Hard Ball

by Heather Stone

  “You’re fucking kidding me. What would Lexi say if she were here?”

  Lexi and I dated off and on for three years. We had an unhealthy but comfortable relationship. We fucked each other and loads of others on the side. We would do blow and fuck some more. She was a model/actress who was climbing the ladders quickly. There wasn’t a designer in the world who didn’t want Lexi Morgan in their newest line. We probably would have gotten married out of convenience, even though we were never truly in love.

  I don’t know what the hell that even means. If love is enjoying hanging out, doing drugs, drinking alcohol, having sex, and occasionally sleeping over to have more sex, then maybe I loved her. Bottom line I cared for her. The day she died will always be burned into my brain. I can’t escape it. It was my fault. I let her down.

  His face goes pale at the mention of Lexi and his eyes narrow on me. “Fuck you, Lawson. You didn’t even give a flying fuck about her.” His words are slurred and barely understandable.

  “You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about. You don’t get to question my feelings when I just found you doing the very thing that ended her.” I look at the chick next to him. “Did he tell you his sister overdosed on that shit? Do you want to end up like her?”

  She looks at me without a care in her miserable world. “It was only one line,” she slurs out.

  “Get the fuck out of here,” I say to the skank. She grabs her jacket and scurries out. I turn back to Jace. “Clean yourself up, Jace. Go home.” He doesn’t move. “Now!”

  He just stares at me, and I continue to glare at him. He finally gets the hint that I’m not changing my mind on this.

  “All right, I’m out. Fuck this place.” He walks out, barreling into my shoulder on his way.

  I go to work cleaning up their shit. I can’t have anyone else seeing this. I’ve done my best to rid my life of drugs. This club was reinvented after Lexi’s death. I fired the staff that notoriously sold the contraband, made it increasingly harder to get in, and renamed the club L.E.X. after Lexi as a constant reminder.

  In a rage, my hands swipe over the table, knocking everything to the floor. With all the force I can conjure, I throw the table over.

  “Fuck!”

  Slamming my fists into the wall of the room, I finally calm myself down, focusing on breathing. This whole night has me in a tailspin. First Bailey, now the reminder of Lexi. I’m not sure what has me more angry.

  I’m just calming down when Damon comes barreling in. “What the fuck, man? I just got a complaint from room four that there was banging on the wall and shouting. What’s going on?”

  “Nothing I can’t handle. Get back to the bar.” I don’t give him a chance to speak. I turn and leave the room, desperate to escape to the safety of my office.

  I can’t deal with one more thing tonight.

  Bailey

  I never did speak to Reed. I know I need to, but after seeing the text from Leah, I can’t bring myself to disappoint her yet again. The fact that she’s even asking for that money is a shock, and leads me to believe those bills are really piling up. I’ll just have to suck it up for Leah and continue to work here.

  What I do need to do though is let Reed know there will be no more of the other bullshit going on ever again. I know he’s hot as fuck, and I practically begged for it… Okay, who am I kidding? No practically about it. But it needs to stop right now. I might not be able to quit yet, but I will soon. I’ll find another job and do it the right way. Until then, all the other activities are done.

  I see Reed exiting the VIP room and I make a mad dash for him, not wanting to lose my nerve. I should have been paying closer attention to his mood when I made a beeline for him because as I approach, he’s shooting daggers at me.

  I’m staring into his haunted eyes, wishing I could hide. I can hear his harsh, uneven breathing as he peers down at me. Forcing myself to speak, I open my mouth and say we need to talk. Next thing I know, he grabs me forcibly by the arm and drags me to his office. My arm stings lightly from the indentions his fingers have left.

  “Bend over,” he snarls as soon as we’re in his office and he’s slammed the door shut behind him. I start to follow his instructions like a woman possessed before I stop myself. What the fuck am I doing?

  “No.”

  “What did you say?” He pulls me toward him, his arms wrapping around my torso. His hard, thick erection presses against my lower back.

  “I said no.” My breath hitches as I feel his hand teasing at the hem of my skirt, moving higher until his hand cups my sex.

  “Is that so? You saying you don’t want this?” He mocks me, his voice vacant of all warmth.

  “That’s exactly what I’m saying, Reed.”

  He pulls my panties aside and slides his finger through my moist folds. “Funny, ‘cause it doesn’t seem to me that your body agrees.”

  “Enough,” I say stepping away from his hand. My body shakes involuntarily, already missing the presence I so greatly need.

  I turn to face him and that’s when I see it: the burning look in his eyes, his clenched fists, and a crease line between his brows. He is teetering on exploding. I watch as he takes deep shallow breaths, a cold knot forming in my stomach.

  Fuck.

  I know I shouldn’t care. That I should just walk away while I still have the chance. But as I see him standing before me, holding on by a thread, I can’t help but want to comfort him, help heal the pain behind those steely blue eyes. I know what it’s like to be that lost and maybe, just maybe, I might help him find peace, if only for a minute.

  “Are you okay?” I whisper.

  “Just leave,” he snaps. My pulse begins to beat erratically as I step closer to him. My hand reaches for his, my fingers trembling as I make contact.

  “I said leave, Bailey.” A tense silence fills the room.

  “No,” I finally say, my voice firm.

  “First you say no because you want to leave. Now you say no because you don’t. Make up your fucking mind, little girl. Because if you stay,” he grabs me roughly by the waist, “I’m fucking you hard, and there will be nothing you can say that will stop me.”

  I feel like my breath is cut off, my mind fluttering around in a million directions. Against my better judgment, I want to submit to him. I want to be what he needs, and if this is what he desires, I can’t help but want to give it to him. I lift my hand and lightly stroke his jaw. His hand grasps mine as he pulls my arm behind my back, forcing my breasts to jolt forward. His body stills, his eyes narrowing.

  “I said bend over, Bailey. Lift your ass so I can see you—all of you.” His words come out thick and hoarse, and the rich timbre of his voice sends a chill down my spine. He lets go of me and I walk toward the desk. With each step I take, I shimmy my panties off. When I finally place my hand on his desk, I’m fully exposed, the cold air hitting my core.

  Peeking over my shoulder, I see him standing there stoically, and a tingling in the pit of my stomach starts to form. A delightful shiver of want runs through me.

  I reach back between my legs, hoping to feel any part of his body close to me. “Reed, fuck me.”

  His pupils dilate, sending an electric flare of heat throughout my body. Stepping toward me, he quickly unzips his fly, grabs his cock, and begins stroking his length slowly.

  Painfully slow.

  Deliberately teasing me.

  His other hand reaches into his back pocket and pulls out a condom, ripping it open with his teeth and running it down his thick cock.

  “Turn toward the wall,” he commands and I do, my vision focusing on the painting hanging above his desk. The slow torture of waiting for him to touch me is making me dizzy and I try to concentrate on something else. Anything to stop my heart from thrumming so hard that I think it might implode. Just when I think I can’t take another second of waiting, he grabs my hips so tight I’m sure there will be a bruise there tomorrow. A moan escapes my lips and I bite down to silence myself. />
  “No need to fight it. No one will hear you over the bass,” he growls out, his lips teasing the curve of my ear. His cock slides against my slit before entering roughly. Reed thrusts in and out, barely allowing me adjust to him. The pace speeds up, drawing a moan from my lips.

  “I fucking love the sounds you make. Tell me you want more of my cock. Tell me, Bailey.”

  I moan once more. “God, yes, I want your cock. Please.” I beg, raising my hips to meet him thrust for thrust. His strokes are hard and deep as he reaches around me and starts stroking my clit, causing me to spasm around him. My release comes quickly after. He pushes forward a few more times before I feel his body collapse onto my back. Fully sated, we simultaneously sigh.

  I peer around my shoulder and his eyes are shut as his breathing calms. As he opens them, his eyes find mine, slanting slightly as he takes me in. Is that remorse?

  “Fuck, Bailey. Did I hurt you?” he asks as he examines my bare hips.

  “I’m okay.” My voice is only a whisper, suddenly feeling shy and disoriented by his abrupt change in demeanor.

  “Fuck,” he mumbles again as he pulls out of me and readjusts himself. He moves away, disposing of the evidence of what we just did and leaving me vacant and confused.

  “I—Here, let me help you.” His hand reaches for mine and he helps pull me upright. “Listen, I’m sorr—”

  I cut him off, shaking my head. “No need.” I can’t take his apology right now. I can’t bear the regret and rejection I know will be present in his voice.

  “It’s not you—”

  “Please, don’t.”

  Tears of shame threaten to expel. I need to get out of here before he sees me fall apart.

  Reed

  It’s been three days since Bailey was last here. She ran out of my office like she was on fire. I know I screwed up by being rough, but I thought she wanted it. She was practically begging me to fuck her. Damon told me that she has gotten her shifts covered the past three days because she’s sick, but I’m not buying it.

  Looking through tonight’s list of VIPs, my head starts to pound. I’ve never cared about how things were left with any girl, but something about the last time with Bailey doesn’t sit right with me. I’m sitting here contemplating sending her flowers when my phone rings.

  “Reed Lawson.”

  “Hi, Mr. Lawson. My name is Amanda Canelli and I’m calling from Andrew Kors’s office. He asked me to reach out to you because we have been interviewing a potential candidate who is currently employed by you. Mr. Kors is ready to extend an offer of employment, but he wanted to give you a courtesy call before he does.”

  Andrew Kors and my father have been business associates for a long time. I appreciate his reaching out, but there isn’t an employee in this club I would be sad to lose to him. This is a stepping stone. It shouldn’t be a lifetime career.

  “Hi Amanda. Thanks for the heads up. Please tell Andrew I appreciate the call, but he’s free to hire anyone he pleases.” I’m bored with the conversation and I need to get shit done.

  “Thank you, Mr. Lawson. We believe Miss Jameson will be a great fit for us here.”

  That name is a punch to the gut. Immediately, I’m pissed. It might have just been sex, but her attitude is bullshit.

  “You know, on second thought, Amanda, I don’t know if Bailey would be a good fit after all. She is notoriously late to work, and her performance has been subpar to say the least.” I’m going too far, but I can’t help it. I’ve never played fair.

  “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. She seemed like such a great candidate. I will relay this information to Mr. Kors. Thank you for the heads up. Have a nice day, Mr. Lawson.”

  “You too, Amanda. Good luck in your search.” At that I push end and the line goes silent.

  I’m not letting her off this easy. I pull her file from the employee cabinet and find her address.

  When I pull up to Bailey’s apartment, I’m angrier than I was before. Taking in where she lives, I can’t fathom why she’d want to trade the killer tips she makes at L.E.X. for some low-paying runner job. Does she really want to be a coffee girl for some overpaid middle-aged executive? I know what they’re hiring for. It wasn’t hard to find the job listing. I’m not going at her half-cocked. Fuck that. She’s ungrateful for every opportunity my club offered her and she’s about to hear it.

  I stalk up to her door, banging without consideration to who I may be disturbing. I hear shuffling on the other side of this paper-thin door before it opens. Bailey stands there with a look of shock on her face.

  “Reed. What are you doing here?”

  I push past her and walk right into her house. Going straight to the living room, I make myself at home and sit.

  “Have a seat,” she groans in irritation.

  “Well, since you decided to call out sick,” I say with air quotes, “I decided to come call you on the bullshit. You’ll never guess, Bailey. I got a call today about a reference for you. Funny thing is, I don’t remember receiving two-week notice.” I’m trying really hard to not lose my cool, but I’m failing miserably. With each word I speak, my voice gets louder and more furious.

  “Reed, please. Just calm down. I don’t need you making a scene.”

  “Fuck, Bailey. You let me bend you over and you begged me to give it to you. Then the next thing I know, you’re running out of my office and calling out sick. Then I find out you’re leaving through someone else.”

  “Reed, I have to.” Her voice is low.

  “The fuck you do. What you need is to grow up, Bailey. You need to be mature and talk to people about what’s going on.”

  “I can’t,” she snaps, raising her voice. “I can’t, Reed. There are some things I just can’t talk about.”

  “Like what? Did I hurt you? Did I make you feel bad? Because I’ve got to tell you, Bailey, it sure the fuck looked like you were enjoying everything I was giving.”

  “You didn’t hurt me, and I did enjoy it. I thought you regretted everything.”

  Of all the dumb shit she could have said…

  “You mean to tell me that all of this is because you assumed I would regret having sex with you? ”

  “Just fucking stop, Reed. I had to get out of L.E.X. I can’t work there, and it has very little to do with you.”

  She’s not making sense. Her hands are shaking and she’s trying hard to hide it by wringing them together.

  “Come here. Come sit down and talk to me. Tell me what’s going on in that head of yours.”

  She looks my way, contemplating what I’m suggesting. Finally, she makes her way to the table and takes a seat across from me. Then Bailey starts to cry. I’m baffled and completely caught off guard. I am in no way prepared to handle this.

  “I’m a recovering addict.”

  I’m sure I heard her wrong. She couldn’t have said what I think she said. “What?”

  “I have a serious addiction to cocaine.”

  It’s as if she slapped me across the face. This girl? This beautiful girl is an addict?

  “Have?” I’m digging here, but I need her to tell me she is no longer hooked on that white death. I wouldn’t be able to take it.

  “I’ve been clean for two years. It’s a constant struggle and the club is just a horrible temptation. I can’t go back to those days, Reed. I feel like lately I’ve been drowning. Then there’s you and me and whatever we’ve been doing, and it’s like I’m one step away from relapsing.”

  I listen to what she’s saying and I can’t help but remember the days when I too itched for a hit. Losing Lexi was what finally made me realize I needed to make a change. I was a lucky one. I was able to walk away pretty easily after witnessing her death. I feel for her.

  “Bailey, I had no idea. Why the fuck would your sister get you a job at a club?”

  “Oh my god, Reed, she has no idea. My family is clueless. She can’t know, you can’t tell her. Promise me.” She’s desperate and half-crazed.

  �
�I promise, Bailey. Your secret is safe with me. As long as you remain clean, I’ll never utter a word.”

  A sob escapes her throat and it’s my undoing. I jump up from the table and grab her in my arms, holding her while she cries into my shoulder. Stroking her hair and telling her it’s all right has me realizing how strange this situation is.

  I grab her shoulders and bring her to look at me. Tipping her chin up with my right hand, I force her to look into my eyes. “I’ll help you, Bailey. Whatever you need. If you have to get another job, I’ll help you. Please let me help you.”

  Her eyes are so bright. She searches my face and I see the moment her entire body relaxes. The moment she decides to put her trust in me. It’s an aphrodisiac. The urge to kiss her has never been greater.

  So I do.

  Bailey

  His gaze sears me. He’s telling the truth. I might not really know Reed Lawson that well, but looking into those eyes right now I know there’s nothing he wouldn’t do to help me.

  My shoulders slump forward and the tension leaves my body. I lean into his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart. It further relaxes me. I run my hand down his firm chest and his heart beats faster. Pulling back, we lock eyes. The lust is evident, but there is something else. The lust morphs into a haunted stare. I’ve seen that look before, but not in him…

  In me.

  He’s just as broken as I am. My eyebrow rises slightly. I need to know why he wants to help me so bad.

  “Why, Reed?” My voice quakes. I know I don’t have the right to ask, but I can’t help but want to know more about this man, who beneath the tough and indifferent exterior, would do anything to keep me safe. “Why do you want to help me so bad?”

  “I—”

  A look of regret and loathing crosses his face. It’s enough for me to regret asking, so I lift my hand to stop him from speaking. “Forget it. You don’t need to tell me. I’m sorry.” I turn my head down and look away. Staring at my hands resting in my lap. Staring at anything to stop me from looking at him.