Watch Me (Phoenix 1)

“But he owns a sex club,” Zoey reminded her.

Hazel said dryly, “Which is probably why he’s such an incredible lay.”

“Seriously?” Zoey gawked.

Hazel giggled. “Well, it’s true, isn’t it? You came home last night with stars in your eyes. That guy has got mad skills. Why not enjoy that for a while? You deserve all this and so much more. Hell, he wants to give you hot sex, and then you move. What could go wrong?”

“Everything,” Zoey countered in haste. “Absolutely everything could go wrong.” Because it had.

Elise gave her a soft, supportive look and reached across the table again. “The difference here being that this is your choice. Your say. Your rules. Maybe what he’s offering is exactly what you need. Let him shake you out of your box, see the world with different eyes for a little bit then you can move back home, with the orgasmic glow that you deserve.”

Zoey considered, sipping her wine, smelling the oaky hints. “Can it be that simple, though? That good?”

Hazel’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully before she nodded. “If I can give my two cents, you’re at a crossroad now. You faced the one thing that terrified you. The two men who assaulted you. Now fate has tossed you a chance at something different, something new. Do you want to be that same scared woman you said you wanted to shed? Or are you this new Zoey who is doing life her way, on her terms, no matter how impossible it seems?”

It all made sense. But… “It’s really scary for me to let anyone in like that, even if this is sort of like an arrangement.” Though a new little voice in her head reminded her that when Rhys was there, she seemed to let go easily. That maybe this wasn’t so scary after all. And without a doubt, he’d stood up for her, protected her.

Elise lifted her glass to her mouth. Before she took a sip, she said, “Honey, life isn’t fun if it isn’t scary sometimes.”

Zoey snorted. “Yeah, that’s why I’ve lived very comfortably on the boring side of life lately.”

Hazel grinned, smacking the table with her hand. “Well, now it’s time to live on a different side, like Rhys Harrington’s sexy-as-hell backside.”

“It is a pretty spectacular backside,” Zoey agreed with a laugh.

“So,” Elise drawled, eyes dancing. “Does that mean you’ll be seeing more of him?”

Zoey pointed to her wine and smiled. “I need at least two more of these before making that decision.”

Elise reached for the bottle and filled up her glass. “There, now you can make the best de

cision of your life.”

Chapter 6

“Late night?” Rhys mused the next morning as Archer strode into the office on the main floor with dark circles under his eyes. After Rhys dropped off Zoey, he’d returned to the cigar club, where Archer waited for answers. Over a drink, Rhys gave them. He didn’t need to come down hard on Archer’s failure to keep the club safe. The guilt and frustration were etched into every line on Archer’s exhausted face. Whatever weakness was in the system would get fixed and any threat handled. Of that, Rhys was certain.

“Very late night,” Archer muttered, dropping down into his usual spot on the leather couch beneath the window, a file folder in his hand.

Rhys got up from behind his desk and took the wing-back chair across from Archer. The sun was trying to break through the clouds after the rain early this morning. This was the only time of the day when the club was quiet. The cigar bar didn’t open until eleven o’clock, but morning meetings with Archer were part of Rhys’ day-to-day.

“What’s in the file?”

“It’s—”

“Who pissed you off?” Hunt asked, gaze set on Archer, as he entered the office followed by Kieran, with coffees in hand.

Rhys grinned at his friends. Neither Hunt nor Kieran worked for him, but they were both there for one specific reason. To find out if they would be partaking in the show tonight. They were as much a part of the Phoenix family as Rhys and Archer. Rhys knew part of the success of his club was not just the stars, but the regulars who partook in the shows and knew how to fuck and give his members something glorious to look at. That passion made others want to watch. It was addictive, even to Rhys.

“Elise Fanning pissed me off,” Archer said to Kieran.

Kieran offered Archer a coffee before taking a seat. “Should we know that name?”

“Maybe not, but I suspect you won’t forget her.”

“Consider me intrigued,” said Kieran, leaning back in his seat and crossing his ankle over his knee. “Who is this mysterious Elise?”

“She’s Zoey’s roommate,” Archer explained, taking the lid off his paper cup and sending steam rising. “She’s also the private investigator who got past my security and hacked into Phoenix’s system.”