Phoenix

by Love Hadley

I set my bag in the bottom drawer, taking full notice of the woman sitting in the chair. She’s short with black hair trimmed on the sides and fluffy across the top. Her eyes are big, bold, confident, brown, and now very angrily fixating on me.

  “You’re sleeping with my husband!” she stammers wildly.

  “Excuse me?” Confusion bundles with anxiety, tingling in my gut. “I’m not sleeping with anyone’s husband. Who are you?”

  “I am Marla Orson, and you’ve been dating my husband, Phoenix!” she explodes. I can see the faces of my colleagues shifting toward my door, which I close for good measure.

  “There has to be some sort of mistake,” I chuckle nervously. “Phoenix Orson isn’t married.”

  “So you’re not denying that you’re sleeping with him? He is married! He’s married to me, and you’d better leave him alone before I get my attorneys involved! It’s bad enough you’re being seen all over town showing him houses and letting him fuck you all over kitchen countertops! You’re making a fool out of all of us and yourself!”

  “Ma’am—”

  “Mrs. Orson!”

  “Whatever,” I huff, “There is some sort of mistake! I am not having sex with a married man!”

  “You are!” She pulls a picture from her bag and slams it on my desk. “You take a look at that, you homewrecking floozy!”

  The picture has a crease in it, showing the age of the picture. Sure as the sky is blue, Phoenix is standing there with this woman. They’re lip locked, and my heart is breaking. I don’t want to believe he’s been lying to me this entire time. That doesn’t make sense.

  “I don’t care how you deny it or explain it, but you need to stop sleeping with my husband right now!” the woman demands, intruding on my thoughts.

  “I’m not sleeping with your husband or anyone else’s! Now, if you don’t mind, I have work to do.” I hold the door open for her to leave. I can only hope for her to leave quietly, but there isn’t a chance in hell as she continues to shout on her way to the elevators.

  “You’re sleeping with my husband, you cheap slut! You’ll regret this! Your entire company will! You’ll be hearing from my lawyers!” she shouts.

  The minute she’s out of sight, I turn to the floor with everyone’s eyes on me. “That woman’s nuts! Please get back to work!”

  Everyone exchanges glances before turning their attention back to the work in front of them. My mind drifts to Phoenix as I make my way back into my office to call him. He’s going to get a kick out of this.

  I barely have the chance to get the phone off the hook when Mona shows up at my office door. “Before you say anything, I’ve already gotten rid of her. It won’t happen again. I’m going to get on the phone with Nix right now to let him know. He probably knows who that is.”

  Mona closes my door, folding her arms across her chest. “Please tell me you’re not sleeping with Phoenix Orson.”

  My heart plummets because I don’t want to lie to her. “I can promise you, Mona, that whatever happens in my personal life, happens after hours. There’s no legitimacy to her claims. She’s not his wife!”

  “I didn’t ask you that, Lena. Are you or are you not dating Mr. Phoenix Orson?”

  “I wouldn’t call it dating,” I shrug. “We see each other when we’re not working.”

  “Fine, if you’re going to make me ask you outright,” she rubs the bridge of her nose. “Did you have sex with a Moda Properties client prior to the conclusion of their contract with our firm?”

  “Mona, it’s Phoenix Orson, and it’s not just some fling. I’m going to—”

  “Enough! Do you have any idea what you have done?!” she snaps through clenched teeth. “Do you have any idea the kind of scandal this will cause? You have jeopardized the reputation of this firm and how we conduct business. I can’t believe you were so careless! I’m sorry, but Lena Pendleton, clear out your desk. You’re fired.”

  Chapter Eight

  Phoenix

  “She can’t do that!” I can’t believe my ears as Lena sobs over the phone to me. “I’m not even married. I can sleep with whoever I want!”

  “Yes, you can, but I can’t while I’m employed under Moda Properties. She’s right, you know?” Lena cries. “I should have never let that kiss take us where it did. I should have never showed up to your set, and I should have never spoken to Marla.”

  My stomach churns at the sound of that name. “Did you say Marla?”

  “Yes, that’s what the woman said her name was. Marla Orson. She pulled out a picture of you two—”

  I cut her off. “Was the picture of me wrapped in her arms planting a kiss on her? I have on a blue racing jacket with a bunch of sponsor logos on it?”

  “Yeah, that’s exactly it!”

  “Was it folded and worn like the picture had been through the wringer a few times?”

  “Yes! Oh wait, so does that mean she really is your wife?” Lena’s sobs reignite with dramatic force.

  “No, no, no. Lena, I swear she’s not my wife. She’s my stalker,” I finally tell her.

  “Your what?”

  “I don’t want to have this conversation over the phone, baby. Meet me somewhere,” I beg her.

  “Fine. Meet me at Lady Blues, I’m here already. I’ll be waiting.”

  Lena disconnects the call, and I take a look around my hotel suite wishing that I kept Tim and sent Moe packing. He sat at a table with his feet resting on the cushion of a nearby chair.

  “I have to head out, Moe,” I tell him. “Can you stay here? I have to go get Lena.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you?” He doesn’t bother to get up.

  “No,” I snarl. “Just make sure there aren’t any surprises when I get back here with Lena. Can you do that?”

  “You got it, Boss.” He nods without looking up from his phone. He swipes a finger across the screen, reminding me to fire his ass the moment I get Briarstone to send me a replacement. I’ve been friends with Colt, Luke, and Tim for decades. I don’t know why I went to a different agency to hire a bodyguard.

  I leave the suite and make a beeline for Lady Blues where Lena is sitting on a stool nursing a clear beverage. Walking toward her, I lean down to kiss her, but she moves her cheek to the side.

  “I’m so sorry about this, Lena.”

  “You’re sorry?” she huffs.

  “You’re drunk already? I just spoke to you less than a half hour ago.”

  “Doesn’t take long for the unemployed!”

  “Come with me.” I reach for her hand, but Lena snatches it away.

  “I’ve done enough of that! That’s the reason I’m in this mess to begin with. The crazy part is that it doesn’t matter if you’re married or not. All that matters is, that I had sex with my client. We almost had sex on that kitchen countertop, and she saw us. Hell, the cameras would have seen us, and I just let it happen! I can’t trust myself around you and now my career is over!”

  “It’s not over, Lena.” I want to comfort her to make her feel better. Hell, I’ll hire her as an independent broker. “You’re one of the best realtors in the Northeast. You’re going to bounce back from this. I can even call in some favors for you.”

  “No!” she snaps. “You’ve done enough favors for me. You should have told me about your stalker. I would have had our own security guards stop her from entering the building. She wouldn’t have been in my office. She wouldn’t have caused that scene.”

  “Lena,” I sigh, wanting her to calm down.

  “Don’t do that to me, Phoenix. I should have never slept with you. That’s the bottom line. I should have never slept with you, and I should have never let you get this close. I can’t do this with you anymore. I need to focus on finding another job and getting my career back on track.”

  “Wait a minute.” I can feel the anger bubbling to the surface. “Don’t give up on us because of this. This is my life, too. Damn it, Lena, I care about you too much to just leave us alone.”

&n
bsp; “So what happens, Phoenix? What happens when you get booked on a movie or tv series? What happens when you have to fly out to some unknown country for a gig? My life will not stop because I got fired. I’m not going to chase you around like some groupie. Even worse, what happens if you get another stalker? What’s going to happen with this Marla woman? Do I have to wait for her to show up at every piece of property I show, at every office I decide to work at? This is too much for me, Phoenix. My life wasn’t this complicated.”

  “Your life wasn’t this complicated. I get that. I’m sorry about Marla, and yes, I have to travel for work, but that doesn’t mean we need to just give up because things got a little complicated.”

  “I don’t have a job, Phoenix! Just forget it and leave me alone!”

  Chapter Nine

  Lena

  The evergreen eyes of Phoenix Orson hold heartbreak and hurt that I never want to see again, especially not if I’m the cause of it. I can’t believe I let him get so close. So close to jeopardize my entire career over a fling.

  After swallowing my last swill of vodka, I take myself home, bury myself under my sheets, and cry myself to sleep. The agony of losing Phoenix trumps the agony of not getting up to go to work in the morning. Now, I don’t have either.

  I don’t know how many days go by before I hear knocking at my door. I’m sure it’s a delivery person. The best part about all of these stupid apps is being able to schedule food deliveries. I didn’t have to leave my home, and I didn’t have to see people. I can wallow in my misery in peace.

  The knocking on my door grows heavier, panic-stricken, and then a voice follows it.

  “Lena! Please open the door, I’m worried about you!”

  Surely the pizza guys like a good tip, but they don’t worry about me. Pulling open the door, the one and only Rex Handler is standing on my doorstep.

  “Holy mother of the Easter Bunny, what is going on?” He pushes his way in, refusing to wait for an invitation.

  “Yes, absolutely Rex freaking Handler, come on in.” I wave my hand dramatically with a bow.

  His handsome face glares at me with levels of frustration and anger. “What the hell are you doing here, Lena? Mona’s driving me crazy looking for you.”

  “Why? She fired me!”

  “That doesn’t mean she’s not worried about you. And don’t forget about me and Lorna, too. You helped plan our engagement. You even talked some sense into me, and I think it’s high time I return the favor. Lena Pendleton, you’re an amazing realtor and broker. You don’t need Moda to employ you or any other firm, for that matter. So long as you didn’t sign any type of non-compete, you can open up your own firm, which you damn sure deserve. You’ve saved my neck more times than I can count, and if it’s capital you’re worried about, you have plenty of people who’d love to back you. I’ll make sure of that.”

  “Rex, I can’t ask you to do that.”

  “You didn’t ask me to, I’m telling you that’s what I’m doing. Remember, I’m more stubborn than you. I squatted in an apartment with no furniture, heat, or hot water to convince my fiancé to move out of the building. No one is more stubborn than me. Well, no one except for you. Now that we’ve gotten the work thing under control, why don’t you work on that love life of yours?”

  “I can’t,” I break down in sobs. “I told Nix I needed to be alone. I just saw on one of those paparazzi shows he’s flown out to China to film.”

  “Okay, I know the Orson brothers. Believe me, neither one of them are ready to learn Cantonese and move to the other side of The Great Wall. How about you start by simply getting in the shower? I’m going to order you something to eat and get out of here. Okay?”

  “Yeah, that’s fine.”

  I do as I’m told and head into my bathroom. My shower is fairly quick, and blow drying my hair is even quicker. I clean up my apartment while waiting for food to arrive when I hear the knock on my door.

  “It’s about time! I’m starving,” I call out while throwing on my robe. “I hope you’re not expecting a tip because Rex called in that order over an hour ago.”

  Phoenix is standing on my doorstep with a bag of food in his hands. “Hey.”

  My eyes water at the sight of him. “I thought you were in China? I didn’t think I’d ever see you, or that you’d ever want to see me again. Phoenix, I’m—”

  He takes my face into his hands and drops his mouth over mine for a chaste kiss, then tells me, “I have a tip for you, Lena.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Don’t ever leave me like that again,” he commands, stealing another kiss. I melt into his touch. Our kisses grow from hurried to passionate, deep and longing. I need to apologize to him in ways that I’ve only dreamed of during these days we spent apart.

  Phoenix follows me as I back up into the living room area, refusing to let his lips leave mine. I turn us around to position him in front of the couch. I’m undoing his jeans as he removes the sash from my robe. I run my fingers through his hair to the back of his neck. I push him down onto the couch and let my hands trail down his shredded stomach until I unsheath every inch of his cock from behind those boxers.

  He’s bigger than I remember as I take his length with both hands and greedy eyes. My mouth salivates waiting to taste him. I refuse to wait any longer, letting my mouth wrap around him, bobbing up and down and slurping him as far down my throat as I possibly can. I moan while I take him, moving my hand in a circular jerking motion around the base of his dick. He moans, encouraging me to continue.

  When I feel his fingertip guiding my head from my scalp, I open my mouth wider to give him the freedom to thrust with wild abandon into my mouth. I flick my tongue along that thick vein while he continues to push and pull his dick inside of my mouth. I taste the thrill before his climax, that salty Phoenix flavor threatening to spill down my throat.

  “Damn, I’m gonna come, Lena. If you don’t want me to—”

  I cut him off by squeezing his balls, gently coaxing him to his climax. When he finally explodes, my tongue and throat milk him for everything he’s got. At least, that’s what I think.

  Chapter Ten

  Phoenix

  I need to set a reminder to thank Rex Handler for this. Lena’s mouth is magical as it brings me to climax. I’m barely finished when she sucks my very essence out of me and swallows every drop. I move her face off of me, wiping the corner of her mouth with my thumb and bringing her in for a kiss.

  “Fuck, I missed you,” I tell her between kisses. We move from the couch to her bedroom where I lay her down on her back.

  “I’m sorry, Nix. I never wanted to give up on us like that.”

  “You were having a shitty day, and I certainly didn’t help. I should have kept things professional between us. The moment I felt this,” I slide my cock deep inside of her waiting walls, “I knew we’d find our way back. Besides, even before this, I knew I’d never let you go. I just wanted to give you some time.”

  “Thank you.” She reaches up and strokes the side of my face. “Thank you for giving me time and space to think it through.”

  “At least this is something we don’t have to think about.” I pull out and push back in slowly. We don’t speak another word except for a few expletives, warning her neighbors that we are making up to get back together.

  Neither of us care about making love with reckless behavior. Her hot, rippled canal molds around my cock perfectly. We’re perfect for each other. I don’t care how long it takes; I’m going to make sure she knows that every day from now on.

  Lena flips onto her stomach, anchoring herself on her hands and knees. That tight little ass is good enough to bite. So I do, bending behind her to taste that magnificent pussy from the back. I slurp up her orgasm before sliding my cock deep inside her once again.

  Chapter Eleven

  Lena

  Phoenix’s grip on my ass moves me back and forth along the length of his thickness with ease and pleasure I haven’t felt in years. H
e knows how to work my body to make it respond and flex at his every whim. My climax seems to be in his control. I lose myself in his strokes. He reaches around me as he takes me from behind, grabbing my breasts and pinching my nipples.

  The pleasure and pain roll into one, one cascading orgasm after the next. Phoenix pumps in and out of me like I didn’t just sip his seed down my throat. He pulls out of me to turn me onto my back and stretch my arms above my head. He moves inside of me without hesitation. When he pins my wrists to the bed, I wrap my legs around his waist as his movements become more deliberate. Slow and steady thrusts accompany his grunts as Phoenix buries his mouth into the side of my neck, letting himself go and releasing his climax inside of my body.

  We lay in my bed for hours with Phoenix playing in my hair and me playing in his. After the moment of making up passes, I prop myself onto an elbow and look at him curiously.

  “What?” he laughs.

  “I apologized, right?”

  “Yeah, I like your apology better than my apology,” he laughs again.

  “Same difference,” I smirk. “Well, for the record, I’m sorry that I let a few things stand in the way of us being together. I got rattled and fled.”

  “No, your world crashed, and you were spiraling. We’ve only been seeing each other for a few weeks, and it’s hard to tell what’s real or what’s going to last. I’m just happy you decided to let me in. We can figure everything out.”

  “What about your wife?” I quip with a curious grin on my lips.

  Phoenix sits up for that and takes my face into his hands. He runs his fingers along the side of my face through my hair. “That’s what that story was for.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “That woman, Marla, has stalked me for nearly five years. I couldn’t shake her, and when she showed up at your job, I knew it was far more serious than I was taking it. Tim and my other friends at Briarstone warned me to take it more seriously. Elmo hasn’t been able to manage my security lately, either. I had to let him go. If he can barely keep it together for me alone, I’d hate to see what would happen if he slipped up while we’re together.”