Booking Glory-Chapter 105: Malora’s Change

A/N: Hey Folks,

Kindly check out the auxiliary Chapter and let me know your thoughts.

Regards.

*****

"But, what about Selena?" Evelyn asked confused. "I feel that my story with Selena is not done yet. I mean, with how you designed the end last week, I feel..."

"You both go separate ways for now. And yes, you both are not down with each other. You will always be a thorn in each other’s side. Like how Dacey dislikes Diana, you will dislike Selena," Rob said smiling sharply.

"Ah!" Evelyn said understanding a bit.

"You will understand by the end of PPV," Rob said smiling big.

"If you say so," Evelyn said shrugging.

She was happy as long as she was part of an interesting storyline. She understood that not everyone could be in the title picture. With Dacey being the champion, the chances of her getting a title shot would be small. She realized that Rob wouldn’t put two bad guys against each other as it would devalue the whole kind of storyline he wanted to push.

Even then, she was happy being featured regularly. And the way that Rob was featuring her, she seemed to be an integral part of the system. She realized that she was being held as the gatekeeper for a championship shot. With her experience in the industry, Evelyn realized how important that position was immediately.

"Now, moving on," Rob said turning towards Leia and Marie. "You guys will have a very different role this week and next week. You both will pick a fight with a returning Diana. Joselyn here would pass by and stand up for her. In the end, you both will challenge Diana and Joselyn to a fight next week."

"So, next week, we have a tag team match with you both versus Diana and Joselyn. Dacey will be on commentary at that time. This way, all your stocks will rise a bit and it will create a bit of momentum for the announcement two weeks later," Rob said explaining the details.

Leia and Marie both nodded excitedly. For women who haven’t had much screen presence on live TV, being able to fight against the former champion/current contender is a great spot.

Even though Joselyn would be helping out Diana, they both knew that Joselyn’s role would be more of a sidekick to Diana in the initial phases. With Dacey at commentary, the spotlight would be focused on Dacey-Diana’s rivalry. However, the three of them would be the ones sharing the screen with Diana most of the time. That way the spotlight would spill on them too.

This was a great way to come back to live TV after being off-screen for months. Things couldn’t be better for them. And if Rob’s plans come true, then things would turn even better for them. They will be present in a historic match as well.

This excited them a lot. After Rob took over the women’s division, their interaction with him had been minimal. They have been on leave due to personal reasons. Coming back, they were worried that their absence would create a distance between them and cause Rob to focus on others more.

And the situation was exactly like what they feared when they came back. Rob’s eyes were only on Dacey, Diana, Evelyn, and Selena. And even when they were used, they became a foil for Alanna. They especially felt jealous of Dacey’s recent success as Dacey was near their level before they left on a break.

When Marie, in particular, heard about Dacey and Rob dating, she wondered if it was the reason behind Dacey’s push. Reading the article in the newspaper and realizing that Dacey’s relationship with Rob wasn’t intimate yet, Marie even had the idea of seducing Rob away from Dacey in her heart.

But, with how things are turning out, such thought took a backseat in Marie’s mind. As long as enough opportunities were given, she was confident that she would be able to outshine Dacey. And if Dacey didn’t fix things up with Rob by then, she could always seduce him away from her.

In this business, every woman was for herself. Marie didn’t subscribe to the thoughts of camaraderie or looking out for a fellow girl. They were all competitors here. And she was going to use every opportunity she had to climb up the ladder.

For now, she would restrain from doing something disadvantageous. But, once she got a good enough standing, she wouldn’t just sit back and watch others shine brighter than her. She realized that her ill-advised vacation time had already given her a handicap and she needed to even the playing field somehow soon.

And these next few weeks were going to be important to obtain that.

*****

Rob felt that the entire day was really smooth sailing for him.

By the time he walked out of LWC, he marveled at the wonders the change in perspective had done to his mind. He didn’t agonize over leftover work that was due in a week anymore. He could simply relax in his off-time.

Flipping his phone, Rob dialed Dacey’s number.

"Hey, what’s up?" Rob asked when the call connected. "You feel like coming out for a drink with me?"

"Hey Rob," Dacey answered enthusiastically from the other end. "So, is the millionaire treating me? I feel that a night out at a bar seems a bit dud compared to the occasion. Where do you wanna go?"

"Ha ha ha, nothing like that. I just realized that we have never got together and done some normal things like going to a bar or something. We mostly sit in a café and talk away. Thought I would change it up a bit," Rob said leaning on his pickup.

"As for the millionaire bit, I am still driving my pickup. It hasn’t kicked in yet. I thought I would invite you to go out for a drink. That’s it, nothing more, nothing less," Rob said scratching his head.

"Ah, the normal stuff, huh? Thank god, I was worried you would start to wine and dine me every day of the week now that you are a millionaire. Frankly, I would have been very uncomfortable if it was the case," Dacey said chuckling.

"Who says I won’t wine and dine you?"

"All I am saying is that it is a bit overrated. You can still take me out for a romantic dinner now and then, but doing it constantly would become irritable. Moreover, I need to maintain my figure as well. There are some things I can’t do as a performer. So, enough about that. Where do you want to meet?" Dacey asked.

"I will pick you up," Rob said checking the time, "say in fifteen minutes? I know a good place. Top Slam. We can head over there and have some quiet time."

"Are you insane?" Dacey hissed. "I know about Top Slam. That place is filled with wrestling fans. We won’t have much space if we go there."

"Nah, that’s cool. There is a place in the back for people like us. I know the owner, he can make sure we aren’t disturbed much," Rob said getting into the pickup. "Moreover, Nelson and Malora are one of my few friends. I think you would like to meet with them."

"In that case, I have no issues," Dacey said calming down. "See you in fifteen."

"Ya, see you in fifteen," Rob said smiling slightly, and cut his call.

Rob thought for a bit and called Nelson to ask if it would be alright to bring his date and asked about the availability of the back area. Nelson was happy that he was bringing his date around and also informed him that it wouldn’t be a problem as this wasn’t a weekend. Nelson also gave a heads-up that they might probably run into Todd as well, as he said he would probably drop by late.

Cutting the call, Rob mulled over running into Todd. He hadn’t spoken to Todd after the article came out. He had expressed his displeasure with the article to him at that time. They haven’t been in touch since then.

He also wondered if it was wise for Todd to know that he was dating Dacey. While he wasn’t so arrogant to think that Todd might never hear the news, it was one thing to hear a rumor and completely different to be confirmed by the person in question.

But, thinking back, Rob didn’t think that Todd had done anything to warrant him being this guarded with him. Even when the article came out, it was just his wish to not attract attention at this particular juncture.

It wasn’t as if everything was bad after the article. The effect of the article had been mostly good. If he could look at it from another perspective, the article has done a lot for his career as well. Rob felt that his career was more stable and he had more recognition in the industry after the article.

While it was true that there were some hiccups in his personal relationships in the company due to the article, Rob couldn’t fault Todd entirely for that. Moreover, it was the timing that gave him the headache, not the actual content of the article.

"I think, I can probably trust Todd to not trumpet this news about Dacey and I dating," Rob muttered a bit indecisively and started his pickup. "Regardless, I don’t feel comfortable avoiding him."

*****

Rob and Dacey arrived at Top Slam when it was nearing 8 PM.

Despite Dacey’s promise to meet him in fifteen minutes, it had taken her more than three-quarters of an hour to get ready. Rob had to wait in her house for her to get freshened up.

The thing that almost made Rob cough up blood was that after trying out different outfits, Dacey ended up wearing a T-shirt and jeans. Her argument was that it was more casual and comfortable this way. Rob didn’t know whether to laugh or cry when she said that.

Apart from that, this night had gone without much hassle. They both were more comfortable with each other now after Dacey aired out her reservations. Rob, as well, didn’t want to push the relationship too much right now. This agreement between them to not rush things had ended up relaxing both of them in each other’s presence.

For Rob, he can now not worry about whether his relationship with Dacey is progressing in the right manner. He could just relax and enjoy her company more. With all the other stuff that was happening in his life, taking away this relationship pressure had taken a huge load off his back.

For Dacey, after revealing her insecurities and her fears to Rob, Rob’s action of making love to her in her kitchen had given her a huge confidence boost. She knew that if Rob was having second thoughts about the relationship he wouldn’t be that enthusiastic with her right after that revelation.

This has, in turn, taken a huge load off her mind. While she enjoyed going out on dates with Rob, she can also concentrate on overcoming her issues slowly without the fear of regressing into old behavioral patterns.

After the hurry in which she had tried to nab Rob in the beginning, this relaxed state of affairs, where they both have taken a step back and are not rushing into things, sounded really great to her.

"Hey Nelson," Rob said greeting Nelson after entering the bar. "How are things?"

"As usual," Nelson said looking at Dacey who was wearing sunglasses and a cap inside the bar, "I take it that you would prefer heading to the back right away?"

Nelson asked raising an eyebrow. Dacey’s figure looked very familiar to him, but the dark layout of the pub along with her glasses and cap kind of made it hard for him to identify her right away.

Dacey had almost gotten used to moving with glasses and caps these days. As her popularity rose more and more, it became hard for her to walk normally in crowded places. Sunglasses and caps have become her ever-present accessories these days.

"Yeah," Rob said looking back at Dacey, "I think we would prefer that."

"Right, let me ask Malora to lead you both in," Nelson said nodding. "I will join you in a bit. I need to greet a few regulars who will be dropping by soon."

"Sure, take your time," Rob said patting Nelson’s back as Nelson hollered at Malora to lead Rob to the back.

"Fair warning," Nelson said turning to Rob. "She has taken our advice to heart. I think she will be pestering you more for some tips."

"You mean, she has already started?" Rob asked surprised. "That was quick."

"She said she wanted to get as many customers as possible to know about it," Nelson said chuckling. "Oh, here she comes."

Just then, Malora walked in with full-on witch makeup and costume. Dacey, who was standing behind Rob, had already overheard the earlier conversation and was already curious. Seeing Malora come towards them in full-on witch gear only made her become a lot more curious.

Malora sauntered her way toward the duo with barely repressed excitement. The moment her eyes found Rob, they lit up brightly and she hurried towards him eagerly.

"Rob, thank god, you came today. How do you think my attire is?" Malora said excitedly nearing them.

"You look like a witch," Rob grinned causing Malora to pout a little angrily.

"I know that you blockhead," Malora said displeased. "I want your professional opinion. If I wanted some common opinion, I would have asked others."

"Ahem..." Nelson coughed causing Malora to blush. "Malora, why don’t you take Rob and his date to the back? You can discuss it more freely there."

"Ah, ok, ok," Malora said embarrassedly. "Sorry Rob, I was a little nervous. And this guy here has not been much of a help. Come, I will lead you the back."

Malora nodded at Rob and Dacey and led them to the back. On their way, Malora threw a few confused looks at Dacey, causing Dacey to look at her as well. However, in the dark, it was pretty hard for Malora to guess her identity, especially with her attire.

"Rob, have I seen your date before?" Malora whispered in a hushed tone.

"Indeed," Rob said smiling brightly. "Why don’t you take a guess?"

"I feel like I have seen her before. It is like in the tip of my tongue, I just couldn’t pin it down," Malora said a little agitatedly.

Rob merely smiled not providing any assistance. Malora harrumphed and looked at Dacey’s figure more closely. By now, Dacey also realized that Malora was trying to guess her identity. A mischievous smile came on her face and she modulated her voice a bit and said in a slightly hoarse tone.

"Hi," Dacey said causing Malora’s eyes to furrow further.

"Hi," Malora replied back. "You look vaguely familiar. Have we met before?"

"I don’t think so," Dacey said in the same hoarse voice causing Rob to struggle to not laugh.

Malora narrowed her eyes and looked between Rob and Dacey.

*****

A/N: Hey folks!

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You can also check out my other book [Demon Immortal] and see if it is to your liking.

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