NaNoWriMo Story Snippets

13. Excerpt from THE ARRANGEMENT

AUTHOR'S NOTE: On one hand, I feel vaguely bad about the Harry Potter jokes. On the other hand, they made me laugh, so they're probably going to stay. Sorry, Potter fans!

"Our golden trio does it again!" Clapping in a measured way so her bracelets didn't jingle too much, Stephanie McMahon approached Becky, Roman, and Seth, leaving Hunter to field the last of the technical questions from the media. "You were all amazing. Good job." She ushered the three wrestlers a bit further away from the stage entrance so they would be less likely to be seen or overheard. "You were all excellent. Seth, Roman—you planted the seeds of an upcoming rivalry beautifully. Nothing too obvious, but enough that it'll stick in some people's heads and when things get rolling, they'll go back to rewatch the announcement. Becky, incredible as always." She gave Becky a tight hug and kissed her cheek. "We want your match to be the main women's match, so start thinking about who you'd like to feud with and give me some names, okay?"

The official announcement for Chicago getting SummerSlam had barely ended, but WWE's crew was a well-oiled machine, already dissembling things backstage and getting them packed up. Becky edged closer to Seth to get out of the way of a convoy of lighting equipment trunks being wheeled to the trucks. "Sure. Right now, Sonya would be at the top of my list, but I'll think on it and let you know." She knew she didn't have nearly the amount of clout some fans accused her of wielding—and abusing—but she was determined to use what little sway she had to help bolster some of the unappreciated women on the roster.

"Great." Then Stephanie patted one of Seth's arms and one of Roman's. "You two, keep up the good work. Maybe take a few friendly jabs on Twitter, that sort of thing. Nothing too obvious, but enough to start a trail." Hearing her name called, Stephanie switched from her casual smile to her corporate one. "No rest for the wicked, right? You all have a great weekend, okay?"

"Thanks, Steph." Seth looped an arm around Becky's waist and the three of them started walking to the parking area. "Now I can get you home and get you out of that dress," he murmured into her hair, loud enough for Roman to hear. Looking over at his friend, he added, "And you out of that suit." They had all dressed up for the announcement, but had a change of clothes in the back of Seth's SUV in case their formal wear got too uncomfortable. It would take a couple hours to get back to his place, but since they had a rare weekend together, they didn't want to spend it at a hotel. At his house, at least, they could be assured of privacy, and they could sprawl as much as they liked.

"I don't know. I like his tie," Becky countered, reaching over to smooth Roman's tie down. "It brings out his eyes."

Laughing, Roman loosened the tie, pulled it over his head, and dropped it over Becky's. "You like it? Good." Leaning closer and lowering his voice, he added, "It's all you get to wear tonight." Then he adjusted the knot, letting his hand linger by her throat. They were far enough from the bustle of the backstage crew that they didn't have to worry about being seen, but she was mostly blocked from view by his and Seth's bodies anyway.

"I can't believe I'm the one having to tell you to behave." Seth's voice was mockingly stern, but he was enjoying the teasing as much as they were. His house would be the first one where they had spent any meaningful time together as a triad. They didn't want Roman's kids to accidentally see—or hear—anything, so they had to wait until Galina took them to visit family to use his house, and Becky's place in Los Angeles had a lot of celebrities, and thus a lot of paparazzi hoping for scandalous photos.

Becky pulled his head down to hers and gave him a lingering kiss. "You won't be saying that in a few hours, though."

"Yeah, well, everybody keeps clothes on while we're in the car," Seth declared. "There aren't a lot of great places to pull off to the side. Anyone want to change before we head out?"