Walk of Shame Series (Books 1-6)

by Victoria Ashley

  “Onyx,” she cuts in. “Of course I will go in. I could use the money anyways. No worries. I’ll leave now.”

  She goes to walk away, but I grab her arm to stop her. “Thank you. I owe you.”

  She flashes me her perfectly sweet smile. “You’ve already done enough for me. I’ll catch you later at home.”

  I nod my head and lean against the wall as she walks outside. How the hell am I going to do this? I don’t know if I can.

  Hemy appears around the corner with a frustrated scowl on his face. He looks around for a few seconds before his eyes find me. And when they do, they go soft for just a brief moment. “Don’t run away again. I can’t do this shit, Onyx.”

  My eyes rake over his gorgeous, toned body before I pull my eyes away and walk toward the door. “I have to go. Just please go take care of Jade. Tell her I had to run out.”

  I pull the door open and start heading for my Harley. I pull the ponytail holder from my wrist and wrap my hair in it before straddling my bike.

  Of course that stubborn ass can’t listen and I feel his presence behind me once again. Hemy walks over with wide eyes as I grip the handle and start the engine. “You drive a motorcycle,” he says in disbelief. His eyes take in my ride before it finally dawns on him. “Is that my old Harley? You had it fixed up?”

  I toss my helmet on and kick the stand up with my foot. “I fixed it.”

  “Since when do you know how to work on motorcycles?”

  I give him a stern look and rev the engine. “I learned from the best.” I rev the engine again and force a smile, fighting back my emotions. “Actually, I’ve learned a lot from the best.”

  His jaw grinds as he watches me drive away. I don’t look back. I just drive, needing to escape.

  Crap! Crap! Crap!

  ONYX HASN’T LEFT MY MIND once since last night, not that I tried very hard to forget her. After she rode off on my old motorcycle, all I wanted to do was chase after her. I fought so hard not to jump into my truck and chase her down. I know she needs time. I’m trying to respect that, but it’s been four damn years already. How much more time could she possibly need?

  I stood outside for a good twenty minutes, just staring out at nowhere, until Cale came outside looking for me. Without a word, I followed him inside and went back to work. Nothing about it felt right. All I could think was that I was doing something wrong. How can I feel that way when we aren’t even together? She practically hates me, yet I feel bad for stripping for other women. Now isn’t that some shit.

  “How’s that engine coming along?”

  I look up when Mitch snaps me out of my thoughts. He’s standing on the right side of me, chewing on a sandwich. He’s shirtless and equally as dirty and greasy as I am.

  “Good. It’s all good.” I toss down my dirty rag and grab for my t-shirt. “I’m going to head out so I can shower before work. I’ll finish this later.”

  Mitch looks between me and the red mustang I’ve been working on since eight this morning. He doesn’t look happy. He knows something is up, but it’s too soon for me to tell him. I don’t feel like getting into it just yet. “What’s up with you? You’ve been at this shit for the last eleven hours and now you’re about to head out to Walk Of Shame? Don’t you think you need a break? If I had known you worked tonight then I would have kicked your ass out of my shop a long time ago.”

  “It’s nothing, man.” I throw my shirt on and reach in my pocket for a cigarette. “I just wanted to get this shit done. This Mustang has been in the shop since last week and it’s not even ready to go yet. I’m sure the owner is ready for his ride back.” I brush the loose strand of hair out of my face that has fallen out from the rubber band before lighting my cigarette. “I’ll be back after work to finish it.”

  “Nah, I don’t think so. Not tonight. You can finish it in the morning.” Mitch takes the last bite of his sandwich before shutting the hood. “This car is off limits until you come back after you’ve gotten some sleep. I hope whatever is bothering you isn’t going to make you want to-”

  “It’s not. Shit, Mitch.” I take a long drag of my cigarette and grind my jaw. “I’m done with that shit. You don’t need to worry about it.” I grip Mitch’s shoulder before giving it a shove and walking backwards. “I’m outta here. I’ll see your ass bright and early.”

  “Alright, man. Sorry. Just looking out for ya.” He tosses his dirty rag at me and starts walking over to help some scrawny little dude with glasses. “See ya.”

  “Yup,” I mumble, while blowing out smoke. “See ya.”

  I ARRIVE AT WALK OF Shame early and with three shots of Jack and one shot of Patron in my system. The last thing I need to do is let thoughts of Onyx ruin my damn night. I’ve been doing this shit for too long to care about what someone else might think. Who gives a shit if I strip for the pleasure of women? Onyx left a long time ago. I shouldn’t feel guilty. This is me now.

  When I walk in, I instantly spot Sara behind the bar. She smiles, but then gives me an oh shit look before reaching for a shot glass. “Jack?” She doesn’t even wait for me to answer before filling up the shot glass and sliding it in front of me.

  I take it and quickly toss it back with a moan. I slam the empty glass down and look around the bar. “It’s slow as shit in here.”

  She smiles. “Because you just got here.” She reaches for a glass and mixes a drink for one of her regulars. “They’ll start piling in soon. I had at least ten girls ask me if you were working tonight. I told them you’d be in later ready to shake your damn dick. Damn vultures.” She hands her regular his drink and then returns to me. “You look like shit by the way.”

  “Thanks for noticing,” I scowl. I scoot my empty glass in front of her. “One more, Sara. You owe me now.”

  “Damn you, Hemy. I swear you boys have issues. Cale is the only one that doesn’t drink his dick swinging life away.” She gives me a curious look and gets ready to speak.

  “Just do it, dammit.”

  She rolls her eyes and pours another shot.

  The last thing I need is her prying into my business. This is something I need to deal with on my own.

  After I tilt back my fifth shot of Jack for the night, I swallow back my pride, stand up, and look back at Sara. “Give me a bottle of whipped cream.” Sara reaches in the fridge, tosses it to me, and I catch it and walk away.

  I stand in the doorway of the back room for a few minutes pushing my thoughts away, until a slow seductive song plays over the speakers. Without thinking, my body starts moving to the rhythm of the music.

  I run my hands down the front of my body while grinding my hips to the beat. My jeans are sitting low on my waist and my button down shirt is rolled up at the sleeves, halfway undone. The girls take notice and instantly start screaming while waving their money around.

  Stopping at the first round table I set the bottle of whipped cream down, grab the closest girl’s chair, and spin her around to face me. Her eyes go wide as I straddle her lap and grab the whipped cream off the table.

  I start grinding my hips to the music, pushing my erection into her as I grab her hands and place them on my chest. “Undo my shirt. Slowly.”

  She starts doing as told. I tilt my head back and spray whipped cream into my mouth. Reaching beside me, I grab for the sexy brunette close by and run my whipped cream covered tongue across her soft lips, slowly and teasingly. I love teasing these women. It’s the perfect distraction.

  When I pull away I see the brunette run her tongue over her mouth, licking off every last drop of cream. She sits back in her chair and watches me with hooded eyes, no doubt wanting to taste more.

  Noticing that my shirt is now undone and hanging completely open, I yank my shirt off and wrap one of my hands in the back of the blondes hair with one hand, while squirting whipped cream all the way down my chest, stopping at the top of my jeans.

  I grind my hips against her one more time before standing up and reaching for the brunette’s hand, pulling her
to her feet. “On your knees,” I command.

  She gets down on her knees and all the women start screaming random things.

  “Take it off, Hemy!”

  “Grab his dick, Katy.”

  I block out the noise and smirk down at her. “Take my pants off.”

  Looking up into my eyes, she reaches for my jeans and slowly starts undoing them.

  “Faster,” someone screams.

  That must motivate her, because she yanks my zipper down and rips my jeans down the top of my muscular thighs. I place my hand on her head and push it against the thin fabric of my white briefs.

  After rolling my hips a few times, I pull away from her and smear a huge amount of whipped cream down the length of my hard cock. “You ready to get dirty?”

  She nods her head as I rub my finger over the fullness of her lips, getting a feel for what’s going to be wrapped around my cock. “Lick it off. All of it, from the dirtiest place first.”

  Running her tongue over her lips, she grabs my waist and leans in to press her tongue against my pelvis, rolling it in the trail of whipped cream. Her eyes watch mine as she slowly lowers her mouth, running her tongue down my defined abs and over my cock.

  I wrap my hands in her hair and close my eyes as I slowly rock my hips into her face. I feel her teeth softly nibble my piercings and I yank her head back before stroking my hand over my cock and stepping away from her.

  Ignoring the screaming women, I make my way over to the couch, and grab for the chick in a small black dress and heels that is standing up waving money at me.

  Gripping her ass, I wrap her legs around my waist and start grinding my hips to the music. I move, slow and deep as if fucking her. She arches her back and wraps her hands in her own hair before sticking a wad of cash in the front of my briefs and moaning out.

  I pull her back up and thrust into her one more time before setting her back down to her feet.

  Just as I’m about to head over to the next table, I catch a glimpse of a woman with platinum blonde hair and tattoos. I stop dead in my tracks, my heart racing as I watch her, until she turns around to face me.

  As soon as I realize it’s not Onyx, my heart rate slows down and I let out a breath of frustration. A part of me wishes it were her.

  “Fuck!”

  I run my hands through my hair and just stand there. The screaming doesn’t die down as they wait for me to continue my rounds.

  A part of me doesn’t want to. I knew this shit would happen. I told myself I wouldn’t let myself think about her anymore. Yeah, well great fucking job.

  “Hemy. Dude!”

  I snap out of it enough to see Stone approaching. He grips my shoulder and pushes my chest. “What the hell is up, man? You’re just standing here. You’ve been acting funny since last night.”

  I push his hand away and grind my jaw. “Nothing. I just needed a second.” I pause and exhale, hating myself for what I’m about to do. “I have to go.”

  “What the hell? What do you mean?”

  I grab for my jeans and start heading for the door. “I have somewhere I have to go. It’s important. I need you to take over my room.”

  Stone gives me a confused look, but doesn’t question me further. “Sure. Yeah. Go then.”

  I walk through the bar, past Sara who gives me a confused look, and outside over to my truck. I quickly hop inside and shove my keys into the ignition while tossing my jeans into the passenger seat. As stupid as I know I’m being, I know it’s smarter than just letting her walk away again. I refuse to let her disappear from my life now that I’ve found her. There’s always been something about her that draws me in, holding me to her. It’s a curse as much as a craving.

  I start the engine and pull out onto the dark street. Without a second thought, I head toward the house I saw her at last night. I don’t give a shit what anyone thinks. I’m going to find out where she’s at and I’m going to make her mine. Her and I both know that we are meant to be together. The hard part is making her see that, making her see the new me.

  After about ten minutes, I find myself pulling up in front of the small white house. I kill the engine, grab for my jeans, and hop out to put them on.

  Just as I’m buttoning them, the front door opens and two girls walk out. I notice one of them right away: Jade.

  She gives me a curious look before smiling and walking over to me.

  “Look who’s back,” she says teasingly. “You come back for your tie?”

  I lean against my truck and look over her shoulder at the door. “It’s not what I forgot, it’s who,” I say firmly. “Where can I find Onyx?”

  Jade quickly turns away and starts heading for the little black car that is sitting in the driveway. “I don’t know,” she calls over her shoulder. “I’ll let her know you’re looking for her.”

  I quickly catch up to her and grab her arm. “Tell me.” I walk over to stand in front of her. I look into her eyes so she knows how important this is to me. “I need to know where she is. Can you just tell me where to find her?”

  She lets out a breath of frustration before looking over at the other girl who nods at her. She turns back to me and rolls her eyes. “Follow us. She’s at work and we’re heading there now. I’m going to get in deep shit for this,” she mumbles.

  “Thank you, Jade.” I don’t waste any time jogging over to my truck and jumping inside. I’ve waited too damn long for this shit and she’s going to listen to what I have to say.

  I follow the little black car for what seems like forever. In reality it was probably a whole fifteen minutes. Still, fifteen minutes too long, and now I’m anxious as shit.

  When we pull up in front of the huge black building, I sit there wondering if this is some kind of joke. There’s no way that the Onyx I knew would work at a place like this.

  I sit here for a few minutes until I see Jade and the other girl get out of the car. Jade looks over at me and waves her arm for me to follow. “You coming or what?”

  I take a deep breath to calm myself before getting out of my truck and slamming the door behind me. Every part of me wants to scream and break something. The idea of her working here makes me sick to my stomach. “Vixens Club,” I growl to myself while staring up at the neon sign.

  She’s a damn Vixen? A stripper . . . like me. Well fuck me.

  “OKAY, GIRLS, JUST REMEMBER TO have fun. This is free night. You are welcome to roam as you wish. Just remember the rule: no touching unless you put their hands there. You know what to do if someone breaks the rule. I’m sure there’s no need for me to go over it again.”

  I get a few head nods from the girls and a hell yeah from Ash.

  I stand up from straddling my chair and walk in front of it, facing my group of girls. The first shift of the night is almost done, and I made sure that all of my girls work together all night. I always stress their safety on free nights. I don’t like the idea of not being able to keep my eye on them individually. There are quite a few creeps that come in here and I would hate to have to break a heel off in a few of their asses. That’s why I have “the talk” with my girls once a week.

  “Alright, ladies. Let’s get ready to make some cash then.” I smile and head over to my makeup station as the other girls head over to the floor.

  I’ve been hiding in the back for the last twenty minutes. I’m not really sure why, but my game seems to be a bit off tonight. I keep telling myself it has nothing to do with Hemy. The truth is, I’m not very convinced. I could never convince myself of anything when it came to him. I went to sleep with him on my mind and woke up with him on my mind. I guess not much has changed over the years.

  “Shit. Stop thinking, Onyx.” I rub my hands over my face and take a deep breath. “He’ll only hurt you again. Don’t do this to yourself. You finally got rid of that pathetic little girl that was nothing but a doormat for him.”

  I curse to myself when I feel a hand grip my shoulder. I have no idea who it is or how much of my rambling they have heard
, but I suddenly feel really nervous. I’m not ready to explain Hemy to anyone. I’m not sure I’ll ever be.

  “What’s going on, Onyx?” Jade takes a seat at the makeup table next to mine and starts digging through her makeup bag. “Something’s been bothering you since last night. You can talk to me . . .”

  “I’m fine.” I force a smile and look at myself in the mirror. My blonde curls are wild tonight and my makeup is a little too dark on the eyes. I look a lot different than I did four years ago. I can’t even imagine what Hemy must have thought when he saw me at the party last night. He seemed a little shocked, but couldn’t seem to keep his eyes off of me. It made my heart race, making it hard for me to think straight.

  I let out a little laugh and stand up, fixing my black lingerie. It’s barely covering anything, yet it makes me feel more confident and alive than I have felt in years. “You know I just get a little stressed on free nights. I worry about you girls roaming around where I can’t see you all. That’s all.”

  Jade gives me a look as if she wants to say something. She almost looks nervous. She opens her mouth a few times and then shakes it off before starting in on her makeup. “Yeah. I know,” she says softly. “We do fine though. You taught us all well. Stop worrying so much.”

  I stand here for a few seconds before I realize that Lily isn’t here yet, or that I’ve seen. The girls usually show up together since they’re roommates. “Where’s Lily?”

  Jade nervously clears her throat while walking over to the closet to grab her outfit. “She’s here. She’ll be back in a minute. She’s, ah . . . showing someone around.”

  “Alright,” I say softly. She’s definitely acting a bit strange right now and I’m not so sure that I like it. “I’ll see you out there.”

  “Sounds good. See you in a few.”