to where it used to be.  She had just sent a text back to Monique and slipped her phone in her back pocket when she heard a voice clear behind her, turning to see none other than Seth Rollins.

And he had a smarmy Cheshire grin on his face. “What can I do for you, Seth?” He wasn’t too happy to find her back with Jon, especially after their one night together, only for her to disappear a few weeks later.  However, they never talked about what happened between them and she was fine with it, thinking he was too.

Again, her assumption was wrong.

“We need to talk, Vallea.” He said, his tone a little to sweet, a little to polite. His grin never faltered and the gleam in his eyes was pure evil and malicious delight. When she rolled her eyes and moved to walk away, he reached out and wrapped steely fingers around her upper arm, stopping her from going anywhere. “Trust me sweets, you’re going to want to hear what I have to say.” He could already see she was going to give him grief, she was already shaking her head no. “And about the night Jon murdered Ryan and Nick.” That stopped her cold and his grin widened.

Her hazel eyes widened and her heart fell to the pit of her stomach as Vallea stared at Seth, seeing the truth in his eyes.  He knew.  He knew what happened…how long?  How long had he known what Jon did?  Vallea could have tried denying it and pretended not to know what he was talking about, but the evil in his demonic eyes scared her.  Would he go to the police?  Would he turn Jon in?  If that happened, she would lose Jon forever and that couldn’t happen! “What do you want, Seth?” She asked quietly, not fighting him any longer and felt his fingers squeeze her arm just a little more to assert power.

“You.” Seth said simply, almost casually, though there was nothing casual about his eyes or the iron grip he had on her arm. “And to see that crazy bastard suffer.” It had occurred to him that there was every chance if his little plan went like he knew it would, Jon being the insane person that he was, would kill him next but… he was also counting on Vallea being his shield, figuratively speaking. “Two birds, one murderous stone.” And Jon had cast it himself. “You’re going to be my girl, Vallea, and we’re going to be very, very happy.”

Vallea couldn’t help it.  She started laughing and it wasn’t full of humor either.  It was a nervous, almost panicked, laugh while she stared at this man like he’d grown three heads out of his neck.  Was he serious?  She would be HIS girl?  Seth had lost his mind! “No, I’m not.  W-We slept together once and the sex wasn’t even that great…” Vallea gasped when his grip tightened on her arm, to the point of bruising, and yanked her against him to where their noses practically touched. “Get your hand off me now, Rollins.  Or I will report you to Stephanie and Paul.” Violence was not tolerated in the WWE for any reason; they had a zero tolerance policy. “I’ll never be yours!”

“I don’t think you understand, Vallea,” He brushed his nose against hers. “I have proof Jon murdered them. I know for a fact that he sent that Nicky guy away to clean-up the blood they left behind in the snow.” He could see from the way what little color she did have left drained away that she hadn’t known that little detail. “I know that while Nicky was gone, he shoved Ryan over the scaffolding railing and into that vat of acid.” Her shiver was delicious. “And then when Nicky came back, Jon did the same to him. His friend.”

Jon hadn’t gone into detail about the murders, only telling her what she needed to hear.  The bare minimum.  Of course, the murders were gruesome.  Who the hell else would survive being tossed in a vat of acid?  This wasn’t comic books and villains didn’t magically come out of something like that with superpowers or whatever. “This has nothing to do with me…” Vallea pulled her face away from his, not wanting any other part of this asshole’s body touching hers and could already feel the tears stinging her eyes. “H-How do you know all of this?” Who had told Seth?  Who ELSE had been there the night Jon committed those murders?

“It has everything to do with you, Vallea, because if you don’t do as I want, I’m going to take the person who WAS there, the testimony they provided on video for me, and all the pictures we went and took of the areas this person vividly remembers Jon and Nicky being prior to Nicky’s acid bath and I’ll take it all the police. I bet with this new information and knowing exactly what to look for, they find something to tie it straight back to him in no time. Not to mention… there never was a Mindy at that bar,  no parking lot bang fest with a hot blonde.” Seth wasn’t an idiot.

“You’re blackmailing me to be with you…all to make Jon suffer?  What did Jon ever do to you besides give you the greatest rivalry of your entire career?  Some of the best matches you’ve ever had?” Vallea demanded, not bothering to fight back the tears because, with all that concrete evidence, Jon would spend the rest of his life in prison.  She wanted to tell him to do what he had to do, but the thought of Jon being locked behind bars, all to protect her, made her nauseous. “P-Please don’t do this, Seth…I love him…” They had only been back together for 8 months! “D-Don’t take him away from me…”

“I don’t care. If you can love a murdering lunatic like him, then you can definitely learn to love me.” Seth said firmly, using his free hand to reach out and brush away some of the tears that were spilling freely. “I’m doing this for you too, Vallea, you just don’t see it yet. You don’t belong with a murderer. What’s going to stop him from losing it one day and you’re his next victim? How many people came before Ryan and Nick? This is going to work out, baby, don’t you worry.”

“No…NO!  No it’s not going to work out because I’m not going to be with you!” Vallea wrenched her arm free of his grasp, nearly pulling it out of socket and stumbled away from him, shaking her head frantically. “I don’t belong with you!  I want nothing to do with you!  You’re crazy and you need to stay the fuck away from me!” She began storming back inside the arena, only for Seth to stop her again with his scathing words.

“Two weeks, Vallea.  You have two weeks to leave Jon and come to me, or I will make sure he winds up in prison for the rest of his fucking life.” Seth had thrown down the gauntlet, making sure nobody else had overheard this conversation and folded his arms in front of his chest. “Two weeks, baby.”

“And what’s to stop you from turning him in, if I agree to this?”

“I will hand over everything I have on him and you can destroy it…AFTER you’re mine completely.” Seth had plans and the first phase was having her leave the lunatic for him. “And I’m going to be there when you shatter him to pieces too.” He wanted a front row seat to this.

“You’re sick…” Vallea wiped her tears away angrily, knowing she had no other choice and could feel her heart breaking all over again.  Her stitched heart Jon had sewed back together. “And how will I be yours completely, hmm?  You’re already blackmailing me into leaving him to make him suffer, so what more do you want from me?”

“That’s for me to know and for you to find out.” Seth walked past her, grabbing her backside in the process and licked his lips. “Two weeks!  Enjoy what little time you have left with Jonny boy!”

All Vallea could do was stand there and watch him saunter away, acting as if he didn’t just destroy her world.

Jon would go to prison if she didn’t do this, if she didn’t agree to be Seth’s completely and she had no idea what he meant by that.

Chapter 42

Two weeks later at Raw, after the show, Vallea had broken up with Jon and put on a show for the ages, with Seth watching every second of it.  She left the arena with Seth, crying her eyes out as soon as they were on their way back to the hotel.  Seth ordered her to dry her tears up because he wouldn’t stand for a sobbing mess sucking his dick.  Once they were back at the hotel, Seth forced her to her knees in front of him to suck him off and afterwards, he proposed to her with the ring currently on her left ring finger. 

“Once we’re married, and you are mine completely, I’ll hand it all over to you, all the evidence I have on Jon.” Seth had promised, his words still piercing her memory to this day. “And we’re only going to be married…when I say so.  When I’m ready to make you my wife.”

Hence why she was still engaged instead of married at the moment. 

That had been 6 months ago and WrestleMania was upon them.  Seth was facing Roman Reigns for the Universal championship, which the Samoan had held well over a year now.  Jon had a match on the card as well, but Vallea hadn’t been paying attention since it broke her heart all over again every time she saw him.  It was bad enough she was forced to be his personal assistant still.  Stupid contract!  Seth had done everything – EVERYTHING – in his power to break that contract, but nothing had worked and he’d taken it out on her body, showing her his darker, vindictive side.  To say anal sex hurt would’ve been an understatement, but Vallea was forced to let Seth ride her ass for the better part of that night…and any night after.  Not even Jon had anal sex with her, but Seth wanted her to know he had complete power, control and dominance over her, both in and out of the bedroom. 

And there wasn’t a damn thing she could do about it as long as he held that evidence over her head and had Jon’s future in the palm of his grubby hands.

Jon was a hot mess. He didn’t fall into drinking, not like he had the last time but he was still a mess. Everything she had said when she had broken up with him, the unsaid word and implications about trusting him and his inability to ‘do the right thing’, the shit she had said about her and Seth reconnecting on the road. If it hadn’t been for the fact that Vallea had confessed to sleeping with Rollin’s after their first break-up, Jon would have laughed in her face. As it was… with her lover right there, and her saying matter-of-fact poisonous words to him, he hadn’t known what to do. Cry. Rage. Drink. Fuck someone up. None of it. Time had sort of stopped there for Jon.

There had to be a way out of this.  There had to be something she could do to get away from Seth Rollins and get back to Jon.  No, there wasn’t and she immediately squashed any kind of hope left in her heart.  Until Seth handed over all the evidence he had on Jon with the murders, and she was sure Jon was completely protected, Vallea had to endure this misery.  Seth hadn’t mentioned the wedding in weeks, which made her wonder if it would ever actually happen.  Maybe they would remain engaged for the rest of her life and he’d only marry her on her deathbed.  What a sick, twisted ploy that would be! 

Vallea already planned on divorcing him as soon as she was sure all the evidence against Jon was destroyed, not that Seth had an inkling what she had planned.  Her acting had gotten much better the longer she was stuck with a man she hated with every fiber of her being.  Hell, Seth didn’t even realize whenever they had sex, her eyes would close and she pictured being with Jon, which was the only way she reached her climax.  If she didn’t, Seth would know, so Vallea devised a way to make sure she climaxed with her ‘fiance’ every single time and it was thanks to all the memories she had of Jon.

“Vallea, come to bed.” Seth ordered in a low, sleepy voice, not bothering to see where she was at since they were in a regular hotel room.  Not very many places for her to escape from him. “Now.”

Shutting her eyes, Vallea swallowed down her pride and turned to walk back over to lay down in the bed, feeling Seth’s arms immediately wrap around her possessively.

“Need me to put you to sleep, baby?”

“No…”

“Well, you woke me up and therefore, I think you should take care of me…” Seth’s voice left no room for argument as he rolled her on her back and hovered over her, kissing her.

Jon entered her mind and she pictured him kissing her instead of Seth, returning it with equal fire and vigor just as he slid home inside of her.

A few minutes later, Seth was passed out again and Vallea managed to close her eyes to fall asleep as well.

~!~

“So, I have something to tell you, Vallea.” Seth announced the following morning over coffee and breakfast, staring at her from across the table.

Vallea dreaded hearing this, but plastered a fake smile on her face. “Oh really?  Well, are you going to keep me in suspense or tell me?” She took a sip of her coffee, the diamond on her left hand sparkling under the lights above them.

He smiled, taking that hand and slid the pad of his thumb over it, over the diamond, seeing she was actually interested. “How would you finally like to become Mrs. Rollins?”

Those were the best words she’d heard in a long time because that meant Seth was finally ready to marry her and hand over the evidence he had on Jon. “I’d love it.  When?” She tried not to sound eager about it and looked down at the pamphlet he slapped on the table in front of her.  It was for a Las Vegas wedding chapel.  She suddenly wasn’t hungry anymore and did her best not to let the smile fall from her face.  Vegas was sacred to her – that was where her and Jon met and fell in love!

Seth was well aware of the fact that Jon and Vallea had lived in Vegas together, it was fitting, wasn’t it? Him and Vallea marrying there, he knew it would drive that dagger home a bit more for both her and Jon. “Unless you want a giant wedding with all the fixings?” He offered, his chocolate brown eyes widening almost innocently. “A white dress maybe?” He leered, licking his lips. She was anything but virginal, he knew that for a fact. Virgins weren’t anal whores.

YOU SON OF A BITCH, she screamed mentally, wanting to splash her hot coffee in his face and tell him to go fuck himself.  Instead, Vallea kept her composure, somehow, someway, and kept the serene smile on her face. “The sooner, the better.  No need for a big fancy wedding.  I don’t really think that’s your style anyway.” A Vegas wedding…Vallea knew once this happened, the city of lights would forever be her reminder of this never-ending nightmare.  Seth was bound and determined to wash away all traces of happiness from her life with Jon. “And white isn’t my style either.  I’ll find a suitable dress for the occasion.  I’m taking it you wanna do this after WrestleMania?” They wouldn’t have any downtime until after the event.

“We’ll pick out a dress together.” Seth said after a moment, studying her thoughtfully. This would be perfect. True, it was going to be a tacky, chapel wedding, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t turn it into something worth the start of their new life together. “Yes. We’ll head out the following Tuesday and I’ve already put in for the time off so we can spend a few days consummating it. Oh, and since you love it in Vegas so much…” Seth had been browsing the Internet. “This house was recently listed… you like outdoorsy shit, right?” He set out some pictures he had printed off from the listing.

Her heart couldn’t take much more of this. “Seth, I appreciate your thoughtfulness, but Vegas is ruined for me.  I don’t want to live there anymore.  You have a perfectly fine home in Davenport, Iowa and I’ll be…happy there.” It would SUCK, but as soon as that evidence was handed over, she was disappearing off the face of the planet and NOBODY would be able to find her. “Let’s just get married there and start our lives in Davenport, where I know YOU’LL be the happiest.” This was all about HIS happiness after all.  To hell with hers or what she wanted in life!

“I want you to be happy too, Vallea.” He said sweetly, tapping a finger on the pictures, annoyance appearing in his expression. She hadn’t even looked! He had found a beautiful house, outside of Vegas but like within ten or fifteen minutes from the airport. Brand new in-ground pool, backyard had been started on landscaping and patios, the fucking kitchen was gorgeous! Also, he could see her ass in there cooking for him and their kids. His smile came back when she finally looked, apparently caving.

“I said no.  And I mean it, Seth.” She promptly ripped it up in front of him, the pieces floating to the table and stood, straightening her top. “I need to use the restroom, excuse me.” Bowing at him mockingly, Vallea stormed away from the table and let the tears flow down her cheeks as soon as she was in the bathroom.  That wasn’t just ANY house Seth had found and he damn well knew it!  That was the house her and Jon had lived in together!  Jon had put it on the market, apparently.  Vallea went into one of the stalls and buried her face in her hands, crying her heart out.  She would NEVER be happy with Seth, ever, and if he thought she was having kids with him, he had another thing coming.  They made morning after pills and plan B pills for that reason.  She had also secretly gotten a birth control shot, which had to be done every 3 months.

Actually, Seth had no idea who the house had belonged too as it was realtor listed and that kind of information wasn’t immediately available. He had just liked the house. The fact that she had shown her spine pissed him off, especially when he was trying to be nice. Inhaling deeply, he kept the smile on his face, ignoring the curious look the waitress was giving him as she began clearing off the table, those pieces of picture with it. Vallea had embarrassed him publicly for the first and last time.

That night, she paid for her insubordination.  Seth didn’t bother coaxing her into bed with sex, he flat out planted her where he wanted her and took what he wanted violently, viciously and anally.  Vallea was pretty sure he split her in two, but thankfully, there was only a little bit of blood and bruising.  His dick was small compared to Jon’s, so it didn’t do nearly as much damage as it should have.  Throughout the rape, Seth reminded her who owned her, who she belonged to and if she ever embarrassed him like that again in public, he would turn the evidence over to the police.  It was the same threat used over and over again, and it was effective because she believed Seth would.  This was what her life would be like after they were married – being raped and controlled.  She had to keep reminding herself she was doing this for a reason, she had no choice in the matter and wouldn’t let Jon wind up behind bars.

“Time for a shower, baby.” Seth snorted, lifting her trembling body over his shoulder and carted her into the shower, where he proceeded to rape her again, this time vaginally. “You were right about one thing…” He grunted with each thrust, slapping her already bruised backside and yanked her by the hair to where her back met his chest, pumping in and out of her relentlessly. “I won’t be happy in Vegas.  We are getting married there though, I already put the deposit down for the chapel.  And I want you in red.  You’re a whore, you don’t deserve to wear white on our wedding day.  You understand me?”

“Y-Yes…” She gasped out, hands planted against the shower wall while Seth powered in and out of her unwilling body.  Red…he wanted her to wear red…on her forced wedding day.

“YES WHAT?!”

“Y-Yes, sir…” She squeaked out, her face colliding with the shower wall moments later and her hands managed to catch most of the impact.

Once Seth emptied his seed inside of her again, making sure it was deep inside of her, he dragged her out of the shower and ordered her to get in bed.  He spooned up against her, making sure their bodies were aligned and shut the light off before burying his face in her neck.

“Goodnight, my soon-to-be wife.”

Vallea didn’t respond, silent tears pouring down her cheeks and eventually fell asleep from sheer exhaustion after being raped repeatedly by her soon-to-be rapist husband.

~!~

“Oh Dean, oh god baby that feels so good…”

Those were the first words Vallea heard as she approached Jon’s locker room, stopping at the sound of a woman’s voice echoing through the door.  She had his schedule for the week in hand, wanting to drop it off and felt another piece of her heart break.  From the sounds of it, Jon had the woman pressed against the door, so she couldn’t enter if she wanted to.

“Goddamn, your dick feels so good inside of me…oh harder, Daddy…”

Hearing his growl of approval was all Vallea could take as she slid the documents under the door and walked away, wrapping her arms around herself.  If he only knew everything she had put herself through to protect him, he wouldn’t be screwing someone else in his locker room.  Vallea had nobody else to blame except herself, knowing she never should’ve gotten involved with Seth in the first place or tried using him for sex to get over her ex-boyfriend. 

Going back to Seth’s locker room, knowing better than to loiter, Vallea sat down on the bench and had never felt so alone in her life.  Not even 20 minutes later, banging ensued at Seth’s door and it was tossed open with an annoyed Jon walking in, forcing Vallea to her feet.  She was sore from head to toe and made sure every part of her body was covered, including her neck, which had bruises on it from Seth throttling her.

Chapter 43

“What’s wrong?” She asked resignedly, blinking as he slapped the paperwork she’d shoved under his door at her feet and picked it up. “Did I miss something?”

Jon was agitated because he had to come here, to fucking Seth’s locker room when she should have never left his to begin with. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure why she hadn’t come in, he had been banging some Suzy Q. Vallea was knocking boots with Seth, that was so glaringly obvious, she was sporting hickies constantly, giggling whenever he was around, it was disgusting. Jon wasn’t going to deny his own basic nature because apparently that was all he was. An animal. Not to be trusted. “Schedule is wrong for the third week of next month. Everything on it is ass backwards, Vallea.” Which was weird. He had his schedule memorized now, he didn’t know why, maybe because he was working himself up to the point when she’d leave.

“What?” Vallea frowned, flipping to the third page and read through it, shutting her eyes briefly.  The giggling and flirting with Seth was all an act, a phony show.  She had to do it in order to protect Jon, but he could never know that fact.  He could never know the truth.  He could never know what she’d sacrificed in order to save him from a life behind bars. “I’ll get it fixed by the end of the night.  I’m sorry…” It was very rare when Vallea made mistakes at her job, but Seth had really been pushing her buttons lately. “It won’t happen again…” She could not meet his eyes, avoiding eye contact with him every time they had to converse with each other, which wasn’t often.

“So, word is you’re getting married soon.” He had seen the ring, that had hurt him a lot. Vallea still didn’t look at him and he frowned. “What’s the matter?” Why couldn’t she ever meet his gaze? She was the one who had broken his heart. She was the one who had chosen Seth. “Shouldn’t you be happy? The blushing bride?” Why was he pushing her? It was rare, Seth not being around. “Want one last fling before you settle down and pop out Rollin’s brats?” He rasped wickedly, the chuckle coming from him bitter.

“There won’t be any kids.” Vallea couldn’t find it in her to be snarky back, not when Seth wasn’t around and it was just her and Jon alone.  They didn’t have these moments often and him calling her a blushing bride made her blood boil.  She turned, setting the paperwork down on the bench and twisted the diamond on her ring finger around to where only the band could be seen.  When Jon whipped her around, he saw the tears and fear boiling in her hazel eyes and Vallea couldn’t fight any of it off.  She would not let the tears fall though and didn’t push Jon away like she should have. “Jon…”

“Why the tears?” Jon stared into her face, icy blues searching her eyes. He seen the fear and immediately let go of her, shaking his head as he stepped away. “Never mind, I know why. You’re afraid big bad Jonny boy is going to get you next, right?” The words left a sour taste in his mouth and his lips twisted into a grimace. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to hurt ya, Vallea.” He wanted to hurt Seth Rollins actually. He wanted to hurt her, but on an emotional level but he had a hard time doing it. “Oh… just so you know, I put the house up for sale. I’ll make sure once it sells, you get your half.”

“T-That’s not…I’m not afraid of you.  I never have been, Jon.  And keep the money, I don’t want it.  I just…want you to be happy and safe…” Vallea winced as soon as those words came out of her mouth and knew she’d said too much, clearing her throat.  She looked away from him again, trying to regain her composure and took a deep breath, blowing it out slowly.  There were so many things she wanted to say to him, to tell him, but it would have to wait until after she married Seth.  The evidence still loomed over their heads, without him even knowing it, and keeping Jon in the dark was for the best.  If he even had an INKLING Seth knew what he’d done, Jon would have more blood on his hands and that couldn’t happen. “I’ll…have your paperwork done as soon as possible.”

“See, that’s not what you said, Vallea. You said you couldn’t ‘trust me to do the right thing’, you implied you were afraid when you called it quits, again.” Jon said dangerously, his eyes flashing because he wasn’t amused. “And now you’re saying otherwise, your eyes are watery, and your fucking hands are shaking. So, remember the deal we made, and quit lying to me. What’s. Your. Damage?” Happy and safe… “Why safe? Why wouldn’t I be safe?”

Pull it together, control yourself, Vallea mentally chastised, gripping her hands tightly to press against her mouth and nose, acting as if she was saying a prayer. “I’m not lying to you and I don’t have time for this, Jon.” Her voice had grown colder, much like it had the night she broke up with him.  Seth could have cameras in his dressing room, she would NOT put it past that psycho. “You need to leave.  Seth will be back soon and my…fiancée won’t appreciate you hassling me.  I will get your schedule fixed, it shouldn’t take long.” Christ, Vallea could barely muster up the haughtiness to her tone and kept her back turned to him, knowing if he saw her eyes, he would know something was up. “Leave NOW, Ambrose.”

Nope. He wasn’t buying it. She had said happy and safe and those were not words she had used when putting that knife in his chest that day she had split with him, with Seth at her side looking all smug and punchable. “I don’t think so, Personal Assistant. I need some assistance.” He folded his arms over his chest, fingers twitching to snatch her up and make her look at him. “Why safe? Why are you teary? When did Miss High ‘n Mighty, left everyone and everything behind because of a LIE, become such a LIAR?”

Those words stung. “The only reason I left everyone and everything behind is because YOU LIED TO ME about screwing someone else!  Did you honestly think I was going to forgive and forget that so damn easily?!  I TRIED, okay?  I TRIED forgiving you!  I tried forgetting what you did to me, but I couldn’t!  Go live your happy, SAFE life and leave me the hell alone!” The poison in those words made more tears burn her eyes, but Vallea had to remain strong.  She had gone 6 months, put up with being raped and abused for 6 long months, and her deadline was almost up.  She just had to wait a little longer for Seth to hand the evidence over, after they were married, and then she would be free as a bird. “Damn it, Jon…please…” Her voice cracked, not a hint of animosity or sneer in her tone. “Go.”

“There you go, using SAFE again, and you’re voice is breaking like your going through puberty. Don’t give me your shit Vallea, you’re lying about something so what is it? We were supposed to face this shit together, whatever it is you’re hiding, you-”

“Is there a problem?”

“You’re my fucking problem, Rollins.” He snarled, whirling to glare at the idiot who had destroyed his life, was marrying HIS girl, and hadn’t given them enough time.

“Goddamn it, stop!  Please stop!” Vallea pleaded, stepping in front of Jon when he went to confront Seth and extended her hands to press against his rapidly rising and falling chest. “Please don’t make this harder than it has to be.  I…made my choice.  I chose Seth.  It’s been 6 months, Jon.  You have to get over this and move on.  Be happy.  Be SAFE.” She wanted to reach up and touch his face, but Seth’s hand on her hip told her that would be a really bad idea.  Her eyes conveyed the truth, love for Jon shining in her eyes, but she would not, could not, act on those feelings. “Leave.  I will get your schedule fixed and I don’t appreciate you upsetting my fiancée while at work.” Pulling her hands away from his chest, Vallea folded her arms in front of her chest and hadn’t pulled her teary gaze away from electric, icy blues.

“You keep emphasizing that word, babe,” That was probably the first time Jon had used anything but Vallea in six months, his eyes staring into hers intently, trying to read what she wasn’t telling him.

“Maybe because she knows I’m about to fuck your world up for upsetting her, you psycho.” Seth growled, not overly pleased to hear that Vallea and Jon had been in here awhile and she was apparently having verbal issues with her lunatic ex. “Why don’t you just fire her already? Don’t you think it’ll be awkward, seeing her as Mrs. Rollins soon?”

Jon was going to bash Seth’s head in.

What part of the contract was IRON-CLAD did this idiot not understand?!  There was NOTHING they could do to break it.  Jon could try to fire her, but she wasn’t hired BY Jon, she was hired by the WWE.  Seth was such a moron and he wasn’t helping the situation any.  Doing the only thing she could think of to get Jon to storm out of there, Vallea turned to stare up into those dark chocolate eyes of Seth.  The psycho that had her chained and controlled in almost every way. “Mrs. Rollins sounds amazing.” She purred, suddenly pulling his face down to passionately kiss him and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, only breaking it when they both needed oxygen. “I suggest you get outta here unless you want a show, Ambrose.” Her eyes never left Seth’s, once again putting on a picture perfect performance.

Jon folded his arms over his chest, an eyebrow raising. “By all means, entertain me.” He ordered flatly. “Show me how much you like that ‘tiny dick’ that ‘wasn’t that good’.”

“Trust me, she was lying.” Seth smirked, raising his darkened gaze from Vallea to look at Jon. He purposefully grabbed two handfuls of her delicious ass, pulling her hips up against him so she could feel his physical reaction. “She can’t get enough, can you, sweets?”

This made her nauseous and she had to fight the urge not to throw up, her nail sliding down his bare chest. “Never.” Please don’t make me do this, Jon, she pleaded in thought, hoping he would leave before the show got underway.  She had made her bed and now she had to lay in it.  When Jon remained standing there, steadfast and stubborn, Vallea felt Seth’s grip tighten slightly on her shoulders and lowered to her knees in front of him, beginning to undo the skinny jeans he had on.  He wasn’t in his wrestling attire yet, but all he had was a promo tonight, so a blowjob wouldn’t harm his in-ring ability. “Already hard for me, I see.  Good.”

Just as she freed Seth’s cock, Jon finally stormed out, slamming the door shut behind him with authority and Vallea proceeded to suck her fiancée off.

~!~

Seth did not win the Universal title at WrestleMania against Roman Reigns, much to the delight of Vallea.  He had changed their plans to get married the week AFTER WrestleMania because of their hectic schedule.  Raw would emanate from Las Vegas, Nevada and he had it planned to get married after the show.  Instead of going to the arena, Seth ordered Vallea to get ready for their wedding.  Nails, hair, makeup…he wanted her to look perfect.  The dress she would wear was red, strapless and went to her knees, hugging all of her curves. 

Seth had hired professionals to do her makeup and hair, teasing it into a million curls on top of her head since her hair was down to the middle of her back now.  There had to be at least 200 bobby pins in her hair and two tons of hairspray to keep everything in check.  Her makeup was red lipstick, foundation, black liner and blush, nothing too over the top.  Slipping her black heels on, Vallea thanked the professionals for doing their job and did everything in her power not to start panicking or cry.  Crying would mess up the masterpiece Seth wanted her to be.  She was so close now, just a little longer and this nightmare would come to an end.

At exactly 9 PM Pacific time, Seth showed up at the hotel to retrieve her and they drove to the chapel in a limousine.  He couldn’t get over how beautiful she looked in red and had made sure to help her pick out the perfect dress for their wedding.  Vallea asked him about the evidence, hoping he kept to his word and Seth assured her it was back at the hotel, waiting for her.  She would get everything once they consummated their marriage.  That made her feel a little better and no other words were spoken between them.  Walking down the aisle, Vallea had to force one foot to go in front of the other, to not stop herself and run out of the chapel away from him.  The vows were said, all generic, nothing personal and before she knew it, Seth had kissed her to seal the deal.  The ceremony had been one big blur, Vallea hardly remembered any of it.

Arriving back at their honeymoon suite, Seth had pulled out all the stops and had champagne on ice waiting for them, along with snacks and a small wedding cake.  There were rose petals all over the place too.  Vallea didn’t care about any of it, feeling Seth walk up behind her while she stared out the window and stepped away from him when he went to kiss her neck. “I want to see it.  Before I do this, I need to see the evidence and make sure you haven’t lied to me this whole time.” She demanded, showing spine again and received a backhand across her face for her troubles.

“Did you really think I’d just HAND over everything on that piece of shit once you married me?  You’re such a dumb whore, Vallea.  And now, you’re MY dumb whore to do with as I please.” Seth growled, yanking her up by her hair and thrust her over the nearby table, the goodies spilling to the floor. 

“Seth, NO!”

He didn’t take her ass because anal sex wasn’t considered a proper consummation.  There was plenty of time to ride his wife’s ass later, though.  He thrust in and out of her, holding her down and kept spewing hateful words into her ear about how he’d tricked her into marrying him.  The evidence was his hold over her and he’d never relinquish it unless he was dead.  Something sparked inside of Vallea at that moment, a terrifying reality crashing over her.  Unless Seth was dead, she would never be free of him and he would torment her for the rest of her life.  On the table, right in front of her, was a cutting knife meant for the wedding cake Seth had ordered.  Without thinking twice about it, she reached for it and hid it against her, waiting for her moment to strike.  She had nothing left to lose anymore now that Seth had showed his true colors and gritted her teeth through the rape, feeling his seed empty inside of her.

“Mmm baby, I can’t wait until you have my babies…” He groaned in her ear, flicking her lobe with his tongue and slid out of her, turning her around.

With as much strength as she could muster up, not thinking twice about it, and in a panicked state, Vallea jammed the cutting knife right into the side of his neck as hard as she could.  It went all the way through as Seth gasped for air, stumbling away from her and tried pulling it out, but he was choking on his own blood.  He managed to grab hold of her throat, squeezing for just a second and then ripped the front of her dress before collapsing on the carpeted floor, blood pooling around his head.

“O-Oh god…Oh god…” Vallea covered her mouth with her hand, trembling from head to toe and tears rushed down her face, the realization crashing over her with what she just did.  Grabbing her phone out of her purse, Seth’s blood was on her hands from plunging the knife into his neck.  She hadn’t pulled away in time and it made her shake even more.  There was only one person she could call and her eyes shut when he actually answered. “J-Jon…Jon, please don’t hang up, please!  I-It’s Vallea…I-I need your help, please…” Her voice was in a pure panic.

Chapter 44

Of ALL the people to call him, Vallea was not who he had expected. Jon did hang up. She had called right back and he had reluctantly listened to her frantic cries, needing help.  Seth had them at a ritzy, fancy hotel in Vegas, instead of the regular hotel WWE staff stayed at.  Jon wondered if he was about to walk into his personal hell. She had gotten married, she was married. “Babe, it’s a little late to have second thoughts.” He drawled when she let him in, sliding through the tiny gap she opened for him. “Oh fuck…” That was… not what he had expected.

Vallea couldn’t stop crying.  She had killed someone, she was a murderer and there was blood on her hands…literal blood. “I-I did it…I-I killed him…” Her voice was shaky as Jon surveyed the scene in front of him.  If he was smart, he would call the police and turn her in.  It was bad enough he already had two murders on his conscience and now she was about to add a third.  Half of her dress was hanging off her, revealing the red lace bra she had on beneath, strapless, her makeup was smeared from crying so much and the side of her face was heavily bruised from Seth’s backhand. “J-Jon…please…” She didn’t even know what she was pleading from him anymore and buried her face in her bloody hands.

She was panicking. Not saying a word, Jon grabbed a spot on her arm that wasn’t covered in blood or bruises. “You in there. Shower.” He ordered, pulling her into the bathroom. Panicking wasn’t going to do anything and he didn’t have time to coddle her because there was a mess to clean up before housekeeping arrived in the morning. “Vallea,” He stared down at her intently. “I’ve got to run down the street and pick up some things, I need you to calm down and shower, okay? And breathe.” Lye. A big ass duffel bag… or another large rolling suitcase.

“W-We have to…call the p-police…” He cupped her face in his strong hands, shaking his head vehemently and guided her over to the shower, turning the sprays on.  Her tears poured over his hands as he once again ordered her to clean herself up and promised to be back soon.  It was almost as if Vallea went on autopilot, not remembering peeling her clothes off or stepping in the shower.  All she did was look down at her hands, watching Seth’s blood go down the drain and silent tears mixed with the hot water.  Jon had put hot water on that nearly scalded her and she didn’t care, deserving to feel some pain after what she did.  She killed someone.  She killed Seth.  She was a murderer and her hands would forever be stained in his blood.

Jon hadn’t had any of those issues when he had killed Ryan and Nicky. His mindset had been: it needed to be done, so get it done. That was that, but his background was so different from hers and doing dirty work to get shit done, or survive, had become second nature. Doing it to protect someone he loved, he hadn’t blinked an eyelash. When he returned, she was still in the shower and he could hear her crying. No time. He had to get this body taken care of. He set the fresh bedding he had nicked from the linen closet at the end of the hall far away from the mess, sighing as he rolled out the plastic.

Stumbling out of the shower, Vallea had to pull herself together and help Jon, not sure what to do with Seth’s body.  Calling the police wasn’t an option – she really didn’t want to go to prison.  Jon owed her one, which was probably why she had called him to help her.  After her crying jag, she began coming out of her shocked stupor and rationalized the situation, wrapping a towel around her body.  Jon already had Seth wrapped up in plastic like a cocoon and she quickly grabbed her bag to pull clothes out.  After dressing, since Jon’s back was turned to her, she went over to him and swallowed hard at the large suitcase. “W-What can I do to help?” She asked quietly, trying like hell not to start trembling again and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “T-Tell me what to do, Jon.”

Jon didn’t owe her jackshit.  Jon had seen those bruises and got the impression she had been raging stupid and had left him for some equally stupid reason involving SAFE. Explained so much. “Stay out of my way.” He growled, not needing her help or wanting it. He was trying not to think about how everything came to this, because instead of coming to him and trusting him to handle whatever it was, she had been stupid. Maybe she had finally gotten tired of people saving her ass and decided to flip the switches. That looked like it went well. He crouched down, working the plastic wrapped body into the overly large rolling case. He had to break and contort the body, it was amusing. Fuck Seth Rollins.

Pursing her lips tightly together, Vallea clamped her hands over her ears, not needing to hear the snapping bones of Seth’s body.  Left behind, after he was zipped in the suitcase, literally bent in half, was a pool of blood.  How the HELL were they supposed to get THAT out of the carpet?  Jon had grabbed carpet cleaner and thrust a bottle at her while he had one of his own, both pouring it over the stain.  Since it was fresh, it would hopefully come up with a little elbow grease.  The silver lining was the carpeting was dark, so at least if they couldn’t get the stain out completely, it wouldn’t be spotted right away…or hopefully, ever.  After everything was cleaned up with fresh linens on the bed, Jon ordered her to meet him in the back of the parking lot, where he would have a car waiting.  There was no reason for her to check out of the room since it was under Seth’s name.  She didn’t argue and grabbed her bag, leaving Seth’s behind to make it seem like he would be back.  A few minutes later, Jon sped out of the parking lot with Vallea in the passenger seat, heading to an unknown destination to dispose of Seth’s body.

He had a house on the market, he was going to have to pull it. There was a lot of excavations going on in the backyard, he had personally rented a back-hoe a week or so ago, and it was still out there. He had been planning on putting in this rock garden and pool with a waterfall thing. He had needed something time consuming that also forced his mind to focus. Handling dangerous, large equipment did that. He had been digging out the area for the water pool, he’d just dig quite a bit deeper, bury Seth’s ass and all this evidence there and then drop like a ton of dirt back over it and finish the area.

As much as she wanted to yank the ring off her finger and bury it with everything else, Vallea couldn’t.  She was married, the marriage was consummated and now she was a widow, by her own hand.  When Seth’s disappearance came to light, she would be questioned and had to come up with a convincing backstory or her ass was going to prison.  Vallea didn’t know what to say to Jon as he pulled up to the house they once shared together, the house she had fallen in love with.  So many memories, all good, resided here and now they would be tainted with Seth’s remains in the backyard.  Jon had explained in a low tone what he planned on doing and all Vallea could do was nod, trying to stay strong and calm.  Jon brought suitcase to the backyard, thankful they didn’t have neighbors close by and all Vallea could do was watch as he dug the hole deeper he had started for whatever project he had going on.  Wasn’t this house on the market?  Why was he adding to it if he was selling it?  Apparently not now, especially with a dead body now in the backyard.

Thank GOD for no neighbors because they would probably be pretty pissed off by him running this machine at such a late hour. It was fairly quick work, and soon enough he had the body buried damn deep and covered by a lot of dirt. He used the flat of the digging part to tap the ground, making sure nothing would cave in or sink, before shutting everything off. It looked like it had before he had buried the body, he was satisfied. Pocketing the key, he walked over to where Vallea stood, staring down at her. “You need a drink.” He needed one.

Vallea lowered her eyes from him, unable to meet his gaze and shook her head slowly. “No.  Drinking won’t fix this.  Nothing will fix this…” The evidence was still out there, somewhere, hidden and Seth had died with its location.  Jon was at risk of being discovered, much like her; they were in the same boat and had both killed people for the ones they loved, to protect them.  She looked down at her hands that were stained with Seth’s blood only hours ago and clenched her fists tightly, feeling nauseous. “I-I have to start coming up with a story to tell the police…” Her mind was swimming and Vallea honestly felt like she was slowly drowning, her breathing growing heavy. “W-What if they find out?  Oh god, I-I can’t go to prison!”

Jon stared at her, frowning. “Okay, first of all, why did you kill him?” That had been the question on his mind since walking into that mess but there really hadn’t been a moment to ask. Hell, she hadn’t been in any frame of mind to answer him anyway. She probably wasn’t now. “You’re not going to prison, Vallea.” She was probably going to have to go back to the hotel however, and pretend to be waiting for Seth, and then start making calls when he didn’t show up. Hell, he was going to have to make sure there were no cameras anywhere, frowning.

That seemed to snap her out of her panicked state temporarily, fresh tears slowly sliding down her cheeks.  Would telling him the truth make a bit of difference?  Probably not. “H-He knew.  He knew everything.  Everything…and he died with the truth.  No, he didn’t die.  He was murdered.  He was murdered with the truth…because of me.  By my hand.” She began pacing in front of Jon, twisting the ring on her left ring finger. “H-He told me…if I married him, he would turn everything over.  And he lied to me.  He fucking lied to me…” Gripping her hair between her fingers, Vallea suddenly let out an agonized scream and hurled the shovel Jon had used across the yard, screaming again.  Everything she had been through over the past 6 months had been for naught…nothing.

“What. The. Fuck? You did ALL THAT, put yourself, put ME, through ALL that because you believed him?!” Jon kind of wanted to kill her right now, he was beginning to see red. “What the fuck, Vallea?! WHAT THE FUCK?” He bellowed that one out into the night, this had to be some cosmic joke. He could have killed Seth FOR her, goddamn it!

“HE FUCKING KNEW!  He had information that you never even told me, details about that night, Jon!  There’s no way it was falsified and he said he had CONCRETE EVIDENCE against you!” Vallea shouted back, her heart beating a million miles a minute, or so it felt like. “There’s a folder and it has everything in it.  Pictures, a video of that night.  He said he got it from someone that was there that night, who witnessed the whole damn thing!  He told me about how you had Nick clean up the blood outside, how Ryan was bleeding from the head before you tossed him in that vat of acid.” Now Jon’s eyes were wide and the color had slowly drained from his face. “Y-You never told me any details, only that you killed them both.  You never told me how you snapped Nick’s neck before carting him off to be dropped in the vat of acid with Ryan.” Her voice had gone quiet with each passing second, each word that came out of her mouth. “Jon, I had to protect you.  I couldn’t let you wind up in prison!  He told me if I married him, he would hand everything over, so I could destroy it and he lied to me.  And then proceeded to rape me to ‘consummate’ our marriage.  And as soon as he turned me back around, I…stabbed him in the neck as hard as I could with the knife.  I didn’t even think about it.  He told me I would never get away from him unless he was dead.  So, I had to do it…I-I had to kill him…” To be rid of him forever…evidence be damned.

“About the only people that would have been in the area would have been maybe a bum or something, Vallea.” Find him a bum who was going to take a video, not likely. “Not that he’s wrong about the details.” Which was disturbing as fuck. He didn’t like Vallea knowing that shit, there was a reason he had never told her and now… now she had put herself through Hell to save him and wound up committing a murder of her own. “You could have told me from the start, Val.” All of that pain and suffering could have been avoided. “He didn’t keep that shit with him, did he?”

“No.  I have no idea where he could be keeping it.  For all I know, it’s with the same guy that told him all of this and gave him the evidence he needed to lock you away.  And no, I don’t have a name.” Vallea swallowed hard, turning away from him to stare out into the mountains and wrapped her arms around herself, angrily wiping tears away. “Seth wanted you to suffer.  And he said he was saving me by forcing me to do this because I didn’t deserve to be with a lunatic like you.  He told me if I didn’t do exactly as he said, he would turn all the evidence over to the police and I could be with you behind bars.  I couldn’t let that happen to you.  I had to protect you.  I was going to destroy the evidence as soon as he gave it to me…And he lied to me…it was all for nothing…”

“But… all you had to do was COME TO ME, Vallea, I would have taken care of it!” Jon couldn’t understand that. He couldn’t understand why she wouldn’t come to him, she KNEW what he was capable of, what he would and could do. Hell, maybe she had gotten tired of being saved all the time and wanted to try the hero route. That had backfired. “Come on, come inside, we got to figure this out. You’re going to have to go back.” At least there was no body. Cursing under his breath, he took her hand and led the way inside. Seth Rollins was dead… this was going to be a clusterfuck within the WWE.

“Don’t you understand?  I HAD NO CHOICE!  I refused to let you wind up in prison!!” Vallea yanked her hand out of his, not wanting to be touched right now and hissed at her sore face, breathing heavily. “You had enough blood on your hands, Jon.  Why add more?” Now blood was on her hands forever, stained and tainted and Vallea wondered if he’d ever be able to look at her the same way again. “I’m going to call the police in the morning, after staying in that room.” She shuddered at the thought of being alone, but it was the only way. “I’m going to report him missing since it’s Vegas…and I’m going to explain it was our wedding night.  He’s a B celebrity, so they’ll take it seriously and search the city for him.  Once it comes out he’s disappeared and missing…I’ll be questioned vigorously and I’m going to stick to the same story.  Seth left me in the hotel alone and never came back.  I never left the hotel.” Hopefully, nobody saw her leave since she didn’t go out the front door and planned on going through the back entrance upon her return. “I have to head back soon, actually…” It was already past 2 AM.

Chapter 45

“I wouldn’t have gone to prison.” Jon said flatly, pulling salve down from the cupboard and set it on the counter, twisting off the top and pushing it towards her. She had made it clear she didn’t want to be touched. Raped. She had been raped. He was trying to process everything one thing at a time. It wasn’t like he could go kill Seth again, she had done it already. “You’re visibly fucked up, Vallea. What are you going to tell them? Why did Seth leave?” She needed to get her story straight and all the details done now.

“I’m going to tell them he hit me, after we had an argument, and he left me alone in the hotel room on our wedding night.” Vallea couldn’t hide the fact her face was heavily bruised from Seth’s backhand, even with salve and a ton of makeup.  Leaving his wife the night of their wedding would make him look like a total douchebag, which he was.  It would gain her sympathy, especially since she could act when the situation called for it.  Taking the salve, she walked past him down the hallway to the bathroom, not surprised Jon had followed and applied the salve to her face, hissing out again. “The argument, right?  I’m gonna tell them the argument was about where we were going to live since he wanted to get a place here in Vegas and I didn’t want to.” There was no way she was telling Jon THIS was the house he wanted to buy with her.  No need for him to know that information. “Am I missing anything?”

“You can’t tell them he has a history of beating you, it automatically will slap you on the suspect list, higher up than you’re already going to be.” Jon said, watching her. “It’s your wedding night, right? You guys drink?” Seth nailing her sober with no history of it would be weird, but if she copped to being beaten and STILL going through with the marriage. This was going to kill him, he groaned, running his hands over his head.

No matter what, Jon had to stay away from her and keep his distance for a while until this blew over.  It would kill her just as much, but Vallea didn’t think he’d want anything to do with her after this anyway. “No, I got it.” She finished spreading the salve on her face and capped it, feeling the pain already diminishing.  Hopefully, her cheekbone wasn’t cracked or anything; thankfully, Seth had only struck her once and went right into raping her. “I’m going to tell them I was mugged on the way back from the chapel and that’s why Seth left me at the hotel to pursue the attacker.” Vallea frowned, knowing that would put Seth in the ‘hero’ light, but it was the only way to keep them from suspecting her. “I’ll handle this and I need you to keep your distance from me besides me working as your personal assistant.” WWE was in town, so everybody in the company would more than likely be questioned…again.  She really hoped Jon was convincing like he’d been with Ryan and Nick’s deaths.

“Why am I keeping my distance? This is Vegas, shit like this happens all the time and then some.” Jon said, walking away from her in order to go get himself a drink. He didn’t know what to do now that what she had needed from him was done. She had needed a clean-up man, he had cleaned-up. She had been beaten and raped, to protect him… he took a shot from his bottle, not bothering with glasses.

“Because it will look too suspicious if we just automatically start hanging out again, when we haven’t been close in months, and you know that!  I’m a married woman and, until Seth is pronounced dead, I have to stay that way.  I have to play the part of the sobbing wife whose husband is missing.” Nausea once again settled in her stomach as she took the bottle from Jon, taking a long swig and didn’t mind the liquid burning down her esophagus. “Fuck…” Her hands began to shake again and Vallea had a feeling Jon thought all she wanted him for was to help her get rid of Seth’s body. “I would’ve probably turned myself in tonight if it wasn’t for you, Jon.  You…helped me and I really appreciate it.  I hope you believe that…” She handed the bottle back to him before she dropped it from how hard her hands trembled.

“Yeah, well,” He said harshly, not looking at her. Staring at the bottle, he contemplated it for a fraction of a second and downed another shot. “Maybe next time, you’ll let me worry about me and not fucking do this shit, yeah?” Jon couldn’t look at her. All he would see is those damn bruises, and the guilt and tears in her eyes, and he was starting to feel a myriad of things churning in his gut. “You’re going to need a ride back…”

“Don’t give me that shit.” Vallea remarked, trying to add some malice to her tone, but all that came out was resignation. “He came directly to ME and if I didn’t do what he said, you would’ve gone to prison.  Whether you believe that or not is your choice, but you WOULD HAVE.  You still have no idea who else was there that videotaped you killing them.  You have no idea who Seth spoke with, so how about you worry about THAT problem and let ME worry about this?  This isn’t just about you anymore, Jon.  Seth made it clear he wanted you to suffer and he knew I was the way to make that happen, to give him his jollies.  He saw you miserable…he got what he wanted.” And now he was dead, buried in the backyard of what was once their home. “I love you and I refuse to lose you, even if I can’t be with you.  I won’t see you locked up.  If you’re giving me a ride, you need to drop me off like a block before the hotel and I’ll sneak in through the back to get to the room undetected.”

“See, Vallea, I know how fucking smart you are… so I have a hard time believing that you couldn’t play that fucking bastard like a fiddle and then come to me, just-” Jon hurled the bottle against the wall. Let her worry. She never thought before shit. When he had lied, she had taken off and abandoned everyone and everything. And then this, she had made a decision based on what she thought was the truth. Maybe it was. “I could’ve worried about that problem a long fuckin’ time ago if you hadn’t tried being a goddamn martyr. Let’s go.” Before he lost his mind and his stomach.

He would never understand.  He would never understand just how terrified Seth made her with his words.  Seth had put the fear of god into her, making her believe he had all this concrete evidence against Jon and he would use it if she didn’t do what he wanted.  Jon would never be able to understand the amount of turmoil and heartbreak she went through over the past 6 months, how much pain and humiliation she had to endure to protect him.  Love really did make people do incredibly stupid things.  Not saying a word to him, she walked out of the house with her bag already in the car and stared out the window the entire drive.  Once they were a block away, Jon pulled into a dark alleyway and Vallea went to get out, but he stopped her, his hand wrapped around her upper arm. “What now?  Wanna berate me some more?” She demanded hoarsely, doing everything in her power to hold back tears and slowly turned her head until their eyes met, a single tear falling down her unblemished cheek.

“I want to shake you until common sense takes up some goddamn space in your head.” He growled. “But it’s way past that.” She would never possess it. He knew exactly what love could do to a person, but this… she wasn’t like him. She couldn’t shake this shit off and killing Seth, no matter what he had done, would haunt her for the rest of her life. “You’ve got this.” He sighed finally, reaching out to catch the tear.

“Y-You don’t understand…” She pressed his hand fully against her cheek and shut her eyes, crying all over again.  Vallea had to get past this – there was no choice in the matter.  Seth’s blood was on her hands, but he had caused her to bleed countless times and tore her apart from the inside out.  Time healed all wounds and, eventually, she would heal from this. “H-He scared me to death, Jon.  I-I panicked, I didn’t know what else to do.  I told him no at first, but then he…he made it sound so believable and I STILL believe he has that evidence on you.” She cupped his face in her hands, seeing all the anger and animosity in his eyes, expecting it. “I’m not apologizing for what I did because I would do anything to protect you, to make sure you’re safe.” Vallea kissed him before she lost her nerve and then hopped out of the car, rushing off into the night to head back to the hotel, not looking back.

Yeah, she would do anything to protect him, and he had a feeling the cost was way to high. Vallea was NOT that kind of person. Seth had evidence. That was great. What good was the evidence doing Seth since Seth was dead? She had been abused, raped, and murdered someone to save Jon and Jon had a feeling she had murdered herself in the process. Stay away from her… yeah, he could do that. Obviously, neither was doing the other any favors, this had to be the most unhealthy relationship in history.

~!~

For half a day, she was questioned by the police, several in fact, some good, some bad…drilled until her head felt as if it would explode.  Her story never changed, not once, in all 200 times she had to reiterate it.  She was mugged on the way back to the hotel from the chapel and her loving newlywed husband had left her alone in the room to go hunt the man down.  They had grilled her about what this man looked like and she repeatedly stated it was too dark to see his face.  When all was said and done, Vallea was released from the police station and assured they would find her husband…or his body.  Vallea had shed tears, more over the fact she had killed Seth than him being dead and missing.

Since WWE was in town the night of Seth’s murder, a full-on investigation swept through the company.  Stephanie had pulled her into her office to talk and make sure Vallea was holding up all right.  Being a newlywed couple and already losing her husband, potentially, who was also one of the biggest stars in WWE today…Stephanie was beside herself with worry.  Vallea assured her she was hanging in there, once again playing the part of the worried wife and was sent on her way to do her job.  Since she’d been questioned vigorously by Las Vegas finest police, the detectives already had her statement and didn’t need to do it to her again.

Being Jon’s personal assistant, with Seth missing, Stephanie ordered her to stay in Jon’s dressing room.  Jon was questioned, along with the rest of the Superstars, and nothing came of it.  When he came back and informed her they didn’t suspect anything, Vallea breathed a huge sigh of relief, but they couldn’t relax yet.  The person who was responsible for Seth’s blackmail was still out there somewhere and had to be found.  Until then, Jon wasn’t 100% safe, which bothered Vallea more than she’d ever admit aloud.  She also maintained her distance from Jon, trying to keep the peace between them by sticking strictly to professional talk.  He barely spoke to her and she understood why, even though it killed her on the inside being away from him all this time.

When 2 months passed by, without any luck of finding Seth, the search party in Las Vegas called it and declared him a dead missing person.  Vallea had cried when she received the phone call, feeling so much relief and knew the only way they’d ever find Seth’s remains would be to dig up Jon’s backyard.  It would never happen because they didn’t even suspect him or her in the crime.  She thanked the sheriff for calling her while she was on the road, making money to support herself now that she was a widow.  All of Seth’s assets and property belonged to her, including the house in Davenport that had 7 acres of land.  She immediately put it up for sale, wanting nothing to do with it and, miraculously, Seth had added her to all of his bank accounts.  He had three, each with quite a bit of money inside of them.  She closed two of them, joining them into one and donated half to several charities, keeping the rest for herself.

On the night of what would’ve been her three month anniversary, Vallea finally slipped the three-stoned ring off her finger and closed her eyes, feeling a tremendous weight lift from her shoulders.  The emotional scars would heal and, even though she still suffered nightmares of that night, they were few and far between after three months.  Maybe three months wasn’t enough time in some eyes, but it was in hers…more than enough.  She never loved Seth, never gave a damn about him and didn’t regret killing him either, as much as she probably should’ve.  No, he deserved what he got for being a cold-hearted rapist bastard that manipulated and scared her into breaking the love of her life’s heart.  Instead of pawning the ring or selling it, she kept it and planned on burying it with him in the backyard of Jon’s house…if they ever found their way back to each other again.

Only time would tell.

~!~

Jon hated Cincinnati with a passion, had he ever said that? He waited until smoke had cleared and dust had settled before taking an extra day off. He didn’t tell anyone where he was going, he just left, figuring he’d visit his old stomping ground. And if anyone said boo to him about his current location -acid vat city no less- he was paying his respects to his old buddy Nicky. When he had murdered those two, he hadn’t seen anyone. Hell the plant had been closed for so long and fallen into such a sorry state, he was surprised to learn that even the homeless slept here. Anywhere with a roof he supposed.

Jon hit pay dirt while questioning one of the women in the homeless shelter, the main one Cincinnati had.  There were others, but this was the one that had the most traffic.  It was the same woman Ryan had paid for sex, the prostitute, the night of his murder.  Jon questioned her about the construction site that had the vats of acid, where Ryan and Nick had been found over a year ago, keeping it nonchalant.

“If anyone was there that night, it would be Gary.  He used to sleep there frequently, but…”

“But what?” Jon had taken her outside to speak privately, shoving his hand in the front pocket of his leather jacket. “What do you know?  How much will it cost?”

She smiled at him, though it didn’t touch her eyes. “I don’t do that anymore.”

“I’m not talking sex, lady.” Jon growled, pulling his wallet out and handed over a couple hundred dollar bills, crisp. “Tell me what you know.”

She took the money without hesitation and tucked it in her bra, pulling him to the side of the building out of sight. “Look, I don’t know what happened that night to those two guys.  All I know is about 5 months after they were found, Gary started bragging he hit the jackpot.  He wasn’t lying, and we all thought he won big on a scratch-off or some shit.” She pulled a cigarette out and Jon lit it for her, chew in his own mouth. “He claimed he was paid off, but wouldn’t say why and took off.  Now, he lives on the other side of town, in a fancy condo apartment thing and has claimed he’s gotten his life together.”

In other words, Seth Rollins had paid Gary off to keep his mouth shut about the evidence, after handing it all over.

“Do you know the address?”

“No, only that he’s on the other side of town.” She did NOT like the look that came over this man’s icy eyes and swallowed hard. “I’m just the messenger…”

Jon nodded, not seeing a reason to hurt or kill her, but Gary on the other hand…that was an entirely different story. “Thanks for your info.  Keep this to yourself and we won’t have problems, woman.” He tossed another bill at her for good measure and took off, wishing he had more information to go on than a man named Gary.

The woman watched him walk off, recalling that night with Ryan and shuddered; he was the reason she had gotten out of the prostitution game and tried getting her life on track.  Easier said than done in this day and age.

A homeless man who had been paid enough to get himself a fancy condo. There was a major wtf for the FBI he imagined. Someone going from nothing to something so quickly, that was a pretty good indicator of drugs or sex trafficking. Jon had to wonder how smart this guy was. He had scoured the corners that would have offered a good view of the scaffolding at the plant, searching for something that may have belonged to this guy. Most people would have screamed bloody murder, or kept quiet, out of fear. This guy hadn’t, he had taken mental notes.

Chapter 46

Gary wasn’t just any homeless guy that had caught Jon on camera murdering two people.  No, Jon knew Gary, not well, but knew nevertheless.  Gary lived on the same block as him growing up and they’d gone to school together.  Jon had dropped out at the age of 16 to pursue the world of professional wrestling and made a name for himself, despite where he came from.  It wasn’t fair.  Gary had the exact same type of childhood Jon had – a mother who whored herself out for money to keep a roof over his head and food on the table.  No father figure besides men that often raped his mother, sometimes right in front of him.  So, when Seth Rollins came to him with some questions about that night, Gary caved and told him everything, showing him the physical evidence he possessed.  Gary should’ve gone to the police with it, but something told him to hold onto the evidence…to save it for a rainy day.  It poured the day Seth gave him a proposition he simply couldn’t refuse.  Two million dollars it took to change his life completely around and Gary even got a job as a janitor at the high school, keeping a low profile.  The only things he’d gotten himself were a brand new truck and a condo, putting the rest of the money away to save and build on.  He wasn’t entirely stupid, drugs and his mother had ruined his life, but Seth Rollins had singlehandedly saved it.

Jon had another motivation for finding this asshole. If this evidence got out, and the information that it had been in possession of Seth Rollins, nobody was that damn stupid. He and Seth Rollins had worked together, both had relationships with the same woman. Things would start to connect for the detectives, dots would be aligned, and not only would his ass wind up right back under the spotlight, but so would Vallea. Jon could go to prison and rot for all he cared, she was not going to come to any more harm on his watch. Not from other people, and hopefully not from her own foolish notions.

~!~

Where was Jon?  Vallea frowned, being informed by Stephanie he had taken a leave of absence for the week to deal with personal issues.  She frowned, wondering what that meant because, as far as she knew, the only ‘family’ Jon had was his mother, who he never talked to anymore.  At least to her knowledge he didn’t.  Instead of being sent home, Vallea was set up with Joe to do his scheduling until Jon came back.  He had gone from taken a couple days off to a straight week, which Jon never did.  Joe had no problems with her, even though his fiancée did, which she had somewhat neglected ever since the Seth incident.  No doubt in her mind Joe knew what happened because Jon told him everything – they were brothers.  Sighing, she reached up to knock on Joe’s locker room door and heard a ‘come in’, pushing open the door, seeing Joe was wrapping his hands up from his upcoming match that night.

Joe only knew that Jon had needed some time to deal with some ‘goddamn issues’ as Jon had so eloquently worded it. Jon had a lot of issues and Joe knew where the majority of them stemmed lately. Seeing Vallea with Seth and now her being single again, but a widow, he bet anything Jon was going through some weird emotional roller coaster. Should he try to rekindle things? How long was it appropriate to let her grieve? Joe had no answers because he had never been in a relationship like that and he never wanted too. Everything with him and Monique was straightforward and simple, he liked it. Jon needed to clear his head, hopefully he was taking the time to do that. “Hey, Val.”

“Hi Joe…” Vallea murmured, cracking a hesitant smile and closed the door behind her, hoping he didn’t start screaming at her. “Umm Stephanie told me you needed your schedule done since Jon isn’t here this week, so I hope that’s okay…” She was extremely hesitant and a little fearful because this man was twice the size of Jon, just not as tall.  They were only an inch apart, but still.  Ever since Seth’s death, she had been more timid than before, hardly spoke to anyone and kept to herself, not knowing who to trust.  It was paranoia, but hopefully with time, it would go away.

Joe was attributing her new, skittish attitude to grief. It had to be hard, your husband dying on your wedding night. On the way back from the chapel no less. He had to wonder how that worked out. Would it be a widow thing or would the marriage be annulled because they hadn’t consummated it? There was no way in Hell he would ever ask her that question, that’d just be hurting her even more he imagined. “Okay, that’s fine. My schedule isn’t complicated.” He said calmly, smiling at her.

Suddenly, Vallea remembered Jon hadn’t told ANYONE else about the murders, not even Joe.  She was the only person he had told.  Vallea couldn’t even tell him the truth of what really happened because it would link back to Nick and Ryan.  As far as he was concerned, she had actually left Jon for Seth and everyone believed she truly loved Seth.  The truth could never be revealed because everything would then be linked together and people would know what really happened.  By being with Seth, choosing him over Jon, publicly, she had condemned herself to a life full of deceit and that made her nauseous. “Thanks.” She sat down, after he handed over his paperwork and began sifting through it, already making a few changes she knew Joe would appreciate.

Vallea had unintentionally condemned herself to the same life she had railed at Jon for. For the same issue she had walked away from her life, her career, and her best friend for. The same thing she and Jon had promised each other after reconciling that would never be an issue between them ever again. The full repercussions were finally starting to come to light. The question now was if she could learn to live with that and herself again. Love made people do crazy, stupid things without thinking everything through and sometimes, love also broke those same people.

No matter what, she would have to live with the consequences of her actions, of what happened, of what Jon did and keeping his secrets.  Running again wouldn’t solve anything and only create more problems and more depression.  She wouldn’t run again, having learned her lesson from the last time.  No, she would stay and continue to live her life, doing her job to the best of her ability.  People could say what they wanted about her; Vallea knew the truth of her actions and why she did what she did.  She did it all to protect the man she loved, saving him for a change the same way he saved her that day on the Red Rocks.  The night went smoothly with no issues; Joe had been right, his schedule wasn’t difficult at all.  She had spaced some appearances out for him, made some phone calls and arranged things, the normal routine of a personal assistant.  On her way out of the arena, Vallea’s cell rang and it took her a moment to dig it out of her purse, seeing the name flashing on the screen.  On the fourth ring, she answered and put the phone up to her ear. “Are you okay?” Were the first words out of her mouth and Vallea mentally cursed for automatically thinking the worse. “I mean hi.  Sorry…”

“You’re not allowed to worry about me, it makes you do dangerous, crazy shit.” Jon said, a hint of amusement in his tone. That was not exactly how he expected the phone to be answered, if at all. “Just checking in, making sure you haven’t run off, or lost your shit.” He knew Vallea. He bet guilt was killing her, along with a million other things. “How’s Joe?” She was taking care of his best friend, who was engaged to her former best friend, who was now HIS friend. It was all very complicated. How the fuck had things gotten to where they are? “How’re you?” Why did he torture himself, and probably her, this way?

“Hold on.” Vallea wanted to make sure she was in the security of her vehicle before another word was spoken between them and slid behind the wheel, shutting the door to crank the air on.  It was July, and it was hotter than Hades outside. “First of all, I’ll worry about you as much as I damn well please, Good.” A hint of her old self had peaked through, a teasing tone to her voice. “And I’m not running away again, so don’t worry about that.  And Joe is fine, I suppose Stephanie told you who I’d be working with this week since you’re…unavailable.” Vallea had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach something wasn’t right with him. “And I’m surviving, taking one day at a time.” It was all she could really do at this point.

“Good, good.” He didn’t know what else to say. You’ll get over it? Well, yeah, she would, maybe. Or maybe she’d eventually crack from the weight of the pressure. “You and Joe getting along?” He imagined so, Joe was an easy going guy who tended to not let personal drama between others affect him. It was one of his more awesome traits though Jon bet that shit was awkward if Monique asked him questions or something.

“I hate this.  I hate this awkwardness between us, Jon.” When DID things get so jumbled and messed up, complicated? “Joe is great, as usual, and hasn’t asked me any questions regarding Seth.  Probably thinks I’m mourning over that son of a bitch…” She lowered her voice, just to be on the safe side, even though she was alone in her car.  Surprisingly, she wasn’t feeling pressured by killing Seth anymore because all evidence pointed to the mugger being the culprit that killed Seth, or made him disappear.  The body would never be found. “Is checking in with me all you wanted or is there something on your mind?”

“No, that was it.” Jon said flatly, not sure if he was convincing either of them. “How long until you come out of this bullshit mourning phase?” Nobody who actually knew Seth was going to really mourn him, except maybe his mama. There was no way he was telling her what he was doing. Looking for this Gary was coming up flat so… currently, Jon had broken into Seth’s old house that had not sold yet. Go figure. Shit was still here, he wouldn’t have bought it either. If he were a conniving, blackmailing bastard, where would he hide shit? Technically, Val owned this place, so… he wasn’t overly worried about being caught.

Her heart began pounding a little faster and those butterflies fluttered in her stomach again…something she hadn’t felt in quite some time.  Vallea found herself smiling, which felt foreign because there wasn’t much to smile about these days.  It was obvious there was more on his mind than just ‘checking in’ and he proved it by asking her that question. “I don’t know.  I took the ring off and it’s currently stuffed in my suitcase somewhere in a plastic bag…” Vallea had no idea why she told him that bit of information and leaned her head back against the seat.  How long should a widow mourn for her dead husband, who was murdered on their wedding night and who everyone believed she loved with all her heart? “Why do you want to know?”

“Because even fake mourning is way too much.” What was that… Jon aimed his flashlight at the back of this closet, eyeballing the wooden paneling. It looked so out of place with the rest of the house. Davenport Iowa, this place sucked. He was not an Iowa kind of guy. “Just checking in is all, Vallea. I’m probably the only person who can right now.” Check in, he meant. Nobody else knew what she had done. “You know anyone named Gary? Seth ever mention that name?”

“Gary…Gary…no, that doesn’t ring a bell…” Why would he ask her that?  Was he…Vallea’s eyes widened as the realization dawned on her where he was at.  Would he kill this Gary guy?  Was that who Seth had been in cahoots with and gotten the evidence from? “That’s sweet of you to check in on me.  I appreciate it.” She shut her eyes, wondering if asking him where he was at would be too much. “Where are you right now?  I don’t mean to pry, but since you’re checking on me, I want to do the same with you.  Are you all right?”

“I’m fantastic.” Jon was nowhere near Gary. Gary was in Ohio. Jon was in Iowa. Well, maybe a few hours drive… give or take. That panel really did look out of place. Everything else was a bit more on the modern side, that shit was pure 70’s crap. He leaned forward and rapped his knuckles against it. “Just getting some downtime, clearing my head…” Trying to make sure that everything was squared away for them both.

He was lying to her and Vallea supposed she deserved it since she had lied to him, deciding not to call him out on it. “We all need to do that sometimes.  I know things haven’t been easy for you…and I’m mostly to blame for that.” She let out a shaky breath, starting the ignition of the car instead of merely sitting there.  Vallea hurt him so much and broke his heart all to protect him; of course he needed time to get his mind on track after helping her bury Seth’s body.  Actually, he’d done all of it and hadn’t let her help, ordering her to stay out of his way while he did the deed.  There were so many things she wanted to say to him, to tell him how much she missed him and loved him.  Hell, Vallea had already admitted she still loved him the night he dropped her about a block away from the hotel, after kissing him, three months ago.  Now wasn’t the time or place, especially over the phone. “I should head back to the hotel before people start wondering why I’m sitting in the parking lot in my car.  Do you want me to call you later or let you rest up?”

“Don’t call me, I’ll call you. Won’t hear my cell go off anyway, been keeping it on mute.” He didn’t need AC/DC blaring in this really empty, somewhat plain and creepy boring house. “Hey, I got to go, Vallea. I’ll text you later or something, okay?” He hung up, eyes on the panel. There was no way Seth was taking that shit on the road with him, not where Vallea might be able to get it, or anyone really. That was a lot of blackmail to lose. He procured his switchblade.

The board gave way rather easily, due to the fact it was the only board in the entire house that hadn’t been touched.  Seth’s special hiding spot.  It was in his bedroom in the far back of his closet.  It was where he hid Christmas presents for his family or anything he wanted to keep completely hidden.  Not only was there a board to contend with, but also a fireproof safe inside the board.  Luckily, Seth didn’t have neighbors living on 7 acres of land, so nobody would hear Jon cussing or attempt to try to open the safe without a combination.

Well there was some paperwork and other crap not in the safe and Jon pocketed all of that in his black duffel bag when he took a break from the goddamn safe. He supposed Vallea wouldn’t have a key, he doubted she even knew about this little cubby hole. He could, he supposed, go get the proper tools and explosives to bust the damn thing open but that would probably look pretty suspicious and then the Realtor would have a hard time explaining what this mess was. Finally, he just took the heavy safe with him, figuring he’d text Vallea and if she said ‘wtf’, he’d just blow it open back home in Vegas.

Chapter 47

Wednesday rolled around with Vallea landing in Vegas for her two days off, staying in a hotel.  She hadn’t gotten a place of her own yet because everything had happened so fast.  Hotels didn’t bother her and she had more than enough money to set her for life.  Seth had been a grand slam champion in the WWE and did well for himself financially, every dime going to his wife upon his death.  She had just gotten into her room when she received a text from Jon, asking her to come to the house.  He had something he wanted to show her.  Jon wasn’t due back on the road until next Monday for Raw, so he had 5 days left on his ‘downtime’. I just got in, let me freshen up and I’ll be over.  Give me an hour. She texted back, after thinking it over and tossed her phone on the bed, desperately needing a shower to wash away the travel grime.

Jon then texted her back asking her to bring any keys she might’ve gotten from Seth, figuring he really did not want this to be a waste of their time. She was probably thinking he was booty texting her and that was actually nowhere near the truth. She was seriously damaged goods right now with a lot of issues she didn’t need him compounding. He figured once they got the evidence thing sorted out, maybe they could start over, or at least try to be friends. That left a bitter, weird taste in his mouth. He had pulled the house from the market, and since he was too cheap to own it and not live in it, he had been tearing shit out and completely redoing it. He had hated this house, it had too many memories that made things hurt, now he had a body in the backyard which kind of tied him down here. He wondered if Seth’s corpse was feeding the worms yet, three months, decomposition started when?

Not knowing what Jon wanted from her, but unable to deny him, Vallea showered and slipped on regular clothes.  Light blue jean shorts and a dark red spaghetti strapped tank top since it was over 100 degrees outside.  July was one of the HOTTEST months of the year for Vegas and she was shocked the plane had actually flew due to the excessive heat.  Some of them were grounded not to fly out, but not to Vegas.  It was a morning flight, which was probably why.  Pulling her hair up in a messy bun on top of her head, Vallea grabbed her keys and purse before heading out, having a rental car since she currently didn’t have one of her own.  When she left Jon for Seth, unwillingly, she left behind everything at the house and never went back for anything.  Twenty-five minutes later, she pulled up to the house and cut the ignition, stepping out to admire the home she shared with Jon for 6 glorious months and put one foot in front of the other until she stood in front of the door.  Feeling weird doing this, Vallea raised her hand up and knocked a few times, waiting for Jon to answer.

Jon had been working all day with the AC on but he had been in and out. The damn safe was out in the backyard, in the dirt area he had been tearing up to lay out that ‘roll out’ heat and drought resistant grass sod shit. He opened the door, blinking because while he had been expecting her, her knocking was just weird. He held it open, raising an eyebrow. He was in denim shorts, no shirt, his shoes and a bandanna wrapped around his head to keep sweat out of his eyes. “Why did you knock, that’s weird.”

“Why wouldn’t I?  This isn’t my house anymore and it’d be rude to think otherwise, or walk in without knocking.” Vallea remarked and had to do everything in her power to look everywhere except at him.  This man was sex on legs…all sweaty and naked from the waist up, exposing that delicious muscular chest of his and arms.  Jon was out to kill her; she simply knew it. “These are the keys I got from Seth’s bag he carried with him.  I don’t know why you need them, but here…” She handed them over, walking past him and noticed a few things he had done to the house since she last lived here.

He had fucking demolished the kitchen. He had replaced those counter tops with something entirely new, something that didn’t make his heart twinge whenever he came in from a morning workout. He could still see her, there in her robe, sipping coffee, and waiting on him. “Yeah…. let’s see… come on,” He led the way out the patio and into the backyard, hoping she was able to come out here knowing her dead husband wasn’t buried far off. “Like the safe? It’s technically yours.” He crouched down by it.

The black granite countertops she had loved were gone and Vallea felt a twinge in her own heart, managing to push that hurt to the side.  This was his house and he didn’t like the granite countertops, so he had every right to change it.  This was his house, not hers and she got the message loud and clear. “I’m sorry, what?  I don’t have a…safe…” Vallea’s voice trailed off, staring at the small black safe and frowned, folding her arms in front of her chest. “What do you mean this is technically mine?” What did Jon do?  Did she even want to know?  She crouched down beside him, not bothered by Seth being buried in the backyard because he was dead and could never hurt, rape or blackmail her again.  He was gone, never to be seen again. “Jon…”

“So, that house you’re trying to sell in Davenport…” Jon spit a stream of tobacco juice off to the side, away from her before patting the safe. “Yeah, I broke into it.” He glanced at her, trying to decipher the look on her face. “The guy who gave Seth the details, and the evidence he had, his name is Gary and he lives somewhere in Cincy but finding him was turning out to be a bitch. So… I decided to try something else and this was what I found behind some weird wooden panel in his closet.”

Was Jon in Davenport, in the house, when he called her on Monday? “You could’ve just asked for the key and I would’ve given it to you.” She sounded amused, shaking her head and saw him shrug with such a nonchalance, it made her smile.  She couldn’t help it.  Vallea should’ve been furious with him, but all she felt was weird amusement at the situation. “So, you think one of these keys are going to open this bad boy?  And if the key isn’t here, are you going to bust it open somehow?” Was the evidence in here?  It had to be if Jon took it out of the house and brought it here. “How the hell did you get this thing on a plane?”

“First, I did ask for the key, why do you think I wanted you to bring them. Second, I hope so, third… I drove with the damn thing because you can’t get this on a plane without security issues.” 9/11 had made it damn near impossible to bring some of the most basic of necessities with you to travel, he wasn’t even about to attempt flying with a safe. It would have been checked in the cargo hold and he really didn’t need anyone asking him any questions he couldn’t answer. “If there’s no key,” He was now working through the ring. “Then yeah, I’m going to use explosives to take off the door. Not a lot though.” He didn’t need major holes in the yard.

“Wait…explosives???” Her eyes grew wide as they moved to what looked to be sticks of dynamite a few feet away from her. “Oh god…oh my god…” Did Jon even know how to USE those?!  He was going to blow the damn house up trying to get this damn thing opened!  Wouldn’t it be easier to take it to a locksmith or something to get it open the SAFE way?  No, no that was a dumb idea and Vallea mentally slapped herself for even having that thought.  If the evidence was in here, it had to be destroyed once and for all and then Jon would be 100% safe.  Sure enough, there was no key that matched the safe and Jon immediately began setting up the dynamite, only using two sticks, just enough to blow the safe open.  Vallea swallowed hard, wondering where he learned how to do something like this and went back into the house, clamping her hands over her ears to wait for the explosion.

The dynamite was not real, it was meant to be a joke or something, he had a horrible sense of humor. Jon, if he had been intending on using dynamite, wouldn’t have left something like that out to bake in this heat. The sun itself would have set it off. He tossed the sticks right through the open door, hearing her scream and tried not to laugh. “Doll, come back, it was a joke!” Jon let out a curse of pain a few seconds later when one of those sticks came flying right back out, a hand flying to his forehead. “Vallea! OW!” That second nailed him in his undefended nuts. “Okay… point made.” He wheezed. Next time, he’d just use the explosive gel that you lined the seams with, set off and got the fuck out of the way for, WITHOUT the joke.

“YOU STUPID SON OF A BITCH!!  YOU SCARED THE SHIT OUT OF ME WITH THAT!!” Vallea didn’t know how much more her heart could take after everything she’d been through over the past year.  She would definitely need a heart transplant before age 50, due to how FAST it pumped and thudded against her chest.  She actually thought he’d thrown sticks of dynamite in here and tossed the first one out accidentally.  The second one…was intentional.  Jon deserved that shot to the nuts after scaring the living hell out of her.  She screamed out, clamping her hands over her ears again when the actual explosion went off and the safe door blew from its hinges. “JESUS CHRIST!”

“That wasn’t THAT loud.” He grunted, staring at the torn up dirt. It had been a weird noise, but not overly loud. And that door had gone flying off, the force driving it but the ground catching it. He had like a foot of shredded grass and a row about an inch deep now. “Damn…” Crouching down and trying to ignore the ache in his poor nuts, he began pulling things out of the safe. “Vallea, come here.” She’d know what they were looking for better than him. “Just don’t nail me again…” Considering what she had did to her worm farm dead husband, he was probably lucky it had been a toy to the junk.

“Sure you don’t wanna scare me to death by making me think you’re gonna blow me sky high?” She retorted in a mutter, rolling her eyes the same time he did and walked over to crouch down by the safe, coughing.  There was still some smoke and residue left over as she waved her hand to try clearing it.  Reaching inside, she pulled out a slew of documents and set them on the grass before going back in.  When all was said and done, there was a videotape, an actual VHS videotape, a DVD and a folder FULL of pictures from that night, along with the camera that’d been used.  Seth did NOT pull any punches when retrieving every DROP of evidence from Gary.  Sitting down on the grass, Vallea began sifting through the documents and pictures, handing them over to Jon to show him.  They were vivid and…brutal to look at, especially when Ryan was tossed into the vat of acid and then Nick.  She couldn’t imagine what was on the VHS and DVD, not sure if she wanted to know at this point. “Build a fire, we have to destroy all of it.”

“Oh I don’t know, I kind of like this one.” Jon said, admiring the look on his face as he stared at the picture of him tossing Ryan over that scaffolding. “Look at how badass I look.” He was committing a murder. Shaking his head, he looked at Vallea, starting to frown. “What kind of fucking homeless guy has a camera with THIS good of quality? Seriously?” Did he have a stalker he wasn’t aware of or something? “Not the homeless people with the Nikes and Calvin Klein jeans, those aren’t homeless people,” Those were hustlers. “But the bagging it and sleeping under fucking bridges people, where do they get that kind of shit?”

“Why are you asking me?  I have no idea…maybe he wasn’t a homeless guy.  Maybe you and Nick were followed that night and you just didn’t know it. Or maybe someone was there undercover?” No, why wouldn’t they have gone to the police with this evidence then? “Whatever the case, we have the evidence now.” What she’d been raped and blackmailed for by her deceased husband. “I say we build a fire and burn all of it, every scrap, every picture.” She plucked the one out of his hand and put it with the rest, not finding any of this amusing. “Unless you want to keep it for some odd fucked up reason?”

“Well the look on my face is pretty bad ass, that’s a movie shot right there.” Jon was aware he might have slight sociopath issues or something. It wasn’t that he didn’t feel or emphasize, because he did. He just also had no qualms or doubts, he didn’t lose any sleep, over killing Ryan. The man had had it coming for abusing her the way he had all because she had said NO. Sighing, he pushed himself upright. “We’ll put everything in a bag and burn it tonight when it’s cooled off. I can’t have a fire right now.” It was too hot. He would soaked the ground until a puddle formed later in the day -that’d last an hour-, and build a fire then.

A paper shredder wouldn’t be enough because the pieces weren’t completely 100% destroyed or else she would’ve suggested it.  The tape and DVD could easily be destroyed without the fire, but again, they couldn’t be too cautious.  Vallea suddenly realized she would be staying here for the rest of the day and most of the night, refusing to leave until all of the evidence was destroyed.  She trusted Jon, but wanted to watch it all burn with her own eyes…unless he wanted her to leave.  Not that she would blame him. “Good point.” She put everything back in the folder neatly and handed it to him, their eyes locked.

Other than the one loose end in this Gary guy, this was the bulk of it. All that suffering she had endured, all the evidence that could send his ass to prison and put her directly under a spotlight as a murderer, right here in his hand. The chain of events he had set off by killing Ryan was this close to finally being over for good and maybe they both could get on with their lives without the shadows of what they had done looming. “Come on, let’s go inside before we die of a heat stroke or something.” He said quietly.

Chapter 48

She cracked a smile and nodded, glancing back at the safe momentarily before following him inside the house, once again looking around.  What were they supposed to do until nighttime.  Maybe it would be best for her to head back to the hotel and come back later since he looked to be hard at work renovating.  Her mind replayed the phone call they had on Monday, which was the last time they had spoken besides today’s text message.  Jon grabbed them some bottled water and lead the way into the living room, both sitting down to take a load off.  He had a towel wrapped around his neck, having wiped some of the sweat from his body and once again, Vallea did everything in her power not to look.  Instead, she focused on drinking her water, downing half the bottle.

Silence, it was silent, minus her chugging that water, and Jon let his head drop back onto the couch, closing his eyes. He had been awake since the ass crack of dawn and was tired from the heat and everything else. “I’m going to go get a shower.” He said finally, pushing himself up onto his feet with a groan. He had no idea what he was going to do with the safe. It was an older style, it’d have a number somewhere on it, which made it identifiable. Maybe he’d find an old-school black smith and have the damn thing melted down and make jewelry out of it.

“Go for it, I think I’m gonna go and come back later.  I should probably start finding a place to live instead of living out of hotels.” Vallea stood up from the couch, really not wanting to leave, but it was obvious Jon didn’t want her here for a long period of time.  It was just a little after noon, so they had a good solid 8 hours before they could set fire to the evidence and be done with it. “I’ll text you when I’m on my way back…or you can text me and let me know when to come back.” Maybe she would grab a newspaper on the way back to the hotel and start looking for a place today – no time like the present since she refused to leave Vegas again.

“This is your house too, technically.” He said, pausing in the hallway to look at her, his face thoughtful. He had no idea if they could ever try again and make things work. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to try, he was a bit on the scared side that shit would hit the fan again. Though… all the causes of their problems were now dead. No, they still had, HE still had this Gary to contend with. “Just a thought, doll.”

“How can you say that to me?  This isn’t my house – I gave all of this up when I let Seth scare me to death and blackmail me.” Vallea frowned, her emotions already on edge and shook her head, not agreeing with him at all.  Hell, he was renovating the place without her consent because this wasn’t her house anymore.  It was strictly his to do with as he pleased. “It’s fine.  I’ve accepted it and shit has been so hectic lately, I just haven’t had a minute to actually look for a new place.” She felt like a ping-pong ball over the past 2 years with how many times she moved.

He was renovating it because he couldn’t deal with shit that kept harassing him by triggering fucking memories. He was a bit stuck with this house now, because of her. He knew she hadn’t meant for any of this, so it wasn’t exactly right blaming her but that was also the truth of it. He wasn’t going to risk that body somehow being found. “All right,” He shrugged his bare shoulders. “Offer stands.”

“What offer?” Vallea raised a slow brow, gesturing around her with her hands. “Are you telling me to live here with you, after everything that’s happened?” This man had lost his mind.  It was her fault all of this happened in the first place, whether Jon wanted to acknowledge it or not.  Vallea took full responsibility for her actions and she honestly didn’t think there was a shot in hell for her and Jon anymore at this point. “You make no sense.  I think you’re sleep deprived and you need to shower and get some zzz’s.” How would that look if they were living together again?  Bouncing around between wrestlers before coming back to Jon…how would that make HIM look?  Granted, Jon didn’t care what others thought and, truthfully, neither did she, but it was still a very messed up situation.

“I’m offering you a room, and that sort of thing, Vallea.” He said, shaking his head. “Don’t read into it.” He had to fight to keep his face from betraying how he felt about saying those words. How it left this bitter taste on his tongue and a churning, acidic feeling in his gut. “Your call, doll.” He disappeared down the hallway, needing that shower and away from her before the poker face fell. She’d be gone by the time he got out, he was sure of it.

Offering her a room…Vallea shut her eyes at his words and could feel what was left of her heart shatter in her chest.  She had nobody to blame except herself for losing the love of her life, the best thing that ever happened to her.  Her address for mail was a PO Box currently, since she traveled so much and had been living out of hotels.  Taking a room in the house she had shared with Jon at one point…could Vallea actually do it?  Instead of leaving, she sat back on the couch and contemplated the offer, chewing her thumbnail.  Jon walked out an hour later, freshly showered in basketball shorts and the surprised look on his face almost made her crack a smile. “What?  You honestly thought I’d leave and not discuss this further with you?” He didn’t know her very well then. “Because if you’re offering me a place to stay, a room, then I have to go grab my things to bring back here.  And I wasn’t making two trips.  So, are you sure you want to do this?  You don’t owe me anything, Jon, and you don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.”

Uh, yeah, he had. She was good at leaving and the fact that he had thought that hurt. Damn today was shaping up to be a downer. “I already know I don’t owe you anything and you should already know I don’t do things I don’t want.” He was arrogant that way. “Anyone who knows us isn’t going to really say shit.” Half of them were probably expecting something to happen anyway. “You need help?” How much stuff did she have and how many times was he going to move her back in with him? He rubbed the back of his neck, trying not to smile. Probably a lot.

She had left behind everything that was in this house, so unless Jon got rid of it, which was a huge possibility, all she had was her luggage she traveled with. “No, I only have my two bags I travel with.” There was no way she would ask about her belongings; she went this long without them and they weren’t a high priority.  When she left Jon for Seth, she had to buy all new clothes, shoes, toiletries and anything else she used while on the road.  Seth hadn’t taken her back to Davenport, keeping her on the road for the 6 months he had his hooks into her, where he could keep full control. “I won’t be long.” An hour tops since she hadn’t had a chance to unpack her bags.

All the things she had left behind had been moved down into the basement. He had hired people to come pack it up and move it because at the time, he couldn’t deal with it. He would have probably gone into a fit of rage and shredded things, which Jon knew he would’ve regretted later. “I’ll uh, get the guest room sorted for you.” Move out his boxes of crap and find those damn sheets and things she had put away in closets when they first bought the house.

“I’ll help you do that and then go get my things.” If she was staying here and taking over a room, Vallea would help sort it out.  Together, they moved his boxes down to the basement, one after the other.  In the far corner, Vallea noticed boxes stacked on top of each other and had a feeling that was all of her things she’d left behind.  Jon hadn’t destroyed any of it, boxing it up instead.  For some reason, hope flared in her heart and she immediately squashed it, putting the boxes where Jon instructed. “Okay, did you keep the clean linens and sheets in the closet or move them?” He shook his head and she went upstairs to start making the bed. “Will you go get me the dust spray?  Everything in here needs to be wiped down.” It was DUSTY.

“Okay, just go get your shit, Vallea. I got this.” It’d be quicker if she went and got her things and he did this. That and it’d keep him occupied and not fucking go crazy waiting on her to come back. Why did this feel okay? Right even. Maybe things would work out eventually. He did feel a tiny bit foolish, hoping this way. Third time was a charm? “Go on, I’ll get the dust.” He had had this room shut up for a long while.

“Jon, you don’t have to…” Vallea groaned when he shoved her out the door, tossing her purse at her gently but firmly. “Okay Mister Pushy, okay I’m going.  Do you want me to grab something to eat while I’m out?  You’ve gotta be starving…” When Jon told her to grab them some sandwiches from Subway, she smiled and nodded, ordering him to text her what he wanted on her way out the door.

An hour later, she walked through the door again, after stopping herself from knocking, with Subway and two bags in hand.  Jon rushed to help her and she handed over the food, taking her belongings to her room.  It was so weird being under the same roof as him, but not sharing a bed together.  What would happen when he eventually moved on and brought someone home?  Vallea didn’t want to think about that happening, shoving that in the back of her mind and set her bags down, looking around at the fresh-smelling room with a smile.  In the hour she was gone, he had done an immaculate job cleaning this place and it looked as if it hadn’t been a storage area.  Joining him in the kitchen, she grabbed her sandwich he handed her, along with the chips and drink, both sitting down at the table to chow down. “The room looks fantastic.  Thank you.” Reaching over, she squeezed his hand briefly and then pulled back, taking another bite of her sandwich.

“Don’t mention it,” Maybe they needed to just take this day by day and start as friends. Maybe become friends. There was no way he could jump back into it again with her. Last time, it had ended with her leaving him for Seth -and now he knew why. He doubted that was ever going to happen again, he knocked on the table, just in case, but he also knew they were never going to be like they were. “How’s Joe?” He asked after a moment, anything to fill the awkward silence.

“As far as I know, he’s here in Vegas for his days off seeing his woman.  Don’t know much more than that.” Vallea didn’t keep tabs on Joe since he wasn’t her actual priority.  Jon was the one she was supposed to personal assist for, not Joe, besides this week.  Wasn’t Jon and Joe best friends?  They probably kept better tabs on each other than she did with Joe.  Vallea didn’t consider Joe a friend, only a coworker and that would probably never change. “I think we should set some ground rules, if we’re really going to do this.  I know the house is already bought, but…I want to pay to live here.  I don’t want a free ride on anything.  I’ll pay half of utilities, water, whatever bills are in this house, I’ll pay half.” She truly meant every word that came out of her mouth, refusing to let a man she wasn’t with anymore support her. “And if you need the house to yourself one night, when we have time off, just let me know and I’ll make myself scarce.”

“No.” Jon said simply before taking a bite of his sub. He wasn’t playing by any rules, there would be no setting of rules. They had tried that before. He wasn’t doing it again. “You’re not likely to use up anymore utilities than I am.” Because days off were rare, this was the first time he had taken proper time off in a very long time, or at least that’s what it felt like. “Besides, I had everything put on auto-pay so I have no idea how much anything costs.” He had quit worrying about it a while ago. “You can cook.”

“Well, I’ll just give you a couple thousand every month then.  You can do whatever you want with the money.  I’m not living here for free.” There was a finality to her voice he wouldn’t be able to argue against as she stood up from the table to clean her mess. “I’m gonna go unpack and try to get over this awkwardness.  I won’t have any mail coming here because I have a PO Box.” That was a random piece of information for him to know, but she felt it was necessary.  Walking down the hallway to her room, Vallea shut the door behind her and slid down it, hoping she was doing the right thing.  Her life was in shambles and she had no idea how to fix it or what to do anymore, burying her face in her hands.

Because he was sooo going to take her money. It wasn’t like she could just deposit it into his account either because shit didn’t work that way. She’d be better off donating it to a charity. There was an idea. Sighing, Jon cleared up his own mess and then tried to sort out what to do. She was in the house again. He could smell her damn perfume, taunting and teasing. How was it, they had gone from passionately, madly in love to this awkwardness? He reached for his beer, draining it. Even with everything that had happened between them, how could they not at least… be easier in each other’s company?

That night, Jon built a fire like he said he would and Vallea held the file in her hand, the VHS tape and DVD already destroyed.  They were still going to burn the pieces, not taking any chances.  She looked up at the starry night sky, clutching the file and looked back at the roaring flames, taking a shaky breath. “You didn’t win, Rollins.  And I hope you’re burning in all eight circles of hell for what you did to me.  To Jon.” To us, she mentally added, pulling something else out of her pocket and tossed it into the fire first.  It was the engagement ring, the three stoned diamond ring she was forced to wear from Seth.  Piece by piece, they burned the evidence together, the smoke billowing up to the sky as everything turned to ashes.  Granted, Gary was still out there, but without evidence of what happened, he wasn’t a threat any longer and had been paid off well to keep his mouth shut.  The final piece burned and she tossed the folder in for good measure before wrapping her arms around herself, silent tears falling down her cheeks.  It was over…and just beginning all at the same time because with the evidence taken care of, maybe Vallea could finally start to heal.

Admittedly, Jon was a bit worried that this Gary might have copies or something but something told him that Seth wouldn’t have wanted anyone but him to hold that evidence. Hold that power, because that’s what it had been to Seth. Power over Jon and power over Vallea, the power to ruin their lives. The power to hurt. The man had deserved being stabbed through the neck and more. He seen the tears glistening on her face as firelight lit her up after he had added more wood, wanting to make sure nothing remained behind. Frowning, Jon walked around to her, reaching out with a hesitant hand. He touched her back, palm gently curving over her shoulder and he felt all hesitance disappear when she turned and buried her face in his chest. He could both hear and feel her crying now, her shoulders shaking and his arms wrapped around her, head coming down to rest on top of hers. “It’s over, doll.” He whispered, his eyes closing as if to ward himself against the helplessness her tears were causing him. “It’s over.”

Crying was part of the healing process.  For months, she had cried out of sorrow, pain, anguish, heartache, guilt, fear…Now, she was crying because she felt so relieved to finally be rid of the monster, to know that Jon was protected and would never go to prison.  Her arms tightened around Jon, feeling his strength and protection surround her, nodding to acknowledge she heard him.  Vallea couldn’t talk, her tears soaking his bare skin and couldn’t pull away even if she wanted to.  She didn’t want to.  She didn’t want to let Jon go ever again.  Were they ever destined to be together, to be happy?  Or would it come in intervals until something else ripped them apart?  Maybe it just wasn’t in the cards for them and that made Vallea cry harder because she truly believed Jon was her soul mate, the one she was meant to be with.

Chapter 49

Jon simply held her, letting her shed her tears. The weight that must’ve been lifted from her, he could only imagine. If he would have known the chain of events he would start the night he killed Ryan, he wouldn’t have done it. He had wanted to save her, protect her, and in the end, what had he caused her? Terror. Pain. Grief. He had ripped her world apart and instead of protecting her, he had put a giant target on her and Seth had homed in like the vulture he had been, taking advantage and shredding her to pieces. “I’m sorry, Vallea,” He rasped, kissing the top of her head. She probably had no idea what he meant but he still had to say it.

“T-This isn’t your f-fault…” Vallea stammered out through hiccoughs, slowly pulling back enough to look up at him and let him wipe her tears away. “I-I should’ve told you…I-I let him get in my head and made me believe he would turn you in.  I let fear destroy us when all I wanted to do is protect you.  And I f-failed at it…because I believed that son of a bitch…” Seth did have the evidence though and there wasn’t a doubt in her mind Jon would’ve wound up in prison.  So either way, she would’ve lost him if she didn’t comply with what Seth wanted.  Then again, telling Jon would’ve warranted him having more blood on his hands, on his conscience because he would’ve killed Seth.  Again, there was no doubt in her mind about it. “I-I destroyed us…I l-lied to you, after making you promise me you’d never lie to me again…I turned around and did the same d-damn thing to you.  A-And I hate myself for it…I h-hate myself for not being s-stronger against him and not telling him to fuck off, for n-not telling you w-what was going on…”

Considering he had railed at her for that, for not coming to him and letting him handle it… Jon felt like a complete and utter jackass. He had put those thoughts in her head. At the time, he had been livid and scared, and a bunch of other things he didn’t want to recall. Now… now he was able to look at it a little more clearer and at the time, she was doing what she believed she had too. Seth hadn’t given her much choice, and Jon knew it. He had known it then, he just hadn’t wanted to acknowledge it. “It’s okay, it’s done now, Val.”

All the things she’d done in front of him with Seth, how she’d gotten on her knees to suck Seth off…all the kissing, touching, affection she had to fake in order to make it believable.  Vallea felt that dagger dig deeper into her heart.  Jon was too good for her, holding her and telling her it was all over and done with now, comforting her after she ripped his heart out, put it in a blender and served it to him on the rocks.  Now she was living with him, putting him through more pain, more heartache.  How was that fair?  How was ANY of this fair? “I-I’m sorry…” She sniffled, pulling away from him and wiped her tears away, not having a right to cry in front of him after what she did.  It didn’t matter the circumstances or how much pressure she’d been under, or being blackmailed…what she said to Jon the night of their breakup was cold, unforgiving and cruel. “I-I’m okay…I’m fine…” The expression on her face and the look in her eyes told him otherwise.

“We’re really going to do the lying thing again?” Jon asked, resignation in his tone. It was written all over her pale, pinched face that she wasn’t fine. “Fine. You’re fine.” Shaking his head, he gave the fire another good poke before heading towards the house. She was not fine. She would probably not be fine for a long time to come. Hell, she still had to deal with Seth’s shit until she managed to unload that house, and why did he care? He cared, because he still loved her. He was probably always going to love her if he were honest with himself.

Letting him walk away was the best thing she could’ve done…for him.  It killed her to do it, but it was for the best.  Jon deserved someone who could make him happy all the time, not just for 6 months until something or someone tried tearing them apart.  Be it murder or a conniving coworker.  She stayed out there and continued crying until the fire died down completely, not wanting to leave it unattended.  Jon had gone back in the house to give her time alone, she supposed.  Walking back inside, she went straight to her room and laid down, crying herself to sleep.

This had been an exhausting day.

In the blink of an eye, three months had passed since the night the evidence was destroyed and Vallea moved in with Jon.  Nobody on the roster knew due to her not changing her address and both keeping their mouths shut.  Not even Joe knew of the living arrangements.  It was better to keep it secret from everyone, considering she was still supposed to be mourning over her dead husband.  Fat chance of THAT happening!  The nightmares had stopped altogether for Vallea, which was a good thing and she’d been getting proper sleep again.  Eating right, working out, and taking better care of herself than she had in a long time.  She traveled separately from Jon and still did all of his arrangements and scheduling, not minding her contract bound to his.  They had developed some kind of friendship, she supposed, though nothing major or deep was discussed between them.  Jon did his thing, she did hers and they barely spoke to each other when they were home on their days off.  It was lonely traveling by herself, but Vallea was getting used to it and had become accustomed to only relying on herself, nobody else.  She couldn’t believe it’d been 6 months since she killed Seth and, thankfully, the house in Davenport had finally sold for a little more than she asked for.  All that money would go to charity, she wanted none of it.

“Goddamn it, Momo,” She had come to the arena, just to make him try on this stupid monkey suit because he had told her, repeatedly, he wasn’t going to wear the damn thing. If Joe wanted him to be the best man, Joe could deal with black slacks and a nice shirt. She was insisting on tuxedos. “I feel like an asshole.”

“Because you ARE one, Jon.” She said sweetly, her current PA taking measurements. “It looks good, you look good. Please tell me you’re not bringing that Darla. Anyone who calls you ‘daddy’ has issues.”

“Haven’t a clue what you’re talking about.”

Vallea sat in the corner, trying not to laugh and sipped her coffee while typing on her laptop, minding her own business.  She wasn’t invited to the wedding because her and Monique didn’t speak anymore.  Her fault, naturally.  Everything was her fault, but she was dealing and coping with it.  Darla…there was a nightmare waiting to happen and she really hoped, for Jon’s sake, he got rid of her.  That was NOT the woman for him.  Hell, Vallea didn’t even know what kind of woman was right for him and, quite frankly, it wasn’t her business.  She currently had earbuds in, but no music since she wanted to hear whatever was said between Jon and Monique.  She sifted through her song list and picked another band before getting back to work.  Music had really helped her over the past 6 months; she was going to need a slew of MP3 players at this rate.

First Vallea had left Vegas and abandoned her because her relationship with Jon hadn’t worked out. Okay, Monique would have gotten some of it, or been a bit more understanding, if Vallea had ever bothered to reply to her. But she hadn’t. Then… she married Seth fucking Rollins and broke Jon’s heart, like… it was some weird turnabout game. “You know exactly what I’m talking about. She’s not invited. You don’t get a plus one.”

“Joe said I do.”

“Joe was being polite, I am not polite.”

Vallea couldn’t make her friendship with Monique right because she couldn’t tell the woman what happened.  She couldn’t tell her the truth of it all.  The woman would think she was an insane murderer, both of them, and she had swore never to bring up Ryan, Nick and Seth again.  People had to BELIEVE she chose Seth over Jon because she fell for the man instead of being blackmailed.  It really sucked because Vallea missed her best friend and had nobody else to talk to, to vent with, to cry on their shoulder about how much she missed Jon.  She had literally dug herself so deep a hole, there was no escape from it.  And now Monique would get married without her and have a happy, fulfilling life with Joe that she deserved.  Life wasn’t fair sometimes, but again, Vallea was coping and dealing with it the best she could.

“Well what if I don’t bring Darla?” Darla was a fling, and one he did not indulge in now that Vallea was sort of back in the picture. Even as ‘just friends’, it felt weird and wrong having his busty, blonde sex buddy around. That wasn’t to say he might not have maybe once, only once, had a lapse in judgment and let her do something terrible to him with her pink lipsticked mouth.

“Well that’s fine then. Anyone but her.”

Jon grinned wickedly, his icy blues straying to Vallea.

“I’m sure you can find someone more…WORTHY to come to our wedding.  Just…make sure she’s dressed for it.  Black tie, you know the deal.” Monique was only getting married once in her life and had pulled out all the stops for this wedding.  Whatever she wanted, Joe was onboard for as long as she was happy.  She completely missed the way Jon side-eyed his potential plus one for the wedding, talking to her PA about the measurements and nodded. “All right buster, out of the pants so they can be fixed.”

Vallea was not at all surprised when Jon dropped them in front of her and kept her eyes GLUED to her laptop screen.

“You’re an ass, Good!” Monique shrieked. She couldn’t help herself, she shot Vallea a look to see what the other was looking at. Vallea was staring at her laptop like nothing else was going on and that was like… confirmation or something. She turned back to Jon, rolling her eyes at the sight of him swaying in his boxer briefs, his hands on his hips. “What the hell are you doing?”

“Stag party? Only for you. Get some ones out, Momo, I promise I don’t cost that much.”

She picked up the pants and threw them in his face, trying not to laugh.

When Jon started gyrating his hips and acting like a stripper, Vallea had looked up just as the song in her earbuds ended and caught what Monique said. “Oh my god…” She covered her mouth with her hand, laughing hard and wasn’t the least bit surprised when Monique pulled out some dollar bills to throw at him. “Hell, I’ll get in on this!” Vallea crowed, pulling out a few dollar bills of her own and Jon was slowly rained with them just as Joe came through the door.

“WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS?”

“Hey honey, it’s my stag party, courtesy of your Best Man!”

Joe tried to be stern, but all he could do was laugh at his best friend and fiancée.

“I’m a bit disappointed though. I figured with as hot as I am,” Jon rolled his hips, hands laced behind his head. “They’d at least you know, try stuffing my waistband or something.”

Joe had out his cell phone. “Go on, keep going, social media is going to love this.” He knew how much Jon despised Facebook, Instagram, all that ‘shit’ as he called it.

“Go ahead, and I’ll skull fuck you before you make it down the aisle.”

Joe winced at that mental image and promptly erased the footage. “Fair enough. Get your clothes on.”

Vallea hadn’t laughed this hard in a long time and it felt great, her stomach hurting as she sat back down on the couch.  Jon made sure she had a comfortable area where she could do her work at every arena and the company obliged since most of her time was spent in his dressing room.

“Oh come on, baby, you know you’re the only one for me.” Monique crooned, sliding her fingers through Joe’s long black hair and smiled at Jon. “I’ll let you know when your pants are ready to try on again.” The wedding was a month away, hopefully they could get everything they wanted done before the big day arrived.

“Yes ma’am.”

“And no skanky bitches!” She added as she and Joe walked out with said pants, laughing. She even nodded at Vallea on her way by.

“Well, that was fun.” Jon shut the door behind them, shaking his head as he -in nothing but said boxer briefs- rifled through his bag. Since he had to work… no sense in putting back on his street attire. “You’re coming as my plus one by the way, so pencil us both in.”

Water promptly FLEW out of Vallea’s mouth in a spray as she splattered it everywhere on the floor, having just taken a drink of her bottled water. “W-What?!” She croaked out, coughing and hopped up from the couch to grab paper towels, wondering if she heard Jon correctly. “I-I don’t think…” That was NOT a good idea!  Had he lost his mind?! “No, I’m not your plus one to that wedding.  Monique doesn’t want me there, not that I blame her.  You’re gonna have to find someone else or go alone and bang one of the bridesmaids or something.” Wow, she hadn’t meant for that thought to pop out of her mouth. “I mean…You know what I mean!” Damn it, she was all flustered now, thanks to him!

“Uh, no… no I don’t think so.” Jon said, trying and failing to hide just how amused he was with her. He watched as she stood up to try mopping water off of her top and sauntered towards her, still in just his boxer/briefs. He watched as Vallea stepped back, right into that corner and leaned in, resting his hand over her head. “Consider it a work date, you’ll be fine.” Monique hadn’t said a word about Vallea being at her wedding. She had said no to Darla.

This was the first time Jon had been this close to her in a while and Vallea swore her heart was going to fly out of her chest at any second to bounce against his muscular chest.  It was pounding that hard and fast, thundering in her ears.  Jon in just his boxer/briefs, towering over her with his hand pressed against the wall above her head…she could smell the aftershave and his own personal scent that always made her heady. “A work date, huh?” Jesus, why was her mouth suddenly bone dry?  The thirst was real for her when it came to this man. “Jon, you don’t wanna piss Monique off, especially on her wedding day.  If you get the approval from her for me to go, then fine, I’ll go…as your work date.” She congratulated herself for keeping her voice steady and calm. “I’m compromising, but I won’t go until you get her approval.”

“You don’t get a say. You’ve had way too many says, I think we’ll try it my way, babe.” Jon already knew Momo was going to have a bitch fit, at first. But then, she’d realize that he COULD bring Darla, and she’d cave, and the fact that she actually tolerated being in the same room as Vallea without making comments or being a bitch, well… that was progress. Given everything she had said after Vallea had stopped talking to her for a SECOND time when they had sort of started texting again. Yeah… “Schedule it. It’ll be fun.”

“Excuse me?” Vallea raised a slow brow, folding her arms in front of her chest. “No, that’s not how this works.  I DO have a say in the matter and if you don’t get the bride’s approval, I’m NOT going.” She refused to piss the bride-to-be off; if Jon wanted Bridezilla to come out, he was doing a great job going in that direction. “Work date or not, I won’t disrespect Monique like that, regardless of what you say.” Try it his way – yeah sure and watch Monique’s head explode.  No thanks, she would pass on that.

Chapter 50

Jon shrugged his shoulders. “Whatever, Vallea. Don’t go. You act like I wouldn’t have said anything to her,” Shows what she knew about him. She had had a bit too much say when it came to things related to him and her and that’s why they weren’t together and had spent all that time suffering in their own ways, including her personal beating and rape hell. Talking about disrespecting Monique, she’d done a bit more than disrespect her. He was away from her now, pulling on his pants. Like abandon her. Try striking up that friendship again only to abandon her, again. He realized that Momo probably was never going to really trust other women again and frowned. Well, if anyone could fix some of that damage, it would be Joe. They were good for each other.

“Jon!” Vallea shouted his name in frustration, wondering what was going through this man’s mind and could see the annoyance written on his face. “Look, Monique and I…I can’t make things right with her without telling her the TRUTH.  Do you understand that?  I can’t tell the woman I used to call my best friend the truth because it would be too risky.  Just like you haven’t told Joe anything either.  The LAST thing I wanna do is open that wound with her and I don’t want her pissed off on her wedding day.  She doesn’t deserve that.  It’s not that I don’t WANT to go with you, I just want to make sure she’s okay with it.  And you can say whatever you want to her, but the bride’s word is final for her wedding and if she truly doesn’t want me there, she’ll make sure I’m not, no matter what the Best Man says.” He couldn’t deny that fact. “I didn’t mean to…get an attitude with you over it, but if you think you have a say in the guest list or what goes on at this wedding, think again.” Monique was a control freak at times and planning a beautiful wedding in Hawaii…control freak was probably in overdrive.

“YOU should have never walked away from her to begin with Vallea,” Jon said flatly. “You shouldn’t have shut her out when you probably needed her the most, she didn’t deserve that. As for what she wants, I had every intention of asking her first before springing you. I’m fairly certain she knew I was too because that’s how Momo operates.” And Momo disliked Darla a lot more than she disliked Vallea at the moment. “You act like I don’t think things through so you have to have YOUR say and YOUR way and I don’t roll like that. I think. I ask. Got me?” Her way lost Vallea her friends, her job… and then it cost her all that shit all over again with Seth. “Just forget it… this is a bad idea. I’m a fucking idiot sometimes.” It had never been like this. He would have laughed at what she had said and agreed and now… now he felt the need to assert himself. “Just… I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything, doll.”

“Fine then, whatever.” Vallea wanted to say so many things to him and couldn’t because a lot of what he said was the truth.  What was she supposed to do?  Admit to Monique what Jon did because of her?  Go to the woman about Seth’s ultimatum and blackmail?  No, that wouldn’t have ended well and Monique would’ve probably turned Jon into the police.  Of course, he didn’t think that way because they were buddy-buddy right now.  She sat back down on the couch, put her earbuds back in and resumed her work, trying to pretend that conversation never happened.  Jon wouldn’t have a problem finding someone else to go with to the wedding; the man was walking, talking sex.

She never had to say shit to Monique about the murder thing. She could have said anything but that, she could have explained she was having issues, and still maintained a friendship. But Vallea was all or nothing, he had learned that the very hard, painful way. Trying to forget that they had just had that conversation, Jon finished dressing and began hopping from one foot to the other, rolling his head. He hadn’t broken up his friendship with Joe because the man was dating Vallea’s best friend and was insanely happy, he just didn’t understand how a person’s personal pain could blind them to others. His had nearly killed him, that didn’t mean he was pulling those he cared about down with him. Of course, how people handled things were different. “Sorry.” He muttered again, walking out of the room. He needed air, and an actual cigarette.

It was déjà vu all over again.  Vallea was standing outside of Jon’s motel room, already knowing where he was staying because being his personal assistant gave her that perk.  The only difference was she wouldn’t run away like she nearly had with Seth.  Why she even WENT to Seth in the first place…that was how all of this really started.  Why she was on Seth’s radar to begin with and why he blackmailed her into breaking Jon’s heart to be with him unwillingly.  None of it mattered anymore because Seth was gone, out of their lives.  Taking a deep breath, Vallea knocked on the door and held her breath when it opened, looking up into those electric blue orbs. “I won’t take up a lot of your time, I just wanted to say I’m sorry for what happened earlier at the arena.  I shouldn’t assume anything when it comes to you and you were right in everything you said.  I just didn’t want to upset Monique more than I already have and ruin the happiest day of her life.  I know you would go to her and ask her permission because that’s the type of person you are.” Her eyes lowered from his as Vallea rolled her lips together and knew she was swallowing a lot of pride coming here. “That’s all I wanted to say.  I’m sorry, Jon.”

“Get in here,” Jon ordered, reaching out to pull her inside without waiting for her to do it herself. He had been thinking all night and drinking a little. He wasn’t ever going to do the blackout drunk bit again, especially not with her around because that would lead to him doing some seriously messed up and potentially humiliating things. Jon resumed the pacing he had been doing, a lit cigarette dangling from his bottom lip. One of the benefits of staying in shit holes like this was they didn’t overly care about the smoking ban thing that most hotels had going on these days. “I know I’m an asshole and I’m sorry. Apology accepted by the way.” He added after a moment. “I’m… I’m trying to trust you, Vallea… and I know all that shit that caused this crap between us is literally dead and buried, but… I feel like I got to make sure things are going MY way because I’m afraid you’re going to run off again, or something.” He was a pathetic mess. “I know you’re not, I know it, but I can’t make myself stop, doll.” He was trying.

“I’m not going anywhere, Jon.  I did that once before and I was miserable.  I’ll never do that to myself again.” It broke her heart to see how torn up he was about this and wanted to reach out for him, but stayed where she was. “I know it’s…difficult for you to trust me.  I don’t blame you and I know I’ll have to regain your trust slowly.  But I also won’t ever take orders from a man again.” Her eyes narrowed slightly, recalling all the times she had to obey Seth. “We just need to find a middle ground and stick to it.  So don’t apologize to me, you have nothing to be sorry about and you didn’t do anything wrong.  And you’re not an asshole either.  Stop beating yourself up over this because it’s NOT your fault.  This is on me – it was my choice to hurt you the way I did, to destroy us, and I know it takes time to heal those types of wounds.” She was still healing from everything she’d been through.

“Twice, you dick.” He flashed her two fingers, though the side of his mouth was curved upwards into a hint of a smile. He stopped pacing but kept a respectable distance between them. “I love you Vallea, but right now I don’t think it’s enough, doll.” He had never stopped loving her, would never stop loving her and Jon wasn’t sure if that was a blessing or a curse, sometimes it felt more one then the other. “I’m not trying to order you… not like Seth. I am NOT Seth.” He added sharply, cracking his neck on each side, eyes icing over. “I’ve never hit you or raped you, and I’m not about to start now. Never told you what to say or how to dress… I did order you to go to a wedding with me.” He conceded, eyes narrowing slightly. “But I’m not him.”

Christ, that hurt to hear him say those words to her.  He loved her, but it wasn’t enough.  Could she blame him?  If the shoe was on the other foot, she probably would’ve felt the same way he did. “I know you’re not him, believe me.  You’re nothing like him.” Jon was so much better than Seth, which was probably why Seth wanted to destroy him.  Hell, she didn’t WANT to know what went through that lunatic’s mind.  Jon already knew how she felt about him, but she wouldn’t say the words again, not after hearing his confession about loving her not being enough. “That’s why I apologized for what I said to you earlier because I know you didn’t mean to order me around.  It just…it reminded me momentarily of how many orders I had to take from that asshole, but I know you’re not him.  There’s no comparison.”

Jon had seen the look on her face when he had said love wasn’t enough and felt the need to clarify. “Vallea, I mean… it’s not enough to just dive back into things with you.” They had done that before, and here they were, having that conversation all over again it seemed. “We got together fast, we got back together fast and… I want to be with you, but I can’t dive in and I don’t think you can either.” Diving in wasn’t going to erase hurt or help either of them heal. “And I hate the awkwardness between us because we’ve seen each other naked and sick, sometimes both at the same time, there should be no awkward.” He grinned when she chuckled at that.

“You don’t have to explain yourself to me, Jon.  I get it and I can’t deny any of it.  You deserve someone better than me, honestly.  I’m…damaged goods.” Vallea cleared her throat, not wanting any sympathy or pity because she didn’t deserve any of it, especially from him. “I don’t know what to do about the awkwardness.  I don’t think there is anything to be done about it.” This wasn’t why she came here and they were getting off course. “If you still want me to go to the wedding with you, I will.  I’m sure you can find someone better to go with besides me, though.” She was being brutally honest with him and herself.

“Doll, I’M damaged goods.” Was she serious? “We’re both damaged.” He could concede that. Well, she was physically AND mentally, so she may have had one up on him but if they were playing the ‘one up’ game with this shit, they really were insane. “And no, I can’t find someone better. You’ve met Darla, I know you have.” In fact, he was pretty sure Vallea had overheard one of their sexcapades and the infamous ‘Daddy’ thing. At the time, it had been hot as fuck. In retrospect, he had serious issues. “I’m a slum kid, always will be. I will ask Monique first, and if she says yes, I would like very much for you to be my date for the wedding.”

It wasn’t a competition who was more messed up than the other.  Vallea sneered at the name Darla came out of Jon’s mouth, not able to forget the ‘Daddy’ thing as long as she lived.  Christ, that had been terrible to overhear and it was one of the reasons she’d gone to Seth.  That moment had driven her to go to Seth for sex, actually.  She firmly pushed that memory away, not wanting to relive or think about it and cracked a small smile. “All right, just let me know if she’s okay with it.  And if she wants to talk to me, I’m up for that too.” They had to start somewhere. “By the way, you’re the hottest slum kid I’ve ever seen.” That was probably a bad joke on her part, but it got Jon to smile.

“Yeah I figured you thought so when you started tossing ones at me. I’m worth tens by the way.” He joked, stubbing out what was left of his cigarette before running his hands over his head, staring at her intently. “I’ll get a hold of her tomorrow. She’s probably going to say yes because she hates the alternative.” Monique didn’t hate Vallea, as far as he knew. Not anymore. Women were strange and complicated creatures and thank God he wasn’t one. “Maybe I can talk her into doing something like coffee… she likes coffee.” A lot.

Monique was a coffee fanatic, as far as Vallea remembered.  Times could’ve changed in the past 2 years, she didn’t know. “Only if she wants to.  I know she has a lot going on with the wedding planning, so…try not to pressure her into it.  I’m not saying you’re going to.” Jon could be pushy when he wanted to be, when the situation called for it. “And you’re worth more than tens with that package you’re carrying.” More like 100’s, 1000’s, even millions. “And on that note, I’m leaving.  Get some sleep and I’ll see you in the morning.” She had embarrassed herself enough for one night.

“Night doll,” Jon, like the sometimes gentleman he could be, opened the door for her. He had made a fool of himself enough for one night, but at least the night was ending on a better note. They had sort of cleared the air and that was better than leaving all that shit hanging unresolved. He wasn’t going to push Momo into anything, he knew better. The woman would remove his balls, Bedazzle them, and use them as wedding reception decor or something. She hadn’t been a major bitch about her wedding, but the fair few times someone had tried pushing her, or Joe, into something neither of them had clearly wanted, she had unleashed. Joe seemed to find that shit amusing, that was sick.

Chapter 51

The following day, Vallea received a very unexpected guest at her hotel room door.  She was just finishing packing up when the knock came and she zipped her bag up before going to answer it, floored at who it was.  It was Monique…alone…and a barrage of emotions rushed through Vallea all at once, tears filling her eyes.  She couldn’t help it.  They had been so close prior to her life being saved by Jon and everything else that followed had destroyed their friendship.  Vallea had no idea what to say to this woman and braced herself for whatever was next, doing everything in her power not to let the tears fall.  Monique should have been the one crying, not the other way around.

Monique stared at Vallea, her face carefully neutral. Vallea, in her heartbreak, had broken up with everyone associated with Jon and those memories it seemed. Including her, which she had not been okay with. She had known Vallea long before Jon came into the picture and to be cast aside because of a man, well… yeah, not okay. “Jon asked if he could bring you as his plus one.” She said after a long moment, not moving to step in.

“Yeah, he…asked me to go with him last night.” More like demanded, which caused an argument, but Monique didn’t need to know that. “I told him I would only go if you were all right with it.  And I understand completely if you’re not.” What she did to Monique, cutting her off the way she had, was unforgiveable.  She didn’t move to step aside to let Monique inside, having a feeling this would be a short conversation between them.

“Better you than that blonde bimbo.” Monique said after another long moment, backhandedly giving her okay with Vallea coming. “He’s Best Man, so he’ll be a bit busy. You’ll have to fend for yourself during the actual ceremony when he’s with the wedding party.” A party Vallea could have been a part of, could have been her maid of honor. She wasn’t thinking about any of that. “Here.” She held out an invitation and a few other pieces of paper. “That’s the date and time, where we’re staying at, and an invitation to get into the venue because we had to hire security and anyone without one of those, guest or not, won’t be allowed in.” That was all Joe’s famous backside’s fault.

She took the invitation, surprise etched on her face and wanted to hug Monique, but thought better of it.  The woman was being forced to do this, or forcing herself to be nice.  Vallea wouldn’t push the boundaries. “Thank you, Monique.  And I’ll be fine by myself while the ceremony is going on and whatnot, no worries.” She was only Jon’s date, they weren’t back together as a couple or anything. “I’m really happy for you.  Joe’s a lucky guy.” If only she could tell Monique the truth about everything that happened…maybe they wouldn’t be nearly as tense with each other as they currently were.

“He sure is.” Monique smiled slightly and then shrugged. “I’m a lucky girl, we’re just both lucky.” They could have had something fucked up like Jon and Vallea, and she wouldn’t wish that kind of relationship, or whatever it was, on anyone. “They’re downstairs in the cafe. Come down and have coffee when you’re ready.” She had promised to be nice, because Jon had gotten on his knees and pleaded. The knee part had been her idea.

The tension was still there between the women, but in time, hopefully, it would vanish.  Vallea met them down in the café, ordering a mocha latte and a bagel with cream cheese.  Jon had worked his magic and she could only imagine what Monique had him do to make the bride hand over an invitation.  She stayed quiet while Jon and Joe boasted about the upcoming bachelor party, only for Monique to order there be no strippers.  She wouldn’t condone that behavior from her future husband and Joe agreed, not wanting them either.  Jon had groaned, called her a party pooper and Vallea laughed at him, smacking his arm playfully.

“How many times do I have to tell you?  Whatever the bride wants, the bride gets, Ambrose.”

Joe grinned at his spitfire future wife and kissed her neck softly. “No strippers, bro.  Gotta go with the wife on this one.”

It was cute how Joe was already calling Monique ‘wife’ and they weren’t married yet.

~!~

The day before the wedding had arrived, the days flying by in the blink of an eye.  It was a beach wedding in Hawaii at a resort and the weather was supposed to be spectacular.  This had Monique written all over it, especially the location since the woman loved Hawaii.  She wasn’t the least bit surprised when Jon informed her Monique had convinced Joe to leave Florida to move to Hawaii permanently.  As sad as she was to hear Monique was leaving Las Vegas, Vallea was also incredibly happy for the woman.  As soon as they landed, Jon was whisked away for wedding obligations and Vallea went to her hotel room to get some work done on his schedule.  He had the rehearsal dinner to go through, practiced toasts and whatnot, things of that nature and anything else the bride wanted done.

Before long, it was the day of the wedding.

Since it was a beach wedding, Vallea went with something simple, a wrap dress she had found at a dress shop in Vegas on one of her days off.  It was pink, had a sexy allure about it, but not over the top and still appropriate for a wedding.  It was backless, which prompted her to wear nude bra cups since her breasts were a little too big to not wear a bra.  Besides, she didn’t want to look sleazy at Joe and Monique’s wedding by showcasing a bra, so going without one and using the cups seemed to be the best option.  The dress itself was ankle length, but on the left side, it ran up to expose let and had loose frills for the hem in a V-shape.  The straps of the dress were the same frill design too.  She had decided on light tan strappy sandals for shoes and had her hair done. 

On both sides of her head, hair was braided back to link with the bun at the nape of her neck, looking a little messy for style.  It was simple, yet elegant and a few tendrils framed her face, loosely curled.  Her makeup was very simple, foundation with black liner, nude eye shadow and clear gloss, nothing over the top.  She had thought about doing smoky eyes and immediately dismissed it, wanting to go for a more natural beauty look.  Slipping her silver diamond hoops in her ears, which matched a simple diamond choker around her neck and the bracelet on her wrist, Vallea looked at the clock and had to book it downstairs to meet Jon.  Hopefully, he approved of her look as she grabbed her silver clutch and made her way downstairs, taking the elevator.

Jon was pacing like mad, dressed in the tuxedo. Black, with the undershirt and silk ‘for looks only’ handkerchief in the breast pocket. He even had on shiny shoes and a silver watch to match his silver cuff links. “Babe, you look… gorgeous.” Beautiful, stunning, fuckable, all aptly described her. He was going with the most appropriate for their current location. That dress enveloped her beautifully and he had to wonder, when she turned in a circle for him, just what she was using to hold her breasts up. “I’m sorry Val, but we got to go. I got to meet up with the maid of honor.” He said apologetically, though he could not quit staring. Damn this woman.

He looked absolutely breathtaking in his tuxedo, sharp and crisp.  Vallea was having a hard time not devouring him with her eyes and blushed at his compliment. “Thank you.  So you approve, then?” Vallea breathed a sigh of relief when he nodded, taking her hand to twirl her around again.  The nude breast cups were working wonders right now and the dress only showed the tops, just enough cleavage to be sexy. “All right, let’s get moving because if you’re late, you’ll never hear the end of it from Monique.” Taking his extended arm, they walked out of the hotel and were on their way to the venue in a rental.  Jon insisted on driving with Vallea to the venue instead of in the limousine with the rest of the wedding party, which Monique was fine with.

This was the one and only time Jon would ever do this three ring circus. He had had to learn how to formally dance with the maid of honor -Caryn-, as well as a bunch of weird things that he had no experience with because Jon had never done a wedding before either as a guest or a member of the wedding party. The picture thing was going to be awkward, he had to smile and not grimace. “I’m nervous.” He wrestled before thousands live, but doing all this had given him the jitters.

“You’ll be fine, it’s just pictures.  Think of it as a photoshoot you do for WWE.  Just stand there, smile and be yourself.” Vallea coached, trying to ease his mind a little and changed the subject, just making idle chatter until they arrived at the venue.  Once there, they parted ways with Jon going to join the wedding party, barely on time.  However, Vallea noticed right away the Maid of Honor, Caryn, cling to him and it didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out she liked Jon.

Caryn was a beautiful, ebony haired goddess that Vallea could not compete with, even on her best day.  Today being one of those days.  Caryn trumped her, looking spectacular in her baby blue dress that contrasted with her perfectly tanned skin.  Why hadn’t Jon just asked the maid of honor to be his date since they had to spend so much time together for the wedding?  Caryn was fixing Jon’s bow and sliding her hands down his shirt, caressing him with a bright smile on her face.  It was obvious she was into him.  Vallea sat down near the back with her clutch in her lap and simply watched, trying not to think about her own wedding catastrophe.

She stood when the rest of the guests did and watched as each bridesmaid walked down the aisle, arm in arm with the groomsmen.  Caryn and Jon went last since they were the Best Man and Maid of Honor, both with smiles on their faces while walking the aisle together.  Jon kissed her cheek once they arrived at the end and took his place beside Joe while the wedding dirge sounded.  It was hard to watch Jon and Caryn together and once again, Vallea had nobody to blame except herself for not being in the wedding.  That would’ve been her if she wasn’t so stupid and selfish.

Monique looked stunning as she slowly moved down the aisle on her father’s arm, the ivory gown she had on simple and elegant, perfect for a beach wedding.  The ocean breeze blew off the water, the waves crashed lightly on the shore and the sun had just set on the horizon, giving off a golden glow.  An hour later, Joe and Monique were pronounced husband and wife with Joe dipping his newlywed bride, passionately kissing her in front of family and friends.  Everybody applauded them as they moved back down the aisle together to head up to the venue, where the reception would take place. 

First, more pictures had to be taken as Jon and Caryn, along with the rest of the wedding party, followed the bride and groom.  Vallea moved with the rest of the guests to the venue to take their seats and she was in the far back away from the long table that was specifically set up for the wedding party.  Jon couldn’t sit with her since he was the Best Man and had a speech and whatnot to give.  Instead, he was seated next to Caryn and Vallea noticed how they laughed and carried on together while the reception was underway, though she did it discreetly.

As soon as the opening dances started, Jon had to wait through the first few before he was to give Caryn a twirl and then he could just be a normal guest with his actual date. Caryn was gorgeous, no doubt about it, and she was funny enough, friendly enough… if not for Vallea and the fact that his heart still belonged to his murderous little vixen, he might’ve given it a try. Finally, he was done and he felt pretty pleased with himself because he had not stepped on her toes or her dress once, like he had the first million times they had tried this. “Thank you for your unending patience.” He laughed, kissing the top of her hand, his mind already straying to the woman sitting in the back.

Caryn chuckled, her soft brown eyes practically glowing at him. “The pleasure was all mine, Jon.  I’ll let you take me for a whirl anytime, day or night.” If that wasn’t an open invitation, nothing was.  She brushed her lips against his cheek, slipping something discreetly in his shirt pocket and walked away.  It was a spare keycard to her room.  Hopefully, he would take her up on the offer.

Vallea was on her second plate of shrimp, being careful not to drop or drip anything on her dress and also hadn’t missed how close Caryn and Jon had danced together.  She had no right to be jealous, even though it was bubbling up inside of her.  All she wanted to do was wrap Caryn’s long black hair around her neck and choke her to death.  She looked up when a shadow cast over her, seeing it was Jon and cracked a smile, dabbing her mouth with her napkin. “You were perfect, just like I knew you would be.  Nerves gone?”

“Yep.” Jon eyed her plate, grinning. She had always had a healthy appetite and he had noticed it had waned drastically. He knew why, he got it, but seeing her with a plate full of food, properly eating made him happy. “I’m actually a decent dancer.” He had made Joe pay for those lessons because it had been THEIR demand that he dance. He and Joe had even practiced together, not that they told anyone. “You want to dance, babe? After that plate?” Now that the boring shit was done, the good music would start. Was it indecent to grind at a wedding?

“You weren’t half bad out there.” Vallea conceded, finishing a crab cake and pushed her plate away, taking a sip of her beer.  Her body was more filled out now that she’d been eating and taking care of herself again.  The dark circles were gone from her eyes and she had her hour glass figure back. “I tell you what, they picked a hell of a menu for this shindig.” Jon wanted to dance with her?  Didn’t he have an obligation to Caryn?  Her insecurities were starting to shine through and she hadn’t missed the way Caryn had kissed his cheek either. “Yeah sure, I’m done with it, actually.” She had just finished her last bite when he showed up.

Chapter 52

The keycard in his pocket was forgotten as he led Vallea out onto the dance floor, their fingers intertwined together. His obligation Caryn was officially over and done with. He had walked down the aisle with her, danced with her, did the photo thing with her and ate at the wedding party table with her. She wasn’t his date and he had made that clear from the start of this shindig. He loosened his bowtie, letting it dangle on either side of his neck before pulling her against him, smiling down at her. “Did I say you looked gorgeous earlier?” He asked, pretty sure his mind had been correcting him with ‘fuckable’, probably because she was sporting that damn choker. Diamonds. It had sparkled and shined and gotten his attention a lot tonight, and sporting wood during a wedding was probably not socially acceptable. He had wanted to say something earlier but with as busy and hectic as everything had gotten… yeah.

Vallea moved with him smoothly and smiled, nodding. “Yeah, you did.  And thank you, again.” His jacket was off and Jon had also undone the top button on his dress shirt, along with the bowtie, wanting to be comfortable while dancing with her.  She didn’t mind, enjoying the feeling of his warm hand against the small of her back.  The dress dipped ALL the way down to her hips and completely exposed her back.  One hand was on his shoulder and the other was clasped in his while they swayed together to the music. “I was hoping this dress would pass be all right since it was a beach wedding.  I didn’t want to do anything too over the top.” Some guests looked like they were going to the damn prom and that wasn’t how Vallea rolled, not her style at all. “Have I told you how handsome you look tonight?” Sex on legs was more like it.

“You might’ve but I’m always open to hearing it again, babe.” Jon flashed her a grin, his pale blues lit up with warmth. This was how it was supposed to be. Him and her, enjoying themselves at this shindig. Granted, it could have probably been on better terms, but he’d take it. “You should see some of the bikinis the bridesmaids are wearing under their gowns.” Because there was an open bar, shit would eventually get interesting. An open bar had seemed like a bad idea but Joe and Monique had both said it wouldn’t be THAT bad. He was betting someone threw up somewhere stupid. “What do you have on beneath that itty bitty dress, doll?” Not a bra, that was for sure, her back was exposed.

How would he know about the bikinis?  Caryn more than likely told him to try to entice him, she wagered, hoping Joe and Monique were prepared for the repercussions of the open bar. “Nuh-uh, Good, you said this was a work date, remember?” Vallea shook her finger at him teasingly, feeling him press her closer to him and moved her hand from his shoulder to his neck, massaging it slowly. “Wouldn’t be very professional of me to tell you, now would it?” All she really had to do was take one part off and her body would be exposed. “I will say this – it’s not a bikini.” That would make his imagination run wild for a little while.

“I hope it’s a g-string or something…” He teased, though his eyes got a little darker, a hint of lust shining through as he considered it. “You… in nothing but some skimpy panties, with that choker…” His hand moved up her spine to brush the back of her neck where the choker clasped. Well, he had definitely crossed the defined boundaries of a ‘work date’, maybe she’d wind up nailing him for sexual harassment, the thought was hilarious. Clearing his throat, Jon put a little space between them, pretty sure he’d not be getting his deposit back on these slacks if he came in them like a twelve year old boy who had just found his dad’s Playboy stash.

Love wasn’t enough and he made that clear, but did that mean they couldn’t have a sexual relationship?  Not all sex had to be about love.  Sometimes, pure lustful sex was the best kind.  They had definitely crossed the professional line and she pulled him against her by the neck, her grip tightening slightly. “There’s only one way to find out.  You have to unwrap me yourself, Jon.” The desire had erupted in her hazel eyes as they continued to dance, their bodies pressed together and he was all she saw.  There was a reason she wore a diamond choker tonight instead of a regular necklace.  She recalled Jon saying chokers were hot and wanted to test that theory, to see if he noticed and how he’d react to it.

Bad Jon, bad Jon. There was NO way he and Vallea could have a purely sexual relationship. He already knew that and he was sure, deep down she did too. They had way too much history. Jon currently wasn’t thinking with the proper head though, his dick was going to lead him into making stupid decisions.

“Time for cake!” Caryn wasn’t overly pleased by all the attention this… whoever she was, was getting. She smiled brightly as Jon and his dance partner stopped, trying not to flush under the look Jon gave her.

“I swear, if you shove it into my face, Joe…”Monique could be heard saying as the cake was revealed. They had given their guests time to eat and relax before getting to dessert.

It was attention by one man, nobody else had batted an eyelash at them.  Caryn was treading on dangerous ground as everyone turned to watch the newlywed couple cut the first slices of cake.  Joe didn’t shove the cake into his wife’s face, but Monique did it to him, laughing as she did.  Of course she would!  Vallea giggled, feeling Jon’s hand on the small of her back again and that warm palm had her overheated.  Everyone clapped when Joe did shove cake in Monique’s face, making her squeal out, but turnabout was fair play.  Luckily, none of it got on her beautiful dress.  Caryn promptly walked up to them with two plates of cake and ‘accidentally’ sent Vallea’s right into her chest, smearing frosting on her dress.

“Oops, sorry about that.” Caryn didn’t sound sorry at all and handed Jon his cake with a smile. “Here you go, handsome.”

Even Joe and Monique had noticed that display, both sharing worried looks with each other.

The moment was ruined as Vallea slowly backed up, feeling her temper rising and there were too many people staring at her.  Anxiety was up, along with her temper, which was never a good combination. “Excuse me.” She whispered, walking out of the venue and did everything in her power not to start crying. “I’m such an idiot for coming here…”

Jon wanted to throttle Caryn but the one thing he wasn’t was a woman beater. Or a rapist. Or a murderer of kids. So… all things given, he wasn’t that bad a person. His hands convulsed, tempted as Hell to choke her out but he didn’t. “This looks delicious, honey.” He said, acting as if she hadn’t just sent Vallea fleeing the room under a cloud of humiliation. Jon took a step forward, tripped and his plate wound up in her damn smiling face, and he kept falling, because he seen things through.

Monique hid a smile behind her hand as Caryn went running out bawling while Jon pushed himself up onto his feet, apologizing profusely.

Vallea was halfway up the beach, having to navigate over some of the sand in order to get to the parked cars, when she heard screeching behind her.  Caryn, and her face full of cake, came barreling by her in tears, screaming at the top of her lungs at how much of an asshole Jon Good was.  Blinking, Vallea could only imagine what happened and continued on her way, having taken her heels off to walk in the sand faster.  Sand and heels did NOT mix.  She wiped a few tears from her cheeks, letting some of them fall, but Caryn’s outburst had temporarily jolted her out of her crying jag.

Jon had to make his excuses, apologizing up and down for the mishap, but he had to go find his date. Monique and Joe had waved him off, neither bother to hiding their smirks. Monique had seen the way Caryn had acted, so… Caryn wanted to act like a kid, she got to deal with Jon retaliating in the same fashion. Joe was just glad Monique hadn’t lost her shit over the incident. But now, now that the ring was on her finger and she was his wife, she seemed all happy and relaxed. Jon looked around, his eyes finally narrowing in on a pink dress way down the beach. Sighing, he took off after Vallea. Dress shoes and sand were not conducive to running.

Vallea stopped when she heard her name being called and groaned, not wanting to face Jon right now because she was a mess.  A cake splattered mess.  Granted, the cake only got on the top of her dress and boobs, but still, she had nothing to wipe it off with.  Grumbling, she slowly turned to face him as he jogged up to her and couldn’t meet his eyes, hoping her makeup wasn’t smeared from the light cry she had. “What is it?” She asked, crossing her arms in front of her chest and held her heels on her fingertips. “I’m going back to the hotel…”

“You’re a hot fucking mess, babe.” She had been crying, there were faint shimmery streaks through the make-up she had worn. Her hair was coming undone and she had frosting still smeared everywhere, that dress was probably ruined. “Caryn’s worse.” He reached out with a finger to wipe a smidge of frosting off the swell of her breast, popping the digit in his mouth. Delicious. “I’ll take you back, Val. I’m sorry she did that to you.”

“No, no don’t worry about it.  Don’t worry about me, I’m fine.” Vallea sucked her bottom lip between her teeth when he did that, making the mistake of raising her eyes to meet his. “You’re the Best Man and you shouldn’t leave the wedding yet.  Go have fun…” Her voice had grown softer, lower and that desire was back, raging powerfully inside of her and pulsating through her eyes.  All she wanted to do was have a fun-filled night with Jon and it’d been ruined, thanks to some jealous bitch that wanted what she couldn’t have.

“Oh… well, uh, after I tripped and accidentally knocked my plate of cake into Caryn’s face… I was released of my best man duties.” Jon said, scuffing his shoe in the sand and trying to hide a wicked smirk. “She left, so… besides not like I had anything else to do. We’re not carrying Joe to his honeymoon suite because he and Monique are bailing a few hours…” Which was why there was an open bar he supposed, so nobody noticed.

Vallea couldn’t help laughing, wishing she would’ve stuck around to see that go down and knew he did it because of her.  For her.  His overprotective nature had surfaced again and it made her heart do a funny flutter in her chest.  She did not blame Monique and Joe for taking off – hell, it was their wedding night and they loved each other.  They could do whatever they damn well pleased. “So, I’m assuming you’re not taking Caryn up on her offer from earlier?” She slid her hands up his buttoned up shirt and back down again. “I mean you did pie face her with cake, unless that was some kind of foreplay between you two…” Vallea tried and failed to keep a straight face.

“Her offer?” Jon echoed, confusion in his tone and written on his face. He felt her fingers skimming his pocket and mentally smacked himself, reaching in to pull out that keycard. “Caryn seemed nice enough,” Before she had pulled that stunt with Vallea. “But she’s not my type, babe. I don’t do thirsty bitches.” Well, not counting Darla but that was neither here nor there. “Besides, I HAVE a date.” He looped his arm around her, pulling her flush against his body. “Remember?”

She stroked the back of his neck, enjoying how close they were and she could practically taste his lips against hers. “How could I forget?” Her hand slid up his buzzed hair and back down, their chests pressed together and Vallea was sure he probably had a smear of cake on his shirt.  Jon didn’t seem to mind though, his eyes not leaving hers and the breeze felt wonderful coming off the ocean.  Deciding to take a chance, a risk, Vallea leaned up and forward on her tiptoes and brought his mouth down on hers, softly kissing him.  She missed him so much, the taste of him and his lips were just as soft as she remembered.  Vallea moaned, feeling his arm tighten around her more, the kiss deepening between them.

It was just a kiss, just a kiss, it didn’t mean it had to lead to other things. Jon’s proper head was telling him this, all logically and rationally, reminding him that sex with this woman was never going to be JUST sex, it was impossible. His dick, however, was straining in his boxer briefs, informing him that it had been an ungodly long time since the last time they had gotten laid -ever since she had moved back in actually- and she was willing, more importantly it was Vallea. He brought a hand up to her face, gently cupping her cheek and groaned. She tasted delicious, better than he remembered.

They were complicated and beyond messy.  Something or someone always came along to ruin what they had and Vallea didn’t want it happening again.  She couldn’t stand to have her heart broken by this man one more time or to break his.  Who was left to stand in their way, however?  Who would be foolish enough to try to destroy them a third time?  Vallea made it clear she would kill to protect Jon and Jon would do anything for her.  They had killed for each other – if that wasn’t true love, she didn’t know what was. “Still curious about what’s under this dress, handsome?” She asked in a mumble against his lips before kissing him again, not able to pull away fully or get enough. “If so, take us back to the hotel and unwrap it to find out…”

“Not to sound like a tool, but I’ve got a pretty good idea what’s under the dress, Val.” Jon rumbled, amusement in his eyes as he stared down at her. She flushed under his knowing look and his mind wandered back to the many, many times he had seen her naked. Of course, she wasn’t all skin and bones now, she was eating again, and she looked like a curvaceous goddess who needed to be worshipped. He bent down, lifting her up into his arms much the way Joe had done Monique earlier and twirled her in the sand. “You sure, doll? You won’t be able to walk straight for days.”

She pressed her forehead against his while he twirled her in the sand, caressing his bearded face with her hand and kissed him again. “I-I know I messed up and I hurt you really bad.  I’m not asking you to jump back into this with me either.  If all we have is one night together in Hawaii, I’ll take it.” If all he could give her was sex, at least she would be with him in some capacity and Vallea would learn to live with it, already feeling her heart beginning to mend.  She missed him so much, his smell, his touch, his kisses, the way he made love to her and how his cock felt deep inside of her. “I want you, Jon, only you…” Vallea kissed his neck, using her lips, tongue and teeth to tease his skin and felt his grip on her tighten.

“We both know this is going to be more than a night, Vallea.” He hissed, his head lulling backwards to give her full access to his throat. Teasing wench. “We were never good at not diving right into things.” He wasn’t sure, still, if that was a good or bad thing. But who was there left to stand between them? Nobody. Not unless Caryn turned out to be some sort of psychopath and even their luck wasn’t that bad, not even combined. “All right, before I fuck you right here in the sand.” Which wasn’t a bad idea…

“I’m just saying, if this is all you can give me…” Jon pulled back to press a finger to her lips, kissing her to shut her up. “Mmm hotel now…” As enticing as making love on the sand would be, she did not need that stuff in her lower extremities or wedding guests finding them boinking just outside of the venue.  No, she wanted her reconciliation with Jon to be completely private, still not into voyeurism.  Somehow, they managed to keep their hands off long enough to get back to the hotel, taking the backstairs up to her room since it was closer.  The moment the door was closed, Jon was on her and she accepted the onslaught, feeling him lift her to where her legs encircled his waist, their mouths hungrily devouring each other.  Vallea broke the kiss to once again attack his neck, unbuttoning his shirt to push it off his shoulders and arms, exposing his delicious bare chest.  She moved down as much as she could in this position to worship, touch and kiss every inch she could, feeling his muscles rippling beneath her touch and mouth.

Chapter 53

Hotel was better. Nobody needed sand burnt on their delicate extremities and he didn’t feel like having to irrigate his ass because he had brought half the beach back with him. Groaning in need, Jon forcefully pulled himself away from her and put some space between them. “On your feet, babe, time to unwrap you.” He wanted to see her without that dress, in just the choker, his eyes lingering on it. Chokers were hot, her in one, spank bank material for another time.

“Okay, it’s really simple.  Do you want me to do it or do you want to do it?” When he gestured for her to continue with his hand, Vallea smiled and reached up to pull one strap down her arm, unwrapping the dress from her body.  Most of the cake had gotten on the V-shaped neckline the dress had and Jon had managed to remove the rest of it with their making out.  Beneath the dress was a lace pink thong that contrasted beautifully with her skin.  Vallea removed the rest of it, taking the nude cups away from her breasts and let the material fall to the carpeted floor, dropping them along with it.  Now she stood before him in just the diamond choker and pink lace thong, watching his eyes darken to a deep cerulean as his eyes slowly scanned her from head to toe. “I didn’t want any panty lines since the dress is so thin as it is…” It wasn’t often Vallea wore thongs, but in this dress, it was a must.

It was like God had heard his silent prayers for the G-string -a thong was damn close, he’d take it- and just the diamond choker. Jon just stayed where he was, committing this view to memory. Long, delicious legs, meant to be wrapped around his waist. Those curvy hips that his hands molded to so perfectly. Finally, Jon moved to his knees before her, wrapping his hands around her ankles and letting them skim upwards very slowly, feeling her skin breaking out into goosebumps beneath his palms. “Mmm…” And back down again before he brought both hands up to lightly slap both ass cheeks and pulled her right into his waiting face.

She would never, ever wear a G-string, not unless it was for a special occasion involving Jon and he specifically asked for it.  She moaned at the feeling of his hot breath puffing against her lace covered sex.  The material was so thin, it was almost as if she could actually FEEL his breath completely.  This was how a man was supposed to treat a woman he loved and desired.  Her fingers ran over his head and massaged his shoulders while he continued kissing and tugging at the thong with his teeth teasingly.  Vallea had removed the bracelet at the venue and put it in her silver clutch, which was currently on the floor along with the dress and nude cups.  Without realizing it, she began to gently grind herself against his mouth and Jon smacked her backside again, squeezing her cheeks.

She could grind herself all over his face, he would die a happy man. Eventually, Jon got those thongs down and used his teeth to remove them to the knee, then he let his hands take over. “Mmm,” Her glistening sex was now properly bared to him and his growl of approval was probably what cause for the full body shiver she did. He ran the tip of his tongue up along her slit, his eyes rolling back into his head at her exquisite taste. It had been way too long.

It was a VERY good thing Vallea had shaved and cleaned up downstairs prior to the wedding.  Something told her to do it, so she had a very light strip of hair and made sure to Veet, wanting to be as smooth as possible.  She had no idea this would actually happen with Jon, but wearing a thong with a lot of hair down there wasn’t comfortable or sanitary. “Oh god…Jon…” She breathed out, grinding harder because his tongue had found that one sweet spot and she could already feel her climax building.  He was worshipping her pussy with his delectable tongue and lips, paying close attention to her clit.  All the while, her hands were on his head, lightly digging her nails into his skull since his hair was far too short to grab onto.

He was going to worship every inch of her before the night was over. He highly doubted Seth had gone out of his way to give her any sort of pleasure, Seth was obviously not that kind of guy. Or hadn’t been. Not if he had had to blackmail a woman into his bed. What kind of pathetic, insecure pencil dick did that shit? He reluctantly pulled one hand from her ass to move between her legs, adding additional stimulation. He was waiting for it, for her to cum all over his waiting tongue.

No, Seth had only been concerned with his needs and desires and getting his dick wet.  He didn’t care about her, not one iota, not like Jon.  Vallea could feel the pure love emanating from Jon with every swipe of his tongue and he’d been the last man to go down on her.  Seth never bothered since all of their encounters had been forced and rape.  Her thighs trembled, her knees shook and Vallea’s entire body tensed as the euphoric climax washed over her, gushing for him.  Only Jon.  Her hot juices coated his tongue and he began drinking his fill, her cries echoing around the hotel room.  It was a good thing Jon was holding her up because Vallea didn’t have the strength to stand on her own at the moment.

It was like holding up a warm, pliable corpse because she had become dead weight from the sheer magnitude of her orgasm. He didn’t mind the weight at all, rather enjoying the feel of her again. Standing up, Jon lifted her off the ground, feeling her body quivering from the aftermath and kissed the top of her head, letting her cool down. He set down with her in his lap, reaching for the bottle of unopened water on the nightstand and handed it to her. “Better refuel babe, we’ve got a long night ahead of us.”

“Open the double doors and let that ocean breeze in here, please.” Vallea requested in a murmur, taking the water and took a couple gulps while Jon set her on the bed, a dreamy smile on her face.  If this was a dream, she never wanted to wake up from it again.  She watched him open the doors and instantly, the breeze blew over her naked body, which felt absolutely amazing. “I’m okay.” She murmured, seeing the slight concern in his electric blues and reached for him, accepting a passionate kiss that sent her world spiraling, tasting herself on his tongue. “Fuck me until I pass out, Jon…”

That was a request he definitely couldn’t and wouldn’t refuse. Jon began shedding the rest of his clothes, fairly certain she’d pass out before he did. She had probably been celibate since Seth’s “tragic” death and likely hadn’t gone long when the man had been alive. Crawling up the bed to hover over her, Jon’s pale blue eyes raked over her. “You’re gorgeous, you know that?” And his, all his.

“You make me feel that way…beautiful, wanted, desired, loved…it’s always been you and nobody else.” Vallea didn’t want this to be fast or a quick fuck session.  She wanted him to make love to her slowly, to relish the feeling of their bodies connected again after all this time.  Jon’s assumptions were right, she had been completely celibate since she murdered Seth. Feeling him settle between her soft thighs, Jon kissed her as he slowly began pushing past her slick folds, reaching down to stimulate her a little.  He wasn’t a small man, not like Seth’s pencil thin dick and she gasped out against his mouth, their fingers lacing together to press into the mattress. “Oh Jesus…” She groaned out, her body trembling from the welcoming invasion and arched her neck, the feeling of him fully sheathed inside of her indescribable. “Fuck, I missed you so much…”

Jon just held that position, not moving. Well not of his own volition, he couldn’t stop his cock from giving the occasional twitch, it was begging him to move. But he wanted to prolong this, enjoy this feeling. The feel of her warm, velvety folds wrapped around him again, it had felt like an eternity and honestly, he wasn’t sure if they’d ever be together this way again. “I missed you too, doll.” He said, his voice coming out a rasp. After what felt like an eternity, he slowly began to move, not about to just pound away at her. He didn’t let go of her hands as he bent his head down, capturing a nipple gently between his teeth.

Two hours later, Vallea collapsed on top of Jon in a sweaty heap, her hair in all different directions from coming out of the updo she had it in.  They had taken each other to the clouds and back again, neither speeding up the slow, methodic pace they had set.  It ended with them both climaxing together, the intensity off the charts and crying each other’s names.  Jon had bolted upright and pulled her on top of him, emptying his seed inside of her receptive body.  It was a perfect night with the moon shining in the room, the ocean breeze blowing through the open door and their bodies molded together as one. “I love you…and I don’t care how long it takes, I will win you back completely.” She looked up at him, caressing his bearded face and leaned up to softly capture his lips, feeling him roll her to the side as they continued kissing. “I’m gonna prove it to you right now.  Marry me, Jonathan David Good, please?”

All Jon could do was stare at Vallea, wondering if she was pulling his leg. The world seemed to have sort of come to a dead stop for him, he could hear either the waves pounding the shore or that was his heart in his ears. “Say that again?” He asked quietly, listening as she softly repeated it. She was asking him to marry her. She wanted to get married again. Properly. To him of all people. He didn’t know what to think, though he could definitely feel something warm engulfing him. “Yes.” He said quietly, catching her hand and holding it against his cheek. “Yes, I will.”

“Yeah?  You will?” Vallea began raining kisses all over his face and finally planted a passionate one on his lips, wrapping her arm tightly around his neck.  She slowly pulled back with tears in her eyes, touching his face and gazed into his pale blues, resting her forehead against his. “I-I’m so sorry I hurt you…and I swear to you, I swear I will spend the rest of our lives together making it up to you.  Proving to you every day how much I love you.” Hell, if he wanted to start a family with her, she would do it in a heartbeat.  Whatever Jon wanted, she would give him because all Vallea wanted to do was make him happy. “You’re it for me, Jon.  You were it for me that day on the Red Rocks when you saved me.  And if I’m getting married for real, I’m only doing it once and I want it to be with you.  I want to be Mrs. Good and die when I’m 100-years-old in your arms…” Tears slipped down her cheeks as she pressed his hand against her pounding heart. “This has always been and always will be yours.  I’ve only given my heart to one man in my life and it’s you.  I’ve only ever said I love you to one other man in my life and it’s you, Jon.” Seth had tried to get her to say to him, but she refused and gladly dealt with the consequences. “You mean everything to me and I can’t be happy without you.  I can barely live and survive without you.  And I don’t need a big, fancy wedding like Monique and Joe had, unless that’s what you want.”

“I’m good either way, babe, whatever works for you.” Jon said, still a little bit dazed. They were engaged and he hadn’t been the one to propose. In all honesty, he thought Vallea would never want to get married again after her Vegas chapel special, he could scratch that kind of wedding right off the venue and type list. She had just given him words that most women wanted to hear and he got why. It gave them butterflies, made them flush, got their heart racing. “Don’t we ever do anything normal?” He demanded in a growl, beginning to kiss her over and over again. “I love you, Vallea. I’ve tried doing this without you, and it don’t work.” For either of them. “So you say when, and I’m there.”

Jon was wrong in his assumption of her not wanting a Vegas wedding.  There was no way in HELL Seth would destroy Vegas for her and Jon.  This was where they met and fell in love.  This was where they were happiest in their home on the outskirts.  It wasn’t the same chapel, but luckily, there were MANY chapels in the Las Vegas area to choose from.  She had chosen a rather extravagant one and wore a white wrap dress much like the one at Joe and Monique’s wedding.  The diamond choker was a must, Jon insisted on it and she had giggled before assuring him she would be wearing it. 

With her hair down, which was now waist length and curled for style, Vallea had gotten simple white roses with diamonds in them for her bouquet.  Jon had a thing about diamonds, which was why her engagement ring was a beautiful princess cut diamond ring with blue tiny sapphires on either side set on a white gold band.  Her wedding band was outlined in diamonds, simple and classic.  Surprisingly, Monique agreed to be Vallea’s Maid of Honor when she was asked and the girls finally reconciled.  Vallea had also come clean to Monique about what happened and what she did to Seth, not mentioning anything about Jon’s murders.  Those secrets she would die with.  Unfortunately, she had to just say Seth blackmailed her for something she did a long time ago in her past, before Vegas, and Monique didn’t question her on it.  At least it was the partial truth and it was good enough to get their friendship back on track again.

Just before the stroke of midnight, on New Year’s Eve, they were pronounced husband and wife and Jon kissed his bride.  Their wedding anniversary would forever be on New Year’s Eve now, which both were perfectly fine with.  Jon carted her off, driving them out to the Red Rocks and they made love for hours on end in the desert, consummating their marriage in front of the very place Jon had saved her life over two years ago.

The End.