CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

Dom awoke late the following morning, to bright sun streaming in the windows and the feel of Shea's fingertips along his spine.

"What do you want to do this morning?" Shea asked softly.

Dom mashed his face into the pillow. "Not a goddamn thing."

Shea laughed and kissed his shoulder. "Feeling a little tired?"

Dom lifted his head far enough to look at Shea. He was stretched out on his side, head propped on his hand.

"I slept hard, and from the looks of it, for a long time," he admitted. "Just feeling lazy."

Shea laughed. "You're allowed to be lazy. You won the conference title."

Dom smiled. "We did."

"You did an awful lot of shot blocking too," Shea said, frowning at Dom's lower half.

Dom nodded. He had some gnarly bruises forming. "So let's … do nothing today."

Shea smiled. "I've already done my morning workout and eaten breakfast. I was just thinking about lunch."

"Okay." Dom amended the plan. "Then let's do nothing this afternoon."

"Deal. Want to watch a movie? One of those old ones you like so much."

"Sure. After I get something to eat."

"There's plenty in the fridge."

Dom sighed happily. "You're the best."

Ten minutes later, Dom leaned against the counter, checking his phone messages while he waited for the food to heat. He thumbed through the texts he hadn't cleared out last night.

Lots of congratulations from guys he knew around the league and a few messages from former teammates in LA, giving him shit about how LA was going to wipe the floor with them in the final round.

He was smiling as he opened the next one from a number he didn't recognize, but he froze when he saw the message, his happy mood draining away.

Oh fuck .

"Dom?" Shea's voice sounded a little funny. "What's wrong? You just went white."

"Uhh … I just opened a text that must have come in on the flight home last night."

Shea stepped closer, frowning. "What does it say?"

"It says, I have proof of how your relationship with Shea REALLY started. If you want to keep it out of JockGossip, there will be a price. - Joe G."

"What the fuck?" Shea said, peering at his screen. "Is that … do you think that's legit? Maybe it's from someone who reads the site and got ahold of your number. Maybe they're making it all up."

"Pretty sure it's legit," Dom said hoarsely. "There's a picture too."

He turned his phone so Shea could see the screen better. There was a photo—clearly taken through the window of the High Park Towers apartment—showing Shea on his knees with Dom's cock in his mouth.

"What the fuck?" Shea said, horror crossing his face. "How in the hell did they get that shot?"

"I don't know," Dom said tightly. "A nearby balcony? A drone? I don't have a clue."

"Fuck, this is my fault," Shea whispered. "I should have closed the curtains. I know exactly what night that was taken too. It was before you were about to leave for bye week."

Dom nodded. "I remember that. We were both desperate to get our hands on each other. We didn't even make it to the bedroom."

"Fuck, I'm so sorry, Dom." Shea sounded anguished and Dom looked into his eyes, realizing that Shea blamed himself .

"It's not your fault. We both got caught up in the heat of the moment."

"It was my job to protect you," Shea said. "Protect your privacy."

The microwave beeped and Dom stepped away, pulling his food out. He wasn't hungry anymore but he needed to eat.

"So what we do we do about it?" Shea asked.

Dom sighed, pushing at the food on his plate. "That I don't know. I think we need to talk to Kate."

The queasy feeling in Shea's stomach grew as he and Dom walked to the park early the following morning.

It was a gorgeous June day and the sky was blue and nearly cloudless, the air warm and a little humid. It would have been a lovely morning to stroll in the park with his boyfriend, enjoying the fresh breeze off Lake Ontario and the coffee they'd gotten from a nearby stand.

Unfortunately, they were here to meet with a blackmailer.

"I wish we'd come here for different reasons," Dom said quietly as they approached the area where they'd agreed to meet Joe.

"I was just thinking that," Shea said with a sigh, glancing over.

Dom was tense, his brow furrowed. He'd tossed and turned all night, barely speaking at all this morning.

Shea swallowed thickly. He could hardly blame Dom if he didn't want to go through with the plan they'd made. It was so risky.

Could Dom really live with the idea of their private lives being splashed around the internet?

Because if they went this route, if their bluff didn't work, this would make the papers. Not just gossip blogs but legitimate news sites.

Everyone would know that Shea had been an escort and that Dom had hired him.

They reached the meeting spot a few minutes before the agreed-on time, and Joe appeared a moment later, smiling.

Shea felt a weird little shiver run down his spine at the sight of him. The guy was so … bland and ordinary looking. He could have been anyone. The kind of guy Shea would never notice in a crowd.

It was the perfect cover.

"I half expected you to send someone else," Joe said.

Dom smiled tightly. "No. We're here. What do you want?"

Joe grinned. "That depends. What are you offering?"

But rather than answer, Dom shook his head like he couldn't even believe it. "You're scum, you know that?"

"Gotta make a living somehow." He shrugged.

"So you peddle people's secrets to the highest bidder?"

"Usually it's just photos to sell to JockGossip , because they pay the best, but when something particularly juicy lands in my lap, I'm going to make sure I get my money one way or another."

"Your money?" Dom lifted an eyebrow.

"Sure. I put the leg work in." Joe shot them a smug look.

Dom crossed his arms over his chest. "Okay, let's cut through the bullshit then. Tell me what proof you have and what you expect me to pay for it."

Joe pulled his phone out, did something on it, then flashed the screen at them both. "Don't even think about grabbing the phone and running. I've got copies."

Shea felt a little sick as he stared at the image of the contract that clearly showed his and Dom's signatures. The wording on it about "additional services" was vague, of course, but it wouldn't take a genius to figure out that what prices like that included.

How damning it would look to the public.

"And that's just the beginning of it. I have more."

Dom nodded tightly. "How'd you figure this out in the first place?"

Joe snorted, tucking his phone back in his pocket. "I had a buddy in LA who tipped me off that you were gay. I was trying to get proof of that . I stumbled across the escort thing by accident."

Dom narrowed his eyes. "Was this buddy a paparazzo too?"

"Yeah." Joe looked at him like he was stupid. "I mean, most of us don't help each other out, but I did him a favor once when he was down on his luck. He was staying in LA and he knew I was doing some other work here, so when you got traded, he reached out and we made a deal that if I got good shots of you, I'd pay him a percentage of whatever I made off them."

Jesus , Shea thought. These guys really were scum.

"So what's your price?" Dom asked.

The number he rattled off made Shea choke. Jesus, the guy had brass balls.

"You want that amount in exchange for staying quiet about the fact that I paid Shea for sex?" Dom echoed.

"Yeah, I mean, your career earnings are what? A hundred million without endorsement deals? That's a drop in the bucket to you."

"That's also minus escrow, agent fees, income tax …"

"And doesn't include performance bonuses. You've got the goddamn money, Olson."

"I do."

He's changed his mind. Shea's stomach soured.

Dom was seriously negotiating with this asshole rather than calling his bluff and letting the chips fall.

They'd discussed both possibilities.

Shea had told Dom that he was fine with whichever choice he made. That he'd support him no matter what.

And Shea would, of course he would, but he had to admit, it had felt good to hear Dom talk about being willing to risk it all. About not being ashamed of what people knew.

It was petty and small of Shea to feel that it had meant something that Dom was willing to come out about it all now.

That he wasn't doing the same thing he'd done with Christian back in LA.

But that wasn't fair. This was so much bigger than people knowing Dom was gay.

Lots of people would be impacted by Dom's choice. The team, the organization, Shea …

If Dom chose to pay it would be to protect them so it wasn't fair of Shea to be disappointed but a small part of him felt it anyway.

"So why'd you wait until now to blackmail me?" Dom asked Joe.

"It took time to find," he protested, then scowled. "Besides, JockGossip was dragging their heels on paying. I sold a few smaller things, but they wouldn't bite on the big proof."

Hmm, well, that confirmed that the guy was only a photographer and a smaller piece of the JockGossip organization. Not the mastermind.

They'd been hoping Joe was a bigger part of it. If they were lucky, maybe the owner.

No such luck, apparently.

"So I decided it was time to go straight to the source." Joe gave them a mean little smile. "Skip the middleman."

"Efficient, I suppose," Dom acknowledged. "But God, you are a vile human being. Preying on people who are just trying to live their lives."

"You're a public figure. You signed up for this shit."

"No, I signed up to play hockey," Dom said, his tone low but furious. "Not to have my privacy invaded. Not to have fans talking about my personal life. They believe we owe them the details. And we can't win. If we try to stay private, people get angry. If we tell a small amount, they demand to know more. They gossip and speculate and make up stories about real people's lives like we don't have any feelings. And if we make a mistake—even the tiniest fucking mistake—we're ridiculed."

"Maybe you should be," Joe sneered. "Making millions for what? Playing a fucking game ."

"For putting our bodies on the line for people's goddamn entertainment," Dom snarled. "I just wanted to do what I love. I didn't ask for the public attention. I didn't ask to be famous. I knew it went along with it but it's bullshit if you ask me."

"Oh, boo-hoo. Such a terrible life," Joe spat. "Sitting on all those millions while you live in a fucking high-rise overlooking Lake Ontario."

Shea bit his tongue because there were so many things he wanted to say but this was Dom's fight. His decision.

"We earned that money and those millions have to last for our entire lives . Most of us are left with wrecked bodies and no education. We make one little slip and our entire life is exposed," Dom continued, like he hadn't even heard Joe. "The public builds us up to be gods so they can tear us down. They want to see us fall."

"You deserve to fall," Joe said, his face twisted into an ugly expression.

Dom nodded like whatever Joe had said had confirmed what he'd been thinking.

"Fine then. I choose to fall."

For the first time, Joe's expression slipped into one of fear and worry. "What?"

"I don't care what you have on me," Dom said clearly. "I don't care who you tell. Sell it to JockGossip . Sell it to whoever will buy it from you."

Hope rose in Shea's chest.

"You—you're bluffing."

"No," Dom said coolly, his anger gone now. "I'm a good poker player but I'm not that good. This is me laying my cards on the table. I don't care if you've got a pair of twos or a royal flush in your hands. But I'm out. I'm not playing this game with you. Tell everyone I hired Shea for sex. I'm tired of letting other people use my secrets to control me. I'm done. I'm stepping back from the table."

"You can't do that?" Joe said but it came out as a question.

Dom smiled and it was oddly peaceful. Serene.

God, Shea loved seeing him like this.

"That's the thing. I can . My career is nearly over. I'm in love with Shea and he loves me back. I spoke with the head office about the situation. My agent knows. We're all prepared to deal with the fallout. I don't like it but I'll live with it if it means I don't have to pay scum like you. I'm done hiding."

A look of anger crossed Joe's face. "I could destroy Shea's career and his family—"

"Oh, we told them too," Shea said calmly, despite the fact that his heart was racing. "Awkward fucking conversation with my dad, that's for sure, but you have no leverage there. I spoke to my boss too and I'm prepared to lose my job. Jobs come and go. My feelings for Dom? Not so much."

"Legally—"

"The police might investigate," Dom said. "But do you think they're going to go after me that hard? I'll get off with a slap on the wrist."

Joe sputtered, his face growing red, but he couldn't seem to form any words.

"Well, shame it didn't work out for you," Dom said coolly as he pulled his phone out, flashing a recording app at Joe.

His eyes bulged and he made a strangled sound.

Dom continued to speak calmly. "So, you can sell the info to whoever you want, but if you do, I'll go to the police with this ." He waggled the device.

Joe lunged at Dom but he tucked the phone back into his pocket, easily fending Joe off.

And what Joe didn't know was that Shea's phone was also recording the conversation.

Just in case.

"Yeah, don't even try it, man," Shea said, stepping forward and glaring. Joe was significantly shorter and lighter than Dom and if it got physical, he didn't have a chance against the two of them.

Joe shrank back a little but he still glared and looked over at Dom. "You're going to risk it all?"

"I am." Dom smiled and took Shea's hand, turning and gently tugging him to fall into step beside him. He walked away, calling over his shoulder, "Do your worst."

"When I said I wanted to check out your condo, this wasn't quite what I meant," Charlie said when he stepped inside later that day. His tone was light but there was worry in his eyes.

Dom bent his head so Charlie could kiss his cheek. "No, I don't think this is what any of us wanted," he admitted.

Dustin followed Dom inside, his expression troubled.

A few guys knew exactly why they were here, although most of the team hadn't heard yet. They were all here now though, along with a few of the SAPs and Kate.

Everyone looked tense as Dustin took a seat on the couch and Charlie perched on the arm beside him. Everyone else had dragged over dining room chairs or sprawled on the floor.

Kate cleared her throat. "Dom, would you like me to fill everyone in, or would you prefer to do it?"

"I'll do it," Dom said. "So, the short version is that in addition to working as a stylist, Shea worked as an escort. That's how we met and we were involved that way until a few months ago."

Although looks of surprise crossed several people's faces, no one actually looked that shocked.

"So the JockGossip rumors were true," Natasha said thoughtfully.

Dom nodded at Jordan's girlfriend. "Yes. And yesterday, after I woke up, I found a text on my phone from someone saying they have proof of it."

"Oh shit," Nico whispered.

"Yeah. They sent an—an intimate photo of us that tells me they definitely have something on us. They were fairly vague in their wording in the text but it seemed clear that they were planning to blackmail me to keep quiet about it. Shea and I met with him this morning."

Several people gasped and Matty muttered angrily under his breath but when Antoni settled a hand on his arm, he fell silent, scowling.

"We'll help you pay it," Nico said earnestly. "If you need it."

And Matty and several other guys immediately piped in, saying they would pay too.

Dom smiled because it was so … so them to immediately leap to protecting him.

August had been right. This team truly was his family.

"No. Thank you, but that won't be necessary. I told him I'm not paying it."

The gasp was even louder this time.

"Are you sure that's wise?" Dustin asked with a frown. "I mean, what if they turn around and sell it to JockGossip anyway? The repercussions if this gets out …"

"We're aware. It's all been hashed out. The head office and my agent knows. They're not happy but my contract is nearly up and they don't have a lot of leverage. Kate has some plans for how this situation might be able to be contained. We're prepared for the worst though."

"What about Shea's family and job?" August asked, frowning. "I assume they don't know."

Shea shook his head. "I already spoke to my family. I called my sister and parents last night and told them the truth. It wasn't an easy conversation, but we'll work through it. I spoke to my boss too. He's not happy with me either." Shea let out a strangled little laugh. "But for now, I still have a job. If I lose it … well, I'll figure something else out."

"But why risk it?" Jonah asked. "I mean, you have the money, Dom. Why not pay?"

Dom glanced at Shea. "For Shea's sake, I would have kept quiet. I would have paid to protect him. But the truth is, I'm tired of having this hanging over my head. I'm tired of other people having power over me. The invasion of privacy makes me so angry but I—I feel like if I pay, I'm letting them control my life. And I'm tired of someone else controlling my life."

He swallowed hard. "Back in LA, I had a boyfriend. I let my fear of being outed ruin our relationship and ultimately, I paid to keep it out of the gossip pages then."

Around the room, several eyebrows rose.

"I regret that. I've spent my entire career with secrets hanging over my head and I want to be free of them. I let my desire for privacy warp my ability to trust people." He glanced at Shea again. "I won't make that mistake again."

There were other questions after that and they took turns fielding them, but eventually, guys began to excuse themselves.

As they left, Dom got hugs and promises of support.

When only Dustin, Charlie, and Kate remained, Dustin looked Dom in the eye, gripping his upper arm. "I hope you know we will stand by you if this comes out. But no matter what happens, I want you to know that I'm proud of you."

Dom blinked. "For?"

"For trusting us when I know it was difficult to do," Dustin said earnestly. "For letting us in."

"Hey, can I talk to you for a sec?" Birdie asked the following morning as Dom stepped into the practice facility.

He glanced over in surprise.

"Oh, hey, Birdie," he said. He was a little early for practice and apparently, she was too. Colton had probably come in for work with the trainers before their light skate and video review in preparation for the game in LA the tomorrow. They were flying out this afternoon.

"Hey." She gave him a weak smile. "I just wanted to talk to you about something."

"Sure. What's up?"

She glanced around and lowered her voice. "So, I was thinking more about the, uh, situation. And I—I think Mitchell might be the leak."

Dom nodded. "Kate and I have considered that."

He didn't have the heart to tell her they'd questioned her involvement for a little while.

"I don't want it to be true," she said, her expression pained. "But I can't think of anyone else …"

"But why would he do it?" Dom asked. "Because Kate and I couldn't figure out the motive. Do you have any ideas?"

"Not really," she said thoughtfully. "I mean, maybe he needs money but he seems to be doing okay. He just bought a new car a few months ago …"

She froze. "That makes him look more suspicious, doesn't it?"

"Possibly," Dom shrugged. "Or maybe he was just a college student with a shitty car who upgraded once he had a real job?"

"Maybe," Birdie said slowly. "But it's new-new. Like … brand-new and while it's not luxury, it's not a cheap car. Like, I know the front office pays pretty well but that well?"

"You never asked?"

She frowned. "Well, I did. I was surprised by it and made some joke about his new boyfriend being a sugar daddy. He got all weird about it and I thought maybe I hit closer to the mark than I meant to, you know?"

Dom nodded. "His boyfriend is the guy he was with at the gala, right?"

"Yeah," Birdie said. "Joe. Which was weird too. Mitchell was supposed to be working that night. He wasn't attending as a guest so I didn't think he was supposed to bring a plus one. When I asked, Mitchell said that Joe showed up unexpectedly and acted like he thought he'd been invited. They got into an argument about it, actually."

"That sounds a little suspicious too," Dom admitted.

"It does." Birdie looked sick.

"Do you know what Joe does for a living?"

She frowned. "No, actually. I asked Mitchell and he was kind of evasive …"

Another tick in the suspicious column.

"God, I just can't believe Mitchell would do something like that," she whispered, apparently coming to a similar conclusion as Dom.

"Well," Dom said. "We don't know anything for sure. And I don't want to accuse a perfectly innocent person."

It had to be Mitchell, but Dom had already been a suspicious dick to Antoni last fall. After that, he'd vowed not to let his paranoia get the better of him.

What if they were wrong about all of this?

"Of course not," Birdie said. "I know you wouldn't do that."

Dom smiled a little weakly, feeling even more guilty. "I was just thinking maybe you could ask Mitchell a few things. Dig more into the boyfriend angle. See if there's a perfectly reasonable explanation for everything."

"What do we do if it is him though?" she asked.

"Well, I wouldn't do anything without talking to Kate first," he cautioned her.

She laughed. "Yeah, smart. I'd hate to get on her bad side."

"But if it is him, maybe there's a way we can get all of this to go away quietly," Dom said thoughtfully. "Like, if he could put in his notice and find a job elsewhere …"

A sad look crossed Birdie's face. "Yeah, I guess that would be best if it is him, right? The last thing the team needs is another public scandal."

"Exactly."

Especially when the potential for a very, very large one loomed on the horizon. So far, everything had been quiet but they kept waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Birdie straightened, looking Dom in the eye. "Okay. I hope you're wrong but I'll see what I can find out."

"Thanks, Birdie," he said, feeling grateful. "I appreciate it."

"Of course! We've gotta protect the team." She hesitated, chewing at her lip. "I can tell Colton about what we talked about though, right?"

He hesitated, then nodded. He could hardly ask her to keep it quiet from her partner.

Dom had never understood why players were always telling their wives—or spouses and partners—about things that happened with the team, but he got it now.

He did the same with Shea.

"Yeah, tell him whatever you want," Dom said. "Just make sure he knows it shouldn't go further than that."

She reached out and squeezed his arm. "Of course. Your secret is safe with us."