Chapter 11

Chloe

I'm back in my shitty apartment when the afterglow wears off. The lights in here are dim even when they're on, and I shiver at the lower temp I keep it at compared to Dom's place.

Everything in here is so wildly different from Dom's penthouse.

With a sigh, I head to the back to shower. Hopefully, there'll be hot water this morning, and then I'll try to rest a bit before I have to go into work.

As I lather up in the lukewarm water, I think about the way Dominick touched me, the feeling of his incredible mouth between my legs, and the way he made it all about me.

It was not what I'm used to, and I shake my head. "You cannot get used to that, Chloe."

Sitting down on the shower floor, exhaustion sweeping over me like a tsunami, I let the water fall onto the back of my neck as I hang my head in my hands.

You were almost taken.

The mystery of the man's identity still bothers me, and all I can see when I close my eyes and think of him is that stupid hoodie he was wearing. It's about as useful as what I remember of the night I left.

I start to shake, and I'm not sure if it's from the cold or anxiety skittering through me.

"Ethan's flunky grabbed me." My voice sounds hollow in the echoing space of the shower. "He was just one of many."

Fear ticks up, and I'm thrust right back into my feelings of dread. Dominick can't possibly keep me safe, or himself, for that matter.

Military. I'll take care of him.

The thoughts help, but only slightly. I mean, what is one guy who's been in the Marines years ago supposed to do against a well-connected criminal with thugs to back him up?

"You can't let that happen again. You can't."

I shake my head in an attempt to clear it, my heart pinching in a way I don't want to stop and consider. This is better for both of us, and I won't be responsible for getting Dom killed.

When I step out of the shower, using my thin rag of a towel to dry off, I proceed immediately to my bed. I pull on the sweatshirt lying atop it and snag a pair of underwear from the closet.

It's my last clean pair, and I'll need to take my stuff to the laundromat.

With that lovely thought in my head, I curl up under the blanket, set an alarm, and pass out.

My alarm blares, waking me out of another nightmare, and I do my best to shake it off and clear the cobwebs from my mind. Once I'm myself enough, I gather my things, throwing on a pair of jeans for now and hoping that Dom did, in fact, replace my torn clothes.

The ignition on my car doesn't want to start at first as I hop in, but after a moment, it finally turns over, and I'm on my way to Opal.

I don't expect to actually see Dominick there, so I'm guessing I'll find my new things in my locker.

"Fuck. What if he doesn't know what size I am?" I sigh, flicking on my left turn signal as I pull onto the street just ahead of the club. "Please ask Yasmin or something."

Since employees don't park out front, I drive to the back lot and take my usual spot under the streetlamp. Walking up to the building, I notice the back door, the one through which I'd almost been abducted.

My steps falter for a moment, and then I notice Sean from security open the back door. He smiles at me, and I hurry over to get inside.

"You see me on the cams?" I offer him a nod of thanks.

"Not me. Dom did."

"He's here?"

"Yeah." Sean shrugs. "Guess he had some paperwork to attend to."

I slip in and go for the lockers in the break room. Why on earth is Dom here? It's a slow weekday. He can't possibly have a reason to be working.

Once I open things up, sure enough, a new set of tights and a shirt have been provided. Checking the tags, I'm pleasantly surprised to see he got my size right.

I also see my wig, which I definitely forgot, and quickly swipe my hair into a bun so that I can pull it on and ditch my gym shoes on the floor of the locker.

"How'd I do?"

Jumping, I spin around to find Dom standing in the doorway to the locker room. He fights back a smirk as I catch my breath, and I roll my eyes at him.

"You did fine. Have to admit, I'm surprised you got the size right."

"I can read tags, you know." He cocks a brow and damn him for being so attractive.

"Fair enough. Now, go away. I have to change."

Dom eyes me hard, taking a step forward but still letting the wooden bench sit between us. My heart flutters, and I squeeze the fabric of my new shirt in my grip.

I'm not sure what he's going to do. Sure, there isn't anyone around right this second, but that could change at any moment.

Silence hangs as Dom grins at me, leaning ever so slightly forward. He's much taller than I am, and from his height, he can easily reach me by just bending toward me.

"I really wish you didn't have to. As I said—" Dominick flicks his eyes to my waist "—I want that particular sight to be just for me."

My pulse is pounding in my ears, and I'm about to say something when he abruptly pulls back and leaves the room.

I'm left standing there for a moment while I regain my thoughts, and then I walk over to the nearest changing stall and put on the club's uniform.

Returning my things to my locker, I try to shake the tension out of my mind so I can get onto the floor.

"You cannot. Nope. Absolutely not." I sigh.

"Can't what?"

Yasmin walks in, here to get ready for her shift as well, and even though I jump a little, I quickly regroup and just smile at her.

"Oh, you know, just money stuff. There's this pair of shoes I want, but I can't afford them."

Looking down at the floor for a second, even I'm surprised by that one. I didn't realize I could think on my feet so well.

"Well, maybe not today because it is slow as balls out there, but this weekend or something, we'll work on earning you those tips. See if we can get you those shoes."

Yasmin could easily be a total bitch. She's tall, attractive, and so extroverted that it would be easy for her to fall into the Mean Girl trope.

But she doesn't. She's always surprising me with how nice she is and how hard she's working to get a job where she'll be helping people.

I love her for that.

"Thanks, Yasmin. I'll certainly do my best."

I leave her to get changed and head out to the floor, where it is, in fact, dead. There is no one in the club right now.

Which isn't news for 4 p.m. on a workday, so I head behind the bar to take up the familiar routine of polishing glasses and trying to learn the drink menu.

A few minutes pass, and Yasmin joins me and does her expert training thing to teach me how to make "an actually good" Old Fashioned.

We're at it for a while before she takes her break and I volunteer to keep an eye on things. Some of the regulars—who I'm learning are college students who never turn down an opportunity to drink—filter in. But all in all, it's quiet.

As I stand alone at the bar, Dom comes over and pulls up a stool.

"What can I get you, boss?"

The corner of Dom's mouth lifts in a subtle smirk that's framed by dark eyes with devious intent. "A beer. And a chat."

"A chat?" I raise my brows.

"Yeah. Take your break."

"I have to wait for?—"

"All right, I'm here. Go ahead."

Yasmin walks in from the back, and I sigh. I grab the closest beer, gesturing at Dom to see if it's acceptable.

He nods and then gets up, going to the break room.

"Go on." Yasmin smirks at me.

"It's not like that."

She shakes her head, grabbing a tray to bus the tables where the frat boys are sitting. "You may not think that, but him?"

Nodding her head at the back room, Yasmin walks around the bar, eyeing me.

It's no use arguing, so I grab a beer of my own and head for the break room. Dom is at the small table when I arrive, his feet kicked up on a chair that he's pulled to his side of the table.

"Did you learn something? Is that why you wanted to talk?" I walk to the chair across from him and sit down.

"No. I did give the info to Cameron, and he's looking into it."

"So what, then?"

With a chuckle, Dom takes a sip and then sets the beer down. "It's been a while since I've seen you. Before last night anyway, and I wanted to hear more about what you've been up to. Aside from shitty exes."

"What I've been up to? Seriously?" I scoff a little at the thought.

"Yes."

He doesn't offer more, and when I'm not quick to answer, we end up sitting in silence for a moment. Dom must know I can't stand it, and before long, I'm breaking the tension.

"I taught. I think you knew I was going to school to be a teacher. Well, I did. I became a teacher."

"You like it?"

The question is blunt and matter-of-fact.

"I did. I taught English. You know, grammar and stuff, but also literature and comprehension."

"Why'd you stop? I mean, there's schools in Hildale. Why not take a job there instead of here?"

Sorrow washes over me, and I'm nearly suffocating. My eyes fall to the beer I'm nursing, and I start picking at the damp label.

"I wanted to. I really did, but…" I chew on my lower lip for a bit before continuing. "Ethan would look there. He knew I taught, so it'd be the first place he went to find me. I couldn't do that to the kids."

All at once, the alcohol seems really appealing, and I take a large chug from the bottle. "Didn't really work great for me anyway, though, did it? He still found me. I can't believe he did, but…yeah."

I look up as Dom lowers his feet back down to the floor and leans forward onto the table. His arms sit next to mine on the cool metal, and he bumps my elbow with his.

"What was your favorite part?"

"Of teaching?"

He nods.

Nostalgia rushes forward, and I remember creating lesson plans and specific units for my class. I remember the books and the projects and the endless nights of grading papers.

"God, so much." One memory stands out. "But, uh, I really enjoyed introducing the kids to Shakespeare. It's always such a leap for them, but when a kid gets it, it's so cool to watch. I've had amazing success with A Midsummer Night's Dream . Instead of the classic Romeo and Juliet , which, don't get me wrong, is wonderful. But Midsummer is funny and charming. It's my favorite."

"Can't say I'm familiar." He sits back, and I see him look off to the side for a moment. "You know, I'm pretty sure there's a new high school being built around here. I was thinking about buying the land before the school snatched it up. Why don't you apply for a teaching position?"

I stare at him, gesturing in a circle around me. "Um, you know why. Remember?—"

A security guard walks through toward the back, and I make my words subtler.

"That guy and his resources ? I can't bring that to a school."

"You won't." Dom holds my gaze with a stern expression. "He'll be dealt with soon enough. Don't give up on something you clearly love."

"Dom—"

He holds up a hand, quickly finishing his beer and standing. "Just think about it. I assure you, Opal can find another bartender, even if they're not as cute."

I can feel my cheeks turn pink, and I break his stare, fiddling with the label again.

"Okay. I'll think about it."

"Good."

With that, Dom leaves, and my stomach is so tied up in knots I don't bother with the rest of my drink.