Shutout (The Renegades Series Book 5) (6 page)

Hailee

Hailee took a deep breath before entering the private room.
Just another money maker. Sasha said it was some athlete. It didn’t matter who it was; their money all spent the same way.

The room was dark, so she was unable to see his face very clearly, and that was just fine with her. She danced around him and eventually up on him. He was muscular, very built, not like the usual customer, and she stamped down her momentary flicker of interest. Her rehearsed dance moves were always cold and calculated, and she went through them without thinking. She didn’t like to get personal; it was too weird since they were strangers.

But this guy wasn’t like her usual customer. Her typical bachelor party customers were loud, very drunk, and super handsy. They would paw at her during her entire routine, no matter how many times she told them to stop.

This guy was nothing like those creeps. This man was quiet, almost shy. She’d caught him subtly checking out her tattoos, and the thin fabric of her lingerie allowed her to feel how hard he was getting under her. He was obviously turned on, but he didn’t leer and paw. Something about his manner told her he was actually trying not to be affected.

With every practiced and memorized move, Hailee felt something burn inside her that she never had before. With other customers, she had to constantly stop them from taking things too far. But with this guy, she almost wanted to break him out of that respectful demeanor, make him lose some of his control. That urge was something different, and it made her a little uncertain of herself, but she couldn’t stop to analyze her feelings.

Grinding against him at first was innocent and her usual routine, until he grabbed her hips. A little burst of excitement flared inside her. Was he losing control? She moved them off her as per policy, but she had to admit she’d liked being held with those big strong hands, tight against his bulge, and she regretted moving them.

His hard-on strained against his jeans and pressed against her lady parts, and she allowed herself to feel the pleasure. What could it hurt if she enjoyed it just a little? A couple of the other dancers said they sometimes got off on it. She’d always thought that was so wrong, but now maybe she understood. Besides, he’d be gone after this dance, and that would be the end of it.

She was used to being in control, her mind and body completely closed off from her actions. But rubbing against his hard-on was causing a warm feeling in her stomach and an even warmer feeling down below. She was getting turned on, and that was something that never happened during a dance. She’d reached the part of the routine that she usually dreaded, where she had to ramp this thing up and bring out the big guns. Only this time she really wanted to do it.

Hailee pulled off her top and tossed it to the floor. Her body was on fire and she was enjoying this. Unlike with the usual customers that she wiggled her boobs in their face then left, she had an overwhelming desire to turn him on for real, nice and slow. Something about him was causing her to lose her mind, because she wanted him to look, wanted to affect him, maybe even wanted to make him remember her.

He was built, and had a hot body, and from what little she could see of his face in the dim light, she got the impression that he was nice looking. Grinding on him with his hard-on between her legs, she started to forget where she was. Pleasure coursed through her veins; she was enjoying riding him immensely.

His hands clamped back on her hips, setting her heart racing. She almost let out a little growl when his rough fingers touched her bare skin. His chest rose and fell heavily, and a thrill shot through her. Was he losing control? Something about his touch felt so easy, so natural, and yet so sexy, and it made her want more. Wishing this was her bedroom, for a moment she actually considered inviting him to the “other” back room and taking this one step further. Again, something she never did.
This is absolutely crazy. I must really need to get laid.

She moved her breasts closer to his face, and the thought of what it would be like to have his hot mouth on them invaded her thoughts and sent a flood of warmth to her lady parts. She held on to his strong shoulders, her fingers exploring the hard curves of his muscles.

There was something so different about this man, and she knew she shouldn’t be letting herself get carried away like this. But then his hard-on twitched against her sweet spot, causing her to stifle a gasp, and she let out a hard breath by his ear. Not being able to help herself, she slid her lips along his stubble, then down to his neck. He smelled so good, like sweat and soap, and something that she couldn’t put her finger on. As though her mouth had a mind of its own, her teeth grazed against his skin and she placed a small kiss on his neck.

The heat in her core was now a fire. She wanted that bulge in his jeans to be in her. He was rock hard, and rubbing against it was doing things to her. Throwing her head back in pleasure, the light caught the side of his face for the first time.

He cleared his throat, and his voice sounded strained, as though he wasn’t sure of himself. “Foxy, you probably get this a lot, but… I was wondering if you’d like to come home with me.”

That voice.
Curiosity got the better of her. She moved to get a better look at this hot stranger.

Oh shit. It can’t be
.

“Dom?” Hailee leaped off his lap and covered her chest with her hands the best she could.
What was he doing here
? Her heart pounded like a drum, her nipples pressed hard against her hands, and she was well aware she was still too exposed for her comfort. Quickly she looked him over to make sure she wasn’t mistaking him for someone else; it had been a long time since they last saw each other.
Please let it not be him
.

His muscular arms were covered in new tattoos, and the designs seemed to go all the way up his neck. The shaggy hockey haircut he used to have was now shaven close in the back and sides, with the top left long and styled messy.

He was different somehow. The same dark eyes that she used to get lost in, but now with a hint of hurt reflected in them. No wonder she hadn’t recognized him by touch. No longer the lean, lanky guy she’d known three years ago, he looked grown now, mature, broader through the shoulders and definitely more muscular.

But no matter how much she didn’t want it to be, the fact remained that it was most definitely
him
. And she was working at a strip club, giving him a private dance.
Oh hell
.

This was not how she envisioned her night going when she’d agreed to dance for a private party tonight. She’d planned to shake her ass a bit, flash a little skin in a dark room, and walk away with more money than she normally raked in on any given evening. She should’ve known it wouldn’t have been that easy.

“
Hailee
?” Dom’s dark eyes were wide and fixed on her. “
What the fuck
are you—”

The realization hit her that she was standing in front of him topless, and she ran out of the room as fast as she could. Obviously, her boots were not made for running; she almost rolled her ankle twice.

Rushing through the VIP area, she hurried past before the rest of the hockey team could see her or ask her what was wrong. They were busy getting lap dances or drooling over the girls on stage. She didn’t need Dom chasing after her either, and he was already running out of the private room, calling her name. Slipping through the kitchen door behind the bar, she took the shortcut to the dressing rooms. Safely inside, she locked the door behind her.

Hailee grabbed an oversized sweatshirt and slid it on before slinking down into a soft cushiony love seat. She covered her face with her hands, and hot tears stung her eyes.
What in the hell just happened
?

She played it over and over in her mind.
That explains what happened back there.
I knew there was no way I could possibly be turned on by some strange customer. I should’ve known there was more to it, but why would I ever think it would’ve been him? Dom was the last person I expected to see. Why is he here
?

Did she really grind up on him while giving him a lap dance, then take off her top like some… well, like a stripper. She sighed. That’s exactly what she was, just some stripper.

She wasn’t ashamed of what she did for a living; it was only a job. But she never wanted her family or friends to know, never wanted to see their disappointment in her choices. She was only doing it until she had enough to buy her art gallery and hopefully start to sell her paintings. That was her real dream.

No one would tell her to hide her tattoos here, and if they didn’t like it, they could leave. The tatts seemed to work in her favor; the customers seemed to like them, and a lot of them would ask for her personally. That meant more money for her. This was just a pit stop on the way to her destiny.

But Dom was never supposed to know about it. No one was.

She’d messed up. In her rush to move to Pittsburgh, she hadn’t thought to do her research to see if he was still in the Professional Hockey League or where he was located. Deep down, she didn’t want to know where he was; it was easier not looking at all. She should’ve known things were going too smoothly, and that they were bound to come crashing down soon.

“Hailee?” Sasha’s voice called through the door. “You okay?”

If there was one person here that she trusted, it was Sasha. She slowly moped to the door and unlocked it, letting her friend in.

“Honey, what’s wrong?”

“Sasha, shut the door. No one followed me back here, did they?” Dom was not one to back down, and she had no plans to face him again. Ever.

“No, why? What happened?” Sasha sat down next to her and pulled her close. “Oh honey, you’re shaking.”

Sasha knew the personal struggles that came with working here. Hailee fought back the sobs building up in her throat.
Why am I so upset over this
? “Remember the ex that I told you about?”

Sasha answered, “The hockey player? Wait. Oh no…” She glanced at the door, and her face formed a twisted look of horror as her brain put it all together.

Hailee nodded. The words weren’t forming. She had told Sasha all about Dom, and how and why she had ended up in Pittsburgh via Ontario, so there was no explanation necessary.

“The hockey team having the party in VIP, that’s his?”

Hailee nodded again. How did she not think to check the local team? She still talked to Mia from back home, and Mia’s brother was a buddy of Dom’s. Wouldn’t she at least have let Hailee know?

Ironically, she had told them all she didn’t want to know anything about Dom or hear any hockey talk. This was the one time she wished everyone, or at least one person, hadn’t listened to her.

“You didn’t know he was here?”

Finding her voice and wiping the unshed tears away from her eyes, Hailee sat up straight and pulled her knees to her chest. “Nope.”

Sasha did her best to act as though she didn’t care, shrugging and tossing her hand in the air with a wave. “So what if he saw you working? Who cares? I mean, I get that it wasn’t the best first impression, but again, who cares? He was the one here getting a lap dance! Shouldn’t he maybe be a little embarrassed? You don’t have anything to be ashamed of. Look at you with that gorgeous face and rocking body. Girl, you are beautiful.”

Sasha wasn’t wrong.
Besides the fact that I was topless. And thoroughly enjoying rubbing all over him
. Taking a deep breath, Hailee wiped her eyes. “Sasha you are absolutely right. Why do I care what he thinks? Screw him.” The words exited her mouth with confidence, but the sick rolling of her stomach and the ache in her chest persisted. After all this time, she really did still care what he thought.

* * *

Hailee wiped her paint-spotted hands on a rag and stepped back to look at her canvas. She had talked a big game with Sasha earlier tonight, but when she painted, she wore her heart on her sleeve. That was certainly evident as she stared at her newest painting. It was Dominic in full hockey gear, defending his goal. The image was burned into her brain. During better times, she had been at every practice and every game. She was his biggest fan. Until she wasn’t.

“Why do I do this to myself?” She whined. Every few months she had a mini-meltdown, and instead of wallowing in her own self-pity, she painted. Painting always helped her relax; it was her happy place. Someday she hoped that other people would enjoy her art as much as she did, so she could paint full time and make a living out of it. Ironically, most of her paintings were of hockey, although that was what she had run from, trying to keep her own independence.

She used to have her future planned out. She and Dom were going to take the hockey and art world by storm —
together
. But plans changed.

Her paintings were displayed on the other side of her loft. Looking around, she was well aware that too many of them were of Dominic. He was her past, and painting was her future. She liked Pittsburgh and wanted that future to be here. If she could get enough money to rent the spot by Alison’s Pet Salon, that would be one less thing to worry about while she saved more. The goal was to work only one job — as the gallery owner — and, of course, paint and sell her paintings. As long as she could steadily sell paintings or host gallery events, she wouldn’t have to dance anymore.