WWE Does Ballet

The Interview

Written By Lady Cat

CHAPTER 1

“Think we’ll ever get an interview? We’ve tried for almost a year.”

“I’m beginning to wonder,” the editor said. “This is the toughest we’ve ever had.”

“Everyone we’ve sent has come back empty handed.”

“This calls for the ultimate.”

“You don’t mean…”

“Yep. There’s nothing she won’t do. She’s tenacious as a pit bull.”

“But she sure doesn’t look like one.”

The editor chuckled. “Half the male staff is panting after her and the other half won’t even try.”

“But will she do it? You know how she feels about people in that line of work. If she does it is going to cost you plenty.”

“I know. But I think she’ll do it once she sees the challenge.”

The assistant stood up to leave. “Best of luck. She should be here anytime.”

The editor sat back in his chair. To get a man that calls himself Undertaker, notorious at chasing away columnists, to give an interview would be a big coup. “She has to,” he thought to himself.

The anniversary issue was nearly set for print. “Sapphire, you’re my last hope,” he mumbled to himself.”

CHAPTER 2

Sapphire was looking forward to a well-deserved vacation. She had put in a lot of overtime helping to get the anniversary issue ready. “By this time in a couple of days I’ll be sunbathing on the sands of Hawaii,” she sighed.

Sapphire Gentry was the best columnist and interviewer the magazine had. Every person she set out to interview, no matter what they tried, could not shake her off, and in the end agreed to a one-on-one interview. She had interviewed top executives in every area of but one, wrestling. She looked at them as being beneath her and not worth her time.

Sapphire had the kind of looks that men dreamed of and admired. Her dark hair and dark blue eyes offset a heart-shaped face, and a heart-stopping figure. She knew that every man at the office was drooling, waiting for the privilege of getting next to her, but she would have none of it and made no bones about it her career came first. Her beauty though, belied the intelligence and tenacity that lay underneath. Once she had her sights on getting an interview with her chosen target, nothing or no one was going to stop her.

She had come to the office that morning to clear up a couple of things and then head home to pack. As soon as she entered her office, her secretary said the boss wanted to see her.

“Hey, Marv,” she said upon entering. “You wishing me a happy vacation?”

Marv cleared his throat. “No,” he nervously answered.

“Marv, what is it?”

‘You know the anniversary issue…”

“Yes,” she interrupted. “I busted my butt getting it together. It should be rolling off the presses now.”

“It’s not,” Marv shook his head. “It needs one more thing.”

“What more does it need?” she moaned.

“That interview we’ve been working on for some time.”

“Yeah, the one with some guy that calls himself The Undertaker. What about it?”

“We don’t have it. He’s refused everyone that’s been sent.”

“That’s their tough luck. What’s it got to do with me? And why is this interview so important?”

“Because if we got this guy to talk, we would be the only ones to get the total and complete story of the man behind the character.”

Sapphire didn’t like the direction this was taking. “MMaarrvv. Are you thinking what I think you’re thinking?”

He looked at her. “I’m practically begging. Could you put your vacation to the side and do it?”

“DAMMIT!!!! I worked long and hard on this magazine! I deserve this vacation! Besides, you know how I am about talking to those people!”

I know, I know. You've worked harder than anyone and deserve a rest. But, can't you, please, just this once?"

"No, Marv. I'm not wasting my time to try to talk to a deadhead."

Marv pulled out an envelope from the middle drawer. "What's that?" she asked.

"It's a letter from the deadhead. To make it short, he says he was disappointed that a magazine of our caliber would send amateurs who gave up too easily. If that's the best we can do, it's a wonder we have any kind of circulation at all."

"Arrogant bastard," Sapphire sneered.

"Sounds to me like he's issuing a challenge," Marv said, putting the letter back in the envelope.

"And you want me to take the bait. Nothing doing. I'm leaving for my vacation and that's that."

"I'll kick in a hefty bonus."

Sapphire shook her head.

"I'll kick in the bonus and pay for your vacation - airfare, hotel, everything."

Sapphire couldn't believe this. "You've lost your mind. You want that interview that bad. Why?"

"He's one of the most recognizable celebrities around. He has a huge fan base. And the fact he is so secretive makes him worth going after."

"That's it?" she stood with her arms crossed. "I'm not buying it. There's something else."

Marv hesitated. "I'm a big fan of his."

Sapphire broke out in a fit of laughter. Marv pursed his lips. "Don’t laugh. There are a lot of people like me who enjoy watching wrestling."

Sapphire finally stopped laughing, but continued to giggle. "I never would have believed it. You of all people." She shook her head. "Well, there's no accounting for people's taste. The answer is still no, not even for all the gold you could carry. I'm leaving for Hawaii. Good-bye Marv. See you in two weeks." She turned and walked out.

Marv’s assistant came in. "I take it she didn't go for it. I even heard her laughing."

Marv shook his head. "I offered even to pay for her entire vacation, airfare, hotel, everything."

The young man whistled. "Man, I'd go for that myself."

"I wish I could fire her but she'd get snapped up just that fast. The issue will just have to wait till we can come up with a suitable replacement article."

CHAPTER 4

Sapphire plopped in her chair. “Of all the nerve!” she thought to herself. “Give up my vacation just so Marv can drool over his favorite wrestler,” she humphed.

She got up and went to the bedroom to begin packing. Sapphire had bought a few new outfits to wear and packed those first thing. She next went through the closet and packed a couple of evening dresses just in case the occasion called for it. She closed the suitcase and placed in the corner. She was going to pack her make up bag but decided she would do that tomorrow.

After fixing some lunch, she laid down to rest. When she woke up, the clock said 6:30 p.m. “Damn, I must have been tired.” With nothing else to do at the moment, she took a shower and slipped into an over sized t-shirt. Making herself a salad she sat in front of the TV and switched it on. Seeing nothing on the channel, she began flipping through the other channels. It happened that Smackdown was about to begin. For whatever the reason, Sapphire kept it there. The first half of the show was boring. “What am I doing?” she asked herself. Just as she was about to switch the announcer introduced the next match, which happened to be JBL vs. Undertaker.

They say first impressions are lasting. Sapphire’s first impression of JBL was anything but complimentary. “What an idiot,” she thought, even though she knew the character was what it was, a character. “Now for the other idiot.”

Sapphire watched as he made his entrance down the ramp, walking through the fog as if floating on air. Once he had climbed in the ring, she took a good look. Once he removed his leather coat, she saw the tattoos. “Wonder what they are and when did he get them?” She went on to his physique, which she had to admit wasn’t bad, and the leather pants did enhance his body. “Well, you can tell he dyes his hair. Needs a touch-up.” She concluded. “Has big muscular arms. His legs probably are also.” Then her mind wondered to something else. She covered her face. “Sapphire, what are you thinking?”

She sat back on the couch as the match began. “For a big man he moves pretty good.” The match lasted ten mi9nutes with Taker doing a chokeslam to end the match. When the show went to commercial she turned the TV off. For several minutes she looked at the blank screen, her mind on what she had seen. She could see the arrogance in his manner, which also meant he probably spoke arrogantly as well. Marv’s words crossed her mind at what the man had written in his letter. She ran her fingers over her lips. She grabbed her laptop, which was next to her, and turned it on, then typed in an address. Soon she began writing down what she saw on her screen. She began laughing. “Marv is going to be pissed.”

CHAPTER 5

Sapphire was amazed to see so many lined up outside the arena. "I can't believe they all come to see a bunch of deadheads." Then she looked at her reflection in the glass. "I'm a fine one to talk. I'm doing the same thing." She went to the pick-up window and got her ticket. Inside she got herself some nachos and a soda and went to her seat, which was by the entrance ramp. Close enough to see without being seen.

The show started with a bang, which made her jump in her seat. She watched with disinterest the first half of the matches. She was getting irritated as a bunch of young girls kept screaming in her ears all the while. She was about ready to yell at them but decided not even they would hear her with all the noise. She sat back in her seat, holding her camera that still had half a roll in it.

The arena grew dark. "This is it," she thought, hearing the familiar toll, camera at the ready. She saw the fog hide the ramp, then "he" made his entrance. It was so much different in person than watching on television she admitted to herself. Up came the camera, the soft clicks drowned out by the cheers as she took shot after shot. At least Marv would have this if nothing else. Once she had enough she observed his demeanor in the ring. He displayed his usual arrogance at his opponent. "Wonder if this is how he really is outside the ring?" remembering the letter Marv had read to her from Taker, "Or is this guy bluffing?" Perhaps she could wrangle her way backstage for a look see. She got up and made her way to the backstage area. She spotted a security guard who didn't look too bright. She observed the way he ogled the women as they passed by. "This should be easy," she thought.

The security guard licked his chops as Sapphire approached, her hips swaying in the tight jeans. "Well, helllooo, gorgeous." Sapphire batted her eyelashes. "What can I do for you?"

"I was just wanting to know if I could go backstage," she asked in her softest, sexiest voice.

"Well, ma'am, no one is allowed without a pass."

Sapphire stroked his arm. "Please?" she looked up at him with pleading eyes. "Couldn't I? I promise not to cause trouble. No one will know. I promise not to tell." She pouted her lips.

He looked into her dark blue eyes. That was all it took. The guard looked around and let her by. "Wait, just in case." He gave her a card, putting his initials on it. As he handed it to her, his hand patted her behind. Sapphire wanted to slap him but simply smiled and went inside.

CHAPTER 6

Sapphire placed the tag on her blouse and made her way through the backstage area, pretending she knew where she was going. Of course, she got lots of stares which she ignored or tried to. As she was outside the women's locker room, she heard voices coming from the hallway to her left. She quickly hid behind some boxes and watched. It was Taker talking to a couple of crew. Once he had gone past, she followed, keeping her distance till she saw what door he entered. "Damn, I wish I could be in there," she thought. The door opened and Taker came out, obviously not in a good mood as he still had his ring attire on. Seizing the opportunity, she slipped inside.

She knew she probably didn't have much time so she went to his duffle bag straight away, being careful to keep everything as it was. There was nothing of interest other than his clothes, so she stood up and looked on the shelves. She found a bottle of cologne, noting the brand. She sniffed. "Hmm, smells nice," and placed it back on the shelf. Looking down she spotted an envelope in a side pocket on the duffle bag. She took it out, noticing it was addressed to her magazine. "Hmm." Her reporter's curiosity was piqued. It had not been sealed so she took out the letter and read. "Why that SOB!" she fumed. "Dammit, what did Marv say to him!" She folded the letter and placed it back in the envelope. Voices outside caught her attention. She quickly replaced the letter and looked around for someplace to hide.

Taker came in, grumbling to himself. Another damn 4 months on the road. When was he ever going to get any time off? He needed that time to take care of business at home, if it could be called that. He stripped and threw his clothes on the floor. Now he had to hassle with the editor of a magazine who wanted to get an interview with him. It wasn't because he didn't want to. He simply felt they wanted it only for the purpose of increasing their circulation. He was tired of being used for everyone else's gain, with no regard to how he felt. He grabbed his towel and washcloth and headed to the shower.

The view that Sapphire had of Taker nearly made her gasp aloud. She quietly took a couple of breaths to calm herself. Once she was sure that Taker was in the shower, she opened the locker door and quietly exited. She made her way to the arena exit, spying the guard. "Well, did you see what you wanted to see?"

"A lot more than I wanted to," she replied, giving him back the tag. "Thank you", and started to leave.

"Hey! You owe me," he called.

Sapphire pretended not to hear. An idea came to mind. Normally, she would dig up all she could about her subject and then press until they would grant her the interview. This time, she was going to make Taker come to her.

CHAPTER 7

Sapphire was pleased with where she sat - front row, end seat. That way, she could make a fast exit once he spotted her. She waited for the show to begin, thinking she would have to endure at least an hour of idiocy until he appeared. To her surprise, the show was not quite half way through when the familiar toll began.

Backstage, Taker exhaled and began making his entrance. Sapphire stood, snapping pictures as he made his way to the ring. She stopped. Seeing him up this close, she became engrossed as she studied his features. Once Taker was in the ring, he decided to look the audience over. It looked like any other audience at any other arena. He stopped when he spied Sapphire staring at him. He was used to being stared at, but he got the feeling this was different.

Sapphire saw his eyes lock on her. "Okay, at least he did see me," she said to herself. When Taker was fully occupied with the match, she left for the lobby. She went to the concession stand to order a soda, overhearing two women, obviously groupies from their giggling, making plans to head to a bar rumored to be frequented by the wrestlers. She left the building, hailing a cab.

Sapphire made herself comfortable in a corner booth and waited. A good half hour passed before she saw several wrestlers enter. A few minutes later, Taker appeared and sat at the bar to order a beer. He hadn't been there long when she saw the same two girls sidle up to him. They openly flirted, one being so bold as to rub against his thigh.

Taker was doing his best to be patient, enduring the obvious ploy the women used just to see if they could get him to go to bed with them. He knew what they wanted and what the end result would be. He was tired of it and it was causing problems with his personal life. It was worse now that he would have to postpone his time off. This had put him in a foul mood and the women weren't helping any. Finally he told them to get away from him. The girls backed off, one even cursing him.

Sapphire couldn't tell what was being said, but the look on his face, then on the women's faces, told her he wasn't in a good mood. "Wonder why?" She shook her head then looked at her watch. Her flight was leaving early in the morning and she needed to be on it. The cash register was close to where Taker was sitting, so there was no way he couldn't not see her.

As she stood waiting to pay her tab, Taker didn't see her at first till he ordered another beer. He looked over to see Sapphire being handed her change. He stared for a bit. When she turned, he saw her full face, and remembered her from the arena. He got up to follow her out, but was detained by one of the wrestlers. By the time he got outside, Sapphire was already gone. He looked around. Not seeing her he went back inside.

From around the corner, Sapphire saw him. It had worked.

CHAPTER 8

And so it began. Everywhere he was, he would see her there, whether at the arena or at a bar afterwards. There just long enough for him to spot her then she would be gone. He soon became accustomed to the routine, even to the point of looking forward to seeing her. It did cross his mind that perhaps she was stalking him but he dismissed it from his mind. Even though there was only brief eye contact, something about her made him think otherwise. He then began to wonder what kind of woman was this. She never flirted, never tried to talk with him, nothing.

Then one night at a house show, just to do something different, Taker walked around the ring, thinking he would get a better look at her. He knew that she always sat in the front row on the end seat. The crowd went crazy as he had never done this before. Taker scanned the crowd for her face but didn't see her. For some strange reason, he was disappointed. After the match, he showered and went to a small bar for his usual beer. While he drank he wondered why she didn't show. He wondered at himself too. Why was he so interested in her? He ordered another beer. The match had made him tired so he finished his beer and turned to leave. Just as he did so he saw her at a table, but not alone.

Sapphire had not attended the match as a prior commitment kept her from going. She felt someone watching her and turned to see Taker looking at her. She could have sworn that she saw a glint of hardness in his eyes. She didn't show it, but it surprised her. She smiled at him then went back to her escort.

When she got back to her hotel room, she thought about how Taker had seen her in the bar. Maybe she was going about this all wrong. But she was in it too far now to turn back. As she packed and then got ready for bed, she felt the time was right to start the initial contact.

CHAPTER 9

A few days later, Sapphire was eating lunch at a small café. Actually she was picking at her food. It wasn’t because she wasn’t hungry. The envelope beside her plate contained photos she had taken while at the shows of Taker. She was pleased at how they had turned out. She had carefully looked through them the night before. As she did, she found herself staring, especially at one in particular. It was one she took the first night. It was a close up of his eyes. Sapphire had stared at it several times. The more she looked at them the more she felt drawn to them. It was like looking into a deep chasm, and they were beckoning her to come.

She was about to take out the photos to choose which ones for the magazine when a deep voice caught her attention.

Looking up she saw Taker standing there. “Do you mind?” he asked.

Well, it had worked. He had come to her. She nodded and motioned for him to sit. Normally her journalistic instincts would take over now that her quarry had made the move, but not today. Looking into his eyes, her mind was not on anything remotely related. Taker was not unaffected either. All the times he had seen her, he wondered about her eye color, thinking she had the usual brown eyes. But looking close up, he saw they were a very deep blue, shining like jewels. “I hope you don’t mind, but may I ask what your name is?”

“Sapphire Gentry. Spelled like the gem,” she replied.

Taker nodded and smiled. “It suits you.”

When Sapphire saw him smile, she was somewhat taken aback. Who would have ever thought a scowling face could hide such a beautiful smile. It could only add to his already good looks. “Yes, he is good looking. More than good looking. He’s very handsome,” she thought to herself.

“Forgive me for being blunt, but why have you been following me all these weeks?” Taker asked.

Sapphire blinked her eyes. “I don’t know if you want hear it.”

“Try me.”

“I was making it a challenge,” she said.

“A challenge?”

“It is known you have a reputation for being arrogant and brusk when it comes to people in the journalism field.”

“So you’re a reporter,” he said, sitting back in the booth.

She nodded. “Yes, I am. You wrote a letter to my boss. I believe you said that if that was the best he could do, it was a wonder we had any circulation, or something similar.”

Taker remembered the comments he had made, knowing now who she worked for. “And he sent you.”

“He doesn’t know I’m doing this. I’m here strictly on my own. He had asked, practically begged me to do it. I told him I wasn’t about to waste my time with a deadhead.”

Taker smirked. “Deadhead. That’s what you think I am.”

“Truthfully, at first I did. When he had read the letter to me he had made the comment that you basically were issuing a challenge. I went home later and that night, for some reason, I ended up watching you on TV. That’s when I decided I would take you up on the challenge. Normally what I do is I find out everything I can about them and then persist until they finally grant me an interview. With you, I decided I would have you come to me instead.”

Taker shook his head. “Well, it worked. I’m here.”

Sapphire smiled. “How bout it? Would you mind giving me an interview?”

“I should say no, but I’ll go ahead. How about this evening, say 6:00 in my room?”

Sapphire nodded. “Would you mind if I brought a tape recorder?”

“Alright.”

Sapphire picked up her things to leave as she had a lot to do. She went to pick up her ticket but Taker put his hand over it. “My treat.”

CHAPTER 10

Taker looked at his watch. In just a few minutes she would be here. He smirked. He was finally going to be interviewed. He got the feeling he would be enjoying this very much. There was a knock. “At least she’s on time,” he thought and opened the door.

On her way up the elevator, Sapphire wondered why she had primped herself up. She had accomplished her goal, yet she wasn’t gloating. Once she got back with the photos and tape, Marv would definitely owe her plenty.

Taker smiled when he saw her. She was beautiful tonight. “Right on time,” he said as she entered. “Would you care for a small drink before we get started?”

“That would be nice,” she said, thinking she was going to need something to calm her.

He took out a small bottle of bourbon. “Is this okay by you?”

“That’s fine.”

She thanked him and took a small sip. The liquid slid down smooth and warm. Sapphire placed the recorder on the table. “Shall we begin?”

“Instead of you asking me, why don’t I just tell you.”

Sapphire sat back as Taker told his story from the beginning. She listened, amazed at what he had gone through to be where he was today. The sacrifices made by him and his family, the hard work and training he had to endure, of being on the road for months at a time and the strain it put on his personal life. She could not fathom what it must have been like.

She cut the tape off. “I think a break would do. You’ve talked for a good half hour non-stop.”

“Sounds like a good idea,” he said.

They both went on the balcony. “The air feels good,” she said.

“What do you think so far?” he asked.

Sapphire shook her head. “I can’t begin to imagine what you had to go through. Here I think I have a hard job, and then I find out what you endured. It had to have taken a lot of determination.”

“That and luck was a part of too. Being in the right place at the right time helped. Guess I’m not such a deadhead after all.”

Sapphire blushed. “I apologize for that remark.”

“Let’s talk about you. How long have you been in your career?”

“Ever since I was 22. I don’t think I could have ever been anything else. I love doing what I do. Getting people to talk about themselves isn’t always easy. Oh, I‘ve had a few that were say egotistical. I was never so glad to get away from them.”

“Not to change the subject, but has there been anyone special in your life?”

Sapphire shook her head as she looked at the city skyline. “No. I’ve dated, but I never really had that someone special. I put my career first and that’s the way it’s been for 15 years.”

She felt something warm cover her hand. She looked down to see Taker’s hand on hers. She turned as Taker came closer. “You are beautiful,” he said.

“I think we need to get back inside and continue,” she said, finding it was getting warm despite the fact they were outside.

CHAPTER 11

Taker cupped her face and kissed her. Gently at first, then prodding her lips apart to probe inside. Sapphire was stunned at first, but his gentle pressure had her returning his kiss.

Taker lifted his head. She leaned against his chest for support. “Why did you do that?” she asked softly.

“I wanted to kiss you,” he said, and kissed her again, with more passion.

Sapphire was not unaffected. The warmth of his lips had her tingling. “We should stop,” she whispered, “Before it gets out of hand.”

“Sapphire, I have to tell you, I have more than just a passing interest in you.”

Sapphire took a step back.

“Whenever you would be at the matches I was glad to see you. And when you weren’t, I was disappointed. Then I saw you at a bar with a guy, I got jealous.”

Sapphire looked out over the balcony. She had not expected it to go this way. But then, what about her staring at his photos? A pair of arms encircled her. “It’s crazy,” she said. “I found myself staring at your photos. I couldn’t figure out why.”

She turned back around. “Oh God. This is like a soap opera except this is real. Taker, you’re married. There’s no way we could let it go any further. It never should have gone this far.”

“Right now my marriage isn’t much.”

“But, haven’t you tried to work things out?

“With little success.”

“But…”

“But what?”

“Would it be fair, especially to your wife? What if she found out?”

“I’ll cross that when I come to it.”

“Maybe I should take my recorder and leave.”

“No, I want you, tonight. After that, fate can decide.”

Taker led her back inside next to the bed. Sapphire knew she shouldn’t be, but as his lips pressed against hers, she gave in. In a matter of minutes, they were lying on the bed.

Sapphire felt like she was in another world. Taker’s lips and fingers softly caressed her, especially that secret place. She pulled his hair, begging him for more. Taker came up to again kiss her again. Sapphire pushed him back onto the bed, and got on top. Taker moaned as she made her way down, capturing the length of him, massaging and kissing till he could take no more. She gasped as she eased down, stopping to let her body adjust to him. He held her hips as he moved in her as she braced herself and moved with him, their motions that of a raging sea coming in to shore. Taker pressed her back onto the bed, holding her legs up to go deeper in her. Moving as one, they both were nearing the edge, their cries shattering the air as they exploded in a sea of ecstasy. Taker lay beside her, holding on to her as they drifted off.

The next morning, Taker woke up to see she was gone. He slipped on his jeans. He found on the table the tape recorder with the tape in it. Beside it was a note.

“Taker:

How can I explain last night? You took me to another world. A world I never thought I would be. I’ll never forget it or you. I know it’s an old cliché but I wish I had met you before now.

I left behind the tape recorder and the cassette. What happened was too special so I leave it to you to do what you want with it.

And if fate decrees, we will meet again, one day forever.

Sapphire”

Taker went out on the balcony. He happened to look down and saw a cab in front of the hotel. There by the cab stood Sapphire, waiting for her luggage to be loaded in the back.

Sapphire could feel his eyes on her. She fought with all her strength to keep from looking up. She knew if she did she would run back inside and never want to leave. As she took off for the airport, she could feel Taker still looking as she rode. Maybe, they will meet again one day. But for one night, each had held the world in their arms.

The End

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E-mail Lady B at taker123@yahoo.com.