Chapter 7 : Clean Up

Lexie

The day had fucking begun with me dragging my ass out of bed and heading to the clubhouse around nine. The place was still a mess from last night, and barely any of the boys had bothered to do anything about it. I walked in, immediately greeted by the lingering stench of alcohol, expensive cigars, and weed.

“What the fuck happened in here?” I muttered as I stepped inside.

The place was deserted. Not a single soul was around, and I was apparently the only idiot who had decided to show up this early.

Truthfully, I wasn't about to do all this work by myself, so I shoved my hands into my pockets and pulled out my phone. I dialed Baron's number, and just as I was about to hit the call button, I heard a rustling upstairs.

Then came the heavy thud of boots against the staircase.

Dom appeared a moment later, dressed in nothing but faded jeans and a black vest that exposed his tattooed arm sleeve. I spotted him before he noticed me.

“Dom?” I called, moving forward until I entered his line of sight.

He stopped, squinting at me before his expression shifted into one of genuine surprise.

“Lex? Is that you?”

“Yeah?”

“What are you doing here?”

“I mean, I'm the new manager, aren't I? I decided to come in early, only to discover that this place is still a fucking mess.”

“You shouldn't be here. I called the cleaners to take care of this. They're on their way.”

“I was just about to call Baron,” I said, waving my phone in the air. “I wanted to get some of the guys down here to lend a helping hand.”

He scoffed, running a hand through his hair. “Nah, we use cleaners. As roughed up as the boys are, they're fucking lazy when it comes to cleaning the clubhouse.”

“So you're telling me this clubhouse is filled with lazy-ass men who won't even get up to clean the place they supposedly run?”

He shrugged. “It is what it is.”

“Well, I have to clean this shit up, don't I?”

He scoffed, almost laughing. I shot him a sharp look, cocking a brow. “What?”

He cleared his throat and shook his head, unsuccessfully trying to hide that beautiful smile. “You want to clean? Yeah, right.”

I took immediate offence. Excuse you?

“Excuse me? What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“Well, the Lexie I know hates cleaning just as much as the boys. She'd rather do literally anything else than get her hands dirty with chores.”

What the hell was wrong with these people and their obsession with comparing me to my teenage self?

“Well, news flash, Dominic. That was the teenage version of me. I was inexperienced and a lazy kid, but that doesn't mean I haven't grown up and changed.”

I looked at him, only to find him staring at me like I'd suddenly grown two heads.

“What?”

“No one has called me Dominic in a long time.”

I went quiet. The silence stretched between us, growing increasingly awkward. For some reason, I couldn't bring myself to say anything else.

“Anyways, are you helping or not?”

He didn't answer. Instead, he walked towards the entrance and started picking up the beer bottles scattered carelessly near the door.

“I guess that's a yes.”

We both got to work, cleaning and clearing away the remnants of last night's party. These people partied like there was no tomorrow, and apparently, cleaning up after themselves was beneath them. How the fuck did alcohol even end up splattered across the walls, leaving ugly stains?

“So, how's your boyfriend, Steve?” Dom asked after hours of complete silence.

“Ex,” I corrected.

“Oh, pardon me. Your ex-boyfriend.”

“What about him?” I turned to look at him, placing the wet rag against the chairs and scrubbing roughly at the dried alcohol stains.

“Is he still bothering you? Are you two together?”

I paused, letting his question hang in the air for a moment. “We aren't. We broke up some days ago. Why are you asking?” I asked, curiosity getting the better of me.

“No reason. Just curious.”

Hmmm.

“Are you jealous?”

“About what?”

“You know… me still dating him.” I bit down on my lip, watching as his eyes briefly dropped to my mouth before travelling back up to my face.

He swallowed hard, then turned away, suddenly finding whatever he was cleaning far more interesting.

“I don't get jealous, Lex.”

“Are you sure? Because if you're not jealous, why are you asking so many questions?”

“Why did you two… you know, break up with each other?” he asked.

Did Dominic Riggs just fucking stutter? And he completely avoided my question.

“Ah, funny story.” I giggled, trying my very best not to burst into tears.

I knew I'd told myself to suck it up and act like I didn't care, but the truth was, I did. It still felt like I had a fresh wound that hadn't properly healed.

Steve and I had known each other since I left Willow Springs. We'd started out as close friends, and somewhere along the way, we had slowly fallen in love with each other. Or at least, I'd thought that's what it was.

He'd taught me everything I knew about Hastings and had been there when I landed my first job as an accountant at the company. We'd grown together, or so I thought. Everything had been perfectly fine until he decided it wasn't enough anymore.

In his own words, “I wasn't enough, and he wanted more.”

“He said he didn't want me anymore,” I croaked, quickly turning my face away from Dom.

I hated how easily my voice betrayed me.

He must have noticed the change because I heard his footsteps approaching.

“Look at me, Lex.”

I hesitated, then I felt his hand settle on my shoulder before he gently turned me around, leaving me with no choice but to face him.

“Steve's a fucker,” he muttered, his jaw tightening. “He doesn't know what he left behind, and you don't have to cry over a man who couldn't see your worth.”

He lifted his other hand and gently wiped the tears trailing down my cheeks. I sniffed, looking up at him. His eyes were fixed on mine, and for a moment, neither of us seemed particularly interested in breaking the silence.

I swallowed, my hands settling against his chest as I watched his biceps flex beneath my touch. God, he was beautiful, yet so strong. So fucking masculine, and sadly, that turned me on.

“What about you?”

“What about me, princess?” he asked. My heart did a fucking backflip in my chest.

“I'm sure you've had plenty of girls flocking around you in Willow Springs.”

A smirk tugged at his lips, and I immediately tried to look away, hoping he wouldn't notice the heat creeping into my cheeks.

“Well—” He was cut short by a knock at the door.

We both turned towards it, neither of us moved. The knock came again, louder this time, and I reluctantly pulled my hands away from his chest.

“I should probably go. It could be the cleaners.”

He slowly released me, but our hands lingered for a little longer before I finally stepped away. I walked towards the entrance and pulled the door open.

Immediately, my eyes landed on a red-haired woman with tattoos covering parts of her skin and an eyebrow piercing. She looked me up and down, her expression anything but welcoming.

“Uhm, who are you?” she asked. “And is Dom in?”

I glanced over my shoulder at Dom, about to answer, but she didn't even bother waiting. She brushed past me, practically pushing me aside as she strutted into the clubhouse.

Oh, wow…that was fucking rude.

“Dom!” she squealed, rushing towards him before wrapping both arms around his neck. I stood there, momentarily frozen, watching as she practically clung to him.

“Jackie, what are you doing here?” Dom asked, his voice different.

“Dom…” I called, walking towards them with my hands tucked into my back pockets.

“Who is she?” Jackie asked, looking at me with distaste.

“Lexie. And you are?”

She tightened her arms around Dom before answering.

“Jackie. Dom's girlfriend.”