Alicia sat in a restaurant booth with Val across from her. The lights had been dimmed and the candles provided little light, so shadows danced on the walls. Both were talking with interest to each other, discussing anything and everything. They had just finished their light meals and were nursing their drinks as they sat in the empty room. She had never guessed that a wrestler could be such good company, much less hold an intellectual conversation, but here she was, sitting across the man who was recovering from a dislocated shoulder.
She had been surprised how well he had took the pain. An injury like that must have been causing unbelievable pain, yet he had held still while the doctor had re-set the shoulder, not uttering a sound. She had been surprised that when after his shoulder had been wrapped in a bandage and he had most of the movement back in his arm, he had asked her out to dinner. After asking if she was needed for the rest of the night and hearing that she wasn’t, Val had escorted her out of the building and to his rented sports car parked in the dark lot. He had held her door open for her and even helped her in before rounding the car and climbed into the driver’s seat. After telling him of a good restaurant in the town, the two of them drove into the night.
As they sat alone in the restaurant, she had asked him questions about wrestling and he seemed happy to answer her questions. He had asked her how long she was going to work for the WWF and she replied that she wasn’t sure yet if she was going to take the job.
"You’re going to travel with us for a week, then decide if you want to continue or not?"
"That’s right."
"How did you come about to convince the doctor to take you as an assistant?"
She explained the whole phone conversation that she had last week. She also told him that she had no idea how he had got a hold of her phone number and how he knew that she was unemployed and yet to find the right time to ask.
"So you have a mystery on your hands?"
"I guess that’s one way to put it!" she answered laughing.
Val looked down at his gold watch, and noticed that it late. Usually he would have spent the whole night on a date, but they both had to get up early and drive to the next town. Helping her out of her seat, he dropped a hundred-dollar bill on the table and escorted her out of the restaurant.
On the drive back to the arena to pick up her car, he asked if he could give her a ride to the next show. It had taken some persuading, but she eventually gave in. The lot was empty and dark, save for the street light scattered throughout the lot. He pulled up next to her car and before she could open the door to get out, he jumped out of the car and ran to her door to open it for her and help her out with a smile on his face. They had talked for a few minutes before he gave her a slip of paper with the phone number of his hotel room, asking her to call him when she got home. Alicia took the paper and put it in the pocket of her jeans. With that done, he bent down and kissed her on the cheek, thanking her for joining him for dinner. They said their goodnights and she got in her car and drove off. She looked in her rear view mirror before pulling out into the light traffic to see him sitting on the hood of his car, lighting a cigarette and watching her go. She smiled and pulled out of the lot, heading home.
Val smiled as he took a long drag on the cigarette. She was small and he usually didn’t go for small girls, but she was extremly seductive. She was smart and luckily she didn’t know what his role was in the WWF so she had been happy to join him for dinner. He sat there for a minute, smoking and thinking. Not knowing that he was being watched
In a dark corner of the lot, a purple truck sat with a furious driver who was carefully watching Venis.
Copyright 1999 by Lady Serria