Watch Me (Phoenix 1)

“Okay, thank you.” Zoey began the climb down the ladder.

Right before the woman shut the shelf, she gave a wide smile. “Enjoy yourself tonight, honey.”

“Thanks. That’s the plan.” Zoey returned the smile, continuing her climb down as the light above her vanished.

When she reached the bottom of the ladder, she saw a long, straight tunnel made of old stone, and if she closed her eyes, she could swear she caught the scents of the oak barrels that must have been hidden down here through Prohibition. Brightly lit sconces lined the walls as she made her way down the tunnel, her high heels clicking against the cobblestone floor. She rounded one bend at the very end and then came to a stop outside a wrought-iron door. She knocked once, and the loud unclicking of a lock echoed in the underground tunnel then the heavy door slowly opened, revealing a small room, not much bigger than a walk-in closet.

“Good evening, Zoey,” a security guard with kind eyes said, like they were already friends. “Rhys has been expecting you. Please come in.”

“Thank you.” She stepped through the door, feeling like all of this was impossible. That, any minute now, she was going to wake up and realize this had all been some wild, incredible dream.

The security guard locked the door behind her and moved to the small desk, where a telephone and computer rested. He had the phone to his ear a moment later. “Zoey has arrived. Yes. All right. Very well.”

He returned the phone to the receiver right as another door to Zoey’s left opened and a gorgeous brunette wearing a tight black dress walked in. “Zoey, hi. I’m Lottie.”

“Hi,” Zoey said, finding it near impossible to stop herself from gawking at the woman.

“My eyes, right?” Lottie asked with a lopsided smile.

“I’m sorry for staring,” Zoey said in a hurry. “They’re just the most beautiful color I’ve ever seen. Are they—”

“Amethyst,” Lottie finished. “Yeah, and yes, before you ask, they’re one-hundred-percent natural.” She gestured for Zoey to follow. “Come on, we don’t want to be late. Everyone gets grumpy when that happens.”

Zoey wasn’t exactly sure what she was going to be late for, but she gave the security guard a goodbye wave and stepped through the doorway. “Where are we going?”

Lottie linked her arm with Zoey’s. “To shop.”

Two doors down the hallway, Zoey understood what Lottie meant. They entered a room the size of a boutique, only this room was full of high-class lingerie. Wall to wall, there was every type of fabric, from leather to lace, in the entire color wheel. “Wow,” Zoey breathed.

“I know, right?” Lottie shut the door behind them then gestured out. “Go on, pick whatever you like for the night.”

“Seriously?”

Lottie nodded. “Free lingerie is part of Phoenix’s membership.”

“But I’m not a member,” Zoey gently reminded her.

“You’re Rhys’ guest,” Lottie countered. “That’s one and the same.”

“Where does he get all this?”

“It all comes from a shop here in Manhattan. The owner, Adalyn, is a longtime Phoenix member.”

Zoey’s brows shot up. “I thought this club was a private one. Masks. No names. No identity. That type of thing.”

Lottie shrugged. “Adalyn uses her name on the regular, probably because Phoenix members are rich. She wants the clients.” Lottie went quiet and tilted her head, giving Zoey a long once-over and approached the racks with the green lingerie. She picked out a sexy, strappy, dark-teal set. “If you ask me, go for this. You’ll look amazing in this color.”

“It’s gorgeous. Thank you.”

Lottie handed Zoey the piece. “The changing room is right over there.” She gestured to a small fitting room off to the side. “The heels you have on will look great.”

Zoey moved to the changing room, closed the curtain, and began undressing, feeling the heat rising to her cheeks. “Do you work here?”

“Work, not exactly,” Lottie said with a smile in her voice. “Play, yes, and I just so happen to make some good cash from that.”

“It’s a good way to make money,” Zoey mused, slipping out of her dress and hanging it on the hook on the wall.

“You can say that again.”