Wrestling With Love Read online

  Wrestling with Love

  WHITNEY SHOPE

  WRESTLING WITH LOVE Copyright © 2021 Whitney Shope

  For information contact; www.whitneyshope.com

  Find Whitney online at

  https://instagram.com/whitneywritestoo

  https://facebook.com/authorwhitneyshope

  Book written by Whitney Shope

  Cover and format design by Loretta Kendall

  All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Chapter One

  M aybe this was just what she needed. After everything that happened Mila was all too anxious to escape Millville and head for New York. This internship couldn't have come at a better time.

  “If only I didn't hate flying. Thank God for ZzzQuil and noise-canceling headphones!” she thought to herself as she attempted to get comfortable.

  “Hey. . .”

  Mila was deeply ingrained in the book she was reading. So much so that she hadn't even noticed the man approaching the seat next to her. So, he raised his voice just a bit louder as he tapped her shoulder.

  “Hey!”

  Mila nearly jumped out of her skin at the sudden touch on her shoulder and the whisper of a man's voice, barely audible over her noise-canceling headphones.

  “What the hell man?!”

  “Sorry, I wasn't trying to scare ya. It's just that I got the window seat and well, you're kind of blocking me from getting there.”

  “Oh. . .”

  And this was the exact moment that this man's attractiveness finally registered in Mila's stressed-out brain.

  “I... uh … I... sorry.”

  Mila blushed deeply, suddenly hyper-aware of this man's presence. He stood about 6'2, dark hair and eyes, and oh Lord he had to be doing Crossfit or something. They don't just hand bodies like that out!

  He laughed. “It's ok but umm, are you planning on letting me sit before takeoff? I don't usually like to fly standing in the aisle!”

  He offered her a dimpled grin that made her words come even slower than they already were. Seriously where did this guy come from and do they make more of him?

  “Of course!”

  Finally, Mila's mind and mouth were on the same page. She stood up to allow some room for this gorgeous stranger to get to his seat.

  As he passed, he brushed against Mila accidentally. Her entire body lit up like a Christmas tree!

  “Seriously Mila,” she thought, “get it together! You are 26, you've seen a man before!”

  “Sorry about that. I'm Trevor by the way!”

  “No...no problem I'm Mila”

  They shook hands before taking their seats.

  “So, Mila, business or pleasure?”

  “Excuse me?”

  “What's got you on this flight to NYC today? Business or pleasure?”

  As he spoke, he kept his dark eyes focused on Mila like she was the single most fascinating person on the planet.

  “Oh, uh, I got an internship at this wrestling organization as a writer.”

  “Seriously? You wouldn't be talking about Pro Elite Wrestling, would you?”

  “You know it?” she asked, excitedly.

  “I work there!”

  And suddenly Mila was already in love with this job.

  The flight was going smoothly for the first 45 minutes or so. Leaving Mila to her never-ending thoughts.

  “Ok, why, in the name of all that is Holy, is this man affecting me like this?”, she asked herself, “I mean seriously, has it been that long since I got laid? Oh, what am I saying, if I have to do math the answer’s pretty freaking obvious!”

  “You okay, you seem distracted?”

  Trevor’s rich voice pulled her out of the mental calendar where she was trying to figure out the last time she had done the horizontal hula.

  “Oh, yeah, I'm just not a major fan of flying. Makes me nervous.”

  “And so do gorgeous guys!” she thought

  “Oh, well this flight's been fine so far. Honestly, I don't remember.”

  His sentence was cut off by sudden turbulence. The plane began violently jerking back and forth.

  “Oh God, it's my nightmares come true, we're going to die!”

  “It's okay Mila, breathe.”

  As he said this, he loosened the death grip Mila's hand had on the armrest between them.

  Mila turned her attention to his eyes.

  “Wha - what?” she stammered.

  “A beautiful girl like you shouldn't be so scared. I hate to see it. Why don't we just stop denying this attraction and go with it?”

  Before she could say anything, Trevor grabbed her face in a feverish kiss. His tongue not even asking permission, just taking.

  “Trevor the plane's -”

  As she mumbled these words into his mouth, his hand wrapped around her back, pulling her closer.

  “What the hell is happening?” she thought, “Is this how I die? Oh, but what a way to go!”

  He suddenly pulled back.

  “Run away with me Mila! Promise me if we make it off this flight, you’ll run away with me and never look back! I know love at first sight when I see it!”

  She threw her arms around his neck dramatically.

  “Oh Trevor, yes!”

  “Mila? Mila!”

  Suddenly, Mila's eyes popped open. She was panting and trembling. A few people were looking in her direction.

  “Oh God it was a dream!” she thought, reality finally becoming clear. “What did he hear? What did he see? Oh, please tell me he didn't -”

  “You okay? You're shaking.” Trevor said, genuine concern playing across his handsome features.

  “Uh, yeah, just had a bad dream.”

  “Really? To be honest it sounded like a pretty damn good dream!”

  “Oh, dear Lord take me now! If this man heard me moaning his name, I really would want the plane to crash!” she thought, mentally berating herself for even thinking such things. “Stupid subconscious!”

  “Not exactly. I dreamed the plane crashed,” she answered flatly.

  “Damn. Oh well, I guess that's why it sounded like you were calling my name. You okay now?”

  If Mila didn't know any better, she'd swear there was a look of disappointment on his face at the idea that she was not dreaming of him.

  “Yeah, I'm just tired. I think I'll try and get back to sleep.”

  She smiled slightly to hurry this conversation along by assuring him she was fine.

  “Oh, okay. I guess we'll see each other when we get to work!” he replied.

  At that exact moment, as she tried to fall back asleep, all Mila could think was.

  “Oh, boy am I in so much trouble!”

  ***

  Just as the plane glided onto the runway at LaGuardia, Trevor turned his attention to the now awake Mila.

  “So, are you heading straight to headquarters or are you getting the usual first-day tour?”

  “I'm not sure. I'm going to headquarters after I stop at the Air BnB I'm going to be staying in.”

  “Do you even get the place to yourself?”

  Mila smiled, already anticipating the beautiful home she had viewed online.

  “Yep, it's just me there until I can find an apartment in my price range.”

  He seemed so interested in her
and her life. Mila wasn't used to that kind of attention from guys. They usually either tried to get in her pants or, when that failed, decided to try out her friend's pants. There had been one guy though. One incredibly special guy.

  The conversation continued off the plane, through baggage claims, and to the doors exiting the airport, Trevor locked in on Mila's every word.

  “Well, that's my Uber over there. It was great meeting you. Maybe I'll see you at the next writing staff meeting.” she said.

  “Oh, I doubt it. I have to get ready before work. You know, stretch, run the ropes, all that.”

  Mila was almost one hundred percent positive that her jaw had come completely unhinged.

  “Wait, you're a wrestler?!”

  “Well,” she thought, “that certainly explains the physique.”

  But how could she not know him? Pro wrestling had been a guilty pleasure of Mila's for years and she took immense pride in her wealth of knowledge. Especially this company. It's one of the reasons she'd applied for the internship. This company was her dream.

  “Yeah, I started here 5 months ago, but I worked for other promotions before. I've been wrestling for 6 years. My ring name is Dane Styles.”

  “THE Dane Styles? The luchador who wrestled for 2 years in Mexico?”

  No wonder she didn't recognize him. Luchadores wore masks that covered all but their eyes and mouth. Dane Styles was an incredible professional wrestler. His aerial ability made it seem like he really could fly across that ring.

  Trevor looked like he was ready to puff out his chest in pride.

  “Ahh, so you HAVE heard of me?”

  “There goes that dimpled grin again.” she thought. And damned if Mila's ability to act like a functioning human being didn't go with it.

  “Of course, you're-”

  Just then the Uber driver laid on the horn, stopping both the conversation and, she was fairly sure, their hearts for a moment.

  “Well, I got to go. I'll see you around, I guess. It was nice meeting you.”

  “Nice meeting you too. Oh, and you can count on it.”

  Mila felt herself blushing deeply as he flashed that disarming smile at her once again.

  “Umm, yeah, later”

  She climbed into the Uber, looking longingly out the window to watch Trevor walk away. Only he didn't.

  To Mila's surprise, he was still there, lingering. She was about to dismiss her hopeful thoughts that he was watching her go. But when she finally looked at Trevor she was met with an intense stare.

  Chapter Two

  T he Air BnB was so nice. A cute little one-bedroom townhouse in a quiet neighborhood. It was perfect for Mila to get some writing done. Fireplace in the living room, window seat in the bedroom, WiFi connection, recently remodeled. It was certainly not huge, but it was cute and perfect for Mila's stay.

  After unpacking a few boxes and finding a suitable dress for work, Mila headed out the door, into her waiting taxi, and off to her first day at Pro Elite.

  Mila headed out the door, into her waiting taxi, and off to her first day at work.

  “Here goes nothing!” she said to herself as she slid into the backseat.

  The cab pulled up outside this massive building with windows everywhere. It was sleek and modern and, if Mila was being honest, just a tad bit intimidating.

  She made her way into this massive glass structure and approached a lady sitting at the front desk in the lobby.

  “Welcome to Pro Elite, what can I do for you?”

  The bubbly redhead with the cute pixie haircut smiled sweetly, which somehow put Mila at ease a little bit.

  “Uh, Mila Stevens, I'm reporting for the writer's internship?”

  It came out sounding way more like a question than she ever intended for it to.

  “Oh, Ms. Stevens of course! Hold on, let me just call boss man to tell him you're here for him. He was REALLY impressed with your writing samples!”

  “Please, call me Mila, and that's good, right?”

  She offered a girlish giggle.

  “I’m Phoebe and of course it's a good thing! It takes a lot to impress Mr. Donahue. For what it's worth, I liked what I read as well.”

  “You read my writing submission?” Mila asked nervously.

  “More like Mr. Donahue reads loudly and I just happened to have had work near the conference room that day!”

  Mila couldn't help but laugh as Phoebe winked at her.

  “Well, in that case, thank you!”

  Just then a tall, thin redhead sauntered her way into the lobby.

  Phoebe audibly groaned. “Oh Christ, here we go.”

  “Who's that-”

  Mila’s question was cut off when the sharply dressed woman spoke.

  “Hello Penelope, I'm here to see Dominic, do let him know I'm here!”

  “First of all, it's Phoebe. Second, Mr. Donahue has an appointment with Ms. Stevens here, so you'll have to wait in the lobby with the rest of the common folk.”

  Suddenly the woman's attention was focused on Mila. And to say she suddenly felt very insecure would’ve been quite an understatement.

  She looked her up and down, never taking her eyes off Mila even as she responded to Phoebe.

  “Oh darling, believe me, no one comes before me with Dominic. I'm sure this little cupcake wouldn't mind waiting a while, would you dear?”

  Just then a man's booming voice cut through the intercom on Phoebe's desk.

  “Phoebe, send Ms. Stevens up now please.”

  “Yes, sir she's-”

  The woman practically lunged for the intercom, shoving Phoebe out of the way.

  “Oh, that’s it!” Phoebe responded, “I ought to grab that weave of yours and-”

  “Dom, baby, please tell these girls that since I'm here to see you, they can be dears and wait.” the well-dressed stranger hollered.

  “Wait in the lobby Lydia,” he responded without a hint of emotion.

  “But darling I -”

  “Lobby Lydia, now! I'll call for you when I'm done with Ms. Stevens.”

  After watching the woman stomp a Louboutin-clad foot towards the lobby, Mila turned to Phoebe who rolled her eyes before saying.

  “Lydia Banks, aka Mistress Extraordinaire. You better get up to his office though! I'll tell you more later!”

  Mila laughed as she responded.

  “Okay, sounds good!”

  “Take those elevators there to the 5th floor, the last door at the end of the hall! Good luck!”

  Mila gave her one last wave as she headed for the elevators.

  “Thanks!”

  “No big deal,” she thought, “just my entire future at stake here.”

  ***

  Many words can be used to describe Dominic Donahue, but perhaps the one that best describes him is intense!

  Mila sat in his office for over an hour getting the rundown of her daily duties and what was expected of her as the newest member of the writing staff. This job was a temp-to-hire position. Meaning, if she worked hard and stayed diligent this would be more permanent than an internship.

  “And that's the basic rundown of how things work around here. You'll report to your boss, the head of the writing department, Samantha,” he said, stretching his arms before folding them behind his head.

  Mila knew exactly who Samantha was. Samantha, more specifically Samantha Donahue Turner. Head of the writing department, shareholder, and, oh yeah, Dominic's daughter.

  “Now, unless you have any questions for me, I'll get someone in here that can show you around, introduce you to some of the talent, show you your workspace and all.”

  “That sounds great Mr. Donahue, thank you again for this opportunity!”

  “I trust that you love this enough to give it your all. It's an all or nothing business we're in here.”

  “Of course, sir.”

  Mila stared down at her hands, fidgeting in her lap while Mr. Donahue made a couple of phone calls to find someone to show her around.

/>   About 5 minutes later there was a knock at the door. Without even turning around to face the door, Mr. Donahue called out.

  “Come in!”

  Mila froze when a very recently familiar face appeared in the doorway.

  “Sir, you wanted to see me.”

  His last words trailed off the moment he saw Mila sitting there.

  “Trevor, son, this is Mila, the new intern for the writing department. Show her around and help her get situated, will you?”

  Mila looked shyly at Trevor, suddenly feeling herself blush so deeply she was probably a nice shade of burgundy.

  “Of course, sir. Hi Mila, I'm Trevor.”

  He stuck out his hand while offering another dimpled grin. Only this time there was a playful smirk that accompanied it. Mila couldn't help but feel like her legs were suddenly a Jello-like substance as she looked into his chocolate brown eyes.

  “Umm, hi Trevor. Mila, Mila Stevens.”

  Mr. Donahue cleared his throat loudly before ending their little moment.

  “Great, well, now that pleasantries are out of the way, can you give her that tour Trevor? And you've got T.V. tonight, you're on the 8:15 segment so be back in plenty of time.”

  “Yes sir. Come on Mila, I'll introduce you to some of this traveling circus!”

  Mila giggled as Trevor held open the door and ushered her out to the backstage area. She recognized some of the wrestlers and even the referees.

  “So, how you like it so far?” Trevor asked.

  “Seems like a fun place to work.”

  “It really is. If you avoid the drama starters, it’s fun! Most stadiums and arenas we do, the backstage area looks identical or similar to this.”

  “Ok. I suppose there's a Craft Services area for lunch or dinner?” Mila asked.

  “Always. Hey, there's some of the girls. Hey girls, come meet the new writer!” Trevor called, waving them over.

  An athletically built woman with shocking purple hair stepped forward.

  “Well, well, finally someone fresh on the writing staff. I'm-”

  Before she could stop herself, Mila finished the woman’s sentence for her.

  “Violet Femme, two-time Women's Champion and longest-tenured woman at Pro Elite Wrestling.”