He knew she expected him to cover her body and take her. Instead, he thrust his hands beneath her bottom and lifted her to his mouth. At the first gentle stroke of his tongue against her tight heat, her chin tilted up, a soft moan spilling out. A sound that tightened his groin. She tasted sweet as he slowly stroked over her clit, swirling the bud, until he dipped lower and groaned at her lovely wetness. She shuddered beneath him, and a quick look up at her revealed those cheeks were even darker than he’d hoped. Over and over again, he teased her, taking her right to the edge, then slowing down. Making her wild. When she gave a loud moan and a hard tremble, he lowered her bottom down to the chaise again then knelt in front of her. She reached for his arms then, holding him in such a way that felt far too intimate for the surroundings. It occurred to him that this woman was unlike anyone he’d met before. A virgin, shy, but also full of passion. The contradiction fascinated and intrigued him.
Unable to look away from her, he swiped his thumb over her clit. Her lips parted, and soft moans spilled out. A sound so beautiful, he accepted the invitation. He leaned over and kissed her as he stroked his fingers down her drenched folds. She tightened her lips on his when he slid one finger inside her tight heat and slowly worked her over. By the time he inserted another finger, her fingernails were digging into his arms. Not to stop him, but to bring him closer. Every swipe of her tongue against his was begging for him to take her where she’d never gone.
Tonight, he’d take her far past that.
Her breaths became heavy, her moans louder as she broke away from the kiss, her chin angling up. He was tempted to continue driving her wild with his fingers, but he knew better. She’d accept him easier on the edge of her pleasure. And with only her comfort and safety on his mind, he sheathed himself in the condom. He shifted closer, staying on his knees between her spread thighs. He became lost in the sweetness of her eyes. Something in her soul, keeping him transfixed. He only looked away to drench the tip of his cock in her arousal. Around him, he sensed the crowd go quiet, eager for what came next.
A whimper escaped her as he inserted just the tip, and he met her eyes. The crowd faded once again, and the most unexpected reaction overtook him. With a hand on her hip, he did what he’d never done with anyone to walk through Phoenix’s doors; he cupped her face intimately and held her gaze, keeping her attention on him. Protecting her, shielding her, becoming absorbed in her. Lost in all the unexpected magic that silently passed between them, he thrust forward, her shocked gasp echoing around him. His eyes shut of their own accord at her tight heat squeezing him like a damn vise. A low groan spilled from his lips as he slowly pulled out, staring down at the blood of her innocence. He looked to her face again, but the heated eyes he expected to see weren’t on him. Nor was her mask. Her bare face revealing hurt, hatred, and rage all directed at someone in the crowd. Then a single tear fell down her beautiful face, and a protective burn coursed through his veins while a haunting truth dawned on him.
This woman had an agenda tonight, and Rhys had played right into her plan.
Chapter 2
Zoey pushed past the pinch stealing her breath as the very innocence that had felt like a dark cloud over her life was finally broken. Oh, how much easier it would be to get lost in the masked man deep inside her. The sculpted lines of his face, squared jaw, jet-black hair, and gray eyes looked oddly familiar, but she couldn’t place if, or where, she’d met him. Most of all, his touch felt good, so not what she had expected for tonight. It made no sense, but she’d swear she knew him and had kissed him a hundred times before now. Gorgeous and seductive, he oozed a passion she’d never known in her life. Like, if she allowed herself, she could let go, and his capable hands and strong, muscular body could take her places she’d never gone, and she’d be safe. But that delight was never meant for her. Only one thing had brought Zoey to Phoenix tonight. Justice. And even with their masks on, across the room, she knew the men who’d altered the direction of her life, Jake Grant and Scott Ross, were there, in attendance, watching her lose her virginity. When her lover for the night had withdrawn from her and she caught sight of the proof of her virginity, and knew everyone else did too, she had slid her mask off as accidentally as she could. Sweet revenge filled her when both Jake and Scott rose from their seats.
She let every emotion they’d made her feel for the last year show on her face. She nearly didn’t do it. She threw up before the show and almost walked out twice. But she did it, and tonight, she’d leave all the pain, all the trauma, all of it, right there. Tomorrow was a new day, with new beginnings, where she wouldn’t be stuck in a loop of the past. She could return to the old her. The shy her. The one who would never do something this bold. The woman who trusted blindly, who wanted to find love, who believed people were inherently good.
A soft swipe brushed across her face, and she realized the man hovering above her was touching her. Only then did she notice he was wiping away her tears. Some emotion appeared in his eyes, something protective and fierce. Something that made her feel oddly safe, even when she’d never been more exposed, both physically and emotionally. And that was the most unexpected reaction of all, that being watched, under this man’s care, stole her timidity away. She’d expected to hate his touch, not to want more of him while a crowd watched, and she certainly hadn’t expected to feel safe with him. She had a plan for tonight, but that plan was fading under his penetrating stare. The truth was as clear as it was surprising; she wanted more.
The masked man glanced over his shoulder, and she caught the narrowing of his eyes. She didn’t need to look to know he saw Jake and Scott, maybe even noticed the paleness of their faces under their masks before they both left the room.
When his focus returned to her, there was a hard question in his eyes. It would go unanswered. She never planned on telling him, regardless of how much she wanted to beg him to keep going. She owed this man—any man—nothing. He obviously thought otherwise, since he dropped his mouth to her ear and said, “You will tell me the truth.”
She never got to respond. He dropped a kiss on her mouth that stole every single thought right out of her head. All the heat that had vanished was back with the intensity of his kiss. With each powerful move of sheer seduction, she began to forget. Forget why she’d come there tonight. Why she’d spent the last year tracking Jake’s and Scott’s emails and text messages to find a way to get justice. To prove to them, and herself, that she was not the whore they’d made her out to be. That she was, until a moment ago, a virgin. And that they never broke her. That she could be this bold, this brave, and that no matter what they had done, they didn’t destroy her.
No matter what everyone on campus thought, she knew the truth. And now they did too.
The masked man’s mouth moved with intent, his finger stroking over her clit until her eyes rolled back into her head from the hot pleasure. His kisses and sizzling touches were beyond anything she’d ever experienced before. They weren’t to take; they were to give. Obviously, he enjoyed pleasuring a woman, and she’d never felt so wanted, so beautiful…all the things she’d never felt before in her life. A sudden gasp was pulled from deep in her chest when he took hold of her knee, sliding it up a little as he shifted his hips. His cock felt impossibly huge, stretching her until a whimper escaped her mouth.
The noise only made him deepen his kiss. Then his mouth slid to her neck, her breast, her nipple, sucking and playing until her body was lit up. Every touch rocked through her and to her core. Every stroke tickled in all the right places. His body felt like a beacon of light, and she felt consumed by the warmth of him.
She sensed the crowd watching, but she couldn’t find shame. In fact, she liked that she held their attention. That she was the reason they were likely turned on. That they were enamored by her. The masked man broke the kiss with a low groan that rumbled in her belly, and he cupped her face. Holding her pinned, he moved faster, and the pleasure…oh, the pleasure was endless, making her curl her toes and arch her back.
But she wasn’t meant to enjoy this, to need this, to fully let go. She bit her lip, struggling against where he took her, not wanting to give him everything.
His fingers tightened in her hair. A low growl rumbled beside her ear. “Don’t fight me.”
She snapped her eyes open to his burning gaze beneath his mask. Trapped in the power of that stare and enduring thrusts that sent never-ending pleasure coursing into every molecule of her body, her breath hitched. He drove in harder and grinned when she shuddered.
He brought his mouth close to hers then nipped her lip. “That’s right, sweetheart, give me what I want.”
What happened next was completely unexpected. He thrust once, hard enough to make her scream again, and any pleasure she thought she’d had before this moment, was incomparable to the sheer force that stormed over. Wave after wave of penetrating euphoria blasted across her senses until there was no man, no crowd, no Phoenix, only the intensity erupting deep in her soul.
Sometime later, a round of applause forced her to reopen her eyes. She wiggled her toes, but her legs were heavy. Far too heavy to move. She found herself staring into the masked man’s gorgeous eyes, his softer cock still buried deep inside her. Her first surprise was that the fire in his gaze hadn’t lessened. The second was that the protectiveness she felt emanating from him seemed stronger now.
Tonight, she did what she’d planned to do, and suddenly, the weight of the last year slammed into her. Her throat squeezed and chin quivered. The masked man above her held her stare, almost like he knew she was about to break apart, and yet, he didn’t look bothered. No, he looked…ready.
“Breathe,” he told her gently.
She let out the air stuck in her tight throat. A moment later, the crowd began to leave the room, talking and laughing like they hadn’t just witnessed her having sex for the first time. Maybe this was normal for them, but it certainly wasn’t normal for her. And with Jake and Scott gone, her heart had a moment to ask…what did you just do?
When she heard the door click shut, the masked man, still deep inside her, did the most unexpected thing. He gathered her in his arms until she was sitting on him, and then he put a hand on the back of her head to hold her close.
He said absolutely nothing, but his hold tightened, and the warmth he exuded shattered something inside of her.
The tears she’d fought broke free. The pain of a year, spilling out. The loss of her dreams, of what never was, emptying into this stranger’s arms.
Only when her tears dried did he shift and cup her face intimately. He held her stare like he owed her something. And then he gently kissed her, almost like a thank you for what she’d given him. She became just as lost as she’d been before. Taken to a place where her heart could nearly believe all men weren’t bad.
When he finally broke the kiss, he lifted her until he set her on her feet. She felt the heat of her blush rush over her cheeks, now reminded she was naked and not nearly as brave as she’d portrayed earlier tonight. He grabbed the black silk robe from the tray and dressed her. With a gentle look in his eyes, he fastened the robe and said, “I’ll give you a moment. Then I expect to hear exactly who you are and what the hell game you were playing tonight.”
Instead of lying, since she was never very good at that, she simply nodded. Naked, with the full condom still wrapped around his gorgeous cock, she watched him leave, his solid, muscled ass and flexing back, holding her full attention. How easy it would be to believe men could be good. That she could trust them. But men lied. They destroyed lives. She didn’t owe any man a damn thing, certainly not a stranger who thought she owed him her pain.
Chapter 3
When Rhys returned home later that evening, hot irritation licked through his veins. After dressing at the end of the show, he’d returned to talk with the woman he learned from Archer was named Zoey Parker, only to discover that she’d snuck out and took off. Rhys lived by strict rules. It kept Phoenix safe. He only slept with a woman once. No star appeared multiple times at the club. Only members were allowed in the building, except for the stars of the show, who went through Archer’s grueling vetting process. And finally, Rhys didn’t ask for any personal information about his stars. He didn’t know the names of the women he slept with. He kept things strictly professional. Zoey had him breaking his ironclad rules, and that didn’t sit well.
To rid himself of his mood, he showered off his frustration and prepared his house for poker night. He lived on the Lower East Side, enjoying the energy of the neighborhood. The trendy bars, nightclubs, and music venues gave him life when he needed it after Katherine, his college sweetheart, passed away from cancer. While his income had grown substantially since he bought the one-bedroom condo ten years ago, he never felt the urge to move. But he had done some renovations, adding modern gray slate kitchen cabinets. An up-and-coming painter had created a woman’s face on the kitchen wall in black and white. Her eyes had always looked haunted to Rhys. He realized now that he’d seen those eyes earlier. Zoey’s eyes were the same, and he couldn’t get them out of his head.
The large room was furnished with a mustard-colored couch and chrome tables. The back wall was all glass from floor to ceiling, offering a gorgeous view of Manhattan, the city lights glowing as bright as ever. To the right of that glass was a door leading to his rooftop patio, the original reason he’d bought the property. Ten years ago, there were tiny trees and plants there. Now his pool, hot tub, and sitting area could beat any park in New York City.
When he reached for beers in the fridge, there was a knock on the door. It opened a moment later, and his good friend, Kieran Black, a firefighter with the New York City Fire Department, entered. He had dirty-blond hair and strong green eyes that were both trusting and warm. His lean body came from hours of training for the Ironman Triathlon. Kieran took one look at Rhys’ face and asked, “Who do I need to kill?”
Beers in hand, Rhys shut the fridge and snorted. “You’re too good to kill anyone for me.”
Beside Kieran, Hunt Walker, a homicide detective for the New York Police Department, grinned sheepishly. “But I’m not. How do you want them dead, slow with a knife or fast with a gun?” His light-brown eyes held a slightly harder edge, like he’d seen things that would break most people. His tall and muscular physique intimated grown men. His messy golden-brown hair gave the appearance that he was easy-going, and typically, he was.
Kieran and Hunt were lifelong friends. Rhys had met them through his sexual interludes at private parties during college, as with Archer, and the friendship stuck. Brothers, not by blood but something deeper. A tight connection that remained important in Rhys’ life. And along with Archer, both men often partook in the shows at Phoenix.
“While I thank you for the offer to kill someone for me,” Rhys muttered. “It’s not necessary. We had a situation tonight at the show.”
Of course, Hunt missed nothing. As he took a seat at the poker table set up in Rhys’ living room, he asked, “Archer missed something in vetting that virgin?”
Rhys placed the beers in the cup holders. “That’s what I’m waiting to find out.”
Kieran dropped down into his usual spot across from Rhys. “That’s unlike Archer to miss anything. What happened?”
Rhys took his seat and cracked open his beer. “This woman, Zoey, took off her mask and showed her face to two members, who left the moment they saw her.”
At that, Hunt straightened in his seat. “She identified herself on purpose?”
Rhys acknowledged that frustrating realization with a heavy nod. “I’ve got Archer looking into her and what fucking game she was playing.”
“Damn,” Kieran breathed. “I pity her, then.”
Before Rhys could reply, another knock came at the door. Archer strode in, his jaw set. “Sorry I’m late,” he said by way of greeting.
Every Friday night was poker night. The game had been long-standing, with luck usually landing on Kieran’s side, who now said to Archer, “For your tardiness, you
’re throwing an extra hundred into the pot.”
As cool as always, Archer grabbed his beer, cracked it open, and took a long gulp. “Rhys can toss that cash in. He’s the one making me hunt down information from a year ago.”
No secrets were held between Rhys and his chosen family. They were his sounding board, his confidants in his world of so many secrets, the only people Rhys trusted. He shuffled the deck of cards and nodded Archer on. “Let’s hear what you found.”
“As you know, the woman is Zoey Parker,” Archer reported, taking his seat at the table. “In college, she got drunk at a party, and two frat fools took a picture of her naked. I got hold of it.” The long pause that followed said enough about what type of photograph it was, but Archer added anyway, “It’s explicit.”
Rhys didn’t like where this was going. “All right, go on.”
Archer set his beer back in the cup holder on the poker table. “From what I discovered, rumors about her being a slut, a whore, trash—any name you can think of—spread like wildfire throughout the campus. She was bullied for the final two months of school, and it was bad. Most of the things in that file came from old social media posts.”
Hunt asked, “Which is why you didn’t find this out during vetting?”
Archer’s jaw muscles clenched twice. Then he nodded. “This situation is unusual. Her profile is gone now, so her name wasn’t linked to the social media post, which is why it didn’t show up in my background check. Zoey never reported the incident to the NYPD or the college police, so there’s no paperwork on her assault.”
“Wonder why that is,” Kieran murmured.
Watch Me (Phoenix Book 1) Page 2
