THE QUEEN'S GAME

Chapter 30

A flip of her hair sent chills down his spine. She locked eyes with him and his heart fluttered. She licked her lips and he damn near fainted. This woman.
"Yes, baby!" Hunter chanted. Her eyes stayed trained on him as if it was planned.
"Charlotte!" He yelled, throwing his hands up. His excitement bursting through. She was phenomenal. He'd never forget this night.
Finally cutting her eyes away, Charlotte flew into her next position. Off the top of the ropes, she landed on Molly Holly, knocking her to the mat. She went for a pin that Molly kicked out of, and then it became clear, Charlotte had a battle ahead of her.
Hunter was no stranger to her matches, but lately, she'd been so dynamic he had to watch from the sideline. He was enamored by her growing skill set.
The match had been very physical, Molly was an excellent competitor. Charlotte had rose to the challenge, and they were meeting blow for blow. They'd traded chops, exchanged kicks, and Charlotte had landed her newest move, the Spanish Fly, but Molly was still holding her own.
With a round of chops and a big boot, Charlotte sent Molly flying. Through the ropes, Molly almost landed on Hunter, but he stepped aside while Charlotte glared at Molly in all of her heel glory. She threw her hair back and sailed through the ropes, taking Molly off of her feet once again before she could fully gather herself. The ref started a count out, and before he got to ten Charlotte tossed Molly into the ring and rolled herself in.
This was it, the moment he'd been waiting on, and Charlotte didn't disappoint. Bridging into her figure 8, she forced submission, and as her music began, he slipped into the ring with her belt in hand.
Swinging her around in his arms, he offered a very real congratulatory kiss. Their lips met and as always, he saw and felt only her. Her arms crossed around his neck, and he smiled against her lips.
"You did great," he mused."
"Let's go." She ran her hand down to grip his.
"You might need this." He put her belt around her waist and the crowd booed as they held their arms in the air, signifying themselves as the true power couple they were.
"Haters gonna hate." She laughed as they made their way out of the ring and up the ramp. Behind the curtains, she jumped into his arms again. He loved how excited she got after their segments.
"I love how good this feels," she gushed.
"What?"
"Having you with me. Getting to kiss you and not giving a damn who sees."
"I was just thinking the same thing," he confessed. "I meant what I said, you were magnificent. I know you're going to kill it at WrestleMania."
"I'm so nervous." She admitted. "It will be the biggest crowd I've ever faced. I don't want to blow it."
She always seemed so confident in the ring, but he knew she doubted that she was as great as she was when the cameras weren't around.
"You are going to do great. I watch you, and I've never been more entertained by anyone. You put so much care into your craft. It's obviously important to you, and I love the way you make sure to put your opponent in a good light. It's like even when you're going to win you don't make them look weak. That means so much."
"I never want them to look weak. Even if I'm winning, we all need to look like amazing athletes. No one will take me seriously if I'm beating easy opponents. And then I want them to have opportunities that don't include me as well. It's not all about me."
"That's the true mark of a champion, sweetheart."
"I hope I'm being a good one. Well obviously, I'm not the good guy, but I, at least, want to be the best champion I can be."
"You're not a good guy onscreen, but you're the best guy where it counts. You don't just want it for you. You want it for everyone."
"I know we can be taken seriously if we do this right. I just want it to be different."
"It will be. It's already getting better." He kissed her forehead.
"Your support means so much. Thank you, babe." He loved being able to hold her. The only thing that would make it better would be holding her in their bed while they slept. It had become one of his favorite things.
***
"Hey, baby, have you seen my—"
"Top zipper in you bag, babe." Charlotte answered before he could finish.
"Thank you."
He kissed her cheek before disappearing behind the locker room door. Ivory just shook her head, a silent smirk graced her lips.
"What?" Charlotte inquired.
"You finish his sentences now?"
"It's just one of those things that happens when you know someone as well as I know him. He's literally always looking for the same thing right before a match and I always know where to find it. He has this armband he wears, won't wrestle without it."
"So you two do this every night before a match?"
"Pretty much." Charlotte shrugged. "It's kinda easy now that we're together onscreen. He helps me get ready first and then I help him. He makes sure my robes are ready to go, and I pack all his little extras. It's a good system to ensure that we're never leaving anything behind. He feels so out of place if he doesn't have his normal things for a show."
"God, just go get married already," Ivory scoffed. "You're literally an old married couple already."
"We may act like a married couple, but old—nah. Old couples don't have near as much sex as we do, or at least I don't think they do. What do you think, baby?" Hunter had sufficiently amused Charlotte with his response. Ivory looked more shocked than anything.
"You're really just putting it all out there like that?" Ivory looked intrigued. "You don't care that I know?"
"That I can't get enough of my fiancé? Absolutely not." Hunter slipped his arms around her waist. "Are you offended, love?"
Shaking her head, Charlotte relaxed. "I'm fine, babe. Besides she heard me scream your name before. I think I got over being embarrassed at that point."
"So you won't mind me saying that on our trip to my mom's house we were spotted?"
"Spotted?"
"When you put your—"
"That's enough, babe." She smacked her hand over his mouth. "We don't have to overshare."
"But I thought you girls told each other everything."
"Not everything." Ivory grabbed her bag. "I'll talk to you two later. Unless you get too busy and forget you're supposed to be in the ring." Ivory looked serious, but Charlotte knew she was joking.
Turning her attention to Hunter, she glared at him. "What were you doing?"
"She's nosy, babe. I just wanted to creep her out a little bit to get her to leave."
"Why?"
"Because I wanted to have a minute alone."
Charlotte backed into the wall. "And why is that?"
He picked her up, wrapping her legs around him. "Nothing really." He kissed her neck, driving her brain to all the dirty thoughts of their morning before work. "You just—you looked a little sore and I wanted to get you relaxed before we went out there."
"I'm relaxed." She breathed out as his hands gripped her thighs. She felt herself coming undone.
"Tomorrow," He took her breath away with a kiss.
"Yes." She was panting.
"I'm going to give you—"
"Yes?" She managed to ask as he ran his tongue over her exposed neck.
"The biggest and best—"
He paused, making her insides quake with anticipation.
"The biggest and best what?"
"Lobster you've ever had. We're going to have a special dinner, baby. I'm going to fly you home and then I'm going to lock you inside for days."
"That sounds great." She nipped at his lips. "Pinot and Strawberries for desert."
"Among other things."
He pushed her harder against the wall when the door to their locker room opened again. She could hear Ivory's loud breathing.
"Again?"
"We're just confirming dinner plans for tomorrow night." Hunter threw out without neglecting the spot on her neck he obviously enjoyed kissing.
"Yeah, dinner plans." Charlotte followed up, pushing him back a little. "And I accept your invite. It sounds scrumptious."
"Okay, you've ruined cabins, locker rooms, and air planes for me. Are you trying to make me despise dinner too?" Ivory balked.
"Why on earth would you hate dinner?" Hunter finally let up on her neck. "It's absolutely delicious."
Charlotte chuckled and Ivory's eyes rolled back into her head. "Come on, you guys. Really?"
Hunter laughed and faced her. "Calm down. We really mean dinner. I'm just planning something for her tomorrow. Just to show you that there are no hard feelings, you're welcome to join us the next time we're all in the same place again for a few days."
"No thank you." Ivory quickly declined. "I remember the last dinner I shared with you two. Great food and a sickening love fest on the side."
Charlotte remembered, but she didn't remember being that bad. Maybe she and Hunter did engage too much in front of their friends. Maybe they needed to dial it back a bit to ensure their comfort.
"I'm sorry." Charlotte offered genuinely. "I really didn't think it bothered you that much. Maybe we can try to scale it back a little."
The grimace on Ivory's face said otherwise. Now Charlotte truly was confused. "You don't have to change anything for my benefit. The truth is, and I'll kill you if you ever mention this to anyone, I'm envious of you guys. You have it all. You're young, talented, you're head over hills for each other and I'm sure I'm a few years you're going to have little clones running around being sickening little rays of sunshine. Not everyone is as fortunate to find the person meant for them and to be able to travel the world together."
Charlotte hadn't thought Ivory wanted any of those things. She always seemed to be so against them. She was always so outwardly anti love.
"Shane loves you," Hunter spoke, surprising both Charlotte and Ivory. Charlotte hadn't known Shane and Hunter discussed Ivory. "He's convinced you don't want serious, so he pretends that he has all these other flings in place. The truth is he has been waiting for you to feel the same way he does."
"He never said anything." The shock was evident in her voice. But the one thing Charlotte noted was how much lighter she seemed to be at Hunter's reveal.
"Talk to him." Charlotte prompted. "See where you both stand. I'm so glad me and Hunter had that blow up the night at the practice gym. It kicked both of our asses into gear. We had to admit that we'd messed up so many years ago and that we needed each other."
"Me and Shane don't have some epic love that's stood over years of time where we were there for each other but too afraid to admit our feelings. We had a physical thing that may have developed unwarranted emotions."
"Cut the bull." Charlotte stopped her. "You love him."
"You don't know that." Ivory rolled her eyes. "Anyway, I only came back in here to tell you it's almost time for the match. Shawn is balking about some last minute change he needs to talk to you about, Hunter. Oh, and Charlotte, they said to hang back tonight. You being ringside isn't the plan anymore."
She'd felt bittersweet, but it wasn't her moment. This was about Hunter and his storyline. She had just gotten so used to being there for him.
"What kind of change? And why can't she come?"
"I don't know." Ivory shrugged. "I'm not the stunt coordinator. I was just asked to deliver a message. And don't worry about your girl—I'll keep her company. Not like I have anything to do tonight."
Charlotte sighed and Hunter kissed her forehead. "Next time, babe. I promise."
"It's fine," she lied. He noticed.
"It's not, but it's also not what you're thinking in that pretty little head of yours. I know that much."
"Ok. I hope not." She offered a sad smile and he walked backward, not taking his eyes off of her until he was out of the locker room door.
Ivory studied her a while before clearing her throat. "What was that about?"
"I'm just worried that they want to split us up. Them telling me to wait seems off. Especially this close to WrestleMania. I don't want them to have me turn face again and mess up our storyline."
"Are you kidding me? You and Hunter are gold. People are chomping at the bit just to see what crazy thing you two will do next. You're literally a sledgehammer wielding maniac. Imagine that—Ric Flair's kid playing dirty. They couldn't buy better publicity."
"Yeah, maybe." Charlotte was still less than convinced. She'd seen plans completely blown to hell since working there. She'd hoped things worked out differently for her and Hunter.
"Like I know I'll do fine without him, but I don't want to do fine without him. He's like my pulse in my matches. I'd never tell him, but I get nervous—sometimes I'm scared, but I look out and see him there and I get my courage back. I don't want to not have that right now. I know it has to happen at some point, but I'm not ready yet."
"Excuse me for saying this, but you don't need him. You don't need anyone to be great. I've watched you, and you're so efficient and on top of it in the ring. I wish I had half of what you do."
"He makes me feel as if I could do anything. I don't want to lose that closeness."
"You won't. He doesn't have to be right there for you to feel powerful. You carry him with you wherever you go. The physical presence means nothing. He's in your heart, and apparently he can even read your mind."
"What?" Charlotte was confused.
"He reassured you about all this before you even spoke a word. You actually lied to him and he knew. He knows what you're feeling and what to say to comfort you without you even speaking a word. That goes so far beyond the physical."
"Sometimes I don't even notice it. It kinda snuck up on me one day and I was powerless. I've been powerless ever since."
"What?" Ivory actually seemed to be anticipating her answer.
"The completeness. Like I know he wants to do this big affair with all our family and too many friends to count at our wedding, but I want it small. And I want it soon. I just can't wait. When we flew over Vegas I almost got the urge to ask him to do it there. I just want—"
"You want him to be your husband."
"I do. And I was never the girl that saw myself getting married at twenty-five. I didn't think I'd have myself together to even entertain it. But every morning when I wake up it's all I can think about. I want to be in love with him forever."
"Then tell him that. The man would rather cut off his arm than deny you."
"I don't know how to navigate that kind of discussion."
"Just be honest." Ivory shrugged. "But umh, you really should get dressed."
"Dressed? Dressed for what? I'm hanging here with you tonight. Besides, the show is almost over. I'm heading to the hotel in my sweats."
"Yeah, the show is almost over, but I sorta lied to you. So here, slip into this." Ivory handed her a suit bag and backed toward the door. "And I'll be back."
Charlotte unzipped the bag and was further confused. "What the hell—"
"Watch your mouth, baby sister."
Her older sister Megan appeared and Charlotte's cheeks flushed red.
"Oh my God! You're here! What are you doing here?"
"Well, your baby sister being a fiancé is a big deal. I've spoken with your friends and they said you wouldn't agree to a bachelorette, and that simply won't do."
Charlotte chuckled and nodded. "I didn't agree because I don't need one. Hunter and me both agreed on that."
"Well he has no choice either. Dad, David, and Conrad are kidnapping him for the night. And well, you're stuck with me and the girls."
Now it all made sense. Their interference shifted the plans for tonight's show, and Hunter must have been informed when he went out. "I hope you're okay with a surprise this big," Megan teased. "Dad really forced our hands on some of it."
"Of course I am. You're here, and I've missed you so much." Charlotte's arms flew open.
"Wouldn't ever miss the opportunity to get you out of your shell. But I can't say I'm surprised about you and Hunter. The day you two came out as a couple I knew where it was headed."
"I had no idea about tonight, when you called last week you totally got me. We're always so busy, and I have probably missed all kinds of hints."
"Yeah, when I asked you what size dress you wore you threw it out without question. I knew you were distracted."
"I didn't even think about it. I guess I was." Charlotte blushed, remembering what she was doing at the time. She and Hunter were otherwise engaged.
"You two are too much." Megan laughed. "But get dressed, baby sister. I'm going to show you the best time tonight and then we have something special tomorrow."
"Me and Hunter are flying out in the morning."
"You were, but now you're not. We're all here to hang out with you."
"I guess we could stay an extra day," Charlotte relented. "We were just going to go home. I miss our house."
"Aawh, you're so cute. You've really set down roots with him and you don't seem the least bit worried. I remember the last time you "moved in" with someone you kept an apartment on the side to run back to just in case—"
Megan stopped when she saw Charlotte's expression. She'd been talking about Mickey and that would always be a sore subject. No matter how much time passed.
"I'm sorry." Megan quickly realized her blunder.
"It's okay. And you're right." Charlotte didn't want her for feel bad. She'd only ever been supportive of her. "With Hunter everything feels different from anything I've ever done. It feels happier and safer. Like my heart is safe, but it's the most thrilling time of my life."
"As it should be. I'm glad that you're happy and even more so that he's taking the time to make you feel all these amazing things. So now that I have that out of the way, we can party."
"Dad sent you, didn't he?"
"He wanted to make sure you really were being taken care of. But I also wanted to be sure for myself."
"We're great. Report that back to him. I don't know why he's like this about Hunter." She laughed. "He loves Hunter, but he's so protective. I guess it's cute."
"It is. He just wants to make sure that he's not missing anything this time. You're really close, closer than either of us with him, and he wants to make sure you're truly happy."
"I am. We are."
"That's all we ever wanted."
An awkward silence passed between them before Trish burst into the locker room, cash in hand. "Let's go, girls!"
Charlotte watched as the rest of her girlfriends shuffled into the room. It was clearly an ambush that everyone was in on but her and Hunter.
"So all of you knew?"
"I might have placed a few calls and informed a few people that you would try to weasel out of this." Megan shrugged.
"How did you—"
"Don't be mad, but I called Stephanie and she put me in touch with the right people."
"Why would she help you? Why would she help me?"
"I—you two need to talk. But that's for another time. Right now, get dressed and meet us out front. I have a limo waiting."
"A limo?" Charlotte questioned. "What are you guys trying to do?"
"Just know that I have singles and I'm not wasting one bill. You're going to let loose and relax tonight. And then tomorrow I might think about reuniting you with your fiancé."
"Tomorrow? We don't, I—"
"You can spend one night apart. Besides, this is a kidnapping. No negotiations with your captor."
"Okay, fine." Charlotte relented. "One night. Just let me—can I at least say goodnight?"
"No way! Besides, he's gone."
"His stuff is still—"
"Ivory slid that out of here ages ago. We took care of everything. One night away won't kill either of you. And I'm sure dad had the same arguments out of him."
Charlotte laughed, knowing it was more than likely true.
Disappearing into the back, she slipped on the dress her sister had picked out and fished through her bag to find a pair of new heels lying inside with a note attached.
"Something borrowed. I want my new shoes back." Megan had thought of everything. Well almost everything.
Pulling out her phone she short off a text to Hunter, completely missing the one he'd sent her first until after she'd hit send.
Hunter: I'll miss you tonight.
Charlotte: I'm going to miss you tonight.
She laughed. And typed another message, hit send, and placed her phone into her purse.
Charlotte: One night compared to a lifetime. I love you, babe.
She didn't check her phone again before leaving, but walking out of the door she smiled knowing whatever he said would be the last thing she saw before heading to bed. That would keep her satisfied until she saw him again.