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When Hailey first got the news that she had gotten the part in Working Girls, she did not expect that her dressing room was primarily going to be used as a place for her and her roommate, Zoey Chambers, to hook up. But here she was, on opening night, on top of her half-naked roommate with two fingers inside of her.
No one had been more surprised by their little arrangement than Hailey. She'd been nursing a crush on Zoey since they first met (who wouldn’t?) but, well, Zoey didn’t seem to like her very much. Hailey figured that she would simply be pining over Zoey for the rest of her life.
Safe to say that no one was more surprised than Hailey when Zoey came onto her a few months ago. They were both drunk and Zoey was always extra flirty when she had a little alcohol in her system. But this went beyond making a few dirty comments; Zoey was practically sitting on Hailey’s lap by the end of the evening. As soon as they stumbled into their apartment at the end of the night, Zoey whispered the words that kickstarted their hookups.
‘’I need you to fuck me,’’ she said, slurring her words.
Hailey was taken aback by this.
‘’W-what?''
‘’It’s been so long since I’ve been fucked,’’ Zoey said.
‘’And, sure, I could always call Sam, but I’d have to fake it with him, and I don’t feel like dealing with his bullshit tonight anyway.’’
She sighed and batted her lashes at Hailey.
‘’Please, Hailey, I’m desperate.’’
Surprised as she was, there was no way that Hailey was going to turn down an opportunity to have sex with Zoey fucking Chambers. So, she nodded.
‘’Okay,’’ she said.
Zoey didn’t need any more encouragement. She grabbed Hailey’s hand and practically dragged her into her bedroom. Once they were in the privacy of Zoey’s bedroom, she fell to the bed with Hailey on top of her. She took Hailey’s hands and guided them towards her hips.
‘’Please,’’ she whimpered.
‘’Make me feel things.’’
Hailey nodded and started the process of removing Zoey’s skirt.
The next morning, Hailey was awoken by being roughly shoved out of bed.
‘’Ow! What the hell?’’ she said, still rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
‘’You need to get dressed and then get the hell out of my room,’’ Zoey said, shoving Hailey’s flannel towards her.
Memories of last night returned to Hailey’s brain as she started to wake up more completely.
‘’Zoey, can we talk about what happened last night?’’
Zoey continued frantically pacing around the room, tossing clothes towards Hailey.
‘’There’s nothing to talk about,’’ she said.
‘’You don’t think that sex is something to talk about?’’ Hailey asked.
Zoey flinched.
‘’Last night was a mistake, and you are not going to tell anyone about it. Got it, Dilmore?’’
Hailey nodded.
‘’Good,’’ Zoey said.
‘’Last night was just a one-time thing and we can both forget about it.''
Cut to three months later and this ‘’one-time thing’’ had turned into a regular occurrence. At least once a week, Zoey would come to Hailey and pull her away to have sex. They never talked about it afterwards, they just got dressed and left (at separate times, of course so that no one would suspect anything).
And now, on opening night, Hailey was getting through her pre-show nerves by fucking her roommate.
Zoey let out a moan and thrust her hips against Hailey. She traced her right hand through her hair and down her face before resting it on Hailey’s shoulder. Her left hand worked its way under Hailey’s sports bra, making her shudder.
Focus, Hailey, she told herself as she continued working on pleasuring Zoey. She circled her fingers around Zoey’s clit, making her moan.
‘’Hailey, I’m so close,’’ she whined.
There was something satisfying about having something that Zoey wanted and something equally satisfying about seeing her normally bossy roommate whine to get that something. And there was something extra satisfying about watching Zoey arch her back, her eyes almost rolling back into her head as she came around Hailey’s fingers.
Hailey gently rubbed Zoey’s shoulders as she came down from the high of the orgasm, her chest rising and falling rapidly.
Hailey was hoping this would lead to one of those sweet moments that sometimes happened after sex, usually when both of them were drunk. As much as Zoey insisted that what they were doing was just sex (if she even acknowledged it, that is), there were times where she seemed to let her ever-present guard down around Hailey. A few times post-sex, Zoey had cuddled up against Hailey and fallen asleep on her, snuggled in her arms.
Hailey treasured those moments. Sometimes she could pretend that she and Zoey were actually together, instead of just hooking up.
But, judging by the fact that Zoey was already getting off the floor, tugging on her pants, it wasn’t going to be one of those nights. Hailey tried to console herself with the thought that cuddling on the floor of her dressing room wasn’t ideal. But it still would've been nice.
‘’Why are you standing there like an idiot? Get dressed before someone sees you,’’ Zoey said.
Hailey considered asking why the hell Zoey had dragged her off to have sex an hour before they opened, but she bit her tongue. Arguing with Zoey was pointless.
As Hailey buttoned her shirt, Zoey stared at her intently from across the room.
Hailey began to feel a little self-conscious.
‘’What?’’ she asked.
‘’Nothing,’’ Zoey said.
‘’That suit just does things to me.’’
Hailey flushed. Zoey had been full of compliments ever since they started rehearsals for Working Girls. She made a mental note to wear suits more often in the future, since they were, evidently, a turn-on for her.
Zoey was a lesbian, a fact that had become increasingly obvious to Hailey during the months since they’d started hooking up. She would make comments every once in a while, about how she'd faked her orgasms with every man she'd ever been with, which was a far cry from how she was with Hailey. Then there was the night where she got drunk and sobbed into Hailey's chest about how she hated dating men and she liked girls and she didn't know what was wrong with her.
Hailey wasn’t sure if Zoey had figured out that she was gay yet. If she had managed to put the pieces together, Hailey was pretty sure that Zoey was never going to come out of the closet. But she had been making more comments towards Hailey about how attractive she found her. She had, even, very shyly, begun voicing some of her opinions about how hot she found various different athletes and actresses in the sports games or TV shows she and Hailey watched together, and Hailey wondered if perhaps Zoey was getting more comfortable with her sexuality. Maybe there was a future for them.
‘’Zoey?’’ Hailey asked, fidgeting nervously with her jacket.
‘’Mmmm?’’ Zoey asked, as she checked her hair and makeup in the mirror, fixing every tangle or smudge that she came across.
‘’What are we?’’ Hailey asked.
‘’Going to be late if you don’t hurry the fuck up,’’ Zoey said.
‘’No, I mean…. what’s going on with us?’’ Hailey asked.
‘’You know, our relationship.’’
‘’What do you mean?’’ Zoey asked.
‘’We’re nothing. Just roommates who like to have a little fun sometimes.’’
‘’You moan practically every time I touch you,’’ Hailey said.
‘’I think we’re a little past ‘’having a little fun’’.’’
Zoey flushed bright red.
‘’I have a boyfriend,’’ she said.
‘’Who you don’t even like,’’ Hailey said.
‘’Why is it so hard for you to admit that you’re gay?’’
Zoey slammed a dresser drawer shut.
‘’Don’t you dare say that to me again,’’ she snapped.
‘’I am not like that.’’
‘’Zoey, I’m sorry, I-’’ Hailey started.
Zoey held up her hand to stop her from talking.
‘’Maybe we should take a break from this,’’ she said.
‘’Since you’re clearly getting the wrong idea.’’
‘’Zoey-’’ Hailey started but Zoey interrupted her again.
‘’We’ll talk about this after the show,’’ she said.
‘’After I bring the house down.’’
Zoey gave Hailey a look that was equal parts scornful and sympathetic.
‘’Try not to fuck anything up,’’ she said.
Then she was gone and Hailey was alone again.
Tears formed in Hailey's eyes and started to roll down her face, which she quickly wiped away. She needed some air. She stepped into the hallway, unbuttoning the top button of her shirt and trying to regulate her breathing. Her stomach was already beginning to hurt.
Hailey sighed. She had been so stupid. She knew that hooking up with Zoey had been a bad decision when she'd started doing it but she'd loved Zoey for so long that she put up with it, living off of with the foolish hope that Zoey might like her back. And, for a little while, it seemed like she did. Every time she flirted with Hailey or let her smile last a little too long or held Hailey close after sex, Hailey allowed her mind to wander.
But, of course, her fairytale romance dreams were never going to come true. Zoey didn't love her, at least not the way that Hailey wanted her to. Zoey was the center of Hailey's world, and nothing changed that, no matter how rude she was to her or how much she took advantage of her. Even now, when her heart was stinging from Zoey's rejection, and she was accepting the reality of her situation; that Zoey had a boyfriend, and, regardless of whether or not she loved him, she was always going to go back to him, she couldn't keep herself from loving her.
God, why had she thought that Zoey would love her? She knew the type of person Zoey was. Zoey Chambers would never, ever allow herself to fall in love with a woman, least of all Hailey Dilmore.
Tears pricked at the corners of Hailey's eyes again and she wiped them away before they could smudge her makeup. Zoey's words rang through her mind. Don't fuck this up. And Hailey wasn't going to. But she was doing this for her, not for Zoey. This was her first big role. She couldn't allow herself to ruin it.
Out of the corner of her eye, Hailey thought she saw Hidgens, the play’s director. He looked agitated and Hailey considered asking him what was wrong, but she stopped herself. She was done bending over backwards to help people who didn't even like her. So, she just stood perfectly still, hoping he didn't notice her.
Luckily for Hailey, Hidgens turned around and left. Hailey could swear that she saw something on his belt glint. It almost looked like an axe.
Hailey blinked. No, no, that couldn't be it. She must just be seeing things. She was so tired after all.
Hailey buttoned up her jacket. No time to question things. She had a show to perform. Maybe tonight she and Zoey could get the chance to talk. Hailey could at least get the chance to smooth things over and at least return to being sort-of friends with her.
Hailey took a deep breath. Okay, Hailey, you've got this, she told herself. Then she took her place backstage.