Phoenix Rising: Issue #2 (Pretty Boy Rock)

by S R Watson

  We had lunch, walked the streets of Nevada, played games, and finally ended up at a movie theater. His phone went off a few times, but he sent it to voicemail every time.

  “Do the guys know where we are? They’re not waiting for us to leave, are they?” Is that what the missed calls are for?

  “No. I messaged them and told them you were with me. Asher already told me what time we needed to be back.” The new X-Men movie is out, so we decide to get tickets to that. Sevyn has been great at distracting me today or “rescuing” me as he calls it. He’s been a perfect gentleman too. Once we’re in our seats, I realize that our hands have been intertwined all day, aside from the time I was kicking his ass at video games. This is a change of pace from today’s playful activities. This is more intimate. He pulls me a little closer, and I take in the scent of his cologne. He smells really good. There is a seat handle between our two seats that keeps me from snuggling closer. The theater begins to fill, but at this moment, it’s just us.

  “Thank you for today,” I say softly, even though movie trailers are playing, and the actual movie hasn’t started yet. He leans closer and I don’t move. His lips find mine, and he kisses me gently at first. He takes his hand from mine to cup behind my neck. He deepens the kiss, and I swear my panties are soaked within seconds. I open for him, and he takes my mouth with such conviction. I run my hands down his chest, and he growls. He pulls back, and I instantly feel bereft.

  My lips tingle from his assault. Holy shit, this man can kiss. He’s fucking amazing at this rescuing thing. His hooded lids tells me he felt it too.

  He jumps up all of a sudden and pulls me with him. He takes me to an empty corridor and boosts me up so that my legs can wrap around his waist. He pushes my back against the wall and palms my ass while he takes my mouth again. I can feel the hardness of his dick through my sweats. I shamelessly rub myself against it as I suck on his tongue. I’m dizzy with how good this feels. I feel my orgasm building, and I’m powerless to stop it. He pushes me farther against his erection, and I come undone. When I stop moving, he just smiles.

  “I need to use the ladies' room.” I feel my cheeks heating. I’m sure my face is turning red.

  “I bet.” He smirks. “Was it good for you?” I cover my eyes, but he removes my hands. I look down to see the hard imprint of his cock against his jeans.

  “I’ll be back,” I say as he lets me go. He winks, and I head down the hall to find a bathroom. I’m not wearing any panties, and my pussy is soaked. I can’t believe that just happened. And in a public place where we could have been caught. I don’t know what came over me.

  For the duration of the movie, Sevyn doesn’t make any attempt to hold my hand again. When it’s over, we start our ten-minute trek back to the bus. He is noticeably quiet, and it makes me feel like I did something wrong.

  “Can you just say something? Are you upset with me?” I finally ask.

  “No. Why would I be mad at you?” He shoves his hands in his pockets and looks off into the distance. His words are filled with remorse, so I probe further.

  “You haven’t said more than two words at a time since I…since I did that to you,” I point out.

  “I made a mistake, Harlow.” He lets out a long sigh. “I shouldn’t have kissed you, and I damn sure shouldn’t have taken you into that hallway. I started it all, not you.”

  “So I’m a mistake?” I ask, shocked.

  He winces at my words. “You’re not a mistake. My actions were. I took advantage of your vulnerability. It’s not me that you want. I think you and I both know that.”

  “Please save me the ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ bullshit.” I stop in the middle of the sidewalk. We’re getting closer to the bus, and I’m not ready to go back. “Fucking thanks. Now that I’ve managed to be rejected by both brothers, my day is complete.” People go around us. I’m pretty sure I look like a crazy person, but I don’t care.

  “Will you just stop? That’s not what I’m doing at all. I think you are a gorgeous woman. If circumstances were different, you couldn’t keep me from pursuing you. I can’t have you, so it was wrong to…” His voice trails off.

  “Whatever, Sevyn. No worries. I don’t need your ‘let her down easy’ speech. We did nothing wrong. Phoenix made it clear he’s not interested in having anything other than a friendship with me. He reiterated that fucking point when he brought his ex onto the bus and banged her damn brains out in the very room where he spent the day before with me.”

  “Harlow, the fact that you were once his means you could never be mine. You weren’t just some woman in his life. He made you his girlfriend, and that’s pretty fucking significant. He doesn’t do relationships. You and Melissa were his only two exceptions. Regardless of the wall he has up now, you meant something to him.” He looks off again. He pauses for a brief second before he continues. “The mistake is not you. The mistake was letting what I was feeling cloud what I know to be wrong. He is who you want, but you settled for me because of our resemblance. I’m sorry.”

  “Just forget it. It was a slip. We’ll leave it that and pretend it never happened.” I start walking again. I can’t get away from his regret fast enough. It makes me feel pretty shitty. I know what he said was legitimate. Indeed it goes against some kind of bro code to mess with your brother’s ex-girlfriend. It was still nice to feel wanted for a little while.

  I’m the first to board the bus, with Sevyn only steps behind me. It’s nearly five in the afternoon. Asher and Lily are vegging out, watching reality TV. Asher tells us we’re rolling out in an hour and that everyone else is off taking a nap in the bunks. Sevyn walks past us and announces he is going to go take a nap as well.

  “Did you enjoy your time-out?” Asher asks. Lily eyes me closely. I was supposed to have some girl talk with her, and I pushed her away earlier. “Sevyn messaged me and told me that since everybody had kind of paired off that he was just going hang out with you for the day.” Great. Now I feel like I was a project that was the last one picked.

  “We had a blast. It has been a long time since I could act like a kid and play arcade games.” I only tell him about part of our outing for obvious reasons. “I guess I’ll take a nap too. It’s been a long day.”

  “Okay. Glad you had fun,” he assures.

  “Will talk with you later, Lil,” I say, so she knows I’ll fill her in later.

  Chapter Twelve

  Phoenix

  When I wake up, the room is completely dark. I don’t have to turn the light on to know that I’m alone in bed. I can hear the guys talking on the other side of the door, and I smell chicken. I live on that shit so I can pick that scent out with ease. Maybe Sevyn is taking pity on my diet. That fucker is a master in the kitchen, and I could never resist his cooking. I flip the light on and look for a T-shirt to throw on with my shorts.

  I guess Melissa is out there. She has been surprisingly different these past couple of days—attentive. She didn’t even get upset when I told her I didn’t want to just jump back into how we left things. I don’t know what has come over her. She’s my match with the kinky shit that I’m into. I wouldn’t have to instruct her on what I like or test her boundaries. We just complement each other sexually. This was my chance to have the kinky sex I’ve had to restrain from, yet I just couldn’t go there. Something is holding me back. Melissa was understanding and told me she’s just happy I let her apologize. I gave her one of my shirts last night after her shower because she didn’t bring any clothes, but I’m sure the entire bus thinks we fucked. Truth is, we spent time catching up. There were guys that she thought she could move on with, but none of them were me. I even told her the damn story of my life that I promised myself I would never tell again. Unlike Harlow, I felt like she really listened. She was the comfort that I needed. Ironic that she was why I found a way to take back control when I needed an outlet.

  I’m almost out of the bedroom when I hear the music cranked up to ignorant levels. Paula Cole’s “Where Have All the Co
wboys Gone?” What the hell? We’ve been on the road for a week now, and this is the first time we’ve played any music. Then I hear her. “I will do the laundry, if you pay all the bills,” Harlow sings. I’ve heard her sing once before, but shit, she’s got some pipes. Her back is to me, and she has one of our cordless mics up to her mouth. I’m so enthralled with her singing, it takes me a second to realize Melissa is watching my reaction from the kitchen. She isn’t seated around the living room like everybody else who’s enjoying Harlow’s performance. I go to her, and she hands me a plate of baked chicken breast and Brussels sprouts.

  “I cooked for you,” she says. I see the question in her eyes. “I remember you like to eat healthy. Killian fried some chicken, but I thought I should make sure you had yours baked.” I pull her into a hug.

  “It seems our guests are doing more cooking than we are,” I joke. “Seriously, though. Thank you for looking out for me, Melissa.” I take my food over to the table, and she follows me.

  “So she can sing, huh?” She points toward Harlow, who is now sitting next to Asher.

  “Yeah. She’s pretty good. What are they doing?”

  “They’re having some sort of karaoke night. They’re drawing names. Whoever draws your name gets to pick which song you’re going to sing,” She says, explaining their little game.

  “Why aren’t you playing?” I ask between bites.

  “One, I can’t sing, and two, I didn’t feel like it.” I nod my understanding, and some time passes before she continues.

  “Do you like her?” Should have seen that one coming.

  “Who?” I ask, knowing damn well where she’s going with this.

  “The girl singing…Harlow, I think is her name?”

  “No. She’s Asher’s sister. He’d kick my ass.” My answer is partly true, at least. Melissa rolls her eyes and shoves me lightly.

  “I wouldn’t doubt that, but that doesn’t mean you don’t want to fuck her. Is she the reason you’re holding back with us?” I stop eating and give her my full attention. She needs to know I’m serious.

  “Melissa, there is no us. I haven’t done anything with you because I don’t want you to misinterpret what’s going on here. It was great catching up last night, but you can’t just undo everything with one visit and think things are just going to resume where they left off. At this point in my life, I’m not looking to be in a relationship with anybody. I’m sorry if you got the wrong impression.” The disappointment is evident. I’m so glad I didn’t let my dick take the lead on this one. I already hurt Harlow, and maybe even Ivy. This is a prime example of why I need to keep my shit away from people I will have to deal with regularly. Feelings get involved, and it’s messy.

  “No need to explain, Phoenix. I get it. I gave my apology, you accepted, that’s all that I can ask for. I didn’t get on this bus to be your fuck, either. I’ll be getting off once the bus stops again and getting a return plane ticket home. I wish you the best.” She goes to get up, but I put a hand over hers.

  “Still friends?” I don’t want to unravel the process that we’ve made at mending things.

  “Of course we are. You can’t get rid of me in your life that easily. I’ll stay in touch,” she promises.

  “You better,” I warn jokingly. “Hang with me tonight. We’ll watch shit TV again in the room. Nothing more. Just enjoying each other’s company for one more night before you leave.” She agrees, so I finish my dinner and bring her back to the room with me.

  “Surprised you don’t still have your game,” she mentions. It’s been forever since I’ve fucking played, but I do have it. I’m the only gamer out of us all, but I rarely get to play anymore.

  “Just you wait.” I go to the closet and rummage through my shit until I come across my PS4 and the Tekken fighting game she used to like to play. When she sees it, she squeals and grabs it from me.

  “I can’t believe you still have this. You bought this for me, remember? You’re such a little thief.”

  “Whatever. You ready to get your ass handed to you?” I used to always let her win. Tonight I’ll let her win sometimes. She needs to get ready for my ninja moves.

  “If my memory serves me correctly, I was the one doing all the ass-kicking.” She giggles at that. She has no idea. I’m going to have to teach her a lesson. While I set the game up, she leaves to go get us drinks—cucumber sparkling water to be exact. I don’t really need the frou-frou shit, but I’ll indulge her. We play until neither of us can keep our eyes open.

  I lost track of how many times I kicked her ass, but she managed to pull out some wins here and there. She’s definitely gotten better since the last time we played. I turn off the game and pull the covers back so we can get farther into the bed. She wraps her arms around me, and I let her cuddle. She’s shown a different person from the girl who walked away from me. I will hold onto this memory instead of the tarnished one. With redemption comes peace.

  Harlow

  Phoenix only came out to eat last night before he went back into the room with Melissa. I watch her cater to him with her cooking. They look so cute together. Last night I heard laughter and what sounded like video games coming from the room until I finally dozed off. He was never that way with me, and it makes me even sadder. I realize I never had his heart the way she apparently still does. It’s time I accept the truth. Things will never be the same. He came into my life at a time when I needed someone to get through to me. I don’t know if I could have come out of my introverted shell without him. Lord knows Irelyn tried. I need to be productive today and start organizing some of these notes. I grab my laptop and head to the living area. Asher and Lily are doing their own thing, as usual. Doing a crossword puzzle from what I can tell. I don’t see Ren or Sevyn, and I’m guessing Phoenix is still in the room with Melissa. Killian walks into the room, coming from the front of the bus.

  “Finally.” He claps his hands in excitement. “Listen up. Tonight our asses will party. Gus says we’ll be arriving in Phoenix in an hour. We’ll be staying there for a couple of days, so Anderson rented a mansion. He’s using his hookup to get the word out that we’re having a fucking party tonight. Only people who have gotten any ass are you and Phoenix,” he says, pointing at Asher.

  “Settle down, Killian. We need to find time to rehearse too. The concert is tomorrow night, and we haven’t had a chance to work with Wild Silence on what songs we’ll bring them in on.”

  “Yeah, we can do that tomorrow morning. We know our shit. Tonight, we party. We have been boring as shit. I’m ready to cut loose for a bit.” Killian does a little dance. He’s already in party mode. “Finally,” he says again, more to himself.

  “Let’s at least have a meeting. We need to discuss new songs and see if Phoenix has written anymore,” Asher suggests. “Let’s go tell him we need the room.” The door opens at that moment, and Phoenix walks into the living area.

  “Where’s my brother?” he asks, looking around.

  “He’s up front talking with Gus,” Killian tells him. He fills him in on the party tonight and Asher’s request for a band meeting.

  “Sure, man,” Phoenix says, turning to Asher. “Melissa is in the shower right now, and I need to speak to my brother real quick. After that, let’s do it.” Asher gives him the thumbs-up from the sofa. Phoenix grabs his brother from the front, and then they go into the bedroom and shut the door.

  Phoenix

  “Hey man, just wanted to hash out this plan of yours. Sorry, it just seems like we could never get any alone time with the concerts and old flames showing back up in my life,” I laugh. “I know you have to get back to New York tomorrow.”

  “Yeah, I booked my return flight this morning. It’s was nice just to enjoy my visit with you and the guys without the weight of the business on our shoulders my entire visit.”

  “True,” I agree. “So, what’s this plan you had?”

  “Well, our father signed over his shares to me before I contacted you. The cancer has spread, and
it’s just a matter of time. He’s been away from the office a lot to keep people from realizing he’s sick. The board members and shareholders think he is just staying away to give me the space I need to thrive. I’m his protégé, and they know he’s grooming me to take over the company.”

  “So, this is a good thing. You already had your own shares in the company, so with his shares, you should have controlling interest now.” I guess I don’t understand what the problem is.

  “I wish it was that simple, Phoenix. Dad had fifty-one percent of the controlling shares and issued me nine percent when he brought me on. The purpose was to give us a combined sixty percent because certain decisions, especially major decisions, require a ten percent margin of a majority vote. His fifty-one percent wouldn’t be enough if the other forty-nine percent opposed a proposal.” Sevyn takes a seat on the bed, and the bouncing of his knee indicates he doesn’t think I’ll like what comes next.

  “Just give me the bad news, Sevyn.”

  “Well, I think our father went to London to offer Morgan Investments a stake in the company. If he does that, he would have to offer them my original nine percent of shares since he can’t take them from the other shareholders. I’d still have the fifty-one percent, but now if this Morgan person decides to band together with the other shareholders once our secret comes out, they win. We will be blocked from automatically bringing you onboard. We’d be at their mercy to decide your fate within the company, if at all,” he says.

  “Why would Claude do that? He had to know that it was a possibility they could join forces against you.” I shake my head. Even with death at the door, he still manages to fuck me.