Reality (Linstead AU)

Chapter 69

The morning after the night before. There were a lot of tired faces in the hotel's restaurant at breakfast. Jay and Erin rarely got room service breakfast these days when they were on the road. Erin liked to be seen by 'her people' and to interact with them outside of the busy, all-business atmosphere backstage on show nights.

Jay noticed the atmosphere change a bit when he and Erin walked in. They both knew it was her presence that caused that to happen. She didn't like it, but nonetheless it was a fact. People took notice when the boss entered the room, and made sure not to bring any negative attention on themselves.

What Erin liked to do was join people while they ate and shoot the breeze. Her theory was that it showed her wrestlers that she didn't consider herself above them, and that she was approachable. Whether it worked or not, Jay wasn't entirely sure.

On this particular occasion, they were a little late coming down. A lot of the tables were full, with wrestlers or other hotel guests. Some people had probably already finished eating and gone about their day. For instance, he couldn't see Raquel and Zelina in the room. He knew they were awake because Raquel had sent him a selfie to show off her nasty black eye and busted lip.

"Let's go sit with Clem," Erin decided, spotting Clementine and her partner Alexa as the only people sitting at a table for four.

"Okay," he agreed. Walking over there, Jay saw that Clem didn't have her customary baseball cap on. Instead, there was a big medical plaster stuck on her forehead, covering the cut just above her hairline from the match the night before. Jay well knew how much of a pain in the ass those kinds of cuts could be, re-opening easily if you weren't careful.

"Mind if we join you?" Erin asked politely when they approached the table.

"Go ahead, boss," Clem said comfortably. Jay imagined Clem genuinely didn't mind. He got on pretty well with her, and he knew she respected Erin. Possibly even liked her, too.

Alexa smiled at them. Jay smiled back. She was a gorgeous little woman. Clem had done very well for herself.

"How are you feeling?" Jay asked Clem as he and Erin sat down.

"Like I was in a car wreck. You?"

"My match was fairly routine. I'm fine. Not surprised you're hurting though. Raquel sent me a selfie. She's seen better days too."

Jay noticed Alexa looking uncomfortable around the subject of what Clem put herself through for her job. Non-wrestlers often found that tough. Meanwhile, Erin had set about her egg on toast breakfast, listening to the conversation.

"That woman is a freaking terminator or something," Clem said, shaking her head in disbelief. "I accidentally kneed her square in the face. Thought I'd knocked her out cold and ruined the match less than halfway through when it connected. Yet she didn't even go down."

Erin chuckled. "That's Raquel. I'm pretty sure she's indestructible."

Alexa seemed to have brightened up a bit now. There was a smile on her face. "Clem's not far behind. Wrestling over an hour, and losing a lot of blood. Don't know how you did that," she added, looking at her lover.

"Right," Erin agreed. "I'm giving you both the rest of the week off after the show tonight. You can go home and rest up."

Somewhat to Jay's surprise, Clem looked relieved.

"Thanks, boss. I need it."

That said as much as anything about how much she was hurting. No doubt Raquel felt just as bad.

"Speaking of tonight, what's next?" Clem went on. "You've kept your cards very close to your chest as to what would happen once I won the championship."