Chapter 1

She was crazy.

That was the only word that could describe her.

The things she did would make a prostitute blush.

She didn’t care.  This was her.  This was who she was and nobody was going to stop her.  It was fun plain and simple.  She held the world in the palm of her hand and did with it as she pleased.

No regrets.

No remorse.

Life was too short and in her mind, it was worth living to the fullest of her ability and potential.

Being in a world that revolved around men and women grabbing each other and throwing each other around in a ring didn’t exactly decline her level of living, especially since it was pure craziness twenty four, seven.  Constantly moving from one place to another, like a nomad.  Catching planes, driving long distances and stopping to eat when one could.  Total craziness, it never slowed down and she loved it.

Working for the World Wrestling Entertainment had its up and downs as did with everything in life.  The pros outweighed the cons though that was for sure.  Who wouldn’t enjoy staring at hot sweaty, half naked men all day?  A girl would have to be insane NOT too!  As well as a guy if they were gay and in this world, anything and everything was possible.

Tuesday nights were her favorite time of the week.  Mondays were fine too because of Raw, but her closest friends and foes were on Smackdown!, in her opinion the number one show out of the two.  That was her story and she was sticking to it like glue to paper.

The chaos was never ending and with their biggest event of the year coming up in just shy of a month, to say their lives were a mess would be the understatement of the century.  People were running around like chickens with their heads cut off.  Every show mattered so much more now that WrestleMania was approaching and everyone was increasing their game, rising the tempo and intensity more.

She loved it, the atmosphere was indescribable and lit her blood on fire, intrigued her more than words could say. 

Two inch heels clicked against the concrete flooring of the arena as she walked down the hallway, wearing a short black skirt that went two inches above the knee along with a deep wine colored top that showed off her bare midriff.  Her bust pressed against the top, showing off enough cleavage that would drive any man crazy, and it was a halter that tied around her neck.  Maybe she was a tease, maybe she was considered a whore, but she did not care.

She refused to allow anyone to tell her how to dress, how to act, what was appropriate, what wasn’t.  She was a grown woman capable of making her own decisions in life.  People could talk behind her back all they wanted and insult her, she did not care.  The insults only fueled her will more to stand out in the crowd, to make a statement. 

To show she wasn’t afraid to show her true colors.

Tonight was no different.

Eyes turned to stare at her.  Some kind, some full of hate and jealousy and some full of curiosity.  She did not care and ate every emotion up by displaying a soft smile on her gloss covered lips.  She winked at a few of the kind eyes on her way to her office, her head held high and shoulders square.  She knew who her true friends were and believe it or not, she had them.  She had their trust and understanding.

It was enough for her.

Her smile broadened, seeing her name displayed on the door and could not believe after all this time it still struck her as surreal she was here.  Three years.  It was unbelievable and she had lived every moment to the fullest from day one, from the moment she signed on the black line.

Without a second thought, she unlocked the door with her key and walked in, the smell entering her nostrils as she tossed her bag to the side nonchalantly.  She had a busy night ahead of her, she just knew it so she didn’t waste another second and got to work.  Though before she did, she decided to change out of her outfit and into some blue jean shorts with holes in them, keeping her top, and slipped on a pair of white gym shoes.  She’d wear the heels later when she went to a local club like she did in every city they went too.

A knock sounded at the door about an hour later followed by the door opening.  She did not even look up, too busy cleaning off the bedding and changing the covering.  She did it after every session, knowing how sweaty the men could get after working out or wrestling in the ring.

“You never cease to surprise me, Nami.”

A smirk tilted her lips when she heard that, finishing with the bedding, and finally looked up to meet a pair of intense blue eyes.  “Hey Legend Killer.” She greeted, her silver eyes gleaming in the light that shone above the bedding.  “What brings you to our side of the tracks?”

Randy was on the Raw brand, though most Superstars traveled together during WrestleMania build up time. 

Randy chuckled and shook his head, crossing his arms in front of his chest.  “Came to pay my favorite masseuse a visit.  Is that a crime?” He shot back playfully, causing her to giggle. 

Randy was one of her best friends, had been since she started in the company.  He was on the Smackdown brand until Vince McMahon and the writers decided to rip him away from her and send him to Raw.  They rarely had time to hang out anymore, but it was moments like these she treasured most.

“When don’t I have time for my favorite Raw Superstar?” She quipped with a smirk, patting the bedding, and walked over to wash her hands off.  She refused to start a job without clean hands, especially since she did not know where those covers came from and did not care to find out.

Randy grinned.  “That’s what I’m talking about.” He hopped on the bedding, looking like a kid in a candy store, and she couldn’t help but laugh at him.  “Come here baby and give me some of that sugar.”

“Randall, do not make me call up Samantha and tell on you.” She threatened playfully and walked over after drying her hands off, tapping her chin in thought at which scent to use on him.

“Please, she knows it’s mutual between us baby cakes.” He replied and chuckled when she simply winked at him over her shoulder. 

“Damn right, I came first.  She can have the leftovers.”

Randy laughed and shook his head before lying down on the bedding on his back, needing his knee looked at, which she already knew.  “Nami, you’re a piece of work.  No wonder I love you so much.” He stated and folded his hands beneath his head, staring up at the dimmed light with a smile. 

“Please, don’t try charming me, Legend Killer.” She replied and decided on a sand dusk scent, plucking it out of its holder and rubbed some on her hands.  She wanted it to be warm, knowing Randy couldn’t stand the cold.  “You only love me because I seem to make your injuries melt away with a good massage.”

“Hey!  I resent that, Namine!”

She giggled at the look on his face and shook her head before grabbing a nearby stool and placed it at the foot of the bedding.  “You know it’s true, don’t deny it.” She loved how they could banter back and forth jokingly with no tension, just pure trust and an unbreakable friendship. 

She and Randy had a bond that most didn’t because a woman and a man could not be friends on the road without getting freaky in the bedroom.  That wasn’t the case with them and she loved Randy for that reason.  He was her big brother and always looked out for her, even though she despised it.  Randy would simply say it came with the territory and she was apart of his family.  They were truly brother and sister.

“So how you’ve been, baby cakes?” He asked, using his special nickname he gave her when she first started, and grunted when she began working on his knee.

“Never better.  Judging by the shape this knee is in, I can’t say the same for you though.”

Randy grunted with a roll of his eyes, sighing.  “I tell you one thing, Jeff is a mean machine when in the ring.  I can’t imagine why they didn’t push him sooner in the title picture.” He stated, causing her to nod in agreement, and smiled at how focused she was on the task at hand.

“No offense sweet cheeks, but he deserves the title.” She stated without preamble and began working the muscle in his knee, trying to get it to crumble in her hands.  It would happen, she just had to give it a little elbow grease.

“I couldn’t agree more, but you know how the writers are.” He replied, knowing Jeff deserved to hold the strap.  He was all for it, but apparently the writers were enjoying making him a total and complete dickhead in the ring.  He grunted again when she hit another sore spot, knowing it had to be done.

“Damn Randy, why didn’t you come to me sooner with this?” She demanded, a hint of worry in her tone, but that smile never left her face.  “This is as hard as a rock.”

“As is the rest of me.” He added with a grin, causing her to smack his knee and he yelped in pain.  “Hey now, I didn’t come here for abuse woman!”

“Then stop talking dirty to me.  You know I can’t handle it and you can’t do anything about it.” She smirked, causing his blue eyes to twinkle merrily before both shared a heartfelt laugh.  “God I miss you.  I love Smackdown don’t get me wrong, but it’s not the same without my Legend Killer.”

Randy sighed, nodding.  In truth, he missed Namine and wished he was on Smackdown again.  It would make life so much simpler, but as usual, it was out of their hands.  “Hey after the show is over with, you got plans?” He asked suddenly, needing to change the subject to something lighter.

Namine smirked up at him.  “What do you think?” She retorted swiftly before working on his knee again, needing to take a little break before her hands cramped up. 

Randy chuckled and popped himself in the forehead with his hand.  “I should’ve known.  You are the party queen.” He stated, causing that smirk on her face to broaden even more.

“Damn straight.  So what did you have in mind?” She pressed, now moving her hand up his knee to try to work the muscle out vertically since horizontally wasn’t getting her anywhere.

“Just wondering.  I thought maybe we could hang out, paint the town red.” Randy said in a suggestive tone, causing her to giggle back at him in reply.  “What?”

“You paint the town red?  Please.  You’re an old married man now, sweet cheeks or did you forget that little factor?” She reminded him coyly, causing Randy to grunt with a roll of his eyes and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

“I can party along with the best of’em!” He defended, staring at her with blazing blue eyes, and groaned when she simply smacked his knee.  “Again with the abuse!  I feel so unloved!”

Namine snorted and laughed, not able to help herself, and continued working on his knee, finally starting to break the muscles down.  “Prove it.  Come out to the club with me tonight.” She challenged with a raised eyebrow, wondering if, since he was married, he would go for it.

Randy smirked back at her, knowing what she was thinking, and extended his hand.  “You got yourself a partner in crime.” He stated and allowed her to finish his massage as they chattered with small talk.

When she finally got his knee to relax, they made plans to meet up after the show was over with and Namine showed him the door.  Randy hugged her and kissed the top of her head before walking off, pulling out his cell to call his wife.  Namine snickered from behind and shook her head before closing the door, knowing he was calling Samantha to tell her they were going out that night. 

One thing Namine loved about his wife was the fact that she was very trusting, not fazed by the way she dressed.  She and Samantha clicked together well when they first met and she ended up being the woman’s maid of honor at their wedding.  Namine would never forget it as she closed her door and started cleaning up for her next client of the night.

Chapter 2

Another night, another dollar.

That was pretty much all it was anymore, a routine.

Of course, working for a company such as this and being the big Superstar he was definitely had its perks.  It was never boring and something crazy was always going on.  Either his co-workers were busting his balls about something or streaking through the hallways naked.  Young bucks.  He honestly knew he could not live without them.

Then there were some that just agitated his nerves and made his blood boil.  The cockiness and arrogance, it made him want to plow his fist in their face.  Of course, he couldn’t do that or he’d get fined.  Sometimes being fined was worth breaking the rules though.  After all, rules were made to be broken. 

In all of his life, he never imagined he’d wind up doing something like this.  Kicking people’s asses for money and enjoy doing it.  Having women practically throw themselves at him.  Nothing surprised him anymore when it came to the fans.  Panties were thrown his way every day, even through the damn airport if that was believable.  He never did take any of them into his bed, not wanting an STD or something even viler.

Granted, after two failed marriages he was done with trying to settle down with that special someone for the remaining years of his life.  He just kept moving forward because honestly, that’s all he could do.  Though the road did get lonely at times and he craved to have a warm body to sleep with.  He wouldn’t lower his standards though and take a ring rat into his bed.  Then he’d be like the rest of his co-workers, married or not. 

It wasn’t happening.

His hand was throbbing something fierce after a two hour autograph signing that had people lined up around the block.  This was one of the cons the business had, which was signing autographs until his hand throbbed or fell off.  One of the two.  He knew it’d get worse after he reclaimed the title at WrestleMania from Adam Copeland, who was known worldwide as simply Edge.

Being champ had its up and downs, one of the downs being the autograph sessions.  Though the perk was he was on top of the mountain and felt untouchable.  Of course, he was the leader of the locker room, everyone respected him, and rightfully so.  He’d been in the business for over two decades and stayed at main event status throughout most of them, the first few years being rocky.

Everyone who started out in the business nowadays didn’t have HALF the problem he did back then and it kind of made him jealous.  How the new bucks like John Cena and Randy Orton nearly shot their way up the ranks as soon as they debuted in the company.  That’s how it went nowadays though.  The company needed to have the new blood as champions and Superstars so when the veterans, like himself, retired they wouldn’t be left high and dry.

So now here it was Tuesday evening, another night to show his dominance in the ring.  The goose bumps were still there, beading on his arms and the shivers still coursed through his body every time he stepped inside an arena.  It was one of those jobs he loved going too every single day and night and performing to his full ability.  With WrestleMania, the biggest stage of them all, just around the corner he had to up his game and smirked wickedly.

“Hey ‘Taker.”

“What’s up Deadman?”

“Yo Phenom, what’s crackin’?”

The same idle greetings, though he still couldn’t get over the 'what’s crackin’' comment from John Cena.  The kid had a rap gimmick when he first debuted in the company, but that’s honestly who he was.  He would just grunt and nod his head at the greetings, not stopping in walking down the hallway toward his dressing room, bag slung over his shoulder.

“Hey Mark.” Michelle McCool greeted, walking away from talking to Torrie Wilson, who was also known backstage as ‘Whorrie’.  She had a bad reputation for screwing anything that moved and had a dick attached.  He never touched her and never would.

He grunted again, nodding, wondering what she wanted as he kept on making his way through the ranks and craziness of the hallway.

“I was like thinking about my in ring performance like last week and like wanted your opinion.”

He could already feel a headache brewing and wished the woman could learn to speak a single sentence without using the word like.  Reaching up, he pinched the bridge of his nose and adjusted the bag over his shoulder as he kept walking, hoping to lose her in the sea of co-workers.  No such luck unfortunately.

“It was fine, just keep at it.” He said, hoping that would be enough for her and she’d leave him alone before he ended up choke slamming her perky ass right then and there.

Her eyes sparkled with happiness and he inwardly sighed with relief as she bounced off, her bleach blonde hair going with her.  Thank god.  He was hoping he wouldn’t have to resort to drastic measures and pull the disappearing act.  That woman drove him insane and not in a good way either.  Her voice made his skin crawl and he couldn’t believe his boss had forced him to train her in the ring.

Not to mention he’d slept with the broad after one two many shots of Jack Daniels.

Not the brightest thing in the world to do, but at the time he couldn’t even tell which way was right and left.

‘I’ll never drink with a Diva again.’ He thought and rubbed his temple, finally making it to his locker room. 

His sanctuary.  The one place he knew he could go and nobody would disturb him.  He hurried inside and closed the door, pressing his back to it, and let the bag slide from his shoulder to the floor.  Maybe now the headache would diminish and he could get his mind focused on his match for the evening against Zack Ryder.

The kid had no idea what he was getting himself into, but that was the writers and he wasn’t going to complain.  It would be easy and painless, flawless victory.  He chuckled ruefully and walked over, settling down on the couch, having pulled his bag over with him.  Fishing through it, he started pulling out his wrestling attire and gear, laying it on the couch beside him, and raked his hands through his hair as the bandana slipped from his head.

A knock sounded at his door followed by his best friend strolling in.  He didn’t have a lot of friends in the company, but this man definitely was one of them.  They’d been through Hell and back in the ring…literally. 

“Man, sometimes I really can’t stand Vince.” Glenn said by way of greeting, growling, causing his eyebrow to shoot up in question.

“What’d he do now?”

“He wants to put me in WrestleMania against Viscera.  Can you believe that shit?” Glenn was pissed and rightfully so.  The man deserved a break and to cement his name in the legacy books of this company.  They were holding him back and he didn’t understand why.

He sighed, feeling the headache starting to return, and knew he would end up taking it out on that poor defenseless kid Ryder later on in the ring.  “I don’t know what to tell ya man.  I personally think they should let ya go after the United States title against that fucker Montel.”

Montel was one of those men that fell under the category of wanting to punch their lights out.  He was cocky, arrogant, and thought the world revolved around his ass.  On more than one occasion, both of them had knocked him down a peg or two, but it hadn’t sunk into the kid’s skull yet.

Glenn nodded and sunk down on the couch next to his best friend, sighing heavily.  “I would like to hold at least ONE more title before I retire.” He’d been in the game for over a decade now and his body was slowly starting to give out.  “Sorry about the ranting, man.  What’s up with you?”

“Nothin’.  Is it wrong to secretly wanna strangle McCool’s scrawny neck?” He asked casually, causing Glenn to snort before laughing, clapping him on the back.

“Mark, ya slept with her, man.  Now she’s attached.” Glenn stated, causing Mark to stare back at him with narrowed slit acid green eyes.

“Get bent.” Mark growled, causing Glenn to laugh harder, knowing he got under the man’s skin.  He loved it.  It was so easy lately that Glenn couldn’t resist.

“Do tell me something.  When you fucked her, did she moan like a fish?” Glenn dodged a fist as he laughed harder, knowing Mark’s temper was up, and shook his head as he dodged another one.  “Man, if you wanted to play, you should’ve said so.”

“Yer askin’ for it, Red.” Mark growled menacingly, calling Glenn by his nickname since he was the Big Red Machine.  “So besides coming in here and making my headache worse, what else did you want to talk about?”

Glenn grinned and chuckled, knowing Mark knew him better than he knew himself at times.  “After the show tonight, I wanted to know if you wanted to go out for a few drinks.” He bat his eyelashes.  “You know, a date?”

Mark’s hand shot out and popped him in the back of the head, causing Glenn to groan, and smirked at the man’s pain.  “Try sayin’ that again smartass without actin’ like ya want in my pants.” He stated and stood up, already beginning his shadow boxing ritual he did every night before a match.

“Damn Mark, you could’ve seriously hurt me!” Glenn whined, rubbing his head, knowing he had it coming though for being a smartass.  He could not help it though, he loved ruffling Mark’s feathers because it was too easy to do so.  “Here I am coming here out of the goodness of my heart askin’ ya if you wanna go out after work for a few drinks and I get abused for it!  Where’s the justice?”

“Up yer ass and ‘round the corner.” Mark grunted out in response, never stopping in his shadow boxing as he jabbed left and right, increasing the quickness even more.  “Sure, I’ll go.  Any place you were thinkin’?”

Glenn chortled and shrugged, standing up from the couch.  “I’m not sure if I wanna take a man with an attitude like yers.” He said nonchalantly, causing Mark to quirk an eyebrow at back him and simply shrugged.

“Fine, take Cena.  I’m sure the two of ya would have a blast together.” Mark smirked, knowing how much Cena annoyed Glenn, and continued in his ritual, refusing to stop just because he had a guest in his locker room.  He had to up his game tonight against Ryder, the poor kid wouldn’t stand a chance.

“Ha ha very fuckin’ funny.” Glenn snorted and placed his hands on his hips, scowling deeply.  “You know I can’t stand that little shit.  He annoys the Hell outta me with those damn raps.”

“You love it and you know it.” Mark retorted swiftly and growled when Glenn popped him in the back of the head, acid green eyes blazing with fury and vengeance.  “That’s fine, cue ball.  Next time I’ll make sure ya have a damned concussion.”

Glenn laughed and slapped his knee, shaking his head at their antics.  “Should we invite Austin along?” He asked, causing Mark to quirk an eyebrow and shrugged his shoulders.  

“It don’t matter to me.  Though if you remember last time, the bastard drank yer ass under the table.”

“And I had a Hell of a time doin’ so.” Steve said from behind, causing Glenn to turn around while Mark continued in his shadow boxing, both men knowing he wouldn’t stop just because of them.  “So, where we goin’ tonight, gents?”

Glenn groaned and slapped his face, wondering how Steve seemed to show up at the most inopportune times.  “Nowhere ya need to concern yerself with.” He stated, causing Steve to chuckle as he walked over and made himself comfortable on the couch.

“There’s a place down the road that I spotted on the drive here on my bike.” Mark said, ignoring Glenn’s glare as he turned so he was facing both men, but didn’t stop jabbing his fists forward and back.  “It looked like a club/bar type…” He trailed off with a shrug.

“Worth a shot.  I’m game.” Steve stated and cracked open a beer he brought with him, causing Glenn to sigh wearily.

“Fine, but I’m not getting involved in another drinkin’ game with you Austin.”

Steve grinned and took a long swallow of his favorite beverage before leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, arching a pale blonde eyebrow.  “Whoever said ya did son?”

Mark laughed at that one and shook his head as Glenn stalked out of the dressing room, knowing Steve got under his skin every time.  He then came back in to make plans to meet up with Mark and Steve after the show before storming out again, amusing both to say the least.  Steve left soon after Glenn, wishing Mark good luck in his match, and Mark could only smirk, knowing he would not need it.  Zack Ryder was going to find out what happened when he messed with the Deadman tonight as Mark finished his shadow boxing before going to take a quick shower.

Chapter 3

The clock struck nine, causing Namine to sigh with a roll of her eyes as she decided to take a break.  Her stomach growled, telling her it was time to eat before she keeled over from lack of nutrients in her system.  Pulling a black sweater on, leaving it unzipped, Namine placed her sign on the door handle and walked out, closing the door behind her.

The cafeteria was packed as usual, but Namine never ate alone.  She smiled upon seeing Randy and John sitting at a table along with Ken Anderson, who most people knew as Mr. Kennedy, Ashley, Maria, Paul, Stephanie and, to her shock, Steve.  It didn’t surprise her when Randy’s hand shot up, waving her over, causing a smile to break out on her face as she obliged his insistent waving.

“Okay, stop that before you hurt yourself.” She stated, causing Randy to smirk before sitting down beside him, crossing one leg over the other.  “Hey guys.”

“There’s our favorite masseuse.” Paul stated with a smile, holding his near two year old daughter in his arms, Aurora Rose.  She was beautiful and had her daddy’s dishwater blonde hair and Stephanie’s breathtaking blue eyes.

“We thought you’d never come out of your sanctuary.” Stephanie said, taking Aurora from Paul when she became fussy, knowing she had not been put down for a nap that day.

“Aww what’s the matter angel?” Namine asked with a slight frown, causing Aurora to fuss more, and sighed.  “I’m not good with kids apparently.”

Randy rolled his eyes and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, grinning.  “We love you just the way you are, Nami.” He stated, causing her to roll her eyes, but leaned into his body.  She truly missed him.

“Long time no see, sugar.” Steve said, causing her to smirk back at him with those twinkling silver eyes of hers, her shoulder length black hair shining in the lights above. 

“Good to see you too, Austin.” She replied, that smirk never leaving her lips, and turned her attention back to Randy, who looked more lost than ever.  It caused her to giggle as she took a bite out of her salad.  “So what’s everyone doing here?”

John, Ashley, Maria, Ken, Stephanie and Paul were all on Raw along with Randy while Steve bounced back and forth between the brands.  Though he was on Raw most of the time since Vince thought of it as the superior and money maker out of both shows.  Namine enjoyed working on Smackdown simply because it was less hectic than Raw, even though she loved the chaos.  She honestly missed working on Raw and wished Vince would send her back so she could be with her friends.  She had very few on Smackdown and for good reason.

The prime example walked through the door moments later, sporting yet another ring rat on his shoulder.  David Bautista.  He was the playboy of all playboys, having a different girl on his arm every night.  People honestly wondered if he had a girlfriend in every city they went too.  The man cared about two things:  Cars and women.  That was it.  It was sickening and yet he had the nerve to demand why he wasn’t champion. 

Following the man whore was none other than the female version of himself in Michelle McCool.  Namine could not STAND her.  She hated this woman with a passion and could not believe Vince even hired her to begin with.  She had the personality of a bird and generally squawked like one.  Not to mention Michelle screwed anything that hung and that wasn’t an understatement either.  Someone even said that she screwed Big Dick Johnson, which was sickening at the very THOUGHT.

Namine was not an angel by any means and slept around, but she was nowhere as bad as Michelle.  The woman literally spread her legs for anything and EVERYTHING that headed her way, as long as it had a dick attached.  She was very surprised Michelle had not wound up pregnant with how many co-workers she screwed on the Smackdown roster. 

Pregnancy was not a big deal to Namine, especially since she took extra precautions with every man she slept with.  She was straight as an arrow and made sure she asked every partner their sexual history, if they had any STDs, AIDS, anything of that nature.  She made sure she always used a condom and had the shot for birth control every six months by her family doctor.  Namine did not want children; she enjoyed her freedom and feared that if she ever did have a child, she’d end up hating it for taking away what she loved most.

Namine had one rule and it was very simple.  She refused to sleep with anyone she worked with and with good reason.  She did not want a reputation like Michelle McCool and generally kept her sex life private instead of sharing it with the entire world.  There were opportunities that presented themselves and Namine was very tempted to take them up, but thought about the repercussions of it and would walk in the other direction.  Such souls that were burned by Namine’s rejections included Ken and Steve.  Steve being the one she was VERY tempted to sleep with, but she would never admit that fact.

Everyone knew Namine did not sleep with any of the wrestlers and some respected her for it while others called her a tease.  She did not care.  Namine would not let anyone pressure her into doing something she did not want to do.  She was a very independent woman and liked doing things her way.  As a famous person once said my way or the highway.  Well, it was her way or the highway as far as Namine was concerned and she made that factor well known to everyone.

“Namine?  You okay?” Maria giggled, waving her hand in front of the woman’s face, causing her to snap out of her deep thoughts.

“Yeah, sorry.  What were we talking about?” She asked, causing everyone to stare at her with raised eyebrows, wondering what had her attention.  “Why are you all staring at me like I just grew a second head?”

“Something’s different about you.” Ashley decided to speak up first, breaking the ice so to speak, and crossed her arms in front of her chest.  “Spill it girl, what did you do now?”

That got a round of laughter from the table, causing Namine to roll her eyes heavenward as she took another bite out of her salad.

“Or more importantly, who did you nail?” Maria piped in, causing a slow smirk to spread across Namine’s lips as she swallowed her mouthful of food, dabbing the lips with a napkin.

“So maybe you caught me.” She finally said, deciding to let them think what they wanted even though sex was the furthest from her mind.  “I banged a hot, single body builder last night and oh was it good.” Her tone dripped with sarcasm, causing Randy to laugh as he hugged her close to him.  “Honestly you two, sex isn't what I’m all about.”

“Oh really?” Steve questioned, raising an eyebrow, his arms crossed in front of his chest.

“Yes really.  God.  What is so wrong with being single and enjoying myself?” Namine demanded, suddenly not hungry anymore, and pushed her food away.  “I’m not Michelle McCool and I refuse to jump into bed with anyone that has a dick attached to them.  I do have standards, Austin.”

Icy blue eyes flashed back at her, a hint of anger evident in them.  “So I wasn’t good enough fer ya?” He demanded his tone full of venom as he pierced her with his gaze.  Everyone suddenly became quiet, knowing the history Namine and Steve had together.

Promptly looking up at him with her silver eyes that turned to hard steel, Namine slowly stood up from the table, never taking them away from him.  “No, you weren’t.  No wrestler is worth my time or effort.  Get over it and move on.” She stated evenly, causing everyone to clear their throats, knowing this situation was becoming heated and fast.

“Or maybe we’re too good for you.” David said as he walked up, his ring rat attached to his arm like superglue, and that caused another eye roll. 

“Please, I wouldn’t touch you with a nine hundred thousand, nine hundred, ninety nine foot long pole and maybe an even longer one if they were made.” Namine replied icily, glaring back at the man whore of the WWE, and placed her hands on her hips, daring him to say something else.  “Now why don’t you turn around with your little slut on your arm and get bent?  This conversation doesn’t concern you Bautista.  As a matter of a fact, none of us do.”

“Why you little slut!” He shouted his face growing red with both anger and embarrassment and Namine found it rather amusing as a smirk tilted her lips.

“What’s the matter Bitchtista?  Can’t handle bein’ taken down a notch or two?” Her and Steve’s argument was suddenly forgotten, turning her bitchy attitude towards him since he decided to intervene in something that was none of his business.  “Or should I ask YOUR little slut here?”

The ring rat’s eyes widened and her mouth was in the perfect shape of an O, obviously shocked that she was being involved in this.

“You better watch your mouth Namine.  You’re writing checks your ass can’t cash.” David warned venomously, brown eyes flashing, and narrowed them when Randy walked up to stand beside her.

“It’s your fault that you decided to get in her business, asshole.” Randy stated, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, his blue eyes never leaving David’s.  “Why don’t you move along and go do what you do best?”

David raised an eyebrow, wondering what this punk meant by that and it showed in his current expression.

“In other words, Bitchtista, go bend that little whore over your couch in your dressing room and fuck the shit out of her and then go to one of your precious cars, drive all night, and run yourself right off a fucking cliff.” Namine clarified, causing everyone at the table to gape at her, not believing the fortitude this woman had on her.  She was not afraid or anything or anyone.

He opened and closed his mouth several times, only to come up with absolutely nothing, and the amusement shined brightly in her silver eyes.  Growling, David turned on his heel and stomped out, the ring rat trailing behind him in her two inch heels, trying to keep her mini skirt down past her ass.

“Girl you got balls.” Ashley stated, bursting out laughing, and walked over hugging her tightly.  “No wonder I miss you so damn much on Raw.”

Namine grinned and hugged her back, not fazed in the slightest, and turned to face Randy with a raised eyebrow.  “Why did you defend me?” She asked, causing him to sigh as he lowered his head a little.  If there was one thing Namine could not stand, it was being defended when she was capable of doing it herself.

“He was getting out of line.” He mumbled, his face turning red, knowing Namine was probably mad at him.  “You know I can’t help it.”

“He was trying to protect you, Namine.  Give the boy a little breathing room.” Ken stated, causing her to glare back at him, knowing he too was wondering why he wasn’t good enough for her.

“Stay out of it, Kenny before I start in on your ass.” Namine threatened, causing his brown eyes to narrow slightly.

“Do you have to be such a bitch all the time?” Ken demanded angrily, causing her to smile sweetly back at him, batting her eyelashes and clearly giving him his answer.  “Whatever.” He grunted and sat back down, shoving his food away from him suddenly not hungry.

“So are you and Davey boy homies now, Steve?” John demanded, having been quiet throughout all of this, and crossed his arms in front of his chest as he stared at the man hardening.  “I mean, every time you see Namine it’s always the same shit and-”

“Can it son.  This doesn’t concern you.” Steve ordered, his blue eyes focusing back on Namine, narrowing slightly.  “We have unfinished business.”

“No we don’t.  What we have is you STILL trying to get in my pants even though I’ve told you several times I do NOT fuck co-workers.” Namine corrected evenly, not backing down from him.  She backed down from no one and made it crystal clear.

“What IS your type then Namine?” Steve demanded gruffly, rubbing his bald head with his large hands, wondering what was so wrong with him that she wouldn’t take a chance.  Just one chance was all he wanted.

She actually laughed and shook her head, snorting.  “Stevie boy, it definitely isn’t a man who drinks beer constantly, is demanding and pushy, and is bald.  Sorry.” She winked at Randy before walking past Steve and out of the cafeteria, leaving everyone to stare after her retreating form.

“Damn.”

“Shut up.” Steve growled glaring at everyone, daring them to make one crack before finally storming out of the cafeteria, obviously ticked off.

“That went well.” John muttered, causing Randy to sigh heavily as he lowered his head, wondering exactly how long Steve would be on the road.

Randy sighed and followed John out of the cafeteria, leaving just Paul and Stephanie there with their sleeping little girl.  Maria and Ashley had vacated after the incident with David and Ken stormed out after Steve, apparently still sore at Namine’s rejection.  Sighing, Paul led his family out as well, needing to talk to the writers about the storylines on Smackdown as of late.

Chapter 4

“What do you want Michelle?”

She was taken aback by his attitude, but was determined to get his attention.

“Marky, don’t be like that.” She crooned seductively, running her hand up and down his strong, muscular tattooed covered arm.

His green eyes followed her hand and growled, shrugging it off as he rolled his head back and forth, cracking it before doing his knuckles.  “I asked you a question.  Either answer it or get the fuck out of my dressing room.”

Michelle frowned, not liking this attitude and vibe she was getting from him, and placed her hand on his arm again.  “What’s wrong?” She asked, sounding genuinely concerned.

“You.” Was his response as he shrugged her hand off again and pulled his gloves off.  The match was quick and easy and Mark currently had the kid’s blood running down his chest in rivulets, the black eyeliner still outlining his eyes.

“Marky…”

“Stop calling me that!” His voice boomed throughout the dressing room, causing her to jump, and rolled his eyes as a snarl formed on his lips.  “The name is ‘Taker or Mark, take your pick.” He was still somewhat in character and if Michelle wasn’t careful, he’d end up choke slamming the bitch right on the concrete flooring of his dressing room.

Michelle frowned and walked over, slowly running her hands up his strong, muscular back, the muscles twitching beneath her fingertips.  “But you know I LOVE calling you that.” She softly replied and rested her cheek against his back. 

“And you know how much I can’t stand being called that pet name of yours.” He argued and shrugged her off, feeling disgusting and suddenly needing a hot shower.  He wanted no memory of her touch on his skin, it repulsed him.  “Shouldn’t you be fucking Palumbo or Noble?”

She blinked, mouth hanging open, and could not believe what he just said.  “Mark, you’re the only one for me, baby.  You know that.” She stated, sounding hurt and confused.  “W-Why would I ever cheat on you?  I’m not that cheating bitch Sara!!”

A second later, Mark’s hand was firmly wrapped around her petite neck, squeezing, and slammed her back against the wall.  His green eyes were pure acid, no emerald, and the anger coursing through them was enough to scare anyone.  Michelle squeaked and swallowed hard, clawing at his arm, trying to get him to release her.  It was no use though. 

“Listen to me carefully, Michelle.” He stated his voice low and demonic as his muscles tensed to the point where it looked like the veins in his arms and neck would explode at any given moment.  “If you ever, and I do mean EVER, bring her name up again I will end you.  Do I make myself clear?”

She could only nod and coughed, gasping for breath as he applied a bit more pressure to her neck. 

Mark smirked and released her before pointing at the door.  “Good, now get out.  I want to be alone tonight.” With that said he opened the door and nearly threw her out before slamming it shut behind him and went to go take that long awaited shower. 

Shedding his clothes and stepping inside, Mark immediately felt all the anger flow from his body and down the sink with the hot water, his eyes squeezing shut.  Sara.  The mere thought made his blood run cold, which is why he was taking a hot shower when normally it was the opposite.  The cold water normally would slow the adrenaline down in his body so he could go back to the hotel and sleep instead of stay up and get shit for sleep.  He sighed, his long black locks flowing down his back and clinging to his head and shoulders, a snarl forming on his lips at the thought of his soon-to-be ex-wife. 

He really thought she was the one he would spend the rest of his life with, but it was not meant to be.  His first mistake was bringing her on the road and showing her what he did for a living.  As soon as his boss, Vince, seen her, they immediately wanted to put her on television in a storyline.  Mark was fully against it, not believing in bringing his real life family into his job.  He was adamant about keeping his private life separate and worked many years in acquiring that, especially with all the crazy fans and death threats the wrestlers received on a daily basis.  Mark did not want to put his family through that.

However, when Vince presented the idea of Sara being in a stalker angle with Page Falkinburg, who most knew around the wrestling world as Diamond Dallas Page, she jumped on it…without Mark’s consent.  He was livid.  Of course, he could not hurt his boss because he needed the job to support his family.  Still, his real life wife on television with him just did not sit well with Mark or his conscience. 

They fought for three weeks about it until Mark finally caved in, only because of the fact that him and Sara would be spending more time together instead of three or four days a week.  That was the deciding factor in it all, but something in the pit of his stomach told Mark it was a mistake.  He ignored it and did not realize how right he was as far as bringing her on the road being a huge mistake.

A few weeks into the stalker angle, Mark would find Page and Sara alone backstage at the arenas talking.  He was a very possessive man and did not like another man talking to his wife so Mark put a stop to that.  However, he would find that Sara would disappear with Page on more than one occasion and had a pretty good idea of what they were doing.  When he confronted her about it, Sara snapped at him, telling him he needed to trust her and the subject was never brought up again.

After the stalker angle ended, Mark tried sending Sara back to Houston so he could continue with his career, but she was not having any of it.  She ended up going to a WWE Divas photo shoot in the Caribbean for two weeks…without his consent again.  That was the last straw and after she returned, Mark ordered Vince to force her to go back to Houston.  He did not want his wife’s body being shown to the world and he certainly did not want her becoming an employee.  This was his job and she was his wife, she needed to stay at home, especially since through all of that, they were trying to have a baby.

Sara reluctantly left the WWE and life went back to normal…as much as it could.  She would come on the road with him at least once a month though, having made friends with a few of the Divas, much to Mark’s dismay.  She did not care though, she enjoyed being on the road with her husband.

About a year or so later, Sara ended up pregnant and Vince had another idea in mind for her. Mark had been currently feuding with Brock Lesnar, who was the WWE Champion, and chasing the title.  To get the drama going even more, Vince wanted Sara to do a segment backstage on Smackdown with Brock where he would taunt her.  Sara jumped at the chance and Mark was positively livid, refusing to put his pregnant wife in danger.  Brock had a horrible temper and he knew the man jumped script a time or two.  Sara wouldn’t listen though and was adamant about doing this, saying it was just one segment and nothing would happen.

As promised, the segment went off without a hitch and he was thankful for that, especially with their unborn child.  Two months later, they were blessed with their daughter Chasey, who was a beautiful little girl and spitting image of Mark.  Red hair and emerald gems for eyes, truly an exquisite little thing.  Mark wanted a paternity test, not believing the child was his at first due to Sara’s cheating ways on the road with Page and Brock. 

There’d been rumors swirling that every time Sara would come on the road, she would disappear with Brock for hours at a time and that was true.  Mark hardly saw her except when they were at the hotel, where she could not run or hide from him and go to her lovers.  But when Chasey was born, he knew instantly she was his.  He decided to give Sara another chance and gave her his full trust.

They ended up having another daughter named Gracie, who had blonde hair with Mark’s green eyes, which both were happy about.  However, after Gracie’s birth, the marriage turned for the worse.  Sara had broken her trust bond with her husband by sleeping with a ranger that lived down the road from them.  Mark had come home a day early, wanting to surprise Sara and their daughters, only to find Sara in their bedroom with the ranger.  Instead of asking for a divorce like he should have, Mark decided to get even with Sara and started an affair with Michelle McCool.  This went on for about a year before Sara finally asked him for a divorce and Mark granted it, wanting joint custody with their daughters.  Sara agreed and the divorce was currently in the works.

The trip down memory lane ended as Mark shut the sprays off and stepped out, wrapping a towel around his lean muscular waist, and rubbed his tired eyes.  He needed a drink and knew Glenn and Steve were waiting on him.  He dressed in record time, wearing an open black leather vest along with a pair of form fitting black jeans, his hair pulled back in a low ponytail with a black bandana wrapped around his forehead, black shades over his eyes and black boots encased his feet.  He grabbed his bags he brought to the arena and walked out, heading for the exit, sighing heavily when the boys were waiting on him.

“Bout time jackass.” Steve grumbled, glaring when Glenn popped him upside the head, and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

“What’s got yer panties in a knot, Austin?” Mark demanded, raising an eyebrow, and glanced over at Glenn.

“He had an encounter with Namine.”

“Shut up Jacobs!” Steve snapped, his face growing red along with his bald head, clenching his fists tightly at his sides.

Mark snickered, the amusement clear in his green eyes, and decided to taunt the man even more.  “She wouldn’t give ya pussy eh?  Don’t blame her.  You look like a damn tomato right now.” He smirked when Steve turned redder and chuckled.

“Fuck you.” Steve grumbled, needing a drink in the worst way right now, and scrubbed his hands over his bald head.  “We goin’ or not?”

“Relax Austin; don’t get them panties in more of a bind.” Mark stated, causing Glenn to snicker, also finding this amusing.

Laughter sounded behind Mark as he slowly turned around, raising an eyebrow when the woman they were currently taunting Steve over, walked up.  She looked beautiful in a short black skirt with her halter top she wore to the arena.  He never did talk to Namine, not even when he went in to get his shoulder and other body parts looked at that was injured.  However, now he was noticing her and she was quite the woman.

“Hey Nami.” Glenn greeted cheerfully, smirking over at Steve, who had his head lowered.

“Hey Big Red.  You three going out too?” Namine asked politely with a smile, laughing at something Randy whispered in her ear, and nudged him.  “Keep it up and I’ll call Samantha.”

Randy groaned and kept his arm securely wrapped around her waist, shaking his head.  “You would.” He grunted, causing her to giggle wickedly back at him.

“Of course I would.  You’re being a bad boy and she needs to know her hubby’s manners.”

“Would you two stop flirtin’ and get to the fuckin’?” Steve growled, causing Namine to narrow her eyes back at him.

“Excuse me?” She shot back, placing her hands on her hips, silver eyes turning to hard, cold steel.  “You have NO right saying that to him!”

“Nami, it’s alright…”

“No it’s NOT!  He needs to apologize to you Randy.” She stated, her eyes never leaving Steve’s, and crossed her arms in front of her chest, her two inch stiletto heel tapping against the floor impatiently.  “I’m so sick of this shit.  Since when the fuck can’t a woman and a guy hang out without needing to fuck?”

Steve opened and closed his mouth, only to grumble something about going out to the parking lot, and walked away.

Namine was livid as she went after him, but Mark stepped in front of her, preventing her from taking another step.  Namine sighed and slowly stepped back, knowing her limits, and simply held her hands up.  “Come on Randy, we have some partying to do.” She stated and took his hand, dragging him toward the exit.

“What was THAT about?”

Mark shrugged, smirking.  “I guess I just have that affect on people.  Come on, I need a drink.” He stated, dragging Glenn with him to meet Steve, knowing all three could use a drink after the drama this night brought.

Chapter 5

“You can’t let Steve get to you, Nami.”

“I can’t help it, he pushes my buttons in ways no other man has.” She replied gruffly, crossing her arms in front of her chest, staring out the window as Randy drove them to the club.  John, Paul and Stephanie were waiting for them; they were running late as usual.

“I know, but firing back and fighting isn’t going to help matters either.” Randy said gently, stopping at a red light, and turned to face his best friend.  “He does need to leave you alone though.”

“Don’t you think I know that?” She retorted with a roll of her eyes, sighing when Randy got a hurt look on his face, and tapped his hand gently with her own.  “I’m sorry.  I just…I’m so frustrated right now.  I mean, everyone automatically assumes that just because a woman and man hang out that they’re fucking.  I fucking hate judgmental assholes.”

“Don’t we all?” Randy muttered and kissed her forehead gently, sighing again.  “Let’s just focus on tonight and have a good time.  Fuck what everyone else thinks.”

Namine smiled and nodded, completely agreeing with that.  “You got it.  I’m ready for a drink and let my hair down.”

Randy grinned and peeled down the road as soon as the light turned green, heading toward the club.  He was going to make her forget about all of her problems and force her to have a great time even if it killed him.

~*~*~*~

“So what’s going on with you and Namine?” Glenn asked casually, glancing over at Steve, who was sitting in the passenger seat.  Mark opted for the back, wanting to stretch out and relax on the ride there.

Steve shrugged, crossing his arms in front of his chest, glaring.  “Nothin’.  She’s a fuckin’ tease.” He grunted, sounding bitter, and Mark smirked when he heard that.

“Or maybe yer just not her type.”

“Fuck you Callaway.” Steve grumbled and scrubbed his bald head with his hand, the frustration clear as day on his face.

“No, yer not my type.  Sorry.” Mark stated, causing Glenn to snicker, and groaned when he was popped upside the head.

“Hey!  I’m driving here!”

“Then shut the fuck up and do it.” Steve growled, not in the mood to deal with the teasing and antics from these two.

Mark smirked and shook his head, glancing at Glenn through the rearview mirror, the amusement clear in his emerald eyes.  Glenn simply shook his head in response, knowing what Mark was thinking, and had a feeling this night was about to get very interesting.

Naturally, Mark did not disappoint.

“So Glenn, what do ya think Namine is like in bed?” Mark asked casually, causing his best friend’s eyes to bug out.

Glenn truly wondered if Mark had a death wish.  Apparently.  “Uh…I’m not sure…” He stumbled, causing Mark to smirk, his eyes flashing.

“I bet she’s hot.  I bet she has that tight wet pussy that needs stretchin’.” Mark taunted, causing Steve to clench his fists tightly.  They were ghostly white and Glenn knew it wouldn’t take too much more to make the man snap.

“She doesn’t fuck co-workers.” Steve said through gritted teeth, blue eyes turning stormy with anger, and somehow managed to keep his temper in check.

Mark was not finished yet.  He found this rather amusing and wanted to continue.  “Can ya imagine those long, smooth tanned legs wrapped around yer waist while yer fuckin’ her brains out?” He asked causing Glenn to shake his head even more as he sped through a yellow light, knowing if he did not get to the club soon, Steve would end up snapping.  That was never a pretty sight to witness either.

Steve was sizzling by now, his entire face and head looked like a giant tomato.  To make matters worse, Mark actually whipped out his cell phone and put it on camera, snapping a picture, and grinned when Steve whipped around, glaring at him.  He did not care, knowing Steve would not try anything due to the fact that Mark could take him.  Not many people could say that, but Mark knew damned well he could and would if Steve tried his patience.

“Okay enough you two.  Let’s just have a good fuckin’ time tonight for Christ sakes.” Glenn grumbled, causing Mark to smirk while Steve seethed. 

The rest of the ride was made in silence.

~*~*~*~

The club was jumping with life and fire as Randy pulled up, finding a parking spot near the door surprisingly.  He got lucky, arriving just as someone was pulling out, and took it.  Namine was thankful; she did not feel like walking from the car to the door in her two inch heels.  They stepped out and looked up at the club, seeing the dancers in cages with huge flames spitting out around them.  This was just the club she’d been hoping for and grabbed Randy’s hand.

“Anxious are we?” He teased, his mouth right by her ear, causing Namine to smirk.

“Of course!  I’m buying your ass a lap dance.  I already got permission from Sammy.” She grinned when Randy’s eyes widened and dragged him toward the line that was currently forming.

Before Randy could protest, John came waltzing up with a blonde on his arm, smirking at the two.  “What’s up homies?” He said by way of greeting, causing Namine to roll her eyes and popped him upside the head. 

“Cena, grow up already.” She stated, completely ignoring his ring rat.  John was known for picking them up on occasion and had a feeling he’d had a little too much to drink already.

John laughed and shook his head.  “What fun would that be?” He retorted, his voice slightly slurred, and pulled the blonde to lean against him, who looked like she could devour him whole.  “Come on, we gotta booth inside already.” He then turned and led the way.

“He’s in bad shape.” Randy muttered loud enough for Namine to hear, causing her to nod in response.

“He’s gonna do what he’s gonna do Randy.  There’s nothing we can do about it.  Come on, I need a Malibu Pineapple and you look like you could use a shot of Jack.” She stated and dragged him inside with a big smile on her face, looking around at all the dancers and whatnot.

After going through security, they were seated and Namine ordered her drink of choice for the evening.  Randy ordered a beer with a shot of Jack, and John ordered another shot of Jack, no chaser.  The blonde on his arm did not want anything and kept trying to coax him into leaving.  Namine finally had enough and decided to end this shit once and for all.

“Oh no…” Randy whispered, seeing the look that came over Namine’s eyes, and knew what she was going to do.  She’d done it on more than one occasion to him just to get ring rats to go away.

“John, come dance with me for a minute.  Excuse us honey.” She said politely, causing the blonde’s eyes to widen before scurrying up from the booth, allowing John to slide out followed by Namine.  “We’ll be back in a jiffy.”

John blinked, wondering what was going on, and looked back at Randy who simply shrugged his shoulders in response.

They danced for a little while, two songs to be exact, and Namine finally decided to make her move.  She forcefully grabbed John’s face in her hands, staring into his confused, glazed over blue eyes, and her lips were one thin grim line.  “Forgive me.” She whispered before her lips plundered his, passionately kissing him, and wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her body tightly against him.

John’s eyes shot out of their sockets when she did that, but his body was too sluggish to pull away and he, in all honesty, wondered what it would be like to be kissed by her.  He groaned, pulling her tightly against him, and felt her tongue slide inside his mouth, entwining them together in a dance of seduction.  Her eyes opened and glanced over, winking at the irate blonde, and watched as she stormed away from the table and out of the club.  Namine had done it again.

She broke the kiss moments later and stared into John’s eyes, patting his cheek gently.  “It had to be done.  Sorry.” She then walked away in the middle of the song they were dancing too, flipping her black hair over her shoulder and winked at a flabbergasted Randy.

“You are a devil woman.” He muttered when she rejoined him, on his second beer, and shook his head back at her.  Nothing surprised him about Namine anymore.

“No, I AM the devil.” She corrected with a smirk, watching as John simply stood there with a glazed look on his face, not able to move.  “I think I shocked him.” She giggled, taking a long sip of her Malibu Pineapple and Rum.  She loved it; it was her favorite alcoholic beverage.

“Well, well look who it is.” A voice sounded behind them, causing both Namine and Randy to turn, smirking upon seeing Mark, Glenn and Steve.

“Hey guys.” She greeted with a smile, stirring her drink with a straw, and crossed one leg over the other. 

“What’s up?” Randy asked, taking a swig of his beer, wondering what they wanted.

“Nothin’ just wanted to know if ya’ll want some company.” Mark replied, causing Glenn to shake his head again, while Steve stood there, a blank expression on his face.

It did not faze her in the slightest as she simply nodded, and stood up.  “Sorry, I get the outside.” She stated, ushering them to sit down and smirked when all did except Steve.  “What’s the matter Rattlesnake?  Suddenly you don’t want to hang out with me?”

If looks could kill, Namine would be dead on the floor at that given moment as Steve glared ice daggers back at her.  “You know why I’m not sittin’.” He stated gruffly, staring at her with a knowing expression.

“Oh that’s right.” She replied sweetly, though it did not reach her eyes.  They were cold and emotionless as she crossed her arms in front of her chest, tilting her head slightly.  “Is it because I refuse to give you any?”

If there was one thing Steve could not stand about Namine, it was her bluntness.  It drove him positively mad and got his temper up.  “Shut the fuck up, ya teasin’ whore.” He growled from low in the back of his throat, not wanting to cause a scene, but she was pushing it.

“Hey!  Don’t talk to her like that!” Randy shouted, causing Steve to glare back at him, and Namine held her hand up to quiet him before he said another word.  She could handle this Rattlesnake.

“How many times do I have to tell you I like big men?” She replied nonchalantly, a cold smile forming on her lips as she studied her black painted fingernails.  “What part of NO do you not understand?”

“What part of ‘stop flashin’ yer shit’ do ya not understand?” Steve shot back defensively and felt his blue eyes widen in shock when she untied her halter top around the neck and pulled it down, flashing him.

Mark, Glenn and Randy all sat there stunned silent, not believing she did that.

“As my momma always said:  If you got it, flaunt it.” She winked at him before readjusting her top, retying it, and proceeded to sit back down, sipping down more of her Malibu Pineapple.

She was acting like nothing happened, like she didn’t just flash Steve along with everyone else in the club.

Mark could sense danger approaching rapidly; especially with how angry Steve looked, and cleared his throat.  “Darlin’, mind dancin’ with me fer a minute?” He asked, causing Namine’s eyebrow to rise, and shrugged before nodding as she stood up from the table, smiling.

“Sure, lead the way Deadman.” She stated and allowed him to guide her away from the table, knowing she ruffled Steve’s feathers.

Mark smiled and nodded, pulling her into his arms as a song came on, pressing her close to his strong body.  “Yer askin’ fer it with him.” He murmured in her ear, his hot breath on her ear.

Namine giggled and nodded, knowing that already.  “Maybe he’ll leave me alone now.” She replied swiftly and slowly turned around, her back pressed against him, and decided to lose herself in the song as it was one of her favorites.  “Dance with me Mark.”

He groaned and splayed his large, warm hands on her hips, moving to the beat with her.  He was never a dancer, but when it came to this beyond sensual and sexual woman, all bets were off.  He wanted to do more than dance with her, but wouldn’t pressure her like Steve did.  He’d respect her wish, but that did not mean he could not drive her to the brink of insanity until she finally caved.  The thought made him smirk.

The time is now or never

To fit the missing piece

To take this song together

You make me feel complete

We fall into the future

And through the looking glass

The light shines over our heads

And so it comes to pass

To go beyond the surface

To reach into your soul

This love is not demanding

My heart has told me so

I hold onto my heroes

With faith enough to fly

The power to imagine

Will keep this love alive

Let’s make the headlines

Loud and true

I wanna tell the world

I’m giving it all to you

Let’s make the headlines

Loud and clear

The best things suddenly happen when you are here

If I lost my way you’d carry me home

Take me all the way to heaven

Never leave me alone

It’s just like everything that matters when you are here

And it feels so good every bells gonna ring

Your love is alive and it’s making me sing

I could fly, wanna cry, want the whole world to know

We are together come on baby let’s go

And words yet to be spoken

Will fall upon the page

Spelling out true devotion

Is all we need to say?

Let’s make the headlines

True this time

There’s no hiding from his magical state of mind

And if I lost my way you’d carry me home (I know)

Take me all the way to heaven

Never leave me alone

(You take me all the way to heaven)

Let’s just like everything that matters when you are here

(Everything matters it really matters)

Let’s make the headlines

Loud and true (Just remember what’s in the world)

(I feel love to you, I feel love to you)

Let’s make the headlines

Cause I’m givin’ it all

I givin’ it all to you

When the song was done, Namine and Mark parted ways and headed back to the hotel.  Instead of finding someone to screw for the evening, Namine just went back to her room and lay in bed, more confused than ever.

Chapter 6

“You look to be a million miles away.”

Namine broke out of her thoughts and looked up, seeing Mark in the doorway, and sighed with an apologetic smile. 

“‘Taker, how many times do I have to tell you not to sneak up on me like that?” She chastised playfully, wearing a pair of ripped blue jeans and a black tank top, her hair pulled back in a ponytail, no makeup on her face.  She wasn’t in the mood to look pretty for her co-workers tonight.

Mark chuckled and stepped inside, seeing she was straightening out the bedding, apparently just finishing with a client.  “Sorry darlin’ and the name is Mark.” He corrected her gently, not moving another inch from the doorway.

“I’ll stick with ‘Taker since everyone else is allowed.” She replied evenly, though a smirk tilted her lips as she walked over to dump the rags in the disposal can beneath the sink.

“Fair enough, darlin’…”

“Namine is my name.  I don’t go for any of those pet names you guys love throwing out.” She stated and turned around to face him, crossing her arms in front of her chest.  She was a bitch and proud of it.  She wasn’t afraid of anything or anyone, including the man standing in front of her at the moment.

Again, he simply nodded, respecting her wishes.  “Sorry, it’s a habit of mine Namine.” He said by way of explanation and took a few steps further inside, closing the door behind him.

“So what can I do for you?”

He smirked, always down to business was Namine’s way of avoiding a situation she didn’t like or seem comfortable in.  “I wanted to talk to you bout somethin’ that’s been on my mind...” He trailed off purposely, waiting to see if she would interrupt.

Namine scoffed with a roll of her eyes.  “I think you have the WRONG room then, ‘Taker because I’m not the psychologist, therapist type.  Sorry.” She was in no mood to hear of his whining and bickering about his job.  She got enough of that from Randy, who got away with it simply because she loved him too much to kill him.

“No, no it’s nothin’ like that Namine.” Mark assured her, waving her words off dismissively, and walked over to sit on the bedding where she normally massaged the wrestlers and Divas.

Her patience was wearing thin.  “Then what is it?” She demanded hastily, feeling her head swirling with questions and didn’t like it. 

She didn’t like having him in here alone, especially since he was downright fuckable.  Biting back a groan, she turned to straighten her oils on the shelf, needing to get her mind distracted on something other than him.  He was one of the guys in the back she wouldn’t mind screwing and had to hold back extremely hard not to do so, not to break her vow.

Amusement shined in his emerald green eyes as Mark stared at her form, seeing how the tank top clung to her body, the jeans hugging her hour glass figure to perfection.  She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever laid eyes on, including his past ex-wives.  His eyes adverted to her beautifully shaped ass that the jeans molded too and bit back a groan of his own, trying to clear all the naughty thoughts that suddenly entered his mind.  Oh what he’d love to do to her ass…Mark cleared his throat and shook himself mentally again, trying to get back to the matter at hand and why he was there.

“I wanted to talk to you bout what happened at the club the other night.” He finally said, glad he was wearing tight jeans so he could hide his erection from her vision.  Though he would need an ice cold shower when all was said and done.

“What about it?” She asked, sounding disinterested, though in truth that’s all she could think about for the past few days. 

The feeling of his arms still lingered on her body and his smell was intoxicating.  It made her drunk for him and she hated that.  She was always the one in control, not the other way around, and that’s how it would stay.

A second later, Namine felt his big, warm hands slide up and down her sides before placing themselves on her hips, pulling her back to press against him.  She bit her bottom lip and didn’t dare look back at him, just continued staring straight ahead at her oils, and tried with every fiber of her being not to melt against him.  It wasn’t helping matters that his hot breath could be felt on her ear, sending tremors throughout her entire body, forcing her to try to suppress them as much as she could.

“You can’t tell me there wasn’t a connection between us, Namine.” His voice was low and husky now, full of seduction and desire as his nose began to bury itself in her soft, black hair.  She always smelled of strawberries, even after leaving a room for five minutes her scent lingered and it always drove Mark insane.

She managed to scoff, though it was weak and crossed her arms in front of her chest tightly.  “What makes you think I felt a thing?  I only danced with you to get away from Steve.” She stated evenly and cleared her throat, wishing like Hell she had water at the moment.  This man was making her mouth feel like a desert.

He chuckled wickedly in her ear, knowing she was hiding her feelings and emotions from him.  She was a tough one and a challenge.  He loved challenges.  “Because if ya didn’t feel anythin’, ya wouldn’t of grinded against me and melted like yer doin’ now.” His southern accent was leaking through as his voice grew even huskier than before, almost sounding like a passionate growl.

“You are seriously deluded, ‘Taker.” She snorted with a roll of her eyes, though every damn thing he just said was the truth.  Damn him!  “Look if you’re done feeling me up like the old pervert you are, I have more important tasks to handle besides your current arousal.”

He smirked, loving the fire she possessed, and knew he’d have to play hardball.  “I’m not the one deluded, beautiful, you are.” He corrected and spun her around, locking emerald on silver, his hands never leaving her sides.  “Here’s somethin’ for ya to remember me by until ya come to yer senses.” His lips plundered on hers, growling at how soft and sweet they felt against his.

Her mind was reeling as soon as his lips touched hers and Namine couldn’t push him away even if she wanted too.  She did try and gripped the straps of his wrestling tights in her hands, ready to push him away and tell him to go to Hell.  Instead though, she ended up pressing her body closer to his and opened her mouth, allowing his tongue to invade and explore her recesses.

If Mark was shocked, he didn’t show it and growled deeper, pushing her against the nearest wall, never breaking the kiss.  He knew he should pull away and leave her to think things through, but he couldn’t.  She was too intoxicating, too desirable, and looked like she was ready to be fucked.  His hands gripped her hips tighter and lifted her up, her back pressed against the wall, and groaned when her legs wrapped around his waist out of pure instinct.  He smirked, still not pulling away from her sweet ambrosia lips, wanting to know this woman even more in depth both physically and emotionally.

Just as his hand began sliding up her tank top, a knock sounded at Namine’s door, causing the kiss to break and the passion haze to lift from both their clouded minds.  “H-Hold on a second!” She called out shakily and scrubbed a hand down her face, licking her slightly swollen lips while staring into his now dark forest green eyes.

“Damn!” Mark muttered, not pleased in the slightest by this interruption, and knew he had to release her.  “If you want to continue, you know where to find me.” He stated huskily and kissed her once more before allowing her to slide from the wall and down his body until her feet planted themselves on the floor below.

“Don’t count on it.” She hissed back at him and stumbled back, her legs wobbly from how much intensity that one kiss possessed.

Mark simply smirked back at her and winked before walking out of the office, leaving the door open, and leaving a confused looking Randy standing there.

“Uh…did I interrupt something?” He finally asked, taking in the haphazard looking Namine before him, blinking. 

“No!” She snapped and mentally berated herself for allowing Mark to kiss her and falling for it.  “What do you want Randy?” She demanded, raking a hand through her black hair, and walked over to sit on the bedding.

This was new for Randy because he’d never seen his best friend act like this before.  “Nami, what happened?” He asked patiently, causing her head to snap up, cold steel eyes locked on him. 

“Nothing.” She stated emphatically and stood up, walking over and turning the cold water on, splashing some on her face. 

Her mind was still reeling and she couldn’t stop her heart from pounding a furious tattoo in her chest.  She grabbed a washcloth and soaked it before placing it on the back of her neck, sighing as the heat in her body slowly began diminishing.  No man had EVER lit her body on fire from just a kiss and Namine knew she was in trouble if she didn’t squash this soon. 

“If you say so…” Randy cleared his throat, feeling awkward around her for the first time since they met, and rubbed the back of his neck.  “I just wanted to see if you wanted to get something to eat in the cafeteria.”

They had lucked out with both brands traveling together, performing in a city where Raw, Smackdown and ECW were performing at the same arena.  It was rare, but wonderful at the same time.

“Sure, give me a minute and then we’ll go.  I want to hear all about Sammy’s pregnancy and how nervous you is to become a dad.” She giggled, that spark and fire back in her silver eyes, and Randy heaved a silent sigh of relief.

“I’m not nervous!” Randy grumbled, trying to defend himself and knew he was failing miserably.  “I’m scared shitless.”

Namine laughed as she walked over, tossing the rag in the sink behind her, and looped her arm through his.  “It won’t be so bad.  You’ll be a great father, Randy.” She stated, turning the light off while escorting him out of her office, closing and locking the door behind her.

“I’m gonna end up fuckin’ this kid up, I just know it.” He grumbled more, causing her to giggle, loving to see her friend all worked up over something he absolutely had no control over.  It was quite amusing and the perfect distraction Namine needed to get her mind off of Mark.

“No you are not, now stop talking like that!” Namine chastised, walking down the hallway with him, trying to ease his fears the best she could.  “Randy, you are a kind, sweet, gentle and funny guy.  Any kid would be lucky to have you as their father.”

“I guess…”

“No, no guessing.  Now come on, can you honestly tell me you’re not excited about being a daddy?” She stated, raising an eyebrow, knowing she was right but wanted to hear it from the horse’s mouth.

Randy sighed and nodded, raking a hand through his hair.  “It’s not that I’m not excited, it’s just the fact that Samantha and I JUST got married and now we’re having a baby.  What if it’s too soon?” He asked voicing his fears for the first time to the one person he knew he could trust.

Namine nodded, fully understanding where he was coming from, and sighed.  “Well, I think it’s the perfect time.  Usually if a couple doesn’t have a baby within the first year of their marriage, something isn’t right…unless they just don’t want kids.” She was going off of statistics and trying to cheer her best friend up the only way she knew how.  “Have you two thought about names?”

“Hell…We’re not even sure what color to paint the nursery.” Randy chuckled, feeling a little better about his sudden baby boom.

Namine giggled and shook her head.  “Well if you two are waiting to find out the sex, I’d paint it lavender or a cream light yellow.  Either color you can’t really go wrong with.” She recommended as they walked into the cafeteria.

Randy raised an eyebrow up at her, wondering how she knew all of this about babies, but decided not to say anything.  “Right, I’ll tell Sammy that.” He said as they sat down and chatted more about the baby and Randy’s fears of being a father. 

By the time they were done, Randy was no longer afraid and booked the first flight home to be with his wife, wanting to tell her how much he was looking forward to their miracle and life together.

Chapter 7

After calming Randy down and sending him off on a plane back to St. Louis to be with his wife Samantha, Namine headed back to the hotel for some rest and relaxation. She walked into the hotel and past the door marked POOL, suddenly feeling like a swim was in order. It was late so nobody would be around, which is what she wanted.

Ten minutes later, Namine walked through the door and pushed her key card in to enter the pool, smiling as the water reflected off of the walls. The moon was shining brightly through the huge glass window and Namine was thrilled to see a Jacuzzi was there as well. Her back was hurting something fierce so she decided a nice dip in there wasn’t a bad idea instead of an actual swim.

“This is heaven.” She sighed out in contentment, sinking into the hot bubbly liquid, and felt her eyes drifting shut at the exquisite feeling.

However, it wasn’t meant to last.

“Mind if I join you?” A deep baritone voice asked from behind, causing Namine’s eyes to shoot open, and spun around in the water to face Mark.

Her silver eyes narrowed to slits, wondering what he was doing here, and crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Actually, yeah I do mind. What the fuck are you doing here?” She demanded angrily, gritting her teeth, wanting to pluck his green eyes out and roast them on a spit.

Mark simply chuckled and removed the towel from around his waist, revealing black trunks, and stepped into the water. “Too bad darlin’, I don’t see yer name on this Jacuzzi so yer gonna have to share.” The amusement was shining in his eyes and clear as day in his voice.

She could not believe this! “Fine, enjoy.” She hissed angrily and stood up to get out, squealing out in surprise when arms encircled her waist and pulled her back down into the water.

“Why can’t we enjoy this together, hmmm?” He purred huskily in her ear, causing Namine’s heart to begin beating a furious tattoo in her chest.

“Because I don’t want too.” She weakly shot back, meaning for it to sound more forceful, but she couldn’t muster it up. This man was too irresistible for his own damn good!

Mark wasn’t buying it and could tell she was lying. “Sure ya don’t.” He chuckled and his fingers began slowly sliding up and down her sides, barely grazing her flesh. He smirked when she shivered and knew he couldn’t stop now even if his life depended on it.

Namine felt herself losing control fast and had to find someway to break this spell he was currently putting on her. “Stop it ‘Taker.” She ordered weakly, cursing herself for being this pathetic and weak against him.

“Why when you enjoy it so much?” He countered softly, no pressure in his tone as he continued his administrations. He loved her curvaceous body and the pure black bikini she currently sported wasn’t helping matters any.

“N-No I don’t enjoy it. Stop touching me.” Her voice was getting softer, her breathing heavier and her body was melting against him at a rapid speed. Namine knew she was going to end up doing something she’d regret later if she didn’t do something drastic here and now.

Mark chuckled darkly and splayed his big, warm hand against her flat stomach, smirking when she gasped in surprise and knew he had her. “So soft…” He murmured, his lips slowly lighting a trail of fire down her neck, the exploration beginning.

Her head moved back and forth, trying to get him to stop this, trying to break the hold he had on her, but nothing was working. Her body slowly turned around in his arms, her dark smoky gray eyes piercing his forest green orbs, and smiled. Her hand reached up and slowly began caressing his cheek; her chest pressed against his and slowly raked her nails down his chest.

A growl emanated from low in the back of his throat and Mark couldn’t stand it anymore. His head dipped, capturing her lips with his in a passionate, soul searing kiss, wrapping her up in his strong arms, never wanting to let her go. Namine moaned and kissed him back, running her fingers through his long black tresses, her mind reeling.

It wasn’t enough though.

As soon as the kiss broke, Namine took his moment of weakness and brought all her weight down on his head, jumping up and dunking him under the water. She proceeded to kick him in the stomach when he tried grabbing her legs under water and left him under there for a good thirty seconds before finally letting go.

His head whipped up and harsh coughing sounded throughout the pool room as Namine quickly jumped out, grabbing her towel, and wrapped her body in it. “Next time, remember who you’re dealing with asshole.” She snorted and turned, her black hair flying with her, and stalked out of the pool room and back to her own.

To say Mark was shocked would’ve been the understatement of the decade. He coughed and rasped, pounding his chest to get the entire excess fluid out, his green eyes widened. He knew he went too far with Namine, but damn it the woman was a tease! All he wanted was a chance, just one chance, and he would get it. He just had to be patient. Though at this rate, with how much shit she’d blown him lately ever since the club, Mark was finding it harder and harder to resist the temptation not to just kidnap her.

Suddenly, a wicked grin spread across Mark’s lips as he stepped out of the Jacuzzi, wondering if he truly was insane or just plain cruel. Either way it didn’t matter. He was going to have to be careful about this and decided instead of seduction, he would use the friendship tactic. Chuckling, Mark dried himself off and walked out of the pool room, needing to strategize about this more in depth if it was going to work.

He had to be smart or it would completely blow up in his face.

~*~*~*~

Namine was in NO mood the following week on Smackdown and warned everyone who entered her office not to start anything or speak. She even made it a point by having a sign placed on her door that said ‘No Speaking While Therapy Is In Session or ELSE!’ If that didn’t get the point across, nothing would.

After her fifth session, Namine decided a break was in order and walked down to the cafeteria, needing some water. She sighed when Steve came up and immediately held her hand up before a word uttered out of his mouth. “Not tonight.” She ordered gravely, steel silver eyes hardening and daring him to defy her.

Steve raised an eyebrow, wondering if this woman forgot who she was speaking too. “Woman, I don’t give a rat’s ass what your problem is, I’ll talk if I wanna.” He stated, causing her to sigh and rubbed her temples with her fingers.

“Then don’t talk to me. Go find someone else to bother.” She ordered again, feeling her anger rising when he wouldn’t listen.

“And if I refuse?”

That was it. Namine finally had it and spun around, her eyes practically shooting nails back at him. “LISTEN HERE YOU ARROGANT, LOW LIFE SON OF A BITCH, I DON’T FUCKING CARE WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY TO ME! WHEN I TELL YOU NOT TO FUCKING TALK TO ME, THERE IS A REASON BEHIND IT AND YOU SHOULD ABIDE! I’M ONLY GOING TO SAY THIS ONE LAST TIME: FUCK OFF! I’M NOT SCREWING YOU AND I NEVER WILL! GO FIND SOME OTHER PUSSY AND STOP WASTING MY TIME!”

Steve blinked and wondered who exactly pissed Namine off to the point where she had tears burning in her eyes. He never ONCE, in all the time they’d worked together for the WWE, seen her cry. He could tell she was on the verge of breaking down and decided now wasn’t the time or place for them to talk.

“Come with me and don’t argue.” He murmured in her ear, his tone soothing as he placed his hand on the small of her back, guiding her back to her office and away from the crowd that formed during her explosion.

Namine swallowed hard and complied, not believing how fast she lost her temper, and the kicker was that she wasn’t angry with Steve. She felt lower than dirt as Steve guided her inside her office, closing the door behind him. She knew she had some serious explaining to do and wondered where in the blue Hell to start. The truth was always best, but Namine also didn’t feel like hearing Steve call her a slut, whore, or anything of that magnitude.

“I’m sorry.” She whispered finally, breaking the uncomfortable silence that formed between them, sighing heavily. “I-I lost my cool back there and I’m not sure why.”

Steve snorted, knowing full well that was a lie. “Why not try tellin’ me the truth, Namine?” He suggested his eyes and tone of voice unreadable.

“You sure you wanna know?” She finally asked, raising her silver eyes to meet his icy blue ones, seeing the answer. Namine was sure she’d get Hell for this after telling him, but at the same time, she owed him a truthful explanation. She’d embarrassed the man in front of nearly the entire WWE Smackdown roster!

“I ain’t gonna call ya names or anythin’ like that. I just wanna know why ya snapped back there.” Steve said having a feeling the reason why she was so hesitant is because of all the names he’d spewed at her lately. Now that he thought about it, he felt like a complete jackass.

That reassurance is what Namine needed as she walked over and sat down on the bedding her clients usually occupied. Twiddling her thumbs together and looking down at the floor, Namine took a few deep breaths before beginning what was sure to be an interesting explanation. She didn’t leave anything out, including what happened at the club, to which Steve again felt like a complete jackass. She explained in depth what had been happening between her and Mark lately and the night prior to this moment.

Steve listened silently, not wanting to interrupt her, and nodded a few times to show his acknowledgement. When she was finished, he sat there for five straight minutes not saying a single word. When he finally did speak, Namine jumped, not expecting him to say anything at all.

“Can’t say that I blame the man.” He said his voice and tone gruff as he rubbed his bald head, sighing. “Look Nami, I know ya don’t like datin’ co-workers, but I’m gonna let ya in on a little secret.”

Her eyebrow raised, the only indication that showed she was listening to him, and silently told him to tell her.

“In this business, honey, there isn’t a whole lotta room for relationships. What I’m sayin’ is that if ya ever DO want someone, it’s gonna have to be one of us. Yer on the road over 250 days outta the year, nobody is gonna wait for ya at home like yer probably thinkin’.” He held his hand up when she went to protest. “Lemme finish then ya can bite my head off.” He chuckled at his own lame joke and continued. “To bottom-line it for ya, all I’m gonna say is that yer gonna be one lonely woman if ya keep pushin’ the good guys away. Now me, Hell, I ain’t a good guy, but Mark is…when he wants to be.”

She blinked, not believing what she was hearing, and lowered her gaze to the floor. “Are you saying I should give him a chance?” She asked softly, chewing on her bottom lip, and felt his large finger hook underneath her chin, those blue eyes piercing her own.

“I ain’t sayin’ that. I’m just sayin’ ya should try givin’ someone a chance whether it be me, Mark or any of the other guys who are legit and not cheatin’ scumbags.” He replied, clarifying what he was trying to get out, and slowly released her chin. “Think about it, honey.” He then walked out of her office without another word, causing Namine to just sit there and blink in sheer surprise.

She had some SERIOUS thinking to do on her part as she stood up from the bedding and got ready for her next client.

Chapter 8

Banging. Loud banging. Insufferable loud banging sounded throughout Namine’s hotel room as her eyes slowly fluttered open, groaning when the sun blinded her temporarily. Her head was pounding fiercely as she slowly stood up, the banging on her door becoming louder. Growling, Namine swung her legs from the bed and planted her feet on the carpeted floor, ready to kill whoever was disturbing her rest.

“Hold on a fuckin’ minute! Damn!” She shouted, clearly not happy, and snatched a pair of shorts off the floor before going to see who it was.

“Mornin’ sunshine!” An all too cheerful Randy greeted, causing Namine’s eyes to shoot venom back at him.

“What in the Hell are you doing here?” She demanded gruffly, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, and wondered what time it was.

Randy’s eyebrow raised before a chuckle sounded from his lips, shaking his head. “Somebody got up on the wrong side of bed this morning.” He commented and dodged a shoe being hurled his way. “Hey! I was nice enough to bring you the hangover cure!”

“What makes you think I have a hangover, you ass?” She demanded and groaned when her head began throbbing, causing her hands to whip up and hold it. “Damn…”

He chuckled further and took out the condiments from the bag he carried inside, setting them out before getting a glass of water. There was a box of Advil, a can of soup and a huge bottle of Pepto Bismol. Namine cracked a slight smile upon seeing them and immediately ripped the box of Advil open. If her head didn’t stop pounding soon, she was going to knock herself unconscious.

“So,” Randy began, still sounding sickeningly cheerful. “Who was he and what time did you finally crash last night?” When he didn’t answer, Randy frowned, wondering what was going on with his best friend. “Namine?”

“What?” She demanded, trying to get her head to stop erupting, and began rubbing her temples with her fingers. “It was nobody, Randy. I didn’t fuck anyone last night.” She answered gruffly, sounding disappointed with herself.

“Then why do you have the hangover from Hell?” He pried, mildly curious now because Namine only drank for two reasons. One: if she was getting laid and two: if she had something deep on her mind that she couldn’t shake. Randy was going with option two considering her answer.

“Because I drank myself into oblivion last night.” Namine opened the bottle of 7-up that Randy forgot to take out of the bag and poured herself a glass, not believing how much she’d drank last night.

He scratched his chin in thought. Now this was interesting. Namine didn’t want to talk about what was bothering her. Randy, actually at a lost for words as he walked over and helped her to the bed, knew she had to lie down. She looked to be in a lot of pain and he cringed upon seeing tears slowly slide down her cheeks.

“God this hurts so bad…” She groaned, rolling over so her back was facing him, and took in deep, sharp breaths, trying to stem the pain.

“Namine, what’s going on? Talk to me honey. Maybe I can help.” Randy coaxed, sitting down beside her, and took over her massaging, slowly beginning to work her temples with his fingers. He was mildly shocked when she didn’t pull away and cracked a smile.

“I killed a bottle of Rum last night, Randy. I hardly think you can help me with that.” She retorted weakly and coughed, pressing a hand to her stomach since she was lying on her side while Randy spooned against her. She didn’t mind it. This wasn’t the first time the man had done this for her and it certainly wouldn’t be the last. “How’s Samantha?” She asked, deciding to turn the conversation so it was no longer on her.

Randy beamed at the mention of his wife’s name and nodded. “She’s doing great. The doctor said she has another month before the kid pops. I can’t wait to see what it is.”

“Do you care what it is?” She asked, her voice low and calm as she felt the pain in her head slowly begin to diminish.

Randy shook his head with that same proud smile and simply replied, “No. As long as the baby is healthy, I don’t care what the sex is.”

Namine smirked, knowing her best friend all too well. “But you hope it’s a boy, correct?” She chuckled softly when Randy began grumbling.

“Can you imagine me having a daughter? The girl wouldn’t date until she was 30.” He declared, causing Namine to laugh harder.

“Oh sure, torture the poor kid. Though I bet you if it’s a boy and he starts dating at the age of 16, you’ll be all for it and encourage him to sex up girls.”

Randy grumbled more, knowing Namine was right, and shook his head. “Sammy would kill me if I did that…” He chuckled at the thought of his son asking him about the birds and bees, shaking his head. “I simply wouldn’t tell her.”

“Oh yeah right!” Namine exclaimed, sitting up a little, and peered over at her best friend with knowing eyes. “Sammy can read you better than I can, Randy. How do you expect to keep something like that from her, not to mention your son? You DO realize the mother knows EVERYTHING her kid does right?”

He opened his mouth to say something rhetorical and immediately closed it, grumbling more. “Wench.” He muttered, wrapping his arm around her shoulders, and shook his head with a smile. “Now enough about me and my family, what’s going on with you?”

Namine sighed as she lowered her eyes to the bedding, wondering if now was the right time to tell Randy what’d been going on while he was gone. “How’s your arm?” She asked quietly, not looking up at him.

Randy shrugged as he looked down at it, not having it in a sling since it’d been about three weeks since he’d gotten injured in his Last Man Standing match against Paul at the last pay-per-view. “It’s getting there. Thank god it wasn’t broken. I thought for sure it was when I landed.” He replied and nudged her, getting her to look up at him. “Nami, what’s wrong sweetie?”

Now she was at a crossroads. Should she tell him what was going on with her and Mark lately or leave it rest? “Nothing. I was just worried about you is all.” She lied, hoping she sounded convincing enough and stood up to put her empty glass in the sink.

Randy could sense she was hiding something from him and stood up as well, following her. He took her by the arm and slowly turned her around to face him, his blue eyes pleading with her to tell him what was bothering her, pleading with her to let him help her through whatever it was. “Tell me.” He quietly stated, running his finger down her cheek gently. “You can trust me.”

Tears welled up in her silver eyes when she saw how much sincerity and truth swirled through his blue orbs, causing her emotions to stir. “Randy…you have your own problems-”

“No,” He cut her off and wrapped his hand around her arm, holding her still so she couldn’t run from him. “My problems aren’t that serious, Nami. Now tell me what’s been going on.”

“Randy I-” She could not finish because another knock sounded at her door, causing her to sigh deeply. What was it with all the visitors today?

“Namine…” He sighed when she ignored him and went for the door, raking a hand through his short black hair with his free hand. He probably upset her, but he couldn’t help it. She was like his little sister and he wanted to protect her.

She regretted opening the door as soon as she did because Mark was standing before her, looking delicious as ever. “What do you want Callaway?” She ordered gruffly, keeping her door closed so he couldn’t see who was there with her. It was none of his business.

“Darlin’, I need to talk to ya.” He replied, sounding tired and worn down.

“If this is about what happened between us then no, I don’t want to talk about it. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m entertaining a guest at the moment.” She stated coolly, her steel eyes narrowing slightly. She was also wearing nothing, but a pair of tight black sleeping shorts and a tank top, her hair tousled just slightly.

Slowly pulling the black shades from his fiery green eyes, Mark’s upper lip curled in a snarl as he stared holes through her. “Who is he?” He demanded, wanting to rip apart whoever she was screwing prior to his untimely visit.

Namine smirked coldly back at him, knowing she got under his skin, and shook her head slowly back and forth. “That’s for me to know and you to find out. Now leave me alone Callaway.” She then stepped back and promptly slammed the door in his face before turning around to face Randy again.

However, Mark’s foot caught the door before it closed fully and he was now standing right behind her. Randy’s blue eyes widened to the size of potatoes, wondering what Callaway wanted with his best friend. He had a feeling this man was the reason why Namine had probably drank herself into oblivion the previous night, but kept his opinions to himself.

“What are you staring at?” She demanded, her hands on her hips, wondering if Randy was losing his mind…or what was left of it.

Instead of speaking, Randy decided actions spoke louder as he pointed behind her, causing Namine to let out a troubled sigh.

She knew who was behind her and wanted to kick the ever loving shit out of him.

“Get out Mark.”

“Randy.”

Randy zoomed out of the door, giving Namine a quick pat on the shoulder as if to say ‘good luck with the mongrel’.

Mark actually smirked at how quick the kid flew out of the room with a fractured collarbone and all. He kicked the door shut behind him as the latch clicked, leaving him and Namine all alone in the room. Just the way he wanted it.

To say Namine was pissed would’ve been the understatement of the year as she stalked over to the bed and sat down, keeping her eyes glued to the floor. “I told you to get out. I don’t want to talk to you.” She stated venomously, the anger radiating from the pores of her body.

“And I told ya I gotta talk to ya. You’ve been avoidin’ me for the past few weeks, Namine. What choice did I have?” Mark replied, crossing his massive tattooed sleeved arms in front of his chest, raising an eyebrow down at her. “And you can’t even look at me.”

“That’s because I don’t want to look at you.” She shot back and stood up, walking over to stare out the window, her back to him. “I’ve been avoiding you for a reason Mark, or have you not figured that out yet?” Maybe she sounded like a bitch, but at the moment, all Namine wanted to do was focus on her career. She was also trying to get what Steve had told her out of her mind, which was easier said than done. Why did men have to be so damn complicated?

Mark snorted, refusing to let her attitude dissuade him, and nodded. “Of course I figured it out…and I would’ve left ya alone had Austin not come to me ‘bout ya.” He replied, causing Namine’s eyes to shoot open and she whipped around to face those hypnotic emerald green orbs.

“He WHAT?” She shrieked, wanting to rip Steve’s throat out so he could never speak to anyone and run his big mouth again. “That son of a bitch!!”

He found this rather amusing as he watched Namine pitch a fit like a two year old, knowing Steve wouldn’t do anything to him for telling. Steve was the one who actually warned Mark ahead of time about her temper, which was transpiring at the moment. “When yer done darlin’…” He drawled with a smirk on his lips.

Namine stopped and glared at him, not believing this, and raked a hand through her hair. Her face was red and she looked like she wanted to kill someone. “You’ve got five minutes and then you’re out of here, Callaway.” She stated heatedly before walking over and sitting down on the bed.

“Well thank ya, yer highness, I’ll make it worth yer while.” He sarcastically replied, that smirk widening ever so slightly, knowing he had her right where he wanted her. It was too good to be true, almost a heaven send.

“Make it quick, I don’t have all day.”

“On the contrary darlin’, yes ya do.” Mark corrected and actually grinned when her eyebrow rose in question.

Namine felt uncomfortable now and felt something in the pit of her stomach she hadn’t in years. “W-What’s going on Mark?” She asked, not able to keep the nervousness out of her tone and she silently cursed herself for it.

He did not speak a word, just stared at her with those unreadable green eyes, and watched as she slowly began losing consciousness. He looked down at the device in his hand and smirked wickedly, knowing the tranquilizer would keep her out for a good day or two. He walked over when she slump forward and removed the needle from her arm he’d targeted, wrapping it in some gauze, and lifted her up in his arms.

A few minutes later, Mark was on his way to the airport with an unconscious Namine by his side.

Chapter 9

“I can’t believe you actually let him do this!! Randy, what were you thinking?!” Samantha shouted, raking a hand through her hair and rubbed her rapidly protruding stomach. “Of all the asinine things to do…”

Randy sighed and scrubbed a hand down his face, nodding silently. Granted, he knew Namine would probably never trust him again if she ever found out he was responsible for the kidnapping, but he had no choice. Not to mention their third party accomplice. Namine was a very stubborn woman who had to be brought down a few notches before she destroyed her life. Nobody knew the true story behind Namine, except Randy, and to say it was scary would be an understatement.

Of course, nobody would understand because Randy refused to reveal Namine’s past and antics.

“Sammy,” He paused briefly, waiting for her to stop yelling before continuing. “I did what I had to do.”

“Do you have any idea how much she’s going to hate you for this?” Samantha quietly asked, all her energy and anger drained, and walked over to sit down on their leather sofa.

Randy nodded and joined his wife, taking her hand in his, and gave it a gentle squeeze. “She has to open her eyes before she ends up dead somewhere on the streets.” He quietly said, causing Samantha to look over at her husband with drawn together eyebrows.

“Randy…”

He shook his head and stood up, releasing her hand and walked over to stare out the window. “Sammy, no matter how much I want to tell you, I can’t. I was sworn to secrecy.” He explained, causing Samantha’s eyes to lower to the carpeted floor below.

“Do you love her?”

Randy chuckled at that question, confusing his wife even more. “Of course I do. She’s my best friend and I can go to her about anything. I-” He suddenly stopped and whipped around, blue eyes widened, seeing the tears coursing down his wife’s cheeks. “Oh no! No, no baby not that way! No of course not!” He immediately went to her side, getting down on both of his knees, and took her hands in his. “Samantha, I love her, but not in that way. She’s like a sister to me, a sister I never had, and I’m trying to protect her.”

Samantha sniffled and pulled one of her hands free of her husband’s to wipe away her stray tears, nodding. “I got scared for a minute there.” She quietly said, causing Randy’s heart to ache as he pulled her into his arms, kissing her forehead.

“Sammy you are the only woman I want as my wife and you are the love of my life. I don’t like anyone else as much as I love you and I never will…with the exception of our child.”

She smiled and looked into her husband’s truthful blue eyes, caressing his face gently with the back of her hand. “I believe you, Randy. I just hope this plan of yours doesn’t blow up in your face.” In all honesty, Samantha was going to ask Namine to be the Godmother of their child. Now though, she wasn’t so sure that was a good idea, especially with the kidnapping and everything.

Randy was about to say something else when a knock sounded at their door, causing him to sigh deeply. He knew who it was. “I’ll be right back.” He whispered in her ear and kissed her lips softly before venturing out to answer it.

“Did he do it?”

Randy nodded stiffly. “Yeah, he took her to Texas.” He answered gruffly, not happy with this situation at all, but he had to do what was best for Namine.

“Good, maybe she’ll stop bein’ a stubborn bitch and stop her antics.”

“Not now Steve.” Randy ordered, clearly not in the mood to hear his ranting about Namine’s behavior as of late. “I just hope we’re doing the right thing.”

Steve simply smirked and nodded; having a feeling Callaway would put Namine in her place. “Vince gave the okay to the kidnapping so we’re not going to prison or anythin’.” He informed, causing Randy to sigh a huge breath of relief. “You gotta beer man?”

~*~*~*~

A loud groan echoed throughout the room as Namine’s eyes slowly fluttered open, wondering how long she’d been out for. “Damn…” She grumbled, placing a hand to her head, and slowly sat up in bed.

Yawning and stretching her arms up in the air, Namine slowly swung her legs over the side, planting her feet on the carpeted floor, and cracked her neck. She had to use the bathroom and stood up, walking in that direction. After relieving herself, Namine walked over and stared in the mirror, sighing at the huge dark circles under her eyes.

‘Lack of sleep would do that to a person I guess.’ She thought and rolled her eyes before turning and walking back into the room.

Suddenly, she stopped the blurriness in her eyesight diminishing, and felt her eyes widen as realization hit her like a ton of bricks. This wasn’t a hotel room. She was in an actual bedroom. What the Hell? Where was she and why couldn’t she remember anything? Before she could think another thought or start screaming, the events began flowing through her mind. Getting up from her hangover, Randy was visiting and Mark showed up at her hotel room followed by the argument that ensued between them…Mark.

“That son of a bitch…” She growled, silver eyes turning to cold, hard steel and somehow knew he was the reason why she was in a bedroom instead of a hotel.

Namine started stalking toward the bedroom door to kick it open so she could leave, when her eye spotted something out of the corner, her eyebrow going up in question. She turned and slowly began walking toward it, unmindful of what she was wearing at the moment, not really caring. Her eyes landed on the object, which was a DVD…with her name scrawled on it. It wasn’t Mark’s handwriting either.

What in blazes was going on?

'Play Me' was all the DVD said and Namine decided to humor herself, having a sinking feeling she wouldn’t be getting out of this room by kicking the door in. Maybe this would answer some of her questions. She sighed and walked over to the DVD player, powering it on, and slid the DVD in, crossing her arms in front of her chest. She wasn’t sitting down and waited as the DVD loaded, raising an eyebrow upon seeing the person on the screen.

Randy.

“Hey Nami,” He greeted solemnly, sadness in his blue eyes, and Namine started feeling sick when he sighed. “Look, I know you’re probably wondering what the Hell is going on and you deserve to know…” Hesitation followed as he scrubbed a hand down his face, causing her heart to start thundering in and out of her chest rapidly. “You know what? I’m just gonna come right out and say it before I lose my nerve and stop this DVD recording.”

“That would be wise.” A voice said in the background, but wasn’t revealed. Namine couldn’t place it either due to how soft the voice was.

“Man shut the fuck up, Austin!” Randy growled. “You’re not the one who has to break her heart!”

Tears began filling Namine’s eyes as she sunk down on her knees to the floor, wondering what Randy meant by that.

His attention went back to the DVD, staring into the screen. “Namine, you know I’ve always been there looking after you and you know how worried I get. Well doll,” He paused again, trying to find the right words to say. “Damn it.” His head dropped and shook back and forth slowly. “I’m sorry to do this to you, Nami, but I had no choice. I had no choice.” He repeated that last bit, wanting to emphasize it.

‘No choice?’ She thought, wondering what he was talking about, wishing he’d make sense and tell her what was going on.

“Man, fuck this! Let me tell her since yer too chicken shit to do it!” Steve growled and shoved a miserable looking Randy out of the way, his blue eyes piercing Namine’s as he took over the screen next. “Hey honey, I know I’m probably the last person ya wanna see at the moment, but ya really gave us no choice.” He paused, scrubbing a hand over his bald head. “Ya see the past months have been Hell on all of us because of yer behavior. Even Vince is sick of it and he was gonna give ya the boot…until we came up with this plan.”

Her eyes widened upon hearing that, but no words came from her mouth.

“Ya know what I’m talkin’ bout and don’t even try to deny it. Yer one night stands, yer partyin’, drinkin’, the whole shot. Vince is TIRED of it, Namine.” He basically just repeated what’d been said, but Steve didn’t care as he continued. “Me, Randy and Mark all came up with this plan, ya see, to get ya sober and outta the drugs and shit.”

‘How did he know about that?’ Her mind screamed as the tears began trickling down her cheeks slowly.

His blue eyes narrowed as he rubbed his hands together, a knowing look in those blue eyes. “The drugs were the last straw, Namine. To put it point blank and clear to ya, you’ve been kidnapped and brought to a place where NOBODY can bust ya out and ya can’t leave. Yer there to go through withdrawals and whatever else is needed to get yer head back in the game and to get yer life in order. Vince has already had this cleared by the Texas State Police Department so if ya try callin’ fer help, they’ll simply hang up on ya.”

She could not believe this.

“Mark is gonna be the one to help ya through this. He’s taken an extensive amount of time off so ya can stay at his ranch and get better.” Steve explained, not letting up. If anything, his voice became harder and colder the more he went on. “We’re fed up with ya wastin’ yer life away and since nobody was steppin’ in, we did it. Yer a fantastic asset to the company and ya have a bright future ahead of ya, but if ya keep goin’ on the path ya are, yer gonna end up six feet under before yer time is up.”

“Namine, I had no choice.” Randy said in the background, the anguish and sadness evident in his tone.

“We had no choice in doin’ this, honey. It’s for yer own good and someday you’ll stop hatin’ us and realize that. Mark is a good man and we know he’ll take care of ya. Get well soon and get back to the WWE and kick ass the only way you can. Goodbye for now honey and good luck.”

The TV screen went black seconds later and Namine could only sit there, staring blankly at it, the tears not stopping. How did anyone find out about her drugs? ‘Fuck.’ She thought, knowing she was screwed and stuck here, especially since Randy and Steve were both in on this plan, not to mention her boss Vince.

It was true, no matter how much she wanted to deny it. Her appetite and excitement for life had escalated when they went to Las Vegas for a few shows, including Raw. Namine had been out with a few old friends of hers from college she met up with and they all went to a club. Her friend Cindy was the one who broke out the nose candy and Namine was shocked to find all of her friends did it. She figured it couldn’t hurt, though deep down she knew what coke could do to a person, but it didn’t matter. She wanted to be one of the girls for that night and ended up doing three lines straight.

Instead of quitting, Namine’s thirst for the drug intensified and she started finding dealers in every city they were in. Within a three month span, she forked over around three thousand dollars. Not only had coke invaded her life, but she was drawn to the other drugs around as well. Crack, heroine, meth and even ecstasy. Ecstasy had been her favorite because it made her incredible sexual and did things to her body she never dreamed possible.

Just thinking about the drugs caused Namine’s body to begin shaking, knowing her cravings were coming back and her addiction was fiercer than ever. She had to get out of here and find some quickly. She looked down at her arms, which were covered in the crease where her elbow joint met the arm with needle marks from the heroine shots she took. Tears coursed down her cheeks rapidly as she shakily stood up from the floor and wrapped her arms around herself, suddenly feeling very cold.

Walking over to the bed, Namine slid underneath the warm, huge black comforter, trying to get warm again. No matter how hard she tried though, the cold overtook her body and she started shaking, her teeth chattering. She didn’t see the camera that was in the upper far corner of the room peering down at her, watching her every move and what she was doing.

Emerald green eyes narrowed thoughtfully as they watched her, knowing the withdrawal symptoms were beginning. “Namine…” He murmured, running a finger down the screen, and hoped she got better soon. “I had…no choice, darlin’. No choice…”

Chapter 10

Three months had passed since Namine saw that video, since her best friend, who she trusted more than life itself, betrayed her. Since she was kidnapped and brought to Texas under the carefully watchful eye of Mark Callaway. The withdraw symptoms were diminishing, though Namine still woke up in the middle of the night caked in sweat. It was all apart of the process and, deep down; she knew it had to be done. She always swore to herself she would never get involved in drugs, but alas it happened.

She knew Randy was worried sick about her, but she couldn’t find it in her heart to forgive him. He’d come to visit her after the first month and she refused to even look at him, much less say three words. She absolutely refused and she didn’t understand why. Maybe it was because he did betray her, but then again, would she have listened? No. Namine already knew that answer before the question even finished zipping through her mind.

The same four walls stared back at her as she sat on the bed, her knees drawn up to her chest, wearing a simple black t-shirt with black sweat pants, no draw strings. Mark wasn’t taking any chances. He refused to let her wear jeans because she could hurt herself with the button and zipper. She wasn’t even allowed a hair-tie much to her dismay. Again, she knew why.

Throughout the three months, Namine had grown accustomed to being alone; sitting in a dark room with nothing, but a bed and four walls will do that to a person. She didn’t even have a television to watch. She wondered how she managed to survive all this time without dying from boredom. She often felt that question zip through her mind while in the confines of this small room.

~*~*~*~

Mark watched her, like he had for the past three months, seeing how she progressed and made sure she didn’t have to go to the hospital. There were a couple of close calls to where he was at her door, ready to unlock it and take her to the emergency room.  It got to the point where her lips turned blue and she was running a very high fever. Mark knew what it was though and it wasn’t the flu either. It was the withdrawal symptoms. He’d done research and found out people actually died from withdrawal, which scared him even more because he didn’t want to lose Namine.

He sighed, rubbing his temple, and grunted when his cell phone rang. “Right on time, Orton.” He stated his voice low and gruff, rubbing at his tired eyes.

“How is she?” Randy demanded quietly as he stood outside of his two story mansion. Samantha was currently taking a nap so Randy took the opportunity to call and check on his best friend. Every day for three months around this time, Randy would call no matter if he was on the road with the WWE or at home with his wife. Namine was his family, blood or not, and he was going to be there for her regardless.

“She’s actually doin’ pretty good today. She hasn’t convulsed or anythin’.” Mark answered and stood up, stretching his arms in the air while holding the phone against his shoulder to his ear. He was so tired and worn out.

Randy closed his eyes and a huge breath of relief escaped his lips upon hearing that, a small smile coming to his face. “When can I come see her again?” He asked eagerly, wanting his best friend back on the road, wanting things back the way they used to be.

Clearing his throat, Mark rubbed the back of his neck and glanced back at the monitor, knowing what had to be done. He’d had one conversation with Namine over the past three months and it revolved around Randy. “Listen man, about that…” Mark hesitated, wondering if this indeed was the right thing to do, and knew he had to respect her wishes. “Namine talked to me a few days ago and…”

“She doesn’t want to see me anymore.” Randy finished, the smile quickly disappearing from his face, and felt his heart lurch painfully in his chest.

“I’m sorry, man. I really am. She’s really hurt over what ya did, over what we all did to her.” Mark swallowed hard, the lump forming in his throat almost too much for him to bear. “She said after she’s outta here, she’s not goin’ back on the road.”

“WHAT?” Randy bellowed, not caring who heard him at this point, and Mark simply sighed, already expecting this kind of reaction. “WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN SHE’S NOT COMING BACK?”

“Just precisely what I said, kid.” Mark stated, crossing one arm over his chest while he walked out of the video room and into the kitchen, needing some water. “She told me she hates everybody and she wants no part of the WWE anymore. She’s already written up her resignation. I’m mailin’ it to Vince in the mornin’.”

“You can’t do that Mark! You know how much she loves her job! She’s only doing this because she’s mad right now! She’ll get over it, you’ll see!” Randy was panicking now and Mark could tell, which was the last thing the moron needed to do. He had a wife and baby to take care of.

“Listen Randy, just go about yer life like normal and take care of yer wife and kid. Stop worryin’ about Namine, I’m takin’ care of her.” Mark said, gulping down a glass of water in seconds, and filling it up again.

Tears stung Randy’s blue eyes as he simply nodded, knowing nothing more could be said or done right now. “She’ll see the light, Mark. Don’t give up on her.” He stated quietly, all the anger drained from his voice, and cringed when he heard Samantha calling him from the house. “I gotta go. Sammy needs me.”

Mark didn’t even get the chance to say goodbye and snapped the lid of his cell shut, letting out an even deeper sigh. Things weren’t going the way he’d planned at all. Not by a long shot. Maybe it was time to let her out and see the daylight again. What would happen if he did release her though? Would she try killing him? Could he blame her if she did?

“It’s been three months. She’s probably goin’ stark ravin’ mad in there.” He grunted, finishing off his second glass of water, and placed the glass in the sink before going to check on her.

There she was on camera, sitting in the center of the bed with her knees drawn up to her chest, staring at the wall. It’s what she did every day. Mark didn’t see any signs that she was going to lash out. What he saw broke his heart and that was sadness. He could feel it, even though the camera as it penetrated off of her. He couldn’t take it anymore and stood up, grabbing the key, and walked out of the room down the hallway.

~*~*~*~

Namine didn’t even blink or turn, already knowing who it was as her door swung open, lightly hitting the wall. She simply stared straight ahead, unshed tears in her silver eyes, refusing to allow them to fall until he left. She knew he’d been watching her with a camera, but damn it, she wouldn’t allow him to see her tears in person!

“I gotta question for ya, darlin’.” Mark said, stepping inside, blocking the entrance with his huge, massive tattooed sleeved arms crossed in front of his chest, simply staring at the pathetic human being before him. That’s exactly what she looked too, pathetic. When he didn’t get an answer, Mark simply shrugged his shoulders. “Very well, when yer ready to talk to me, then ya can come outta here.”

That got her attention.

“What?” Her soft voice whispered, her bottom lip trembling, fighting back the urge to break down. She couldn’t do it. She wouldn’t do it.

A small smirk curved Mark’s lips. “That’s better.” He slowly walked toward her until he was standing in front of her form, at the end of the bed, his knees preventing him from going further. “Are ya ready to see the daylight again?” He asked his voice low and husky, his Texan accent flowing through the room and over her.

Namine didn’t answer him.

“Very well. I guess yer not…” Mark stated and straightened up again, heading for the door.

“Wait.”

“Yeah?” He called over his shoulder, stopping just short of the door, and slowly turned around when he heard the bed slowly squeak. She was standing up and staring at him with lifeless, cold steel eyes. “You gonna answer me?”

She bit her bottom lip and raked a hand through her hair, slowly nodding. “I-Is this a…trick?” She asked, her voice still a whisper, so soft Mark barely heard her.

His answer was to simply extend his hand, palm face up, and his emerald green eyes penetrated hers with such emotion that Namine couldn’t stop the tears from cascading down her cheeks even if she wanted too. He was letting her out, for the first time in three months. Not saying another word, Namine slowly reached out and slid her hand into his, seeing his swallow hers whole, and felt him pull her against him in a brief embrace.

“Darlin’, if I could’ve done it any other way, I would’ve, but ya left me no choice.” He crooned to her, hearing her soft sniffles, and felt his heart break a little more.

She could only nod, not having the strength or desire to argue.

“Please get me out of here. I don’t want to be in here anymore.” She pleaded, using her voice this time, and looked up into Mark’s eyes.

He nodded back at her. “Come on, I’ll fix ya somethin’ to eat.” He stated and guided her out of the room, closing the door behind him, his arm wrapped firmly around her waist.

He knew her legs probably felt like jelly, due to not being out of that room in three months. He fed her meals and there was a shower connected to the room she was kept in. So it wasn’t like she was completely starving and stinking to high heaven. Mark thought he’d been a terrific kidnapper all things considered and glanced down at her, watching the tears slide one by one down her face. He knew she was slowly  healing and hoped she kept on the track of that.

They arrived in the kitchen and Namine sat down, shielding her eyes from the sunlight that poured in, trying to readjust. “Did you tell him?” She asked after Mark handed her a ham sandwich, her favorite.

Mark sighed, knowing who she was referring too, and nodded. “He knows. I’ll be sendin’ it out first thing in the mornin’.” He said, taking a bite of his own sandwich, sitting down across from her.

“Good.” Namine replied softly and looked out of the window, seeing how beautiful it was. Her eyes closed as more tears fell, wishing to feel the breeze on her face ,and buried her head in her hands. When Mark went to comfort her, she shook her head, pulling away from him. “Please don’t.”

For once, Mark listened as he stood up and started doing the dishes, opening the windows as a soft breeze blew through. Namine looked up, her eyes bloodshot beyond recognition, her face pale, and felt the breeze for the first time in three months. It was truly a feeling she would never forget as she slid from the chair and spread her arms out, her hair softly blowing back. She was healing and Mark wondered is he would ever be the same Namine again. If she would still have the spitfire attitude he loved so much about her, as well as others.

Only time would tell.

Chapter 11

“I’m not going with you.”

Mark froze, a pair of jeans in his hands as he simply stared down at his bag, wondering if he’d heard right. Slowly turning around, he came face to face with Namine, wondering if she’d truly lost her mind. “Come again?” He said, wondering if indeed he needed to clean his ears out. “What do ya mean yer not goin’ with me?”

“I’m not going to repeat myself, Mark.” She softly said her voice a cool, neutral tone and stepped inside his room. She was wearing a pair of blue jeans with a black tank top, her hair up in a messy bun. She just didn’t care what she looked like anymore. “I’m leaving.”

Raising an eyebrow, Mark had to wonder if she was serious, but the look on her face told the entire story. “What makes ya think I’m releasin’ ya?” He shot back, suddenly pissed off for no apparent reason.

Namine had expected this and kept her voice cool and calm. “It’s been eight months, Mark. Eight, long, tedious months and I haven’t touched or even thought about going back to my old lifestyle,” She paused, wanting to give him a moment to let that sink in. “I contacted a good friend of mine in England and he wants me to come live with him. I’ve known him since high school, since I was originally born in England.”

Mark blinked, the shock registering on his face. “You were born in England?” He repeated, blinking more when she nodded.

“If you haven’t noticed, whenever I’m calm and at peace my accent changes.” She pointed out, cracking a small smile and walked over, sitting on the bed beside his bag. “I will never be able to repay you for your generosity and what you’ve done for me over the past eight months, Mark.”

No matter how angry he was at the moment, Mark couldn’t find it in his heart to yell and scream at her. He remained standing though and watched her carefully, knowing she had more to say.

Tears welled up in her eyes at the mere thought of what could’ve happened to her and Namine let them spill down her cheeks, refusing to hold them back. “I…I made a mistake, an awful, terrible mistake with the choices I’ve made in life. I know that. I know I’m crazy, or was, but I’ve changed. I’m ready to get out there to try to get my life back in order again. Please…” She trailed off, lowering her head in shame. “Please don’t hold me here anymore. I want to go home. I want to go to England.”

“Namine…” His voice was low and soothing, almost like a soft rumble as he put his jeans down and knelt down in front of her. He reached out and lifted her chin gently with his hand, meeting her blood shot silver eyes that held such sadness and desperation. She had changed and he knew it. “I-I don’t know how to let ya go, darlin’…”

“You have too, Mark. You have your own life to live and I’m better. You helped me through it; you helped me see the light along with Randy.” She sniffled a bit and rubbed her nose, taking the Kleenex Mark handed her and blew it gently, sighing. “I know our paths will cross again down the road, but right now, this is the path I need to take. I need to start over and England is the best place to do that in.”

No matter how much he wanted to tell her that he loved her at that moment, Mark knew he couldn’t. He just couldn’t and he didn’t understand why. Maybe it was fear or maybe he was too stubborn for his own good to admit it to not only her, but himself. “If that’s what ya want Namine, I won’t stop ya.” He finally whispered his voice low and full of sadness.

She smiled sadly in return and caressed his face gently with the back of her hand, the tears never stopping. “I will never forget you, Mark Callaway. You’ve helped me in more ways than I can count and no words can describe how thankful I am to you for that. You gave me my life back.” She leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to his forehead before wrapping her arms around his neck and hugged him close to her. She would miss him; there was no doubt in her mind about that.

Mark felt the tears sting his eyes as he returned her embrace, rubbing her back in soothing circles, trying to get her to calm down. “I’ll never forget ya either, darlin’.” He rumbled against her neck, causing her to cry even harder. “Ya know this doesn’t have to be goodbye…”

“I know…but England is far away.” She whispered, not trusting her voice, and slowly peeled herself from him, standing.

“That doesn’t mean ya can’t call and talk to me whenever ya want, Namine. I’m gonna be there for ya, no matter how far ya move.” Mark stated, meaning every word he said, and pulled something out of his wallet. It was a business card with the name ‘Deadman’s Custom Cycles’ on it.

Her eyebrows drew together, wondering what was going on, and looked up into his green eyes. “Mark…” She trailed off when he simply nodded at her, answering her question. “When?”

“I’m gettin’ ready to retire from the ring soon, darlin’. I can’t keep up with the boys anymore and my body ain’t what it used to be.” Mark hated saying that, but knew even he couldn’t deny the amount of pain he was in on a daily basis. “With retirement ‘round the corner, I wasn’t gonna just sit on my dead ass fer the rest of my life so I decided to open up a small motorcycle shop. I’ll fix the bikes up and sell’em for a decent price.”

Namine smiled and wiped her tears away, looking down at the card in her hand, and quietly said, “That’s quite an idea, Mark. I do hope you succeed.” She meant it too and tucked the card in her back jean pocket.

“On that card is my cell, business and home phone number. If ya ever need to reach me, call one of those numbers or all of’em and I’ll get back to ya.” Mark said, placing his hands on her shoulders, staring deep into her silver eyes once more. “Are ya sure this is what ya want?”

More than anything, Namine wanted to say no, but she couldn’t. She knew what she had to do. She had to start over and get her life in order before even considering the possibility of getting into a relationship. She screwed around with more men over the course of the past nearly four years than most women did in their lifetime. She wasn’t proud of it either and felt disgusting, even though she got herself checked on a regular basis.

“Yes, this is what I want.” She answered after a brief moment of silence, wishing he would give her a reason to stay, to not go, but deep down she knew he wouldn’t.

Mark smiled sadly and nodded, kissing her forehead and pulled her into another embrace. “Just remember what I said, ya ever need me, ya know where to find me.” He reminded softly in her ear, causing her to nod in return, and he knew she was crying again.

“Thank you Mark…for everything.” She replied softly and slowly extracted herself from his arms once more, knowing she’d better stop. “Now get back to packing. I have my own to do.”

As soon as she left the room, Mark dropped to his knees and buried his face in his hands, finally allowing the hot tears to escape his eyes. He rarely cried, but when he did, he did it alone. There was one other person who had seen him cry and that was his ex-wife Sara. She’d seen him cry at his father’s funeral, but it was when they were alone in the visitation hall along with his mother. Mark clutched his chest and felt his heart shatter, gritting his teeth against the emotional pain, and let out a growl before standing up on shaky legs. He had to finish packing and pushed the hurt aside for the time being, knowing in a few days, Namine would be out of his life forever.

~*~*~*~

They sat in the airport side by side, waiting for their separate flights to be called. Namine was wearing a deep blue V-neck dress shirt that was short sleeved along with a long black skirt that had blue swirl designs all in it, her hair half up and half down, curled slightly. She had a silver necklace on that had a raindrop pendant attached and matching earrings along with black pumps. Mark, on the other hand, was in his usual. Black tight jeans, black muscle shirt that looked like a second skin on him, his hair pulled back in a tight ponytail with a black bandana around his forehead, black boots covering his feet and a silver chain with a ring dangling from it around his neck. He was also wearing black sunglasses, shielding his green eyes from the amount of emotions he was feeling at that moment.

“Are you excited about seeing everyone again?” Namine asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence between them, and glanced up at him with a raised eyebrow.

“Not really.” He gruffly replied pinching the bridge of his nose and groaned inwardly at all the problems he knew awaited him once he returned. He would have to put the young rookies to the test, to see if they were worthy to step in a WWE ring. The thought actually made him smirk.

Namine nodded and looked over at the gate were her terminal awaited her, her future, and clutched the plane ticket tightly in her grasp.

“Flight 329 for London, England is now boarding. Passengers please make your way to the terminal to be seated and have your ticket ready. Have a great day and thank you for flying American Airlines.”

Namine swallowed hard and closed her eyes for a second. “That’s me.” She quietly said, causing Mark to nod once, and together they stood up, her bag in hand. She didn’t have much as they walked over to her terminal, where the flight attendant was waiting to take her ticket. Namine slowly set her bag on the moving belt before slowly turning around to face Mark, tears pooling in her silver eyes.

“Darlin’…” He whispered and reached out, pulling her into his arms, wrapping her in his warmth and comfort. “Don’t cry. This isn’t goodbye.”

But it was. Deep down Namine knew this was it. She would never see Mark again after she boarded this flight and started her new life in England. “Thank you for everything, Mark.” She whispered once more, having lost count how many times she’d thanked him over the past few days, and sniffled as she slowly pulled back. “Don’t forget me.”

Sighing, Mark ran a finger down her wet cheek, the tears running over it and nodded. “I don’t think that’s possible, Namine.” He murmured huskily and slowly pulled his sunglasses off, placing them on his head, letting her see the tears shimmering in his green eyes. “Namine, I…”

Before he could get the words out, the final call for her flight boarding echoed throughout the airport, causing his heart to drop in the pit of his stomach.

“What is it Mark?” She asked softly, feeling his hand pull away from her face, and wiped her tears away.

“Nothin’, go on darlin’. Yer gonna miss yer flight if ya don’t get movin’.” He stated, shaking his head, and pushed her gently toward the flight attendant.

Namine nodded and handed her plane ticket over, taking what was left of it, and slowly turned around to face Mark as she grabbed her bag from the moving belt. “Take care of yourself, big guy.” She said, winking, though the tears were starting again as she stared back at him.

“You too darlin’.” He replied with a nod, replacing the sunglasses over his eyes, and watched as she turned and walked down the terminal. When she disappeared, Mark rushed over to the window and looked out, seeing her board the plane, the tears stinging his eyes again. He watched her disappear into the plane, the door close and saw the plane take off high into the air. She was gone, the woman he loved and was in love with was gone, and she was never coming back. “Goodbye Namine.” With that said Mark picked his bag up, blinked the tears away, and pushed his pain aside as he headed toward his own flight.

Namine had seen him watch her and cried her heart out, clutching her stomach as the sick feeling swept over her. “Goodbye Mark.” She whispered painfully, squeezing her eyes shut, and proceeded to cry herself into a restless slumber as she headed toward England to start her life over again.

Chapter 12

Exactly eight hours later, the plane landed in London and Namine had never been happier to be home than she was at that moment. She quickly gathered her bags at the terminal, after going through security, and headed out toward her rental car. Her friend could not make it to get her, much to her relief. Namine needed some time alone to think things through as she stepped inside the car and turned the ignition on, sighing. Rain was pouring in gallons, a typical spring day in London. She turned some music on and headed out on the road toward her new home and destination.

He watched out the window, dressed head to toe in black, his hair smoothed back while his blue eyes peered. A smile came to his lips when he saw the car pull up to the gate and punched in the code to enter, sighing with relief. She’d made it. Namine. He hadn’t seen her in ages, years, decades it seemed. The last time she’d been to England was three years ago when the World Wrestling Entertainment company had gone on tour in London. He managed to have dinner with her before she was rushed off to the next town.

Namine pulled up to the huge four story mansion and had to learn how to breathe again. Then again, why she was so surprised? It’s not as if she’d never been here before and cut the engine before stepping out, not caring that the rain was soaking her from head to toe. That’s how hard it was raining. The double oak doors swung open and Namine looked up, tears already flowing down her cheeks, mixing with the rain.

“Excuse me miss, do I know you?” He asked with a smirk, crossing his arms in front of his chest, and just stared back at her for a moment, not believing she was actually here.

She didn’t even have the heart to joke back and dropped her bags before running into his arms, wrapping her arms around his neck and started sobbing in his neck. “Daniel…” She managed to say between sobs, clutching the front of his shirt for dear life, shivering.

“Shhh it’s alright love. You’re safe now. You’re home, where you belong.” He crooned soothingly in her ear, rubbing her back up and down, and knew if they didn’t get out of the rain shortly, she would catch a nasty cold. “Come inside, I have tea brewing and the foyer has a nice fire going.”

Not saying a word, Namine walked inside and headed straight for the foyer, wrapping her arms around herself as water droplets followed her every path. She was literally soaked from head to toe, but surprisingly enough, she didn’t feel it. She felt numb from a broken heart and life. Daniel followed her, instructing his butler, Renaldo, to take her things upstairs to her room. He did it without a word while Daniel went into the foyer, watching from the doorway as Namine sat in front of the fire, the tears never stopping.

“I know this isn’t easy for you, Namine, but in time the pain will diminish.” Daniel said from behind and put his hands on her shoulders, kneading them, trying to get her to calm down.

“I miss him already.” She whispered, not trusting her voice at the moment, and turned in Daniel’s chest as she began to sob once more.

Daniel nodded, already knowing that. “Shhh don’t think about that right now. Just think about being here and getting your life together again.” He said, wanting her focus on her and not some redneck in Texas she was in love with.

“H-How could I have left like that knowing how I feel?” She asked out of nowhere, sniffling harshly and coughed a bit. She knew she’d be sick within the next couple of days after standing out in the freezing rain for that long period of time. She didn’t care though.

“Did you tell him you loved him?” He asked promptly, raising an eyebrow, and sighed when her head simply lowered. He had his answer. “I see…” He trailed off and walked over; pouring her a cup of hot honey flavored tea, and handed it to her. “Come love, you’re going to catch a cold if you don’t warm up.”

Sighing, Namine knew he was right and simply walked over, sitting beside him near the roaring fire and sipped her tea carefully, not wanting to burn her mouth. Tears flowed silently, a few drops landing in her tea, but she didn’t care. Nothing mattered anymore. The only thing that did was the fact she’d have to get over a man whom she’d fallen in love with, but didn’t have the nerve to tell him.

“So tell me something,” Daniel paused, taking a sip of his tea before continuing. “How did you like America as opposed to here?” He was trying to get her mind off of the redneck that kidnapped her and kept her under his thumb for eight months. If only Daniel knew why.

“It was interesting. I went all over with the job I had and loved every second of it.” Namine replied, though no excitement was in her voice, just deep, pure sadness.

Daniel sighed with a nod, watching her stand and walk over to stare out the window. “Do you miss it?” He asked after a brief moment of silence between them.

That was a good question. Namine honestly didn’t know as she wrapped her arms around herself, sighing heavily. “No.” She answered after what seemed like an eternity of silence. “I will never go back either.”

“Come along love, I’ll show you your room. You look exhausted.” Daniel said, standing and set his cup of tea down on the table before walking over to where Namine stood. He placed his hands on her shoulders, trying to give her the comfort he knew she craved at the moment. “It will heal in time, Namine. Time heals all wounds.”

Was that true though? Could she heal from this insurmountable heartache that threatened to consume her? “I do not wish to rest right now.” She weakly argued, causing him to chuckle, and guided her away from the window gently by the arm.

“Then let’s go get you unpacked. I’ll have Renaldo fix us some dinner while we work.” Daniel suggested, causing Namine to sigh heavier, and knew she had no choice. He cracked a sad smile as they walked out of the foyer and up the winding staircase toward her room, which was on the second floor.

Namine actually had to stop and admire the room as soon as the doors opened before her, blinking, not believing this was actually her room. It was almost as big as her apartment back in Staten Island, where she moved too after leaving England at the tender age of seventeen. “Wow…” That was all she could muster to breathe out as Daniel chuckled behind her, guiding her further inside. There was a huge king sized four poster bed with midnight blue drapery and canopy. The room had white walls with midnight blue trimming. “Is this really my room?”

Daniel chuckled more and nodded. “Of course it is. You should see mine.” He wiggled his eyebrows playfully, trying to get her to laugh, and smiled when he succeeded. They were already on the road to recovery. “It’s twice this size.”

“Lord…” She grumbled well naturedly and seen her bags sitting beside her bed, looking around the room more. There was a connecting door in which she assumed lead to a bathroom. Two cherry oak dressers were on either side of a huge flat screen television that was hanging on the wall. Beneath it was a stand where her DVD player, VCR and other electronics could go. It was perfect and she loved it.

“Is this to your satisfaction?” Daniel asked from behind, both of his hands clasped behind his back, causing her to nod.

“More than that.” She replied softly and turned around, staring into his deep blue eyes. “Thank you for taking me in.”

“Like I could do anything else?” He retorted gently, running his finger down her cheek. “I’ve missed you Namine.”

A blush crept into her cheeks as she smiled back at him, suddenly forgetting about her problems for the moment. “I’ve missed you too Daniel. It’s been far too long.”

He more than agreed to that and pulled her into his arms, hugging her close in a tight embrace, never wanting to let go. Daniel and Namine grew up together in England and had known each other since second grade. Of course, she was three years older, which put her in fifth grade. She was always the rebel, getting into trouble and he was forever bailing her out. How he managed to put up with her throughout the years Namine would never know, but she was blessed and thankful for it.

“When you left, I didn’t know what to do.” Daniel said out of nowhere while he held her, his eyes closed, inhaling the scent of her hair. She’d changed, but for the better in his eyes…or so he thought. “I went stir crazy trying to find you.”

Namine let out a shaky sigh and resting her cheek on his shoulder, allowing him to hold her, knowing he too needed the comfort at the moment. “I’m sorry I hurt you, Daniel. I just…I could not take it anymore. I had to get away fast…without anyone knowing.”

“Why didn’t you come to me if you were in trouble?” He asked, slowly pulling back to stare back into her eyes, the same eyes that had haunted his dreams day and night for the past five years. She’d just turned 22 a few weeks prior.

Namine sighed and raked a hand through her hair, shrugging absentmindedly. “I didn’t want to burden anyone with it. I just wanted out and took my opportunity when it presented. I don’t regret leaving England because I truly loved America. It was new, scary, exciting and beautiful all in one.” She slowly pulled away from him and walked over, staring out of her huge window that had a balcony attached to it. “I never did forget my best friend though. I’ve seen you in those Harry Potter movies and watched them religiously.”

Daniel shrugged with a chuckle, raking a hand through his hair. “Those definitely are one of my greatest accomplishments to date.” He admitted, crossing his arms in front of his chest and raised an eyebrow. “Have you read the books?”

“Every single one fifteen times each.”

Daniel blinked and let out a low whistle, chuckling more and walked over to stare out the window with her. “That’s impressive. I’ve only read each one twice, though that’s because filming the movies takes up most of my time.” He explained, knowing she’d reversed the conversation back to him and didn’t mind it.

“I’m glad to see you’ve done well for yourself, Mr. Radcliffe.” Namine said, cracking a small smile at him, and sniffled a bit. “I wish I could say the same thing for myself, but unfortunately…”

“Namine,” He cut her off, reaching out and hooking a finger under her chin, forcing her eyes to meet his. “That’s the past. Forget about it and move on. You’re home now. You’re back where you belong…with me.”

“How do you know I belong here?” She shot back weakly, trying to turn away from him, and bit her bottom lip when his head dipped, their lips mere inches from each other’s.

“Because I love you.” He whispered before capturing her lips with his in a passionate, soul searing kiss, wrapping his arms around her and pressing her tight against his strong body.

Namine instantly melted, wrapping her arms around his neck, and let out a soft moan into his mouth, opening it for access to him. She needed this right now; she needed someone to tell her they loved her, which is what Daniel was doing. In truth, she never stopped loving this boy, who had turned into quite a man over the years she’d been gone. “I love you too, Daniel. I always have.” She whispered, slowly pulling back and stared up into his blue eyes. Tears shined in her own eyes by how much love and admiration she saw, wishing she could tell him all she’d been through. Something was holding her back though and she didn’t understand what it could be.

He smiled back at her and kissed her lips softly once more before releasing her reluctantly. “I know I’m probably moving too fast for you, but…” He didn’t get to finish before her lips were on his again, her legs wrapping around his waist since she’d jumped on him, and cupped his face in her soft hands.

“Make love to me Daniel. Make me forget America ever existed. Make me believe you do love me.” She pleaded against his lips, already unbuttoning his shirt and sliding it down his muscular arms, pressing herself against him harder. “Make me believe…”

Daniel’s mind was spiraling out of control with both desire and need for this woman, how could he refuse her plead? He wasn’t going too and attached his lips to her neck, traveling down to the nape of it, nibbling on his way further. He smirked at her moans while peeling her damp shirt off, growling at the contact her skin made against his. Clothes flew left and right in a messy pile on the floor as Daniel guided Namine down on her bed, hungrily taking her lips with his, growling more. His muscles bulged, his breath quickened, and his heart thundered, beating a massive tattoo against his chest.

They proceeded to make love until the sun came up over the horizon, falling asleep in each other’s arms, tangled up and both praying neither regretted what they had done when they woke up later that day.

Chapter 13

The sun streamed through the curtain as her eyes slowly fluttered open, smiling a little and rolled over away from the light. She was too tired and honestly didn’t feel like getting up yet. A pair of arms wrapped around her from behind, causing her to sigh in contentment, and snuggled against the warm body. The sun caught the stone on her left ring finger just right, making the sapphire jewel glitter beautifully.

“Good morning love.” His deep voice mumbled in her ear, causing her to smile more and snuggled further against him.

“Morning sweetheart.” She whispered and turned her head so she was face to face with him, caressing it tenderly with her hand. It was hard to believe they were engaged, after only living together for six months.

Namine could not have been happier than she was at that moment. Here she thought she’d been in love with a man who kidnapped her and took her away from the drugs and partying. She was so intent on marrying Mark that she actually left the morning after making love to Daniel and flew back to Texas, wanting to tell him how much she loved and missed him. Her heart belonged to him and nobody else could take it…or so she thought.

Imagine her surprise when a blonde, silicone filled snatch answered the door in nothing, but a towel, a perky smile on her face. Namine wanted to beat the living tar out of her, but resisted when Mark came up from behind and slid his arms around her waist. It was then Namine realized he didn’t love her and never would. Mark was shocked to see Namine and tried explaining the situation, but she knew better.

“Have a nice life Mark.” She told him and walked back to her car, refusing to let the tears fall that burned her eyes. She got in her car and peeled out of his driveway, making sure to leave permanent burns in the pavement, and sped down the road as fast as she could, heading toward the airport again.

After that, Namine decided once and for all to remain in England with Daniel, who managed to bring the life back into her eyes and life. He stayed with her night after night, tending to her, loving her the only way he could and it was more than enough for her. Eventually she got over Mark and decided dating her best friend wasn’t such a bad idea, especially when he asked her out on a date three months later. He apologized profusely, saying it was too fast, but Namine knew deep down she had to get over Mark and move on.

Little by little, Daniel managed to crumble the walls she’d encased her heart around and took it for his own, promising to treasure it with all he had. And he did. Six months passed and Daniel asked her to marry him, telling her how much he loved her and that he knew deep in his heart they belonged. Through tears of joy and happiness, Namine accepted with a bright smile on her face and hope for the future. They proceeded to make love that night, tightening the bond both knew nobody could ever break.

“I am famished, how about you?” Daniel asked, slowly sitting up and stretched his muscular arms in the air, groaning in satisfaction when his back popped.

Namine giggled at her fiancé and shook her head. “You’re always famished, sweetheart. You are bound to eat us out of house and home.”

Daniel growled playfully at her and grabbed her about the waist, placing her on his lap, and started raining kisses down her bare back. “No wonder I love you so much. You are definitely a spitfire.”

“Would you want me any other way?” She retorted, glancing behind her with a smirk on her face.

“Never.”

She smiled and turned so she was straddling his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissed his lips softly, yet with so much passion all in one. Daniel groaned and immediately melted against her, running his hands up and down her back, scooting her closer so she could feel what she was doing to him. Namine moaned in his mouth and broke the kiss before moving her head to the side, allowing him full access to her neck, getting lost in the moment.

The doorbell ringing below, however, shattered the moment as Namine and Daniel both growled in unison.

“Who in the bloody Hell could be here at seven-thirty?” Daniel grumbled, setting his beautiful fiancée on the bed, and pulled his jeans on. “Stay right there, we are not finished yet, love.”

Namine simply smirked back at him and winked, pulling the comforter up to her chest, her long red hair pooling down her back in waves. She dyed it shortly after moving to England, wanting to go back to her natural color. Daniel loved it and made her promise to never dye it again, loving her hair. Namine couldn’t refuse, wanting to make him happy just as he had done to her.

Her thoughts were broken when yelling ensued, causing her to sigh and stood up, pulling her silk black robe on and tied it tightly around her waist. She then headed down the hallway and spiraling staircase, stopping dead in her tracks at who was in the doorway, screaming at her fiancé.

“What in bloody Hell are you doing here?” She demanded, crossing her arms in front of her chest, causing Daniel to look up at her with knowing eyes.

“This must be Mark.” He stated, causing the Texan to snort back at him.

Namine nodded solemnly, wondering how in the world he found her. “Yes, this is him.” She concluded before turning to go back upstairs. “Have Renaldo escort him off the grounds.”

“Namine wait!”

She stopped on the stairs, her back facing him, and lowered her head, gripping the banister so hard, her knuckles turned ghostly white. “Why should I?” She quietly asked, loud enough to where both men heard her, refusing to turn around.

“I need to talk to ya, darlin’, please.” Mark begged, his green eyes pleading with her to listen and hear him out. He loved her and, finally, he was going to admit it.

“Daniel darling, would you mind excusing us for a few moments?” She asked softly, feeling him walk up the stairs and smiled as his arms wrapped around her waist. “I won’t be long, I promise. Keep that bed warm.”

He simply nodded and kissed her lips softly before venturing up, shooting a glare back at Mark, begging him to do one thing wrong or to touch her. He would kill for Namine and grabbed a sword on his way up from one of the walls…just incase.

Mark snorted with a roll of his eyes. “That little punk’s got balls, I’ll give’ em that.” He grunted, crossing his arms in front of his chest as he watched the woman he loved gaze up at the boy she’d been staying with. “Thank god we’re alone again.”

She slowly turned around, her eyes pure cold steel, and pursed her lips tightly together. “You have five minutes, Mark. I suggest you make them count.” She stated angrily, though refused to lose her temper. No tears shone in her eyes either, unlike last time.

“Namine…why are ya angry with me?” Mark asked, having not a clue what she was so upset about.

That question actually made her laugh as she walked down the stairs. “You cannot be that stupid or naïve not to know why, Mark. Then again, maybe you can be.” Her laughter was cold and dark, something he wasn’t used to hearing. “Now honestly, why do you think I’m angry with you? I’m not angry in the slightest.”

He didn’t believe her. “Bullshit.” He grunted, watching her walk over to stand in the middle of the floor of the hallway. “If ya weren’t angry at me, ya wouldn’t have that look in yer eyes that wants me dead.”

“How’s Michelle?” She suddenly asked out of nowhere, causing his green eyes to widen before looking solemn.

“Over.”

“Pity to hear that.” She said, her tone filled with sarcasm and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

Mark sighed, knowing this wasn’t going to be easy to say as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously, causing Namine’s eyebrow to shoot up. “There’s a reason why I’m here, Namine,” He began, looking hesitant, trying to find the right words. “There’s a reason why I flew all this way and found ya.”

Despite her mind screaming at her to let him walk out of her life again, Namine was intrigued mildly and didn’t say a word.

“Do you remember that last night we spent together? When ya told me ya were comin’ here?” He asked, causing her to simply nod. “Well I didn’t wanna believe it at the time, but…” He sighed heavily and cursed. “Fuck. I love you okay, Namine? I fuckin’ love you.”

Silence reigned between them for seemed like an eternity before she finally spoke, “And…this is the part where I’m supposed to just jump in your arms and let you cart me back to America where we get married, have little baby Mark’s and Namine’s, and live happily fucking ever after, right?” There was no humor in her tone of voice, nothing.

Mark let out a snort and placed his hands on his hips, nodding. “That’s what I’m hopin’ will happen.” He stated, wondering what was going through her mind considering her eyes were unreadable.

“And I’m supposed to forget about all the horrid things you did to me, right?” She inquired, causing him to raise an eyebrow. “I’m supposed to forget the pain, the heartache, the hurt I felt when I came back to Texas, when I LEFT my home to go to you and tell you that I loved you, RIGHT?” Her voice was raising now, the anger finally pouring forth. It was so strong that she was literally trembling from head to toe. “I’m supposed to forget that filthy, nasty snatch that answered your door in NOTHING, but a towel and basically threw herself at you in front of me, RIGHT?” Now the tears came as they burned with a vengeance, threatening to spill down her cheeks. She wouldn’t let them though, not yet. “And…I’m supposed to forget how many nights I cried myself to sleep, how many tears soaked my pillow over your ass?” One by one, the tears began seeping from her eyes and made two trails down her cheeks, splashing on the marble flooring below. “Well guess what, Mark? I’m NOT and never WILL go back to America, especially with you!”

“Namine…please…”

“NO!” She screeched, causing him to actually back away a few steps, having never seen her like this. “NO! Don’t you DARE try to coax me into falling in love with you again, Mark! This is where it ends! Every single ounce of love for you that I had is GONE! You burned it away when you decided to hop into bed with the first trashy slag that threw themselves at you! You decided to end it between us, not me! You decided to shatter my heart with no remorse whatsoever and YOU decided to not to tell me how you really felt that day at the airport!”

“You didn’t either!” Mark shouted, getting defensive now.

“And why should I have? What difference would it have made had I told you right then and there how I felt? Would you have honestly done anything different?”

Mark opened his mouth to reply and then shut it, knowing no matter how much he didn’t want to believe her, he knew she was right.

“That’s exactly what I thought.” She stated, wiping her tears away angrily, and wrapped her arms around herself. “I have news for you Mark; I’m not broken anymore or helpless. I found someone who loves me for me, who doesn’t want to change a single thing about me, who didn’t ridicule me or betray me, who didn’t judge me when I told him what happened back in America. I found someone who wants to marry me and make a life and family with me. I found my soul mate, which has been in front of my eyes since I was in grade school.” She actually smiled at the thought of her fiancé upstairs, knowing he was probably listening in to everything she was saying. “And I love him unconditionally. He has my whole heart, not just half, not just a PIECE of what you had of mine. He had it ALL and he’s the one I want to spend the rest of my life with.”

Mark went to say something again, but stopped when he saw the rock on her left ring finger glitter back at him. It was a simple sapphire stone cut in the shape of a heart with little diamond outlining it set on a silver band. He knew he’d been too late. She was taken and she’d moved on with her life without him in it.

“Please leave my home and my country, Mark. I never want to see or hear from you again. I’ve found my best days are here, with Daniel, not with you. We had some laughs, some good times, but it was never enough for me. I deserved better than what you could’ve given me and I’ve found it in him.” Namine said her voice softer now and the anger had completely diminished from her tone. “I’m finally happy for the first time in my entire life. I’m finally at peace with myself and have come to terms with my mistakes. I’m moving on and I’m getting married and I’m starting the family I’ve secretly always dreamed of.”

“I-I’m happy for you, Namine…” He quietly said, wishing with all his heart it was him she was talking about, but that wasn’t meant to be. “So this is your best days then?”

“Yes, it truly is.” She replied with a nod, no hesitation whatsoever, and walked over to the double doors, opening them. “She’s out there somewhere Mark, waiting for you. You have to be the one to step up and take her though. Your best days are ahead just as mine are. Go on.”

“Namine, I…”

“Just go away…please.” Her voice was pleading now as she looked away from him, not having the heart or desire to stare into his emerald eyes, and swallowed hard as he simply walked out without another word.

She watched from the doorway as he got on his Harley Davidson motorcycle and sped out of the gate and down the road. For once in Namine’s life, she was truly happy and no tears fell as she watched him leave. Without another thought or glance, Namine shut the doors and walked upstairs toward her future, toward her future husband, and toward her best days.

The End.