Body, Heart, and Soul #1
January 5
New York City
Ante Up NYC
-------------------
After making phone calls my first day in New York, I had two interviews set up for my second day, and three for the following Monday, after Breakdown. I probably sounded at least half-ass professional on the phone but I was nervous as shit. I'd never done anything like this before and I thought that if Tommy knew how utterly anxious I was over it, he wouldn't have let me handle it on my own. But, he trusted me so I had to suck it up.
I got to the gym around nine in the morning, as the first interview was set for ten. I wanted to have the office Sabrina was letting me use ready, with my laptop set up, and looking like an actual office rather than an empty room we just happened to be sitting in. With a massive cup of coffee and dressed in the most professional looking outfit I owned, my hair braided and tied back, I was ready to go. It was still early back home, I was now three hours ahead of Tommy, but I knew he was awake and either at Ante Up already, or would be there soon, so I gave him a call while waiting for my first interview.
“Morning, babe.” He sounded tired.
“Hey... did I wake you up?”
“No... you didn't. I was just up late. I'm walking into the academy now. How's it going?”
“Just waiting on my first interview to get here. How's it going there? My sister quit yet?”
Tommy scoffed. “No, hardheaded bitch. You would have really enjoyed watching her run through the drills Gable put her through, though.”
“Oh, he's running beginners now?”
“Yeah, Tish suggested I should focus more on the more advanced students, and she had a good point.”
“It also keeps you away from Coral, when she signed up to fuck with you some more.”
“There's that. She didn't seem too happy about the fact she wasn't in my class. Then the drills put her on her ass.”
I laughed. “Wish I could have seen that. But... I think you were right about me being here while she starts. I'm not sure I could stop myself from getting petty.”
“I'm sure. You couldn't. We don't need a catfight in here with all these new students.”
“Catfight? You know damn well I don't fight like that.”
“That's true... but my point stands. Over there you have a chance to get used to the idea and work out how you're gonna handle this, rather than being thrown into it right away.”
“Which is you and Tish's fault for not telling me, I'll remind you.” I was still annoyed about that, even if I did understand why it slipped through the cracks.
“Yeah, I know. We're sorry, okay? You know I'll find a way to make it up to you. Tish has some big speech planned.”
“I'm not really mad at her, even if it was her idea. You're the boss, babe. You should have told me.”
Tommy sighed. “I know. Like I said... I'll make it right.”
“Just put her in my class....” I could hear the malevolence in my own tone.
“Uh... we'll see. Right now she can barely keep up with beginner drills. After drills though, she got paired with Bella. That was... interesting.”
I laughed. I couldn't help it. Two women he'd fucked, one he now hated and the other he planned to continue seeing. I really wish I would have seen his face. “Did Bella kick her ass?”
“Mostly. I had to stop watching, it was distracting.”
I laughed again. “I bet it was. I can't decide if I hope Coral quits before I'm back, or if she's still there so I can be entertained.”
“If she quits before you're back, she can't be in your class.”
“Excellent point. Try not to run her off just yet.”
We both laughed. “We'll do our best. So, you said you had interviews today?”
“Yeah, two. Three Monday. You do know I've never done anything like this before, right?”
“I'm aware. But you'll do fine. You know what a gym needs, especially one like what we do. I trust you.”
He kept saying that, and it kept making me feel better. “Thanks.”
“Listen, I was thinking. Breakdown is in Philly, right? That's not far from New York City. I could come back there with you after the show. It's way past time I make an appearance there anyway.”
“I like it. You could sit in on the interviews scheduled on Monday.”
“I'd rather not. I'm not there today for these, so why be a part of those? Are you just trying to get out of handling this all on your own?”
“I.... maybe?”
“Kandis... stop stressing. I know you'll do a great job. I'll have other things to do there anyway. Talk to the staff, look at all this equipment you mentioned. Email me the details."
"I will."
"And gotta scope out the Cruze shit everywhere...”
“Tommy... his name is over the fucking door.”
“Fuck's sake. Yeah, we'll make a lot of changes. But first, you have a job to do. And once I get to look around, so do I, in getting the place up to Ante Up standards.”
“I think it'll be a fun project, in spite of how much I can't stand this city.” Tommy chuckled. He knew I hated the east coast. I glanced at my laptop and saw the time. “Shit, it's almost ten, she'll be here soon. Gotta go. Love you.”
“Yep, love you too.”
I ended the call just as Sabrina paged the desk phone and told me the first candidate, Julia St. Rose, arrived for her interview.
Sabrina led her into the office for me. I stood up and shook her hand as Sabrina left, closing the door quietly.
“Good morning, Ms. St. Rose, thanks for coming.”
“Thank you for calling me Ms... um...”
“Just Kandis is fine.” I smiled. I sat at the desk and Julia sat across from me. She was younger than me, with blonde hair in a short pixie, and wore black jeans and a dark gray sweater. She must have left her coat at the desk. I had her resume open in front of me on my laptop. "Gonna start off by being honest and telling you I've never actually done this before, so this might not come across like any other interview you've ever had."
Julia giggled. Yeah... "Oh that's okay. Everyone has to start somewhere. This would be my start, so I get it."
I glanced back at her resume. "Right, I see that you recently graduated with a Fitness Management degree?"
"That's correct, just a few months ago. I've always been into fitness and health, and knew I wanted to help people in that area."
"Are you aware that Ante Up isn't like a regular gym? Most clients here are training for combat sports. Wrestling, MMA, kickboxing." I actually wasn't sure if they did kickboxing here, but if I had any input at all, they would.
Julia suddenly looked like a squirrel caught in the birdfeeder. "Um... I knew that went on here, I wasn't aware that was the focus, no."
"Is that something you're prepared to work with, learn about?"
She hesitated. That gave me my answer. "Um... sure. I'm openminded and a quick learner."
Openminded? What the fuck did that mean? Sounded judgey about the business to me. Yeah... this nice girl was a no. "Alright, that's good to hear. Did you have any questions for me?"
"Well, I did... but you already answered it. I was going to ask what the focus of the gym is. Some places are general fitness, some are bodybuilding. I guess this one is... fighting?" She said skeptocally.
"It is. Keeping in shape is a big part of that though. And not everyone who trains in some form of combat goes on to compete. Some just do it to keep fit."
Julia nodded. "Right, I can see that. It is pretty physically demanding."
I went over the job description, she asked about salary. I gave her the low end of the number range Tommy had given me, since she had no experience. She seemed okay with it. Not that I had any intention of giving her the offer. Nice girl, but this place and industry would chew her up. I thanked her for coming in and told her she'd hear back either way. Julia St. Rose left, her head down as she walked quickly out. I had the feeling that even if I did offer her the job, she would decline. Hey, at least she got interview experience.
The second interview wasn't until after lunch, so Sabrina offered to show me around a bit more, get a better look at the equipment. She said there were some pieces that needed repair or maybe replacement. Eddie had neglected that, probably because he planned on leaving. She walked me around and I made notes on my phone, taking a few pictures. Trent, the wrestling coach who'd caught an attitude with me the day before, had fixed his attitude and asked me to sit in on his seminar. The guy was good, he had a technical background from college wrestling, and a good mind for the psychology. The guys in his class seemed to get a lot out of it and have respect for him.
After Trent's seminar, it was lunchtime. Sabrina ordered from a sub place and we ate in the manager's office, which I guess was mine for the week. Afterwards, she had a class of her own to lead, weight training.
Left to my own devices until my second interview arrived, I walked around some more. I looked closer at the Orlando Cruze shit hanging everywhere. I hadn't noticed before but most of the pictures had little blurbs inside the frame with the pictures, with the date.The one with Owen said he was thirteen at the time. He acts like he hasn't grown much past that. The others were blurbs about matches the shot was taken from, or little information about the person he's with. I could see how anyone who looked up to the guy or knew him from here would be upset when this stuff was taken down. But... this wasn't his place anymore. It honestly should have been removed right after Ante Up bought it, but David and his bleeding-heart moral bullshit exists. It's not that I have a problem memorializing someone important to the business, it's just that I don't think it should be here. In a place that's no longer owned by his family. It took all of my self control to not start pulling pictures off the walls at that moment. This guy's kid had stuck his nose into me and Tommy's business, and according to Owen, he didn't even care about the guy anymore, apparently he was a liar. So there was literally no reason for any of this shit to be here. But... I wasn't the owner, just his girlfriend. So it wasn't my place to rip things down. As for that giant “ICON” on the back wall? Oh, I had plans for covering that up. I had already sketched an idea while in my hotel room.
As I was standing in front of the Icon wall imagining my sketch over it, Sabrina walked up next to me.
“Not a fan of that mural, huh?”
“What gave you that idea?”
“I know a look of disgust when I see one.”
I laughed, more of a dry scoff really. “Yeah, it's... bad.”
“The art, or the subject?”
I turned to face her. “If you want to know what I think about Orlando Cruze, you could just ask.”
Sabrina looked down a second, then back up, with a nod. “You're right. I was trying to get a feel on your thoughts. What are your thoughts on him?”
“I never met him, didn't really follow the company he worked for, so I don't really have any. His kid though...” I shook my head. “Don't get me started.”
“Right, Owen. He was here a few months ago.”
“He was, huh?”
Sabrina nodded. “Walked around, talked to one of our clients a bit. Didn't talk to me. I was never sure what to make of him.”
“And what are your thoughts on the “icon” here?”
“I never met him either. I started on here after it was Ante Up owned. Between you and me, all of this?” She gestured to the wall, then around. I assumed she meant the pictures. “I never understood it. Its too much. Sure, keep one picture, respect the history of the place. But...” She looks back at the wall and shakes her head.
“I'm glad to hear you say that. I was hoping we wouldn't offend anyone in getting rid of this stuff.”
“That's why Eddie never took it down. He didn't want to alienate the older clients, he thought we'd lose business. That might be true for a few people, but I've had a lot of newer clients ask why this is all here, when there's an actual memorial just a few blocks from here.”
“There is? I didn't know that.” How convenient!
“Yeah, it's got a garden and a fountain, pretty sure there's a building with some memorabilia on display. I've never been there, just heard people talk about it. Maybe you guys could give this stuff to them?”
“That's a good idea.”
Sabrina jabbed her thumb towards the wall. “What about this?”
Oh, that? I have plans. Did you know I'm also an artist?”
“I'd heard that. You do large scale work?”
“I'm gonna learn. I painted a mural in my studio room at Tommy's house. I like how it came out, but this wall is bigger. It'll be a challenge, but I like testing my skills.”
“Can't wait to see what you do with it.”
“Honestly it'll probably be last on the list. Other things need to be taken care of first. Like those broken machines.”
“Oh yes, please. The treadmill has been dead for months, Eddie didn't want to bother Valentine about it for some reason, and then he left without giving me any contact information. In fact... how did you guys find out he quit?”
“Uh... I'm not actually sure. Maybe the other owner told Tommy?” I wasn't sure if Sabrina knew who that was, Mr. D had made it very clear he didn't want it publicly known he was the silent partner.
“Maybe. I know there's an email for the silent owner, Eddie didn't know who it is, though. Do you know?” I hesitated. “I mean, I know you can't tell me if you do. I was just... sorry, stupid question.” Sabrina shook her head, trying to brush it off.
“No, it's fine. Yes, I know who he is. And no, unfortunately I can't tell you. Just be assured that he does have the best interest of Ante Up in mind, while also having zero interest in getting involved in day-to-day operations. No random person is ever gonna show up here and try to take over.”
Sabrina laughed. “Oh really?”
I caught her meaning and laughed. “Hey, I'm not here to take over. I'm just doing what Tommy asked me to do. Oh and by the way, when you meet him? Don't do the last name thing, he doesn't really like that.”
“Oh. Right. It's just how Eddie referred to him so we all did. Thanks for the heads up. Does that mean he's coming here?”
“Yeah, in a few days. The next SCW show is in Philadelphia, so we'll both come back after the show to settle things with whoever is hired. And he wants to get a look at the... décor. I sent him pictures but he wants to see for himself. Look at the equipment. You know, your guy Eddie quitting was something of a silver lining. It took a while for Tommy to get the academy back home going the way he wanted after ownership changed. It's going pretty well now and it was past time to turn his attention here. Your boy Trent said something about being forgotten...” Sabrina shook her head with a frown. She hadn't been happy with Trent's attitude. “But that's not the case. Tommy just knew this place was being run well and it didn't really need his input. But he's glad this gives him a chance to come here, meet you guys, and see what might need to be done.”
“That sounds great. I'll make sure Trent minds his manners.” We both laughed. “I'm looking forward to meeting Va- uh, Tommy.”
I smirked. She was a quick learner. I glanced at my phone to check the time. “Oh, I should get back in the office, the second interview should be here in about thirty minutes. I need to send an email and read over his resume.”
“Sure, I'll send him in when he gets here.”
“Thanks. And hey, good talking with you.”
Sabrina just smiled before she walked off.
I went back to the office and typed up my notes about the equipment in an email to send to Tommy. I also told him about the memorial Sabrina mentioned. He wrote back in a few minutes, said he had known about it, and donating the items was a good idea.
The second candidate arrived for his interview, Colin Cottrell. He was really over dressed for this type of job interview, not that I'm a professional at interviews or anything, but the man walked in wearing a suit. To a gym. Okay my dude, whatever. I met him on the main floor and led him to the office. I had his resume pulled up on my laptop, as before. He had more experience than Julia St Rose, so that was a plus, which might make up for the being over dressed thing. He was tall, dark hair that was kinda shaggy, and even in a suit looked like he lifted. A lot.
“Good afternoon, thanks for coming. Mr-”
“No 'mister' necessary. I'm very informal.”
Says the guy wearing a fucking suit to a gym. “Okay, Colin. I see you have experience in managing a gym. Can you tell me about that?”
“Sure. I live here in the city but I've been running a place in Jersey. Good crew, mostly good patrons. Been there about five years.”
“By running, you mean similar to the position here?”
“Yeah, the place has a few classes, I make the schedules for that. For the staff. Take care of anything that's broken, that kind of thing.”
“Okay, great. And is it a conventional gym, or-”
“Nah, we do mostly MMA training. I've heard of this place, wrestling isn't much different from what I understand.”
I grinned. So far, so good. “Not really. A lot of wrestlers use MMA style offense in the ring. Myself included, I have a background in kickboxing.”
“I recall.” Colin grinned... except there was something off about it. Like, too casual. Was he flirting?!
“So I assume being around that type of environment wouldn't be a problem for you?”
“Not at all.”
“And do you have experience in helping people with that kind of training?”
“No... I do not. My thing was always cardio. I have excellent stamina, and help people improve theirs.” He grinned again. Okay, the Suit was definitely flirting. Apparently he knew my reputation.
“That could come in handy for the clientele here.”
“Are they in need of improving stamina?”
“I'm actually not sure... but Sabrina can fill you in on specifics if you're hired.”
“Oh... not you?” Another grin. I smirked back, I was on to his game.
“No, sorry. I'm not really familiar with things here. I'm only in town to fill the position.” Colin's eyes widened just a bit.
“I'm hoping I'm the right fit.”
“That remains to be seen. Did you have any questions for me?”
“Yes, actually. Are you here doing the hiring alone?”
“How is that relevant?”
“Just wondering if there would be a second interview with Mr. Valentine.”
I shook my head. “Nope. Just me. He isn't here.”
“So this is it then? This interview?” I nodded. “Okay. Just clarifying.”
“Sure. Anything else?”
“Well... would you be interested in a.... demonstration, of some of my skills?” I raised a brow. “Maybe give myself a head up on the competition.” He smirked. This motherfucker was trying to bribe me for the job! He thought he was being subtle, I guess. I decided to play dumb.
“The position is management, not any sort of class instruction. What kind of skills could you demonstrate for that?”
“Uh.. well, I was talking about stamina-improving methods. Endurance. You know.” Another smirk. I gave him a blank look. I wanted to see if I could make him actually say what he wanted. “Like... choosing an activity and demonstrating how long I can continue, perhaps in comparison to you?”
I couldn't take this idiot anymore. I gave him a dry grin. “I really don't think that's necessary, or even appropriate.” I stressed the word to make sure he knew I knew exactly what he meant, and I wasn't having it. He sat back a bit, obviously rebuffed. Good. I was probably being a hypocrite cause it's not like I've never offered myself for favors... but this wasn't about me. I was doing a job for Tommy and his business. Everything about this was gonna be above board and professional. Colin cleared his throat, and the smirk and gleam in his eye disappeared.
“Right. Of course. I just thought I'd offer. Some other gyms I've applied to asked for like a skill test or such.”
“Since this position isn't a coaching one, that's not needed.”
We then discussed salary, Colin was asking for slightly more than Tommy would have wanted, even with his experience. If he hadn't tried to fuck me for the job, I might have passed it along to Tommy and let him decide. But nah. Besides, if this dude was hitting on me in the fucking interview, who's to say he wouldn't creep on clients and students? Hard pass.
“Alright, well thank you for your interest, and we'll let you know either way by next week.” I stood up, indicating I was done. Colin stood, and offered me his hand. I kinda didn't want to shake it as he'd creeped me out a little, but I did anyway.
“Thanks for your time.”
Colin left, and after he was gone I rubbed hand sanitizer on my hands. Probably not necessary but it made me feel better.
January 7
Philadelphia
Breakdown
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Holy fuck what a fun night Breakdown was. First, me and Tommy finally got in some shots on Cid Turner, Tommy has had his sights on him since Trios when the motherfucker cost his team the win in the finals. Brittany Lohan ran in, also attacked Cid on Kennedy Street's dime. We took her down. Jordan Majors, that little cunt, got involved too, since Cid is apparently trying to brainwash her friend or something, so we took her down too, just to remind everyone to not get in our way. The end result though? A Fatal Fourway Adrenaline Championship match that Tommy is a part of.
Then, Tommy fought that meddling rookie Spencer Pryce. You know, the one who he and his friend Marie-whateverthefuck thought they were gonna stop us from beating down the furries? Yeah, that kid. His manager Chastaine got in my face, I admit I was surprised when she shoved me back, I thought she wasn't able or allowed to get physical. Good to know. More chaos ensued when Tsunami hauled his large ass out there and distracted Spencer... and Tommy of course took advantage... because that's what we do. It was the kid's first pinfall loss too, so now maybe he'll lose some of that swagger and understand what kind of shark tank he dove into.
But, the best part? We have a new GM... Shaun Cruze. No, that's not the good part. The good part... is that when I got in his face and basically demanded a match against Owen Cruze, his nephew, over the way the brat made his oh-so-grand return on the Jackals backs? He actually gave it to me! I don't know how much he's paid attention to SCW before being brought in to run the joint but I'm not sure he understands what he just signed up his nephew for.
No one gets into our business, makes a moment for themselves at our expense, and gets away with it.
It was after the show and Tommy and me were at our hotel. We'd picked up food on the way in and were sitting at the table eating, with beer. Typical post-show for us.
“You know, even though I was pretty pissed about those two cartoon characters getting a shot at Autumn and Ace, by the end of the night? I walked out of the arena happy.”
“You did? Cause I'm not sure I am. What have they done to earn a shot at our titles?”
“Don't throw your beer at me.... but they won Trios.”
Tommy glared, shaking his head. “Yeah, yeah... but that was because Turner turned into a fucking statue instead of doing something to save the match!”
“Yeah well, you get to fuck him up for that, while denying him another title, and finally becoming a Supreme champion.”
“Have to admit that part doesn't suck. But it doesn't leave you with anything, I know you've been upset at the way this place always seems to overlook you.” He seemed hesitant to bring that up – Trios had brought out the worst in us both and threw some issues to the surface. Mainly, I felt like I was always overshadowed by him. But that wasn't his fault.
“Are you kidding? I'm gonna steamroll that little shit who thought he could use us to make his return mean something. I don't need a shot at some other piece of gold to feel like I'm doing something important. Payback is a motherfucker. Besides, I feel like I owe it to Drake to fuck Owen up.”
I downed some beer. One of the things that did suck about the night was that Drake wasn't there to be a part of the chaos. He'd told me a few days prior that he wouldn't be, as he had some things to handle and SCW had given him time off to do so. He didn't say what, and I didn't ask. If he wanted me to know, he'd have told me. I could be wrong but I assumed it had something to do with Minerva.
“Hmm, yeah. He did step up at End of the Year to take Cruze to task over this and ended up on the losing end.”
“He stepped up because he didn't want us to have to deal with it, we had the tag titles to worry about.”
“And now that isn't even in our sights...” Tommy shook his head.
“For now. Just give it some time, babe. Look at who's being given a shot next. Then we had Kim Williams and her sister Marie talking about wanting next? Marie literally just came back to the company, I'm not sure what makes them think they should be anywhere near contention, but even if they are? It doesn't matter. The same thing will happen as the last time we were shuffled to the back of the line. Everyone else served up will fail, and Cruze or whoever might be in power at the time will realize that there's no other choice but to give us the chance to save the division. Again.” I smirked. Tommy nodded.
“You're probably right. This isn't the first time we've been in this position. If you're happy with beating Owen's ass for now, making that your moment, then I'll try to be less pissy about the tag situation.”
“And more excited about the Addy?” Tommy shrugged. “You can't make me believe that you're not stoked about the chance. I get why you'd want to downplay it, you don't want to make me feel second to you.” That got a slight nod. “But I don't. Not for this. I want you to have this. You deserve it.”
“Honestly?”
“Babe... I'll be more pissed if you don't put everything you have into this. Just imagine the celebration afterwards. You as Adrenaline Champion. Me with Owen Cruze under my boot, another example to everyone to stay out of our business. I'm getting hot just thinking about it.”
Tommy smirked, and finished his beer. “Simmer down, the last thing I want is you getting all worked up because of anything to do with Owen....”
I cringed. “Ouch. Talk about a mood killer.”
Tommy chuckled a bit. “Sorry. I'll make it up to you later.”
“You'd better. I haven't seen you all week.” I gave him a sultry smirk, one I know he likes.
“I know, you've been very busy handling things for me. I promise you'll be profusely and thoroughly thanked for your services.”
“I never doubted that. Once that's done to my satisfaction... we can focus on the next thing that will satisfy us both.”
“Oh yeah? What's that?”
“De-Cruze-ing the gym. It's gonna be so much more fun now.”
Tommy laughed. “That' right. Think the kid has any idea what we're about to do?”
“I doubt it. He's probably disowned the place since he's so mad at his dad now. I wonder how deep that really goes, though?”
“Might be fun to find out.”
“Now you're just giving me ideas and making me hot again.”
“About Owen again?”
I threw the lid to my beer bottle at him. Tommy swatted it away before it hit him, laughing. “You ass!”
“Hey, you love my ass.”
“You're lucky that's true.”
“Speaking of asses...” Tommy stood up and peeled his shirt off. “I want yours in that bed by the time I'm out of the shower.” I'd already had mine right when we got back, while Tommy unpacked our takeout bags.
“Is that an order?” I smirked. Every now and then... I still liked being told.
“As a matter of fact... it is.” He tossed his shirt at me, and disappeared into the bathroom.
I got up, quickly cleaned up the table from our dinner, then stripped and got into bed naked. I hoped he had more orders for me when he was done with his shower.