Watch Me (Phoenix 1)

She tilted her head. “We are?”

“Mm-hmm.” He straightened in the seat until he cupped her face and brought her mouth close to his. “Tonight, Phoenix will learn that you are mine and I am yours. But the choice will always be yours.” He arched an eyebrow. “What do you say, Zoey? Yes or no to my game tonight?”

“Yes,” she said, brushing her lips against his. “Always yes, Rhys.”

Chapter 17

Sensual music played through the speakers as Zoey entered the private room at Phoenix. She was wearing black lingerie paired with a black metal butterfly masquerade mask and stilettos, only this time, the members weren’t hidden; they were all there, standing in typical Phoenix attire of lingerie for the women and black slacks for the men, waiting…watching. Candles lit a path forward to a circular table. On that table was a glass of wine. Beyond that was a view Zoey had a hard time believing was real. Rhys sat on a chair, naked, his arms bound behind him, a black gag covering his mouth, and a Venetian mask on his face. And something she’d told him once filled her mind: “I like watching her control him like that.” More importantly, she recalled his reply: “Would you like to own me like that, Zoey. To control me? To do whatever you want to me?” As she slowly approached the table in the center of the room, it occurred to her that Rhys was giving her exactly what she’d asked for.

When she stopped in front of the single wineglass, the world slowed. To all those in the room, except for Rhys’ inner circle of friends, the significance of the wine would be unknown. No one knew what Zoey did. That Rhys had asked for one thing going forward: her trust. She looked at the wineglass, waiting for her heart to race, for the desire to run to rush over her. It never came. She took hold of the glass and looked into Rhys’ fierce stare as she took a long sip before lowering the drink back to the table. His emotion-packed eyes pulled her forward, but with every step she took, she felt more free, like she was shedding the parts of herself that Jake and Scott had hurt. Now she was stepping into the future. With Rhys.

The sensual energy in the room washed over her, taking her to a place where she left all her inhibitions, all her insecurities at the door. She felt every muscle in her body working to get to Rhys. Every single beat of her heart. She focused on the breath sliding through her lungs. The magic that this crowd created, the freedom she felt. When she stopped in front of him, she stared into his smoky gray eyes that promised her the world. And she wanted to give him the world back.

Now in front of him, she understood the meaning of the silk gag in his mouth. That tonight she had full control, but she realized she didn’t want that. “I always want to hear your voice,” she said, untying the silk from behind his head and letting it fall to the ground.

“You drank the wine,” he said, no question in his voice, only pride.

“I drank what you gave to me.”

Something rich and real passed in the air between them. Something Zoey now knew was love. True love. Impossible love. Love that came from two broken souls that found all the pieces they needed to heal. She didn’t question her love for Rhys, and she didn’t want to draw this out. The show might be for others, but ultimately, she knew this show belonged to them. Always to them.

She slid onto his lap, reaching for the condom on the tray next to them. A condom was Phoenix protocol. She slid it into place onto his hard cock and didn’t bother teasing him. She rose up on her toes and took Rhys deep inside her, their moans echoing around them.

She dropped her head back, sensing all the eyes on her. And this time, she felt powerful, not the shy woman who’d once walked through Phoenix’s doors looking for justice. As she rose up and slowly lowered down onto him, his rough growl washed over her. Within that sound, she truly understood what Phoenix offered. Why so many people protected this place. In a world full of judgment and negativity, this space had none of it. There was only the beauty of sensual beings who enjoyed flesh and lust and everything in between.

Rhys’ continued groans caused goosebumps to appear across her skin as she tested how to ride him. Up and down, circling over her hips, shifting back and forth. She’d seen videos, but this was all for her own exploration. And soon, the slowness of their embrace became not enough. She saw the flex of Rhys’ muscles, the quiver of his body as he fought against the binds holding him. She lifted her hands to Rhys’ neck, noting the bulging veins beneath her touch. Holding his gaze, captivated by the love staring back at her, she began to bounce. The fullness of Rhys became exactly what she needed. What she craved. And she moved faster now, harder.

Under his powerful stare, she found everything she’d ever wanted and all the things she didn’t know she needed. He was her protector, her savior, and she knew for certain, she was his home. The one he’d almost had, but was stolen away. The one he deserved as a child. The one she would make safe and warm for him.

Lost in all her emotions and the truth of what they gave to each other, she dropped her mouth to his. Through every rock of her hips, she let go of all her insecurities, her hesitations, her worries. To the one man who deserved her without restraint, she gave the eroticism she knew he hungered. “Come for me, Rhys,” she said roughly in his ear.

She lifted up, leaning back to ride him hard, fast, massaging her breasts with her hands. His gaze flicked to her chest, his pupils enlarged and darkened with lust as his muscles flexed once more against the bindings holding him. His teeth bit down on his bottom lip, his masculine grunts a sound Zoey would chase forever.

Leaning forward, she gave his neck a hard nip and demanded in his ear, “Don’t make me wait.”

Not a second after, his body tensed, trembled, and then he roared, every muscle in his spectacular body stretching over taut skin. And she went over the edge with him.

Sometime later, voices and moans drifted into Zoey’s ears as Rhys chuckled against her neck. “Look behind you.”

Breathless, Zoey found the strength to glance back and couldn’t stop her surprised gasp. Behind them, an orgy had erupted. Some couples were already having sex. One woman was giving a man a blow job while another man had his head buried between her thighs. She knew Hunt, Kieran, Archer, and Lottie were in there somewhere, but she couldn’t make anyone out. All she saw was skin, passion, and pleasure.

Rhys chuckled again, drawing her gaze back to him. “It seems every rule gets broken when you’re around.”

She laughed softly, her legs feeling like jelly, but she didn’t want to move, not yet. “Well, the rule really is that no one can touch the participants in the show. Besides, you can’t really blame them. Look at you. Anyone watching you would be driven wild.”

“Me?” He retorted with a dry laugh. “Zoey, that was all you. The beauty of you. The sensuality of you. The innocence. It’s captivating, not only to me.”

“No, Rhys, that was all you. The strength of you. The eroticism of you. The power. It’s captivating, not only to me.”

He tossed his head back and chuckled freely. “Then, shall we say it’s us that drive people wild?”

“Yes,” she agreed with every mended part of her heart. “It’ll always be us. Forever, Rhys.”

“Forever, Zoey.”

Epilogue

“That’s the last of it,” Rhys said, dropping the final box onto his kitchen floor a few days later. “Feels like home yet?” he asked, pulling Zoey in close.