Extreme Devotion

by Kay Manis

  But I couldn’t understand this situation.

  Hindley reassured me that I was all she needed, all she wanted. Yet, I still let old insecurities cloud my judgment. I could have spent the night holding her, caressing her, making love to her. Instead, I had let my shitbag ego get in the way.

  Suddenly, I had an urgent need to see her. I had to tell her how sorry I was. I had to make her understand, make her forgive me, and tell her how much I loved her. Loved her. I smiled at the thought. I loved Hindley.

  I jumped up from the sofa and reached for my phone but stopped short when I became acutely aware of her presence. I always felt Hindley before I saw her. I had the first night I’d met her. It was a sixth sense for me. She was inside of me, a part of me.

  Slowly I turned and held my breath as I saw her standing in the entryway, looking as beautiful as ever.

  Her lips curled up into a soft smile, an expression I wasn’t expecting, considering what a douche bag I’d been last night.

  “It seems as though I’m not the only one who keeps their door unlocked,” she said.

  My heart ached at the sight of her. I’d never seen anything so welcoming in all my life. I raced toward her, arms outstretched, but before I reached her, she held up her hand to stop me.

  Oh, shit. Here it comes. But I couldn’t be mad or upset. I deserved any ass beating she wanted to give me. Whatever she said, whatever she did next, I’d take it, as long as in the end I was left holding her in my arms.

  “I’m so sorry, Hindley,” I said, so desperate I nearly dropped to my knees.

  She raised her eyebrows and shook her head, warning me to stay silent.

  I dutifully obeyed, knowing I couldn’t risk upsetting her again. She was giving me another chance with no questions asked, and I wasn’t going to fuck it up again.

  “I need to show you something,” she said, her voice and her body completely calm.

  I stared at her, perplexed. What was she up to. “All right.”

  “Come with me.” She held out her hand.

  Gazing down at her small, pale hand, I marveled at how different we were. Maybe that’s why we were drawn together.

  Without question, I threaded my fingers around hers. The connection between us was undeniable. No matter how much I fought it, Hindley Hagen fit me perfectly. I followed her like a lamb to slaughter as she led me outside and ushered me into her car.

  After making sure I was comfortable, she walked around the car and slid into the driver’s seat “Trust me?”

  Trust her? “With my life, Hindley.”

  A smile bigger than I deserved spread across her beautiful face and I knew in that moment I was forgiven for being a total dick last night.

  “Turn around,” she said.

  I furrowed my brows, not quite understanding what she was asking.

  “Turn.” She made a circular motion with her finger.

  I did as she asked, sliding around in my seat and looking out the passenger side window. A soft scarf covered my eyes.

  She tied it tightly around my head, yanking on the knot to make sure it was secure. “Can you see anything?”

  Her voice was a step higher and I could hear the apprehension in her tone. My stomach knotted as I tried to imagine what she was going to do with me.

  “No, I can’t see anything.”

  “Are you okay with this? Not knowing, I mean?” she asked. “I know how much you like control.”

  She was right, I was a control freak, had been since adolescence. Apparently, control was a coping mechanism kids from abusive homes used, or so a counselor in juvie told me. But with Hindley, I was finding it easier and easier to relinquish my need to be in charge. In fact, I welcomed it. It was nice to let her make the decisions.

  “I’m fine, Hindley. I trust you.”

  I could hear her breath even out. She’d been nervous and the thought somehow eased my own anxiety. How could I have been so stupid to believe anyone else would suit her better than me?

  “Good,” she said. The car roared to life as she put it in gear and pulled away from the curb.

  We drove in silence. I was completely shocked at how peaceful I felt. I had no idea what lay ahead of me, but I didn’t care.

  Hindley had come and extended an offering of forgiveness when I didn’t deserve it. There was no place I’d rather be than in her presence, no matter where we were headed.

  After driving for an eternity, the car finally came to a stop. Hindley’s door creaked opened, then closed with a bang.

  I waited patiently, trying to curb my anxiety. My door opened, and her hands slid into mine as she pulled me from the car.

  “Watch out, there’s a step here,” she said.

  Where were we?

  I shuffled my foot along the ground until I felt the obstacle then raised my leg to step up.

  “Still trust me?” She was inches away from my face and I could smell her intoxicating aroma. The scent that was uniquely her own.

  I nodded, unable to say more.

  “Just follow me, I’ll tell you when to step, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  She tugged on my hand and wrapped it in the crook of her elbow.

  I followed behind her, not giving a rat’s ass where we were going. As long as it was with Hindley, I’d follow her anywhere.

  A door squeaked open and a bell rang above us as the scent of roses assaulted me. Every sensory organ I had was on high alert.

  “Hey, girl,” a woman’s voice echoed. “Oh, sorry,” she whispered. Hindley must have instructed her to stay quiet. “Room three,” she whispered.

  Room three? Where were we, a hotel? Oh, hell yeah.

  Another door opened and Hindley tugged on my hand. “Watch your step here, there’s a threshold.”

  I felt for the ridge with my foot then cautiously stepped over it.

  “You doing all right?” she asked.

  Better than all right, I wanted to say. I nodded and we continued on.

  The floor beneath us creaked every so often, the sounds echoing through the large, and obviously empty room.

  “Sit here.” She pushed me and I fell into a huge chair.

  My hands rubbed along the soft material. It felt like velvet. I was praying Hindley would join me, naked. The thought of having Hindley nude and wrapped around me had my head spinning, and my dick halfway to hard.

  Before I could conjure up anymore images of what she and I could do in this lush seat, Hindley leaned over and pressed her lips against my ear.

  “Wait here. I’ll be right back.” I was fairly certain she’d just purred. Fuck.

  I inhaled deeply, her scent washing over me. I wanted to reach out and grab her, but her fading footsteps indicated she was leaving me.

  A door in the distance shut with a bang and I was more than half tempted to remove my blindfold. But this was important to Hindley and I wasn’t about to do anything to jeopardize her trust.

  I surveyed my surroundings with my remaining senses. The scarf around my eyes was thick and Hindley had tied it so tight, I couldn’t make out anything with my eyes. I drew in another deep breath but all I smelled was her lingering scent. Muffled voices outside of the room caught my attention. Females?

  I nervously rubbed the velvety material of the chair, seriously thinking of running, but that would be futile. I was completely blinded by the scarf.

  Where the hell were we?

  A door opened in the distance and the clicking of heels echoed through the room. The sound grew louder as the person approached me.

  “Hindley?” I asked, sitting up straighter.

  “Nope,” a female voice with a rich Texas twang said.

  My senses became hyper-aware of everything—the soft material of the chair, the light hissing noise of a stereo system that had just clicked on, the floral aroma of the woman in front of me, and the sour taste of fear and anxiety in my mouth.

  The knot of the scarf slowly loosened and the material fell away. I blinked several times,
adjusting to the dim lighting in the room.

  Sitting on the edge of the seat, I stared up into bright green eyes so different than Hindley’s. The crimson haired woman standing in front of me was unfamiliar, but her smile indicated she knew me. She was wearing leggings and a loose-fitting shirt that hung off one shoulder.

  “Welcome to Miss Understood, darlin’. Enjoy the show.” Her breathy and sensual voice left no doubt in my mind we were definitely somewhere naughty. I smiled at the thought.

  Turning on her high heels, she sauntered away, dimming the lights even more before disappearing through a velvet curtain on the far wall.

  I surveyed the room, with my eyes this time. The far wall was covered with mirrors and three steel poles stood in front of the wall. I noticed the center pole was on a raised platform.

  The lights dimmed even more and two spotlights appeared from the ceiling, one on the center pole and platform and the other on a mirror covered disco ball hanging from the ceiling. Specks of light rotated around the large room, giving it a hypnotic effect as music started to blast from the surround sound system.

  There was an electric guitar solo and a deep beat to the music I recognized instantly. It was one of the songs I’d downloaded onto Hindley’s phone, Pour Some Sugar on Me by Def Leppard.

  I was an 80’s rock music junkie and she’d always given me shit about it. I’d felt it only fitting that I introduce her to it by creating a playlist. I wasn’t sure she totally appreciated the songs, until now.

  From the far corner of the room, a single shoe emerged from behind the velvet curtain. The heels were at least six inches tall with spiked heels and a black strap wrapped around slender ankles. Slowly the next leg appeared and I stared in fascination. Her legs were long and lean, the most beautiful legs I’d ever seen.

  My gaze travelled up her gorgeous body as she walked toward me. No, she wasn’t walking, she was stalking, like a lioness about to pounce.

  Her outfit was outrageous, and seriously hot. A barely-there black leather bra and bikini bottoms that left little to the imagination clung to her like a second skin. A thin strip of material connecting the two pieces making a man want to rip through it to see her entire mid-section.

  The entire outfit was covered with rhinestones that reflected the rotating sparkles of light from the mirrored ball overhead. A small chain was draped from one side of her hip to the other and swayed with every step she took. It was the most exotic, erotic, alluring outfit I’d ever seen.

  Willing my gaze higher, I saw my temptress’s face. Her makeup was heavier than usual but sultry and sexy. Her eyes were outlined with smoky black and dark eyeshadow covered her lids. The makeup set off her brown eyes and made them appear even larger.

  Her long hair was full and luscious and fell in golden waves over her shoulders. The flaxen locks caressed the swells of her breasts and my hands grew damp wanting to do the same.

  This woman standing before me was the hottest person I’d ever seen. My mouth was dry and my dick was harder than it ever had been in my life.

  This wasn’t Hindley Hagen, the Drunk Girl. This wasn’t Hindley Hagen, the attorney, or Hindley Hagen, the sports agent. This wasn’t even Hindley Hagen, the rich, cultured debutant.

  This was Hindley Hagen…the stripper.

  Chapter 12

  -RORY-

  Chills ran up and down my spine and my hands grew damp. Had Hindley really been a stripper? Even worse, was she still a stripper?

  She stopped in front of the center pole, her hips swaying to the beat of the music. Slowly she extended her arms and grabbed the pole behind her head. The motion tugged her outfit to dangerous levels. Her breasts nearly popped free from her top, and I didn’t know if I was excited or pissed as hell.

  I wanted to stop her, ask her questions, find out if she truly was or had been a stripper, but my body betrayed me, and the animal inside took over.

  I reclined back into the soft velvety chair and prepared for the show.

  Her body moved in perfect time to the beat of the music as she slid down the pole. Her thighs spread wide as she sank down, her ass on the back of her sky-high pumps. Her new position gave me access to parts of her I prayed few had seen.

  She turned and grabbed the pole, climbing almost to the ceiling before inverting herself, her long blonde hair hanging below her head. She spread her long legs into a horizontal split while simultaneously spinning around the pole.

  Shit, how the hell was she doing that without falling on her face?

  Her body slid down the pole and plunged toward the floor. I almost lunged out of my chair to catch her, fearing she actually would smash her face.

  Before I could move, her legs flexed and wrapped around the pole to slow her movement. The momentum of her fall had her entire body swinging around to an upright position.

  What the hell? She’d definitely done this before.

  Hindley continued her dance, performing acrobatics I’d never seen or even known were possible. All the while, her thick mane of golden hair swung with the smooth movements of her body, wrapping around her neck and framing her face like a work of art.

  She twisted around to a standing position, one hand above her head to steady herself. I had no idea how she wasn’t dizzy as fuck after twirling around that damn pole.

  Her gaze held mine as she shoved off the pole and stalked toward me like a predator, every step choreographed to the beat of Def Leppard’s song.

  She was a siren, and I was caught in her trap.

  As she drew nearer, her eyes narrowed and sparkled with a look of hunger I’d never seen. One side of her plump lips tilted up with an evil smirk. I feared this she-devil in front of me may eat me alive. Her expression left no doubt in my mind what she wanted.

  Me.

  And right now, I was totally okay with that.

  She stopped a few feet away from me and sank down to her hands and knees. Flipping her hair back over her shoulders, she crawled toward me, that some predatory look in her eyes.

  My mouth grew dry and my dick stiffened to a painful level.

  She stopped between my legs, leaning back on her ass as her hands skimmed over my thighs. Using my body as leverage she lifted herself and rolled her entire body against mine like a snake.

  Fuck, I was gonna blow a load all over this place if she kept this up.

  Oblivious to my pain, she rocked her hips and chest against me, moving in perfect rhythm to the beat of the music. Suddenly she flipped around, gripping the arms of the chair as she ground her ass into my dick.

  Fuck.

  I held my breath, counting backward from one hundred to keep myself under control.

  Her head fell back, her hair splaying across my face, blinding me. Her body was unreal and she smelled so fucking amazing, I had to have her. Just like this. Now.

  I reached around her small waist and moved my hand further down, but was stopped by the sting of her slap.

  She fell back against me, her body melting into mine as she twisted her head to whisper in my ear.

  “Don’t touch the dancer.”

  I didn’t think it was possible to come without someone actually touching you, but I was pretty sure that’s what I’d done as soon as her hot little breath had caressed my skin. I closed my eyes and gripped the chair with all my might, afraid that if I touched her, my private dance may come to an end. And I did not want that to happen.

  The song came to an end and my mind screamed, “No!” But my dick said, “Thank God.”

  She flipped around to face me, her brown eyes holding my gaze. Before I could reach out and touch her, she pushed up into a standing position, then turned and stalked back to the pole.

  For the first time, I was able to get a good look at the back of her outfit.

  Holy fuck-bags. I always knew Hindley was hot with a killer body, but this chick in front of me was like molten lava.

  I’d expected a G-string or a thong of some kind, the kind of outfit you see most strippers wear. Instead, s
he wore low-rise leather bottoms that revealed only a portion of ass, thank God.

  The design was even better than most I’d seen. With half of her backside covered, a man’s mind begged to see more. It was perfect. She was perfect.

  Hindley grabbed the pole and hoisted herself up again, swinging around two full revolutions before turning herself upside down. With one leg wrapped around the pole, she let the other fall down and touch the floor in a perpendicular split.

  Who knew she was so limber?

  Upside down, the outfit barely held in her breasts. All I could think of was ripping that damn costume off her body.

  Slowly her other leg lowered to the floor and she lifted herself to a standing position as the music came to an end. In the silence, she stared at me with doe eyes, her shoulders slightly slumped. The confident woman who had stood before me just minutes ago was gone, replaced by my shy Drunk Girl.

  My gut burned with the realization that Hindley had definitely been a stripper at one time in her life. She’d danced on a stage while dirty old men ogled her, and pined after her. Like I’d just done.

  I sank back into my chair, wondering what to say to this revelation.

  Her eyes grew wider and shimmered with tears. Terror struck me as I realized I might not be able to get past the fact that she may have been, or may still be a stripper.

  Hindley walked slowly toward me, sinking down to her knees at my feet as if I were her master.

  I gazed down at her beautiful face, now covered with more makeup than I’d seen her wear before. Her true beauty underneath still shone through.

  Her expression was apprehensive but innocent.

  My anxiety eased a fraction.

  “So, what did you think?” She raised her brows in mild amusement, but we both knew she was nervous.

  I sat in silence, unprepared to speak.

  Her eyes darted back and forth as she stared at me, seeming to be searching for something I couldn’t seem to give her.

  “Rory,” she whispered, putting her hands on my thighs. Her long false eyelashes splayed across her lids like fans and I wondered how many times she’d donned this costume and batted her lashes for money. How many acts had she performed in the course of her life? How long had she been dancing half naked for men?