Chapter 76 Chapter 76 Strip Club
What am I even doing here? I look like one of those sad men, alone on Valentine’s Day at a strip club. I walk through the mist and smoke and take a seat close to the stage. The big leather armchair is comfortable, almost too comfortable for a place like this. Why am I here?
Gemma is working. She broke up with Colt and is dancing now—stripping. She doesn’t need the money; she gets plenty of attention from guys. I don’t really understand what’s going on with her. The girls and I are going to have to stage some kind of intervention.
“Will you take a seat?” I ask Dimitri. He stands behind me, hovering like a shadow.
“I am working.”
I roll my eyes, even though he can’t see me. We got back from Spain and he decided whatever happened there stays there. Just like that, we’re back to being nothing. Damn me—I really like him. But he set the rules, and once again, I’m not wanted.
My heart has been broken so many times there’s barely anything left to break. A dull ache spreads across my chest. I order a drink. The music swells, bass vibrating through the floor as girls take the stage, bodies rolling under neon lights. Men gather closer, eyes hungry. More girls spill onto the floor, weaving through the crowd.
Gemma spots me. She swats away a couple of hands and makes her way over.
“Lap dance?”
“Oh yes, baby,” I grin.
She’s wearing a mesh, bondage-style bodysuit, and she looks incredible. Her blonde hair falls in loose waves over her shoulders, framing her face. She steps between my knees, spreads my legs with hers, and her blue eyes sparkle in the dim light.
Slowly, sensually, she turns and lowers herself into my lap, her ass rolling against me. She takes my hand and guides it up her body, letting me explore. Then she pauses, letting me squeeze her breasts.
“How am I doing?” she asks, a hint of nerves in her voice.
“If I was a guy, my boner would be poking you right now,” I giggle softly.
I swear I hear Dimitri laugh under his breath, but when I glance up at him, his face is blank, cold.
Gemma is turning me on. It’s been a while since anyone has touched me like this. I’ve talked to Alek a few times, but he’s dangerous territory. I wish he didn’t look exactly like his brother—but they’re twins. Identical. Stupid wish.
My phone pings. I slide it out carefully, not wanting to interrupt Gemma. Speak of the devil. I don’t open it. He can wait.
Gemma reaches behind her, her hand sliding between my thighs, cupping my pussy over the thick denim of my jeans. My body tenses instantly. Heat pools low, tight, building. My legs start to tremble. I bite my lip, trying to stay composed, but she’s relentless.
Then—scrape.
A chair drags harshly across the floor beside me, snapping me out of it. The leather groans under someone’s weight. I turn, irritation flaring.
“Fancy seeing you here,” he grins.
Of course. Grant Matthews, Fuck him and that smile.
“No date? Today of all days?” he asks, amused.
“Do you want to go upstairs?” Gemma murmurs.
“No, babe,” I say quickly. I want to stay right here. As much as I don’t want to date him, he’s asked me out more than once, and I like his company. “Keep doing what you’re doing.”
Gemma doesn’t hesitate. Her hand slips inside my jeans this time, fingers finding me, pushing inside me. A moan escapes before I can stop it. She curls her fingers, hitting just right, and my head tips back.
I’ve been with Gemma before—but this? This is different. Public. Daring. Every other man here is focused on their own girl, their own fantasy—but Matthews? His eyes are locked on me.
“Are you getting fingered?” he asks, voice low, something dark flashing in his eyes.
My lips part, but I don’t answer.
He pulls out a wad of cash and slides it into Gemma’s outfit. I buck, another moan slipping free. He adds more, his gaze never leaving mine.
Then his hand is on my face, thumb brushing over my lower lip as he leans closer.
My body tips over the edge. Heat floods through me, my mind going blank as I come apart right there in front of him.
Gemma pulls her hand free, slick with me, and without hesitation, she reaches toward Grant and pushes her fingers into his mouth.
He grips her wrist, licking them clean, eyes still on mine.
Slow. Intentional.
Claiming.
Gemma pulls back, then leans in to whisper in my ear.
“We should take him upstairs.”
“No,” I say immediately.
He’s friends with Mason. What if he’s the same? The thought hits like a punch—cold, suffocating. That helpless feeling creeps in, tight and ugly.
Then it’s gone.
I have Dimitri.
I’m not afraid.
Grant is still watching me, and God—he’s so damn good-looking. I can’t look away.
Gemma slips off my lap and disappears into the crowd.
I sit up slowly, grabbing my drink. One sip. Then I look back at him.
Fuck it.
“Do you want to get out of here?”
For a second, he looks surprised. Then he stands.
“Your place or mine?” he asks.
“Yours.” I don’t want him in my space. Not yet. Maybe next time.
“I have a roommate,” he says with a grin, something playful behind it.
“That’s fine. We’ll follow you.”
Dimitri trails behind me, silent as ever. The second we step outside, cool air slaps my face, grounding me. I didn’t even try to dress up today—jeans, a shirt, a sweatshirt. My hair is in a simple ponytail.
It’s not sex I want.
It’s to be touched. Seen. Wanted.
I slide into my car and slump back the second I buckle up. We’ve been out all day—park, mall, food. I just needed to stay moving, to keep my thoughts from catching up to me.
Dimitri is right there, but I’ve never felt more alone.
We pull out and follow Grant’s Range Rover through town. The Strip fades behind us, lights giving way to quiet streets. Suburbia. Cookie-cutter houses, identical lawns, perfect little boxes.
He pulls into a driveway. Dimitri parks at the curb.
We follow him inside.
“Mr. Matthews? You’re home already?” a voice calls from deeper in the house.
“Yep,” he answers casually, shrugging off his jacket, kicking off his shoes.
“Ryan is asleep. If you don’t need me, I’ll head out. He was great.”
She steps into view.
And my mouth goes dry.
Yesenia.
My teammate. My classmate.
She freezes when she sees me.
And suddenly, everything shifts.