Lace & Leather [a Damian Priest story]

20 Screwed up

Katja POV

"Kat? Oh my God Kat!" I heard a familiar voice call behind us as we made our way to the catering.

I spun around, just in time to see Liv run up and jump on me. She hugged me tightly as I tried to keep my balance so we didn't both hit the hard concrete floor.

"Hi Liv," I giggled.

"Where the hell have you been? I have the urge to kick your ass!" she said as she let go of me to look at me.

"Hey, language please!" I scolded her and immediately I heard the low chuckle from Damian.

"Huh? Why?" she asked while looking at me in confusion.

I took a step to the side, closer to D, to give her a view of the stroller with Hazel still fast asleep.

"Holy Sh- Sorry! Holy mother of God! You had a baby? Why am I just finding out now?" she began, her eyes wide.

But just as I was about to reply, I heard Hazel begin to whimper. I turned to her, but of course Damian was faster than me. He picked her up with a big grin and held her to his chest to soothe our little one. It only took a few seconds for Hazel to calm down. Now she started to give her daddy the smile he had been missing. In his eyes I saw how happy and in love he was.

That alone, this one moment, made the whole trip and the hassle worth it. I was so lost in thought that I totally forgot about Liv. Well, until she cleared her throat loudly to get my attention back. Reluctantly, I took my eyes off my family and looked at her.

"Yes, I have a baby. It's a long story. I'll tell you about it sometime. That is if we're still friends." I replied.

"Hello? Of course we are. I'm pissed, but.... I missed you anyway." answered Liv as she hugged me tightly once again.

I sighed in relief as I returned the hug. It felt good to have at least one friend left. Because I had no idea how the others would react.

But as it turned out, I had had no reason to be nervous about the girls. They took me back with open arms and were totally smitten with little Hazelnut. She had taken the hearts of her aunties by storm. Everyone wanted to hold her. Much to the displeasure of Damian, who was extremely reluctant to share his daughter. It was so sweet that he was a little jealous. But when I stroked his lower back soothingly, I quickly felt him relax.

"I have to go to the bathroom. I'll be right back." I said to D and gave him a kiss.

"Okay. I'm going to head outside with Hazel. We'll wait for you at the door." he replied.

That was a good idea. That way we could spend a few more minutes alone before Damian had to get to work.

"Fay! What a pleasant surprise! I thought I would never get the chance to see your beautiful face again." I heard someone say and immediately it ran ice cold down my spine.

Slowly I glanced over my shoulder and saw that it was Theory who came striding towards me with his disgusting grin. My insides tensed up involuntarily. I couldn't even stand the sound of his voice. And the closer he got, the worse I felt. I wanted to keep walking, but somehow I was frozen. It had been so long since I had felt like this. Not since I knew Damian, actually. Part of me probably thought I had gotten over the fear of being around men, but God was that wrong.

"Leave me alone," I croaked weakly.

"Honey, don't be like that. I'd love to work with you. You know I have excellent connections with the boss. Just one word and we can do great work." he said as he now stood very close to me.

Theory took a strand of my hair between his fingers and twirled it. Just like D often did, but the feelings it triggered in me couldn't have been more opposite.

But before I had time to process what was happening and react, the guy was already torn away from me and pushed back against the wall.

"Get your filthy paws off my girl, you bastard! I'll crush you like a bug, you pathetic kiss-ass. She's mine. Is that clear?" growled Damian at him as he grabbed him by the collar. Theory's legs dangled in the air as he stared at D in shock.

My brain began to function again. The first thing I heard was Hazel crying. She was probably scared. Carefully, I lifted her out of the stroller and gently rocked her up and down. Then I put a hand on Damian's shoulder to calm him down. I didn't want him to do anything stupid. I didn't want him to get in trouble.

"D! Damian! Let him go!" I said softly as he turned his gaze on me.

It took several more seconds, but finally he let him down. Immediately I pressed the baby into his arms, because I knew that Hazel's little face would calm him down. I reached out and pushed the stroller as I put my free arm around his middle so we could leave.

"Yes...that's right! You better go.... Let your little bitch protect you." Theory muttered behind us.

This time, however, it was surprisingly me who had had enough. I saw red when I turned around, went back the few steps and faced him. He smirked arrogantly. Until I lashed out with my fist and punched him square in the face.

Immediately Theory held his nose as he stumbled back a few feet.

"You better shut your mouth and stay away from my family! Or I won't hesitate to knock your teeth down your throat personally. Then your selfies won't look so good. And I don't give a shit how far up Mr. McMahon's ass you are. I'm just surprised they don't have to drag you back out by your feet every day. Don't you dare mess with my family. You hear me?" I hissed.

"Miss Fay! Have you lost your mind? Violence against a colleague? I will not tolerate this behavior in my company. You are fired!" said an unmistakable voice that quickly approached.

Deeply shocked, I stared into the cold eyes of the boss and realized that I had really screwed up. But better me than Damian. I was sure about that.