Watch Me (Phoenix Book 1)

by Stacey Kennedy

  Rhys wondered that himself. He began handing out the cards. “What was she in school for?”

  “Biological science. She got that degree. But it looks like she had originally planned to attend vet school at Colorado State University. She was accepted but turned it down. Now she works at a veterinary clinic as a groomer in Brooklyn.”

  When Rhys finished dealing, he lifted his cards and began putting them in order. “Any information come up about her mental health?”

  Archer organized his cards then set them down. “She went to therapy for six months—that’s all I could find without going any deeper. To get the actual records, it would cost you some cash.” Archer had a couple of hackers in his pocket. “But she’s not on any medication or had any arrests. From the way it looks, she lives a very quiet life with a couple roommates.” Another long stretch of silence settled in as Archer’s lips thinned. “Something came up that you’re not going to like.”

  Rhys arched an eyebrow. “What’s that?”

  “The two men who took the photograph are Phoenix members.”

  “Oh, shit,” Kieran drawled.

  Hunt snorted a laugh. “Not for long.”

  That explained why the men had run out. “Who were they?” Rhys had been too enthralled by Zoey to notice anything but the back of their heads as they were leaving.

  “Scott Ross and Jake Grant.”

  Both were hotshots on Wall Street.

  At Rhys’ frown, Archer asked, “What do you want me to do?”

  “Dig deeper.”

  “Into Zoey?”

  Rhys shook his head. Anything else he learned, he wanted to come from her mouth. “Into Scott and Jake. Get me a solid file on them and what happened that night.”

  Archer lifted his eyebrows. “And Zoey?”

  “Let me think on her.” He never reacted quickly, not with anyone who walked through Phoenix’s doors. He had a responsibility to those who trusted him to fulfill their fantasies and to keep them safe while doing so. With Zoey, the situation was different. He felt responsible for her. But he needed to think over his reaction to her. She’d gotten what she wanted and likely wasn’t a threat to his members. He should leave it at that and walk away. But why didn’t he want to?

  He grabbed a hundred dollars’ worth of poker chips and tossed them Archer’s way. “For now, prepare to get your asses handed to you.”

  “Keep dreaming, Harrington,” Hunt drawled as laughter blew apart the tension.

  When Zoey made it home after sneaking out of Phoenix, her hands were still shaking. Standing outside the black-painted front door of her loft, she looked at the cashier’s check again: Zoey Parker. $100,000.00 signed by Rhys Harrington. She folded the paper, shoved it back into her purse, and shut her eyes. She’d never seen that much money before and never imagined earning money from selling her virginity. But after all she’d been through, there was no guilt, no shame, only freedom from her pain. With the money from the show, she could put a down payment on a house back home, where homes were a fraction of the price in Brooklyn. The plan was to turn the main floor of the house into a grooming shop. Sure, that dream was a long cry from becoming a veterinary, but she’d grown to love her job and being around animals. And the truth was, she missed home. It took everything she had to graduate undergrad. The last two months of school had been long and torturous. She still wasn’t sure what it said about her that she hadn’t told her parents the truth about why she gave up her dream of vet school. That being burned-out wasn’t the reason at all. She also hadn’t admitted that she avoided going home the last year because she couldn’t face them, not with the complete failure her life had become. Both her parents were doctors. Mom, a family doctor. Dad, a vascular surgeon. While they offered support, she could hear the disappointment in their voices. She couldn’t bear to see it on their face too.

  But that was then, and this was now. She felt ready to face them. The weight of a year of pain felt gone from her shoulders. She’d worked hard to turn everything around. And was proud of what she’d accomplished. She lived in a roomy loft on Brooklyn’s waterfront with her two roommates. On the southern edge of the Brooklyn Navy Yard, in an old warehouse, they rented the place for a ridiculous amount of money that none of them could afford on their own. The large windows provided beautiful natural light, and the openness was what had made her fall in love with the apartment in the first place. The distance from Manhattan was the second. Her night at Phoenix was the first time Zoey had returned to Manhattan since her last day of school. She threw up the second she got off the subway, and stayed close to total strangers so she wouldn’t have to walk the streets alone.

  When Zoey finally unlocked the door and strode inside, her roommate Hazel Rose immediately leapt up from the couch, nearly plowing into Zoey. “What happened? Tell me every single detail.” Hazel had medium-length light-brown hair and beautiful light-blue eyes, and the longest natural eyelashes Zoey had ever seen on anyone.

  Zoey snorted a laugh. “Well, I’ll tell you what happened if you let me shut the door.”

  “Oh, sorry.” Hazel smiled sheepishly, releasing her tight hold on Zoey’s arms.

  Their other roommate, Elise Fanning, smiled from the couch. “I had to take her jogging to get her to finally sit down.” Elise had long dark-brown hair and strong dark-brown eyes, and she lounged on the sofa like she didn’t have a worry in the world.

  Zoey always envied that about Elise, and she’d counted on Elise’s calm nature many, many times. Zoey had met them when she saw the wanted ad for a roommate on a coffee shop’s community board after the assault. The rest was history, and now Hazel and Elise felt more like sisters than friends.

  “I wouldn’t get too excited,” said Zoey, kicking off her heels and plopping into the chair across from Elise. “I had sex.”

  Hazel rolled her eyes at Elise. “She had sex.” Her gaze fell to Zoey, and she waved her on. “In a room full of people. Oh my God, Zoey, tell me everything.”

  Again, Zoey laughed. “I don’t really know what to say. It’s just as you’d imagine it to be. Rich, luxurious atmosphere. Everyone wears masks, which honestly, made things less scary.”

  “So, it wasn’t creepy?” Elise asked.

  “Surprisingly, not creepy,” Zoey replied after a moment’s thought. “Actually, very sensual. Like the room was vibrating with lust. It’s like there is no judgment there. Just a connection to watch others.” She was sure she wasn’t getting it right, so she shrugged. “It’s hard to explain. It’s just…not creepy… It’s sexy as hell, and I shockingly liked it.”

  Hazel sat next to Elise, leaning forward. “And did you take off your mask? Did Jake and Scott see you?”

  Zoey nodded. “Even behind the masks, I knew who they were.” Their faces were burned into her mind.

  “And?” Elise pressed. “What happened?”

  “They took one look at me, lost all the color in their faces, and left.”

  “Fucking cowards,” Elise snapped.

  “Wow,” Hazel breathed, leaning back against the couch, hands pressed to her chest. “That must have been empowering for you.”

  Zoey thought it over and finally nodded. “I think it was the biggest fuck you I could have given them. That I knew, and they knew and saw, that the lies they spread were never true. That I was a virgin up until tonight. And that they didn’t break me or make me afraid of them. I’ve already been in front of people, exposed completely, and that was not my choice. This was my choice. On my terms.”

  Elise gave a firm nod. “Good for you. Fucking pricks.”

  Zoey smiled. “My sentiments exactly.”

  Hazel bounced on the couch. “So, what happened after that?”

  “The virginity-taker slid the mask back on my face and whispered in my ear that I owed him answers.”

  Elise’s brows shot up. “Did you give him those answers?”

  “Nope, I snuck out before anyone could question me.”

  “Atta girl.” Elise grinned.
>
  Hazel shook her head slowly as if she couldn’t believe any of this was true. “Wait. What was the guy like?”

  Zoey dropped her head back and shut her eyes, swearing she could still feel his breath by her ear, his hands on her body, his cock deep inside her. “Incredible,” she breathed, glancing back to her friends. “I’ve never met anyone like him. He was so passionate. I didn’t know a touch could feel like that.”

  “Wow,” Hazel said again, eyes twinkling. “Well, as far as losing-your-virginity stories go, yours wins, every time.”

  Zoey nodded with a smile. “Maybe an unconventional way to lose your virginity, but he definitely made the experience memorable. I wasn’t really expecting him to care about my needs; I just figured he’d want to put on a show.”

  “But it wasn’t like that?” Elise asked.

  Zoey shook her head. “He was just tuned into me. Does that make sense?”

  “Total sense,” Elise agreed with a smile.

  Zoey grabbed some chips out of the bowl on the coffee table, tossing them into her mouth as Hazel asked, “Did they ask you how you found out about the place?”

  She finished chewing then answered, “No, they have nothing more than what I put on the application.” In which, she said she’d heard about the club from a member. In actuality, Hazel was a reporter and had gotten wind of the secret sex club in Manhattan.

  “Did they have any idea that I hacked in to get that code?” Elise asked.

  “None,” Zoey replied.

  Elise owned a private investigation company, which was how they’d learned about the financial gift that came along with doing the show. But she’d also obtained the necessary code to access Phoenix’s portal through the cigar club’s website. After Zoey entered the code, it brought her to the application with the required photographs and intimate details about her life.

  The conversation about Zoey applying to Phoenix to confront Jake and Scott didn’t happen all at once. It was a handful of conversations and lots of late-night thoughts. Both Elise and Hazel had been there for Zoey after she graduated and began trying to bandage her life back together again. Two strangers had been her shelter through a fierce storm. Ava and Julie had moved back to their hometowns, and the communication grew silent after that. Zoey hadn’t spoken to them in over six months. She’d never forget what Elise and Hazel did for her, picking up all her broken pieces until she resembled a human again. But one night, after a first date ended with Zoey having a panic attack, she decided this was her way out. Her do-over.

  “Well, I’m glad they didn’t suspect anything,” Elise commented, grabbing some chips out of the bowl. “The last thing I need is Rhys Harrington coming after me.”

  Zoey nodded. “Yeah, no kidding.” From what she read up on the owner online, he was the CEO of Harrington Finance before he stepped down when he bought the cigar club. The New York City Harringtons were a wealthy family, coming from old money, and were very powerful.

  “So, you’re in the clear?” Hazel asked. “All this is over? You can finally move home and start fresh?”

  Like a world of pain had suddenly been shed from her skin, Zoey smiled, feeling more honest than she had in a year. “It’s done. Over.” A sudden, unexpected lump formed in her chest, but she cleared her throat and pushed past it. “I can finally move home.”

  At whatever crossed Zoey’s face, Elise cocked her head. “That’s good, right?”

  Again, Zoey smiled, only this time, it didn’t feel so honest. “It’s good.”

  “I’m just so happy for you,” Hazel said, still bouncing on the couch. “And so proud of you.” She jumped up and all but threw herself at Zoey again, hugging her tightly. “That took some balls, to do what you did tonight.”

  “I couldn’t have done it without you,” Zoey said, resting her chin on Hazel’s shoulder. “Without either of you.”

  Elise gave a rare soft smile from across the room. “That’s why we’re here, babe. We got you.”

  And this…this was good too.

  Chapter 4

  Late into the next afternoon, Zoey was covered head-to-toe in dark-colored dog hair. The veterinary office always smelled somewhere between wet dog and sanitizer, and she never could get it out of her nose. And now, with Charlie, the big brown Labrador on her grooming table getting a blowout, her nose was also covered with fur. The dog pressed his head against Zoey’s chest as she finished up drying him. By the time she was done, Charlie was wagging his tail and he had his tongue out in the biggest smile she’d ever seen on a dog. She kissed his nose. “Yes, you are the most handsome boy in the whole wide world.”

  He wagged his butt at her.

  “And you know it too, don’t you?” She laughed, helped him jump onto the stool, and then down onto the floor, and waited for him to stop his dancing before she reattached his leash and opened the door. Charlie went full steam toward the waiting room, promptly yanking himself out of Zoey’s hold.

  His owner caught the leash and reined the dog in with a laugh. “Was he a good boy?”

  “Always a fantastic boy,” Zoey said, finally reaching them.

  Patty, Charlie’s owner, stroked the dog’s head and gave Zoey a curious look. “Any chance you’ve changed your mind on moving away?”

  “No, sorry,” Zoey said, aware that, like with last night’s lump in her throat, her chest tightened whenever this subject came up. “Sadly, this is our last appointment, but have no worries at all. The lady replacing me is amazing.” Well, Zoey thought so. She’d only met her replacement once, but she seemed friendly.

  Patty gave a heavy sigh, still patting Charlie on the head. “Well, if you ask Charlie and me, no one can replace you, but we wish you the absolute best.”

  “Thanks, Patty.” Zoey gave her a quick hug and Charlie another kiss on the head before they headed off to the receptionist, Betty, to pay their bill. Moving away from Brooklyn would be hard. She really did love her job and her clients. Most of all, she wasn’t quite sure how she could live without Hazel and Elise. But Manhattan was too close, a harsh reminder of the NYU days she hadn’t been able to escape. She needed freedom from the pain. She wanted to be the woman who wanted love, who wanted children, who wanted that quiet life. All she had to do was find her again.

  She returned to her room and set to cleaning it up to leave for the day. Charlie had been her last appointment, and tonight was a girls’ night. She quickly rinsed off, changed into skinny jeans, a black blouse, and black heels in the adjoining bathroom, and applied some darker makeup, throwing her hair up in a messy high ponytail before she left the room, shutting the door behind her.

  “Have an awesome weekend, Betty,” she called as she headed for the door. “I’ll see you on Monday.”

  “Bye, sweetie.” Betty gave a quick wave before turning back to her monitor.

  Zoey focused on the front door again, noting how different she felt than the last time she’d left work. Stronger, maybe. Sexier, for sure. The shy girl from Sacramento had had sex in the most exclusive sex club in New York City. She laughed and shook her head to herself. Even she had a hard time believing it.

  When she took a step outside, into the early evening, she nearly tripped at seeing Phoenix’s head of security, Archer, leaning against a big black truck. He was the one who’d interviewed her and met her on the night of the show. She’d liked him then. It worried her that he was here now.

  He gave a lopsided grin. “I’m sorry if I’ve surprised you.”

  She gathered herself enough not to stumble and hurried to his side, a million questions rushing through her mind. “Is everything okay?” she asked.

  “Yes, of course,” Archer said with a soft smile she was sure was meant to reassure her. It didn’t work. As if he knew that, his voice softened. “Rhys would like to see you again and requests I bring you to Phoenix.” He hesitated. Then his expression went utterly gentle, which on a face with such striking features looked pretty dreamy. “Believe me, Rhys only wants to have the talk he requeste
d last night. Nothing to worry about.”

  “Ah…” She blinked, processed, and then managed, “Hold on a second. The man I was with last night was Rhys Harrington, the owner of Phoenix?”

  Archer smirked. “Yes.”

  She had to pick her jaw off the ground. What in the holy hell? She thought the masked man had been some random guy. Albeit, she didn’t know the ins and outs of the sex club. “Does Rhys always do the shows?”

  “Not always, no,” Archer explained, his thumbs tucked into the pockets of his jeans. “But he always handles any sensitive ones, so he knows everything is being done correctly.”

  Like a woman offering up her virginity, apparently.

  Zoey blinked. Again. “Am I in trouble?”

  Archer laughed softly. “No. Why would you be in trouble?”

  Ah, because my best friend hacked into your security system and I manipulated and lied my way into a very private club.

  Archer watched her thoughts play out on her face before he offered, “Let me give you a piece of advice. I have known Rhys for a very long time; when he says he wants to talk to you, it’s not a suggestion. You either come now, or he’ll come to you later. Trust me on that.” Archer moved to the passenger-side door and opened it. “If it makes you feel better, there are security cameras there.” He pointed above the clinic’s door. “And there.” He gestured across the street. “There’s evidence you are with me. But also, text your roommates, let them know you are going to the cigar club and who you are going with. Let them know I’ll bring you home after, I promise.” He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his drivers’ license from his wallet. “Take a picture and send it to your friends.”

  From the first time she met Archer, he’d done everything and anything to make her feel safe and comfortable. And the truth was, she did. “Okay,” she said, reaching into her purse. She took the photo then fired off a text to the girls in their group chat.

  I’ll meet you at the restaurant tonight. Rhys Harrington wants to see me. I’m going to the cigar club now.