Phoenix's Heart

by Khelsey Jackson

  He smiled at her. “I am seeing someone.” Phoenix stood up, but she stood in front of him. He couldn't even think of anyone else, besides Jennifer. He could almost feel her warm sexy body next to his. He saw her beautiful smile and how it lit up her face.

  Melissa placed her hands on his chest, and this was the first time he didn't feel the burn of his incubus power wanting to take over. “She will never know.” Phoenix looked down, and Melissa smiled up at him.

  He gently pushed her away. “I wouldn’t do that to her.”

  Melissa started to laugh. “Oh Phoenix, I was joking. That's not the kind of woman I am. But I still want to take you out. I know you have more money than sin, but I want to treat you.” She smiled at him. “Please?”

  He knew that tonight was out of the question, he wanted to finish what happened in his office. “In two days, we'll go out for drinks.” He walked towards the door, he stopped before walking out. There was no way in hell he was going to let her pay. “And I’ll be buying.”

  Phoenix walked out and headed towards his office. He was hoping to catch Jennifer before she headed to lunch. He couldn't believe how much he missed her. He had only missed one person before. His grandmother.

  Chapter Ten

  After she got most of her work done, she decided that it was lunchtime. She grabbed her purse and headed towards Subway. She was so hungry and really wanted a Sweet Onion Teriyaki. She walked in and sighed. It smelled like heaven on earth to her. She walked up to the counter and ordered her food.

  “Jenny.” A voice she knew well said. She hadn't seen him in ten weeks, and never wanted to see him again. She looked up to her ex-boyfriend Ryan. His dark blonde hair looked the same, it was just above his ears and his hazel blue eyes were staring at her. She opened her sandwich and took a bite. “Can I sit?” She swallowed and blinked her eyes at him. “Please.” He begged, and she nodded.

  “What do you want?” she asked, as he was sitting down.

  He stared at her, and looked down at the table. “I want to tell you I’m sorry. I know it doesn’t mean much, but I can't stop hating myself. I can't believe what I did, and I want to kick my own ass.” He looked up at and she saw tears in his eyes. The whole time they dated she never saw him cry, not even when his father died. “I can't get your face out of my mind, Jenny. I never loved anyone the way I love you.”

  Jennifer shook her head. “No, you have no right telling me you love me. You cheated on me with some blonde.”

  “I know, I know, and I hate myself for that. I just felt lonely and she was there.” He reached for her hand.

  She pulled her hand away before he could touch her. “I don't care if you were lonely, now you can fuck anyone you want.”

  He arched his eyebrow. “Just like you did the same night you found me in bed with Sam?” So the Blondie had a name, Jennifer smiled.

  “I did, and I know Megan told you. So why are you here? You should already know we aren’t getting back together. I am with Phoenix.” Hurt flashed on his face, and for once she didn't feel bad for him.

  “Jenny, you don’t know him.” He brought his eyes up to hers. “You know me; I want to be there for you and your baby.” He stood up and walked towards her. He dropped to one knee, and pulled out a little black box. She waited for five years for him to do this, and he decided now he wanted to marry her? “Jennifer Elizabeth Cruz, will you make me that happiest man on earth and be my wife?” She heard the door's bell make a noise and looked up into stormy midnight blue eyes.

  “You got to be kidding me!” She was shaking her head and hoped Phoenix wouldn’t do anything. “Get up, please, you are embarrassing yourself.”

  He got off of his knee and stared down at her. “Jenny, you know I am the better choice.”

  She glanced up at Phoenix, and he was walking towards Ryan. She shook her head, but he didn't stop moving. “Phoenix is the better choice. I love him and I am having his babies.” Ryan’s eyes widened.

  “Babies?” She nodded, and he chuckled. “Well that is news, but Jenny, you don’t love him. From what I heard, he fucked you and left you. You know your father will disown you if you are pregnant and not married.” Phoenix tapped on Ryan's shoulder, and Ryan looked over his shoulder. “Yes?”

  Phoenix gave him a wicked smile. “I am Phoenix.” Ryan turned to look at Jennifer and she nodded. “Now, I believe she turned down your proposal.”

  Ryan was shorter than Phoenix by a good four inches. He jerked his shoulder away and looked back at Jennifer. “Jenny?” There was a time when she would have done anything for him, now she just felt sick.

  “No, I will not marry you.” She saw his shoulders drop, and he hung his head.

  “I will always love you Jennifer.” He glanced at her one more time and turned around to leave. She watched him leave, and felt Phoenix heated glare on her.

  “So I leave you for a few hours and you are getting proposals.” She grabbed her sandwich and took a big bite. “Darling, I wanted to kill him.” He sat across from her, and placed his hands on the table.

  She shook her head. “You wouldn’t have done anything.” She smiled at him and took one of his hands.

  He nodded. “I wanted to rip out his heart.” He looked down, and frowned. “Will your father disown you, because of me?” She already thought about this, and knew there was a chance he would. He would most likely cut off her trust, well what he could. She was her grandfather's favorite, and he left most of the money to her.

  She squeezed his hand. “I'm not sure, but it is possible.”

  “Then marry me.” Her mouth dropped open, and she started to laugh.

  She shook her head. “You don’t want to marry me. You are just doing it to help me and I don’t want that. I will only marry you if you love me, and want to be with me forever. Not because of what my dad wants.” He opened his mouth and she smiled as she was shaking her head. “No my love, I know you think you can't fall in love with me. But in time I think you will.” She brought his hand to her lips to kiss his knuckles.

  “I don't know, but I am trying.”

  “I know,” she said and he smiled at her, and she couldn’t believe he was hers.

  “Now, let's get back to work.” She stood up, and threw away her trash.

  Phoenix took her hand and she grinned.

  They walked into the office holding hands, and she didn’t care who saw them. She loved Phoenix, and hoped in time he would love her. He squeezed her hand one last time, before letting go. She walked to her desk and he walked into his office.

  Jennifer knew she was completely in love with Phoenix and she wanted to rip out her own heart. There were times when Phoenix looked at her, and she thought he was starting to have more feelings for her. She told herself she was fooling herself; he had already told her that he didn't know how to love. She hoped what they had will be enough for both of them.

  When her office phone rang she jumped. “Mr. DuPont’s office,” she said.

  “I need to talk to Phoenix,” a woman’s raspy voice said.

  “May I ask who is calling?” Jennifer asked sweetly.

  The woman sighed. “No.” Jennifer was told not to let anyone talk to Phoenix without finding out who was calling. “But if you must know, I am his mother.” There were many things Jennifer wanted to say to this woman.

  “Please hold,” she said through her teeth.

  ***

  Phoenix smiled at his office phone. His beautiful Jennifer was calling. “Yes darling angel. Have you changed your mind about marrying me?”

  She laughed, and it was the sweetest sound he had heard. When she laughed it made his chest tight and warm. “No, but you have a phone call. The woman said she is your mother.”

  He hadn't talked to his mother in over ten years. “Put her through.”

  “Phoenix, I am here if you need me.” He smiled, that was the angel in her.

  “Thank you, darling.” He picked up his phone when he saw it flashing. “Hello?” He felt like he was t
en years old again, and wanting his mother to love him.

  “Phoenix son, how are you?” Her voice was raspier then he remembered.

  He rubbed his forehead with his fingers. “I know you didn't call to chat, why are you calling?” He had a good feeling he already knew what she wanted.

  “Now is that anyway you talk to your own mother?” She raised her voice.

  He felt his own anger rising, and kind of wished he’d asked Jennifer to come in. She could calm him down, with just her smile. There was silence on the other end, and he shook his head. “What do you want Amanda?” He couldn't bring himself to call her mom or anything to do with that.

  “I am in trouble. I need money, and I know you have it. I have searched the Internet, and read everything I could find.” She sounded proud of him.

  Phoenix sighed, no matter what this was the woman that gave birth to him. Yes, she wasn't the mother she should have been, but he had an urge to help her. “How much?”

  “Twenty-thousand,” she said, and his mouth dropped open. That was a lot of money, and he wanted to know why.

  “Why?”

  “Damn it, Phoenix, I just do!” she yelled.

  “Fine stop by my office and I will write you a check. But after this I want nothing to do with you.”

  She laughed. “Phoenix, I am the one that wants nothing to do with you. You are a demon and you belong in hell.” She hung up the phone and the last thing he heard was her laughter.

  ***

  Jennifer wanted to check on Phoenix. She had a feeling that he needed her; she stood up and knocked on his door.

  She looked at the intercom and smiled when it turned green. “Come in, darling.” His voice sounded drained.

  As soon as she walked in, she shut the door. Jennifer turned around and saw Phoenix at his desk with his head in his hands. She rushed to him, and grabbed his head.

  “Oh Phoenix,” she said, and he opened his eyes.

  With his midnight blues pinning her, she felt her heart racing. “She wants money,” he said. He reminded her of a little lost boy.

  “Well I hope like hell you said no,” she said, as she ran her fingers through his brown wavy hair.

  “She is still my mother, no matter how much I wish she wasn't.” She smiled down at him, and lowered her lips to his. He pulled her closer, and moaned when his lips touch hers.

  He pulled her into his lap, and she giggled. “I can't get that sound out of my head.” He grinned down at her and slowly kissed her. Jennifer wrapped her arms around his neck. She was crazy about Phoenix; he moved his lips from hers and down her neck. “I feel like I am going crazy when I don't have you in my arms.” He moved his warm lips to her ear lobe.

  Phoenix's office phone started ringing. “Shit, darling that is probably my mother.” He brought his midnight blue eyes to hers; he just smiled as he stared into her eyes.

  She cleared her throat. “I should get off of your lap.” He tightened his arms around her back.

  “I don't want you to, you are where you belong.” She smiled up at him, and brought her hand to his face.

  “I know you don't love me, but it doesn't stop me. I am completely in love with you Phoenix DuPont.” His smile fell a little.

  “Then marry me,” he said.

  She shook her head; she didn't want to have an empty marriage. “Not until you can love me.” He opened his mouth to say something, but she placed her fingers over his lips. “I know what you said, and I understand. But I won't marry you until then; I don't want a loveless marriage. I just want to be with you.”

  He smiled his warming at her. “Darling, you have me.” He kissed the tip of her nose.

  Jennifer got off of his lap. “I can't be drained by you, so I want you to just be with me.” She looked down, and prayed he would agree to what she wanted.

  “I will try, I don’t want to fuck up what we have.” She felt his fingers under her chin, he nudged her chin up. “Darling, I won’t mess around on you, you are what I want.” There was a knock at the door, and she didn't miss the hurt in his eyes.

  “I will be right outside if you need me.” She smiled at him, and he nodded.

  “Okay, I just want to get this over with.” He moved away from her, and stood behind his large desk.

  Jennifer walked to the office door, and opened it to a woman waiting. She had long wavy brown stringy hair, and chocolate brown eyes. Phoenix's mother was about five foot, five inches tall, and skinny. Really skinny. Those chocolate brown eyes narrowed on her.

  “Hello, Phoenix said to go right in,” Jennifer said. She had an urge to put her hand on her stomach, protecting her unborn babies.

  The other woman's eyes glanced down at Jennifer's stomach. “You need to kill that demon in you.” She reached out to touch Jennifer, but she moved back out of her way.

  “If you want what you came for, then get in here and leave Jennifer alone.”

  Jennifer kept her eyes on the other woman, she saw her nod slightly. “Fine, but you need to tell her what you are.”

  “Ma'am I know what Phoenix is, and what our babies will be. It is you that is the monster,” Jennifer said, and then walked past the other woman.

  ***

  Phoenix watched Jennifer walk out of his office and stared at the woman that gave birth to him. She looked bad, like she was on drugs. He pulled out his checkbook and did what she came for. He walked back to her, and shoved the check at her.

  “Here, take this and I don’t ever want to see you again.”

  “How could you Phoenix? How can you make more of you?” He glared at her, and he felt his eyes growing darker.

  “You need to leave, and like I said Amanda, I don't want to see you.”

  She nodded. “Trust me, I won't see you again.”

  There was a question that had bugged him his whole life. “Did my father tell you what he was?”

  She shook her head, but Phoenix didn't feel sorry for her. “No, I didn't find out until a week before I had you.”

  “Do you have any pictures of my father?” He had never seen one.

  He didn’t miss the hate in her big brown eyes. “No, I got rid of everything,” she said coldly.

  Phoenix smiled at her. So she did get rid of everything that reminded her of his father, he’d never know him. “So what is the money for?”

  She looked away, as she played with her long brown wavy hair. “I just need it, I owe people.”

  He sighed. “If you need more I have it.” Amanda looked down.

  “Why would you help me? I have done nothing for you.”

  He put his hands on her shoulders. “Because you are my mother, no matter what.” And he was the better person that would forgive her.

  She didn't move for a few minutes and neither did he. Then she shook her head. “No this is fine, but thank you Phoenix.” He took his hands away from her and nodded.

  “That offer will always be good.” She nodded, and then turned around to leave.

  Amanda nodded again thanking him, and walked out of his office, he felt his chest hurting.

  ***

  Jennifer watched Phoenix's mother walking out of the office. Jennifer glanced at her phone and saw that she had a missed call and five text messages. The missed call was from Ryan, and he left a voicemail. She didn’t want to deal with that right now. She looked at her text messages and four of them were also from him and one from Megan. She looked at Megan’s first.

  I’m going out with a sexy doctor tonight, please don't be home. Go to your sex gods, I am hoping to find my own!! Love ya!

  Jennifer smiled at her phone then went to text Phoenix.

  I need to stay at your place tonight if you don't mind. Megan is going to be having sex with your friend tonight.

  She pressed send and stared at her phone, waiting for his reply. About a minute later it vibrated in her hand.

  I don’t mind, I still want you to move in with me.

  She smiled, and didn’t reply. Jennifer put her phone back into
purse, and went back to work.

  Chapter Eleven

  Jennifer smiled when Phoenix walked out of his office. His eyes were on her and her only.

  “Can we stop by my place? I want to get some clothes.” He shook his head and she frowned.

  “Darling I already had some maternity clothes delivered to my place.” She was shocked, and pleased.

  “Thank you.” She felt tears filling her eyes.

  Phoenix moved to her. “Oh darling, if you don't like them I can send them back.”

  She stood up and shook her head. “No, that isn't it. It's just that is probably the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me.” She wrapped her arms around him and he hugged her to him. “Thank you.” She whispered against his chest.

  “Darling, you should know by now I would do anything for you.” He said sweetly, and she smiled against his chest.

  She only truly wanted one thing, and that was his heart. “I do know that.” She felt him kiss the top of her head.

  “Good, now let’s get home. I have dinner waiting for us.” Jennifer's heart swelled, she was head over heels for Phoenix, but she had a feeling that she was going to get her heart broken.

  Jennifer pulled her car behind Phoenix's black SUV. She got out, and he was already walking to her.

  “I invited someone over,” Phoenix said, as he was almost to her.

  She narrowed her eyes at him; she had no clue who he would have invited. “Who?”

  He stopped about a foot in front of her, and she automatically wrapped her arms around his neck. She lilted her head back to look at him. “Your father.” He wrapped his arms around her, she tried to move away but he didn't let her.

  “Why is my father here?” she said in a higher voice.

  He smiled down at her. “Darling, he knows about you being pregnant, and he wanted to talk to us.”

  Now she felt the color drain from her face. “I didn’t want to tell him yet.”

  “Darling you aren’t going to have a normal pregnancy, there isn't a lot of time to wait.”