Ignition Point

Chapter 1

Content warning: sexual act recorded without consent.

"My office. Now."

Those words never got any easier to hear, whether they were issued by a school principal back when Seth was a rambunctious kid or now, having Hunter study him with a mixture of disappointment and disdain. As much as he hated to admit it, he deserved both—and worse.

Becky was already waiting in the office and even though it made Seth's heart lurch, he headed towards her—and was promptly stopped by a large, heavily tattooed arm. He looked up just in time to see Roman shake his head sadly. "Just sit," Roman said gently. He waited until Seth had sat down before returning to his own seat, positioned just behind Becky's.

Becky was the only person in the room who hadn't moved. Her hands were clasped together in her lap and she was staring straight ahead, adjusting her gaze only when Hunter moved between their two separated chairs to reach his own. "How long is this going to take?" she asked bluntly.

Seth couldn't remember when he had last heard her voice so bleak, so broken, but then a glint caught his eye and he saw Hunter holding up a phone with a rhinestone-covered case, Jeanine spelled out in bright—and obviously fake—crystals. "Shit," Seth breathed. If Becky had heard him, she didn't bother reacting; Roman let out a low snort and when Seth glanced back at him, his Shield brother's gaze held all the disdain and disappointment that was in Hunter's eyes plus embers of fury, just waiting to be stoked. Shit, shit, shit.

He had never bothered to learn how to spell her name; WWE had decided to call her Nina because it sounded fancier, and it wasn't like the two of them spent a lot of time talking anyway.

"I can explain." Seth bit down on his lip before he could say anything more. Of the worst things he possibly could have said, that would have to be in the top five, probably the top three; perhaps the only thing he could had said that would be more damning was It isn't what it looks like.

Hunter tapped Nina's phone. "The pictures and video explained things well enough. Just be grateful nothing was leaked."

Seth didn't think it was possible for his heart to plummet any further, but there it went, taking his gut with it. "Video? There shouldn't be any video."

Hunter's eyebrow twitched. "Well, at least you're not denying anything." Then, expression softening, he turned to Becky. "You don't have to watch it again. Did you want me to wait until you've left?"

Now Seth felt like he was in freefall, all his thoughts and organs out of place. "Watch it... again?" he echoed, voice catching in between the words. He felt guilty enough for what he had done and had been planning to talk with Becky about it, but now everything was slipping out of his hands.

After tapping the screen a few times, Hunter handed the phone to Seth. "Keep the volume off." He nodded subtly in Becky's direction. "And if you truly didn't know about the video, you can press charges." When he sat back, Hunter shook his head and reached for his coffee as he muttered something under his breath.

Seth expected there would be a few pictures. He tried to discourage it, of course, since he'd already weathered one photo leak scandal, but he knew Nina had snapped at least one of them at a cafe. He honestly couldn't remember a video, though. Had she hidden her phone somewhere in her hotel room? As tempting as it would be to press charges—for the principle of the matter, not any monetary gain—Seth didn't want to endure another social media roller coaster again, especially not when Becky would be dragged into it for no reason. No reason other than giving him the benefit of the doubt when he said he had changed, anyway.

Making sure the mute symbol was still on, Seth tapped the screen to start the video and it only took him a few seconds to place it. He was only visible from the chest down and the phone was at an odd angle at first—likely because Nina was trying to keep it out of his line of sight while her other hand stroked him. After her mouth closed over his cock and she started sucking on him, though, she moved the phone closer, even shooting the camera a wink as if she were auditioning for something. He would have loved to claim it wasn't him, but Becky would be able to recognize every inch of him—and even if she didn't, the tattoo on his wrist was clearly visible when his fingers tightened in Nina's hair, urging her closer. He supposed someone could be trying to frame him, but even he knew that was far-fetched.