Watch Me (Phoenix 1)

“Sounds great,” he said.

Oddly enough, as much as she thought Rhys might look out of place here, he didn’t. He really did have the ability of blending in, and yet, he could also stand out like the only man in the room. “Yup, two orders of the usual, please,” she called to Jane.

She led him to the far corner, thankful no one else was there today. She sat in the first beanbag chair, and he dropped down into the other. The moment he stretched out his legs, a cat jumped onto his lap.

“Looks like you have a friend,” Zoey said.

He smiled down at the orange tabby and petted the cat, who began to purr. “Did you have a lot of pets growing up? Is that where your desire to work in the animal industry comes from?”

“I had as many pets as my parents would allow,” she explained with a laugh, reaching out to stroke a passing white cat, who didn’t seem interested in Zoey. All the animals at the café were rescues that had been brought in for socialization before finding their forever homes. For as many cats as she could see, there were just as many in hiding spots, too afraid to come out. “I’ve had a hamster, a couple guinea pigs, and a cat, Oscar, who passed away a few years ago. Did you have any pets?”

Rhys shook his head. “Boarding schools didn’t allow pets.”

She had assumed he was well educated. “You never went to school here in New York?”

“No,” he explained without any emotion in his voice. “That’s just the way my family has always done things. For generations.”

“I can’t imagine not growing up around my family. Did you like boarding school?”

“Loved it,” he said with an honest smile. “I’m still in contact with most of the guys I knew from my years there. It’s a type of family, I suppose, just different than the one I’m sure you had. But it’s never been something I would consider if I had children of my own. I like the idea of having a family life, keeping my children at home with me,” his gaze lifted to hers, “and with my wife.”

Her heart skipped a little at that. The scariest and most wonderful part was she could imagine a life with Rhys. A happy life. A safe and exciting life. She thwarted any serious talk and shifted the subject. “Can I ask why you got into the whole sex-club thing?” She smiled. “Was it something you aspired to?”

“Funny,” he said with a snort, scratching the cat under his chin. “I assume Elise stumbled on the story about my late girlfriend, Katherine.”

Zoey cringed. “She did. I’m sorry. I know that’s personal, but—”

“It’s fair,” he interjected. “I knew things about you I shouldn’t, because of Archer’s vetting.” The cat purred louder now as he stroke its back. “Cancer was cruel to Katherine.”

“How long did you date her?”

“I met her the second day of college. The cancer came soon after that.”

Zoey stroked a long-haired gray-and-white cat that strode by, taking a handful of fur with her. She blew it off her hand. “I’m really sorry, Rhys. I can’t even imagine going through that.”

He looked at the cat in his lap again, still stroking the happy feline’s back. “It was hard. She hated fate for making her sick. Watching her life end so brutally, with so much anger inside her that she had no control over, taught me no one is getting out of here alive, so you better live your life right.” He glanced up at Zoey then held her gaze. “To answer your question, I opened Phoenix because I wanted to be a part of something that gave more to people. It also allowed for me to safely indulge in the sensual lifestyle I enjoy, and keep emotionally distant while I grieved. But after a while, something shifted and it became about more than that. Wealth gets you ahead in life, but it doesn’t bring you happiness. Sex…” He gave a devilish grin. “Well, I’ve always lived an erotic lifestyle. Only it used to be in secret with willing participants at private parties. First, in college then out of it.” He lifted an easy shoulder, glancing back down at the cat in his lap as he continued stroking him. “Now, I just provide the place and protection for others to indulge too.”

She became jealous of that cat purring in his lap. “You know, if you’d have asked me a year ago if that made sense to me, I would have said no. Being so erotic, living that kind of life, was so foreign to me. Now…”

He grinned. “You like it?”

She lifted a shoulder. “It’s hard to imagine moving home and never partaking in such things again.”

A beat passed. “Who says you have to go anywhere?”

Oh, the loaded question hung in the air, so heavy she could barely breathe. “That was always my plan.”

“Plans change,” he said with ease, but his eyes told a different story.

She knew she should respond. Have some profound realization, but it never came. The lump in her throat she’d been pushing down rose up again, and her head felt cloudy, making it impossible to think clearly.

Luckily, Jane arrived with lunch, breaking through the silence. She placed the platter on the small table next to Rhys. “Need anything else, guys?”

Zoey shook her head and gave a smile. “We’re good. Thanks, Jane.”

Jane smiled in return. “Enjoy.”

As she returned to the counter, Rhys blessedly changed the subject, probably for Zoey’s benefit. “I thought you might like to know that Archer discovered the woman who came to your shop is a Phoenix member.”