by Love Hadley
Phoenix
Alpha Billionaires
Love Hadley
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
Copyright © 2020 by Love Hadley
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Published by Willowlake Media
www.willowlakemedia.com
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Also by Love Hadley
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About the Author
Chapter One
Lena
My eyes burn from staying awake these past few days. Helping Rex plan an engagement on top of getting him a new list of properties to invest in is taking up every minute I can spare. The clock on my wall ticks softly, mocking me mercilessly. It’s eight o’clock. I’m still sitting at my desk drafting contracts and gathering proposal materials for my meeting in the morning.
“You should really get out of here, Lena,” Mona Devereaux tells me from my doorway. She’s standing there with her trench coat hanging over her arm and that red lipstick fresh for the evening. Her blonde hair is the complete opposite to my coppery red and always slicked back into a tight bun while I let mine flow free. The CEO, and my mentor, looks out for me like I never expected, especially on nights like tonight.
“Mona, you know I can’t.”
She takes a step inside and peers over my shoulder at my computer screen before snickering and telling me, “Go home, Lena. That can wait if it’s for Mr. Orson. I want my best realtor rested and ready to please tomorrow. If it’s for Handler, tell Rex to cut you some slack. We’re getting Orson off a recommendation from Slater Collins. His assistant, Amy, you remember her, right? She’s got some—”
“I love you, Mona, but you have to relax. I have the emails from Amy and the specs from Orson’s security team. He’s looking like a pain in the ass, but I guess that’s to be expected.”
“Since you have a handle on all of this, go home and get some rest. I’m not leaving until you do,” she states, folding her arms across her chest.
I have no doubt the corner of my mouth turns up with the slightest glimmer of a smile. “Fine, I’m leaving now. Look.”
She watches me shut everything off and grab my bag from the drawer in the bottom of my desk. After walking out of the office building, Mona hops in a cab, and I decide to take a walk down the street after bidding her good night.
The streets erupt with life as the bars and restaurants rev up for the night. Thursday nights might as well be the weekend in Sable City, with endless Happy Hours in full swing. People are strolling up and down the sidewalk, business suits and college coeds alike, while all I want to do is grab a drink and head home. I need some space and a little quiet, so I keep walking beyond the shining lights and loud music. A flashing blue light draws my attention to a side street away from the hustle and bustle.
Three large blue music notes flash in a neon sign over a place called Lady Blues. Without too many people standing out front, I know it’s the perfect spot to grab a rum and coke before making my way home. Inside is dark enough.
A few guys sit at the bar, undoubtedly looking for the same release I am. One is at the very end with a ballcap sitting so low I can only make out his angular jaw. He cocks his head to the side, catching eye contact with me and licking his lips with a devilish smile to boot.
I never knew a man’s jaw and smile would be the sexiest thing. It makes me wonder what’s under that hat of his. Surely his face is as attractive as his grin. I sit at the bar, give the gorgeous bartender my order, and, before I can slap any money on the counter, she touches my hand to stop me.
“Guy at the end of the bar has you covered for the rest of the night, Darlin’,” she tells me with a wink.
I down the first drink and chug down another. A few more minutes sipping on my third gives me courage to head down to his end. I take the seat on the stool next to him and plaster on my signature smile.
“Thank you. I’m Lena,” I tell him, extending my hand.
He shakes it with a strong grip, “You can call me Nix.”
“Well, Nick.”
He cuts me off with a killer smirk, “No, Nix like Stevie.”
“Well, Nix, I just came down here to thank you. I’d invite you home with me, but I’m getting too tipsy to be any fun, and I have a meeting with a pain in the ass in the morning.”
He laughs, and my goodness that laugh is magnificent. It’s deep, echoing out from his chest. I didn’t even say anything that funny.
“Let me put you in a taxi then. Will you let me do that for you, Lena?”
“Sure, Nix. I’ll let you do that.”
Nix gets up from his stool with one hand on my elbow to steady me and his hand held out to help me to my feet.
I let my head rest on his shoulder as we stand outside waiting for a car to pull up. I can’t help but look up into his brilliant green eyes. “You are walking, talking sex on a stick. Do you know that?”
He laughs again, flashing me that smile. “You are quite the smoldering beauty yourself.”
“You probably say that to all the drunk girls,” I giggle. I can’t help myself. I need to touch him, his face. He leans back, but after a moment’s hesitation, he leans back into my touch. I let my thumb trail his bottom lip. It’s so soft. So kissable.
“You are stirring up something inside of me. I’ll regret it in the morning if I don’t kiss you.”
“So let’s not live with regrets then,” I tell him with nerves and lust bundling together.
Nix pulls my hand from his face before lifting the lip of his ballcap to reveal his handsome face. He looks familiar, but I can’t tell from where. I don’t have much time to mull it over as his lips lower onto mine, slowly at first, until our urges give way to release something far more passionate than I expected. His tongue sweeps over mine, claiming my mouth for his pleasure, and he moans with a hunger that sets my center on fire.
I’m left speechless as my taxi pulls up and Nix pulls back. He walks me to the back door and opens it for me to hop inside. I give him a quick kiss before slipping into the back seat.
“Good night, Nix,” I smile. “It was nice meeting you.”
“Good night, Lena. And, believe me, the pleasure’s all mine.”
Chapter Two
Phoenix
By the time I crash onto the bed in my hotel room, my mind spins with fantasies of Lena. That flowing red hair begs for my fingers to run through it. Even in my drunken stupor, I picture those soft blue eyes trying to figure out where she knows me from. I’m glad she didn’t put two and two together. Once any woman recognizes me, they switch from wanting a simple one-night stand to my potential first ex-wife.
Lena’s mouth, those soft lips, I keep running scenario after scenario in my mind only to find my hand reaching for my cock, attempting to stroke her into fruition. It doesn’t take me long to coax that orgasm out of me. Sleep finds me shortly after.
The sun shines brightly in my suite as Elmo, my behemoth-sized bodyguard, ducks into my suite to draw the curtains open. He has to be at least 6’5” and 300 pounds. A solid wall of human flesh. He’s not the sharpest tool in the shed, but he gets the job done most of the time.
>
“Don’t open those,” I argue, turning away from the brightness of the morning.
“Sorry, Nix. Got a call from Mrs. Devereaux at Moda Properties to get the extra security precautions for the office. Tim’s on top of it, though. I just got off the phone with him, too. He let me know to get you down there by 8:15. It’s seven, and I know how long you take to get ready.”
Groans and growls rumble from deep inside my chest while I bury my face into a pillow. I wish it was buried between Lena’s thighs. I hate not being able to have what I want exactly when I want it.
I push thoughts of Lena out of my head and myself out of the bed. The shower is hot enough, and with Elmo in the room waiting for me, there’s no time to truly enjoy it. I’m ready in about half an hour, to my bodyguard’s approval. He drives us down to Moda Properties, and, to my surprise, it’s not far from that bar from last night.
My eyes scan every pedestrian on the street looking for the gorgeous redhead from the night before. Laughing to myself, I can see men out of place for downtown Sable City. They look like they’re part of a tactical team. The leader of this unit, Tim Caldwell, comes up to me with an earpiece and a mic I can’t see, barking orders to men inside the building.
Tim eyes Elmo from head to toe with disdain. “All clear, Mr. Orson.”
“Tim, please, call me Phoenix,” I urge him.
“Phoenix, the building is secure. We have two guys manning each staircase and one standing guard on the floor of Moda Properties. Your broker is waiting for you, and she’s a bit peeved at me, well, you for hiring me.”
“What did you do?” I chuckle.
“You failed to mention you have a credible threat to your security, and she thinks this is all a bit pompous and unnecessary. Either way, security is tight. You shouldn’t have any issues at all,” he pauses, glancing to Elmo, “I can come up with you, if you’d like.”
“Actually, you’re fine. Thanks a lot, Tim. Make sure to tell Colt I appreciate him lending Briarstone Security’s finest to me in such a pinch.”
“I’ll be sure to let him know.” Tim looks to Elmo one more time before nodding and heading off to finish sweeping the area. He’s mentioned to me more times than I can count to replace Elmo, but I just don’t have the heart to. So with my bodyguard by my side, we make our way upstairs to Moda Properties.
The people sitting at their desks try their best to divert their eyes from me, but I can see them whispering to each other. I sigh, pulling my ballcap lower to hide my face, and head into the conference room. I hear a voice that’s much more sober than last night. I can barely hold back my grin. Sure enough, my gut tingles and my cock twitches when I see her.
Lena stares at Elmo for a minute with a peculiar look in her eyes but fires off that mouth of hers. “Mr. Orson, I’m happy you’re able to join us. Have a seat and I can show you what I have in mind.”
I crack up listening to Elmo explain, “Err, um, Ma’am, I ain’t uh. I’m Elmo. Elmo Wells.”
I come out from behind the bodyguard with a smile, patting him on the back. “I got it from here, Moe.”
Lena’s wearing this navy blue suit that makes her baby blue eyes sparkle, highlighting the softest hint of freckles across her cheeks. That blazing red hair of hers is pulled back into a low ponytail, and she has her hand outstretched with a look saying she doesn’t remember a damn thing from last night.
When we have the room to ourselves, I close the door behind me and sit down at the opposite end of the table after shaking her hand firm enough to make me daydream about having it wrapped around me.
“I’m sorry for the confusion, Mr. Orson,” she giggles.
“Good morning, Lena,” I smirk, waiting for her to connect the dots. “And please, call me Phoenix, or Nix.”
Chapter Three
Lena
Mortification.
Embarrassment.
Knock me over with a feather. I swallow a large gulp of nothing as flashes of last night replay in front of my eyes when Mr. Phoenix Orson sits down across from me in the conference room. I’m in deep.
“Nix, like Stevie?” I close my eyes, hoping it isn’t, but the smile on this man’s unbelievably handsome face says it is.
“You got it,” he grins, raising his eyebrows up and down. He tosses his ballcap on the table and, just like a shampoo commercial, shakes his hair loose, letting it fall around his shoulders. How did I miss that last night?
When he gets out of his seat, seeing Phoenix Orson in the daylight knocks the wind out of me. Bold evergreen eyes lock onto mine while he moves closer to me with no intention of keeping things professional.
“It is a small world after all,” he practically growls.
“Too small, if you ask me.” I back away from him, very much aware of how things may look. “We need to open that door.”
“We can, but my security measures dictate a closed-door meeting. Didn’t you get the memo?”
I can’t tell if he’s teasing me or being serious. “I got it.”
“So, I’m sure you don’t have a problem with accommodating a high-profile client? Although I do understand if I’m being a pain in the ass.”
Heat rushes to my cheeks. “I’m sorry about that. I didn’t realize, I mean, that is to say, I had no idea. If you’d like for me to get Mrs. Devereaux to—”
Phoenix steps closer, igniting something fiery inside of me. He puts a finger to my lips. I close my eyes, letting him touch me. He rubs his thumb across my bottom lip, mimicking the same move I pulled on him the night before. He lowers his head until his lips are directly on mine. “Don’t you dare try to duck out on me again. Bad enough I lost you to a taxi last night. You, my dear Lena, won’t get away from me that easily.”
The sound of someone fumbling with the doorknob breaks us apart like two teenagers caught under the bleachers. Phoenix makes his way to the windows as Mona’s eyes dance between the two of us.
“Phoenix Orson, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” She shakes his hand. “I’m Mona Devereaux, CEO of Moda. Is Miss Pendleton taking good care of you?”
“She’s taking wonderful care of me,” he tells her with a quick wink to me. “Matter of fact, we’re about to head out to look at some properties right now. I’m sure you’ll be happy to get my security team out of everyone’s hair. I just hate being such a pain in the ass.”
I cringe at the words, knowing he’s never going to let me live it down. Mona eyes the two of us with a furrowed brow. “Okay. I guess, keep me posted if you need anything else from us and we’ll be happy to oblige you, Mr. Orson.”
“Phoenix, please,” he tells her with a slight nod.
Mona leaves without another word but still manages to throw a knowing look my way.
“Now, where were we?” Phoenix grins, closing the door once again.
“We were just sitting down to discuss your expectations of me as your realtor, Mr. Orson.”
He lets out a heavy sigh and pulls out a chair for me to sit. He takes the seat across from me and leans in. I pull out a few property listings, fanning them out like playing cards in front of him. For the first time since I’ve met him, Phoenix frowns.
He scrunches his face, turning the pages upside down and around as he looks at the snapshots of each property. “This one on Woodsworth isn’t going to work, and neither is this one on Hayworth. This building, the Essex? I like Rex, believe me I do, but he doesn’t do subtle. I want quiet and private. I want security. I need—”
“I get it. You need to keep the mobs of fans away.”
He shifts uncomfortably in his chair. I certainly hit a nerve with that observation.
“I know we had something going on between us.”
Had?
He continues, “But I need you to take my specifications seriously no matter how pompous or unnecessary you believe they are!”
“I am taking them seriously! You’re not even giving them a chance. You’re shooting them down as if any of these properties are move-in ready! This i
sn’t New York or L.A., Mr. Orson. This is Sable! We have the means to accommodate you, but all of the properties in and out of your budget need work. The best way to assess these is in person!”
“I understand that, but I also don’t want to waste time looking at properties that won’t work at all. Some things just can’t be tweaked or fixed.”
“Forgive me, Mr. Orson—”
“Please, Lena—”
“Miss Pendleton,” I correct him.
“Miss Pendleton,” he replies snidely, “If you’re not going to call me Nix, at least call me Phoenix. Mr. Orson is my father, or worse, my lawyer brother.”
“Fine, Phoenix,” I say, refusing to get too comfortable with him, “Can we at least agree to not waste any more time? Let’s pick out your favorites here. I’ll do some more research and gather a few more options. We can take a day or two to see them all? Either that, or I can find another broker to handle your special requests.”
His energy shifts the moment I suggest changing brokers. That devastatingly handsome charm turns on like the flick of a switch. Phoenix takes my hands into his. “Now, we may bicker about my expectations, but I was serious about not letting you go. Work with me, Lena.”
“I’m trying to, Phoenix, but you really are being a pain in the ass.”
Chapter Four
Phoenix
This woman and her mouth do things to me I wish we could address behind closed doors, or even better, between the sheets. We decide to move from the conference room into her office, which only makes me want to sweep everything off of her desk to lay her across it and ravish her body until she screams my name. Instead, I sit there watching her work feverishly to find me a few properties to look at.
