Post by Deleted on Aug 26, 2019 19:33:09 GMT -5
Tuesday July 30th
Off Camera
“I’m not gonna get in trouble for serving you alcohol am I?” he asks, sauntering out of the rental property dressed only in a pair of red and white swim shorts and some sunglasses, but armed with a bottle of Albarino white wine and two glasses.
“I won’t tell if you don’t,” comes the reply from Celeste as she rests in the shade underneath the cabana, smiling wryly at her friend. Dressed in just a black bikini, Celeste is relaxing after her photoshoot with Dom Harter earlier this afternoon; she was helping him build up his portfolio, and earning herself some much needed money at the same time. Ever since she took her break from wrestling the cash flow into the Spirit-Cross household has taken a hit, and with a wedding coming up Celeste couldn’t say no to a few extra thousand dollars...
“Ha!” Harter laughs harshly at the comment, “What’s that, your new life motto at the moment?” he asks as he starts to pour the wine into the glasses.
“Just pour the wine, Dom,” Celeste replies in jest as Dom hands her a glass, before taking a seat next to her under the thatched roof of the cabana. He eases himself down into the chair next to Celeste with a slight groan, and the pair clink glasses before they start sipping on the wine.
They’re sitting at one end of the garden, looking out over the swimming pool in the center of the patio, where Annie Zellor is currently playing with Dom’s daughter, Ina. Further across from that is the above ground hot tub, all of which are bordered off by the canal at the far end of the garden. The fact that they’re spending nearly five hundred dollars a night to stay here during their Miami getaway seems almost absurd to Celeste, but she’s not one to argue - especially not when she’s benefitting from the frivolity.
“I’ve never really pictured you as a father before…” Celeste blurts out as she glances over at the pool, where Annie and Ina are trying to perform underwater handstands. But Dom just shrugs as he raises one leg, resting his ankle on a knee.
“You know-- and for future reference…” he starts, “most people preface that sort of thing by saying ‘no offense’. Just saying.” Harter tsks to himself as Celeste realizes exactly what she said, covering her mouth with one hand as she fumbles for a response.
“No, I didn’t mean it like that--” she replies as Dom tries his hardest to keep a straight face, “--it’s just, I’ve never really seen you around Ina before, and--” but she’s cut off mid sentence as Dom waves her off.
“Celeste, it’s fine,” he assures her before chuckling to himself, “Honestly, it’s fine. I know what you mean. It’s only the second time she’s come to stay with us, so I’m still getting used to the idea myself…” he trails off before taking another sip of wine; parenthood had never been on the cards for Dom, even after Tatum had told him about their daughter. But the two have come to an agreement in recent months, where Dom and Annie get to look after Ina during Spring Break and the Summer holidays - no point in taking her out of that expensive private school when it’s not necessary. But the Summer holidays are winding down for this year, and soon enough Ina will be back with her mom.
“So how old is she?” Celeste asks, pushing ahead with the conversation. This is a side of Dom she’s never really seen before, so she’s keen to explore.
“Seven in September,” comes the reply.
“Daddy!” Ina shouts from pool, waving her arms to gain Dom’s attention. Behind her Annie is grinning widely, pointing at Ina as Dom and Celeste look over towards them again.
“Yes, Peanut?” he yells back.
“I can do a handstand now!” Ina proclaims proudly, “Watch this!” Of course, from their vantage point, Dom and Celeste can only see a pair of legs sticking up out of the pool as Ina purportedly performs this handstand, but they both applaud her as she resurfaces with a beaming smile on her face. “Did you see?”
“I did,” Dom lies, “and I’m so proud of you, Peanut.”
Celeste leans across and whispers, “Peanut?”
“It’s a long story,” Dom sighs, “but, basically, she learned that I don’t like peanuts and peanut butter-- which is apparently one of her favorite types of sandwich. So then-- basically Ina insists I call her Peanut so I like peanuts as much as she does.”
“I see…” Celeste replies, trying to hide her smile and laughter behind one hand.
“Shut up, Celeste.” he whispers, shooting her a side-eye glance as he does so.
“What? I think it’s cute…” Celeste confesses, “...it shows she cares about you, which is sweet.” Celeste puts her hand on Dom’s shoulder, “I know how tough it can be growing up with a wrestler for a dad. You’re probably not always going to be there when she needs you, Dom-- maybe you’ll be in Japan, or the UK, or wherever else you’re wrestling now. So just try and make the time you’ve got with her count. Ok?”
Dom looks over the top of his wine glass towards Celeste, lowering it slightly after taking a sip. Playfully, he replies, “No more wine for you, lightweight.”
“I’m serious, Dom,” Celeste protests, “You don’t want her growing up to resent you, do you?”
“Of course not,” he replies, “me and Annie are gonna ask her to be the flower girl at our wedding too, just to make sure she’s involved.”
“See, that’s what I’m talking about--” Celeste starts, only to get cut off.
“Tatum’ll probably hate it though,” Dom continues, “and she’ll just claim that Annie’s trying to be a mom to Ina again. Petty bitch…” he whispers the last two words, making double sure that Ina won’t overhear that particular part of the conversation. Fortunately she’s still practicing her underwater handstands, so they’re safe! Dom glances back towards Celeste as the conversation picks up again, “...she is, I’m not apologizing for that.”
“I won’t ask you to,” Celeste shrugs; she may work with Tatum, but the two are hardly what you would call friends. “And it’s your wedding, you can do what you want.”
“Is that what you’re telling CJ too?” he jokes, prompting Celeste to laugh.
“No, that’s my wedding and I’m doing what I want!” she says in jest-- but there’s a kernel of truth there, even if it was meant as a joke. This wedding is something Celeste has been planning for as long as she can remember. She’s seen the dress she wants, the church in which she wants to get married. She’s looked through so many floral arrangements, and listened to so many wedding bands that they’re all beginning to blur together. Now it’s just a matter of picking what she wants, getting it all in the same place at the same time, and being able to afford it...
“It’s your first wedding, I can understand that--” he jokes, seeing as this’ll technically be both Dom and Annie’s second weddings. “--so is that what you’re going to use the money for?” he asks candidly, almost too casually as Celeste is caught slightly off-guard. Probably a good thing she wasn’t drinking her wine at the time, but she tops up her glass just in case.
“Look…” she starts, “...maybe, I dunno yet.”
“It’s whatever you want it for,” Dom assures her, “the wedding, pay your rent, maybe the down payment on a new car. Whatever you want.” She’ll begrudgingly admit that he’s right, it’s her money now. And she can technically do what she wants with it…
“I know,” Celeste murmurs to herself, keeping her voice down as she leans in close, making sure nobody might overhear them, “it’s just-- you have to promise not to tell CJ about this.”
“Why would I tell CJ?” he asks, bordering on indignant.
“Promise me, Dom,” she presses him.
“Ok, I promise,” he offers up his pinky finger, which Celeste accepts, “Pinky promise, even! But I won’t say anything to CJ.” Celeste finally lets go of his finger as she settles back into her chair, lifting the wine glass to her lips. She knows CJ has a chance-- albeit an outside chance of walking away from the OPT with the prize money next month, but this was guaranteed. Easy money.
“Thank you,” Celeste says after a momentary pause, “I didn’t expect any of this when I agreed to model for you. Just thought we’d go to the beach and take a few photos--” how naive she was! “--and now you’ve got me keeping secrets from my fiancé. And you’ve seen my boobs-- that’s gonna take some getting used to…” she half-jokes, “...so, what are you going to do with the picture?”
“Oh it’s going in the games room!” he replies nonchalantly. Dom takes a final sip of wine before refilling his own glass, all while Celeste sits there in silence. “What’s wrong?”
“The games room?!” she asks incredulously.
“Yeah, it’s a room. Where we play games. PC, PS4, that kinda thing.” Dom shrugs it off. “We’ve already got some prints of Annie in cosplay, but we wanted more artwork for the walls. Fancy art too!” he speaks with pride and confidence, smiling across at Celeste who, for some strange reason, still can’t believe what’s she hearing.
“You’re serious?” she asks in a whisper, and Dom just nods.
“Yeah,” he replies, “I mean, you can’t see your face, and your boobs are covered in the photo-- it’s not like anybody will ever even know it’s you…” his gaze starts to drift down to Celeste’s chest, at least until she clears her throat to gain his attention again. “...bygones!”
“You’re actually serious?” Celeste asks again; she knows Dom has a reputation as a bit of a joker, but this would be a bit much even for him, right? They got back from the beach and he asked if she wanted to make a bit of extra money. Just for one nude photo, and she didn’t even have to show anything she didn’t want to...just so Dom can hang a picture in his games room?
“I mean, yeah, unless you really don’t want me to,” Dom answers back; he knew he was pushing his luck when he asked if Celeste wanted to make some extra money, but you can’t get anywhere without taking risks.
“You’re a strange one, Dom,” Celeste states and Dom nods while shrugging his shoulders, “but as long as you’re not selling it...I don’t mind if you hang it in your home. I guess.”
Celeste smiles at Dom, who responds in kind. Again, the pair clink their glasses, happy at having come to an understanding about the photo. Celeste has the money to ease her financial worries, and maybe pay for her upcoming wedding. And Dom has everything he wants from her. “Thanks,” Dom says before the pair of them take another sip of wine each, “And, in all fairness, this photo is way less explicit than the prints of Annie…” he adds as Celeste spits out her wine in shock.
Off Camera
“I’m not gonna get in trouble for serving you alcohol am I?” he asks, sauntering out of the rental property dressed only in a pair of red and white swim shorts and some sunglasses, but armed with a bottle of Albarino white wine and two glasses.
“I won’t tell if you don’t,” comes the reply from Celeste as she rests in the shade underneath the cabana, smiling wryly at her friend. Dressed in just a black bikini, Celeste is relaxing after her photoshoot with Dom Harter earlier this afternoon; she was helping him build up his portfolio, and earning herself some much needed money at the same time. Ever since she took her break from wrestling the cash flow into the Spirit-Cross household has taken a hit, and with a wedding coming up Celeste couldn’t say no to a few extra thousand dollars...
“Ha!” Harter laughs harshly at the comment, “What’s that, your new life motto at the moment?” he asks as he starts to pour the wine into the glasses.
“Just pour the wine, Dom,” Celeste replies in jest as Dom hands her a glass, before taking a seat next to her under the thatched roof of the cabana. He eases himself down into the chair next to Celeste with a slight groan, and the pair clink glasses before they start sipping on the wine.
They’re sitting at one end of the garden, looking out over the swimming pool in the center of the patio, where Annie Zellor is currently playing with Dom’s daughter, Ina. Further across from that is the above ground hot tub, all of which are bordered off by the canal at the far end of the garden. The fact that they’re spending nearly five hundred dollars a night to stay here during their Miami getaway seems almost absurd to Celeste, but she’s not one to argue - especially not when she’s benefitting from the frivolity.
“I’ve never really pictured you as a father before…” Celeste blurts out as she glances over at the pool, where Annie and Ina are trying to perform underwater handstands. But Dom just shrugs as he raises one leg, resting his ankle on a knee.
“You know-- and for future reference…” he starts, “most people preface that sort of thing by saying ‘no offense’. Just saying.” Harter tsks to himself as Celeste realizes exactly what she said, covering her mouth with one hand as she fumbles for a response.
“No, I didn’t mean it like that--” she replies as Dom tries his hardest to keep a straight face, “--it’s just, I’ve never really seen you around Ina before, and--” but she’s cut off mid sentence as Dom waves her off.
“Celeste, it’s fine,” he assures her before chuckling to himself, “Honestly, it’s fine. I know what you mean. It’s only the second time she’s come to stay with us, so I’m still getting used to the idea myself…” he trails off before taking another sip of wine; parenthood had never been on the cards for Dom, even after Tatum had told him about their daughter. But the two have come to an agreement in recent months, where Dom and Annie get to look after Ina during Spring Break and the Summer holidays - no point in taking her out of that expensive private school when it’s not necessary. But the Summer holidays are winding down for this year, and soon enough Ina will be back with her mom.
“So how old is she?” Celeste asks, pushing ahead with the conversation. This is a side of Dom she’s never really seen before, so she’s keen to explore.
“Seven in September,” comes the reply.
“Daddy!” Ina shouts from pool, waving her arms to gain Dom’s attention. Behind her Annie is grinning widely, pointing at Ina as Dom and Celeste look over towards them again.
“Yes, Peanut?” he yells back.
“I can do a handstand now!” Ina proclaims proudly, “Watch this!” Of course, from their vantage point, Dom and Celeste can only see a pair of legs sticking up out of the pool as Ina purportedly performs this handstand, but they both applaud her as she resurfaces with a beaming smile on her face. “Did you see?”
“I did,” Dom lies, “and I’m so proud of you, Peanut.”
Celeste leans across and whispers, “Peanut?”
“It’s a long story,” Dom sighs, “but, basically, she learned that I don’t like peanuts and peanut butter-- which is apparently one of her favorite types of sandwich. So then-- basically Ina insists I call her Peanut so I like peanuts as much as she does.”
“I see…” Celeste replies, trying to hide her smile and laughter behind one hand.
“Shut up, Celeste.” he whispers, shooting her a side-eye glance as he does so.
“What? I think it’s cute…” Celeste confesses, “...it shows she cares about you, which is sweet.” Celeste puts her hand on Dom’s shoulder, “I know how tough it can be growing up with a wrestler for a dad. You’re probably not always going to be there when she needs you, Dom-- maybe you’ll be in Japan, or the UK, or wherever else you’re wrestling now. So just try and make the time you’ve got with her count. Ok?”
Dom looks over the top of his wine glass towards Celeste, lowering it slightly after taking a sip. Playfully, he replies, “No more wine for you, lightweight.”
“I’m serious, Dom,” Celeste protests, “You don’t want her growing up to resent you, do you?”
“Of course not,” he replies, “me and Annie are gonna ask her to be the flower girl at our wedding too, just to make sure she’s involved.”
“See, that’s what I’m talking about--” Celeste starts, only to get cut off.
“Tatum’ll probably hate it though,” Dom continues, “and she’ll just claim that Annie’s trying to be a mom to Ina again. Petty bitch…” he whispers the last two words, making double sure that Ina won’t overhear that particular part of the conversation. Fortunately she’s still practicing her underwater handstands, so they’re safe! Dom glances back towards Celeste as the conversation picks up again, “...she is, I’m not apologizing for that.”
“I won’t ask you to,” Celeste shrugs; she may work with Tatum, but the two are hardly what you would call friends. “And it’s your wedding, you can do what you want.”
“Is that what you’re telling CJ too?” he jokes, prompting Celeste to laugh.
“No, that’s my wedding and I’m doing what I want!” she says in jest-- but there’s a kernel of truth there, even if it was meant as a joke. This wedding is something Celeste has been planning for as long as she can remember. She’s seen the dress she wants, the church in which she wants to get married. She’s looked through so many floral arrangements, and listened to so many wedding bands that they’re all beginning to blur together. Now it’s just a matter of picking what she wants, getting it all in the same place at the same time, and being able to afford it...
“It’s your first wedding, I can understand that--” he jokes, seeing as this’ll technically be both Dom and Annie’s second weddings. “--so is that what you’re going to use the money for?” he asks candidly, almost too casually as Celeste is caught slightly off-guard. Probably a good thing she wasn’t drinking her wine at the time, but she tops up her glass just in case.
“Look…” she starts, “...maybe, I dunno yet.”
“It’s whatever you want it for,” Dom assures her, “the wedding, pay your rent, maybe the down payment on a new car. Whatever you want.” She’ll begrudgingly admit that he’s right, it’s her money now. And she can technically do what she wants with it…
“I know,” Celeste murmurs to herself, keeping her voice down as she leans in close, making sure nobody might overhear them, “it’s just-- you have to promise not to tell CJ about this.”
“Why would I tell CJ?” he asks, bordering on indignant.
“Promise me, Dom,” she presses him.
“Ok, I promise,” he offers up his pinky finger, which Celeste accepts, “Pinky promise, even! But I won’t say anything to CJ.” Celeste finally lets go of his finger as she settles back into her chair, lifting the wine glass to her lips. She knows CJ has a chance-- albeit an outside chance of walking away from the OPT with the prize money next month, but this was guaranteed. Easy money.
“Thank you,” Celeste says after a momentary pause, “I didn’t expect any of this when I agreed to model for you. Just thought we’d go to the beach and take a few photos--” how naive she was! “--and now you’ve got me keeping secrets from my fiancé. And you’ve seen my boobs-- that’s gonna take some getting used to…” she half-jokes, “...so, what are you going to do with the picture?”
“Oh it’s going in the games room!” he replies nonchalantly. Dom takes a final sip of wine before refilling his own glass, all while Celeste sits there in silence. “What’s wrong?”
“The games room?!” she asks incredulously.
“Yeah, it’s a room. Where we play games. PC, PS4, that kinda thing.” Dom shrugs it off. “We’ve already got some prints of Annie in cosplay, but we wanted more artwork for the walls. Fancy art too!” he speaks with pride and confidence, smiling across at Celeste who, for some strange reason, still can’t believe what’s she hearing.
“You’re serious?” she asks in a whisper, and Dom just nods.
“Yeah,” he replies, “I mean, you can’t see your face, and your boobs are covered in the photo-- it’s not like anybody will ever even know it’s you…” his gaze starts to drift down to Celeste’s chest, at least until she clears her throat to gain his attention again. “...bygones!”
“You’re actually serious?” Celeste asks again; she knows Dom has a reputation as a bit of a joker, but this would be a bit much even for him, right? They got back from the beach and he asked if she wanted to make a bit of extra money. Just for one nude photo, and she didn’t even have to show anything she didn’t want to...just so Dom can hang a picture in his games room?
“I mean, yeah, unless you really don’t want me to,” Dom answers back; he knew he was pushing his luck when he asked if Celeste wanted to make some extra money, but you can’t get anywhere without taking risks.
“You’re a strange one, Dom,” Celeste states and Dom nods while shrugging his shoulders, “but as long as you’re not selling it...I don’t mind if you hang it in your home. I guess.”
Celeste smiles at Dom, who responds in kind. Again, the pair clink their glasses, happy at having come to an understanding about the photo. Celeste has the money to ease her financial worries, and maybe pay for her upcoming wedding. And Dom has everything he wants from her. “Thanks,” Dom says before the pair of them take another sip of wine each, “And, in all fairness, this photo is way less explicit than the prints of Annie…” he adds as Celeste spits out her wine in shock.