“Because I’m a private man,” Phoenix answered the rhetorical question. All eyes turned to the charismatic mayor seated at the head of the table. Cee-Cee licked her lips as she took in the broad shoulders filling out Phoenix’s russet sweater. His dark hair fell across his high forehead, and he brushed it back in place. His chocolate eyes paused on each of the people at the table as he considered each of them in turn, but when his gazed reached Cee-Cee, he stopped and smiled.
She ducked her head, unable to keep from smiling back.
“It’s always been my belief that people who make a big show of how much they give or what they do to help others are only doing it to get attention. I give and do for others because it’s the right thing to do. I couldn’t care less about pats on the back for doing it,” he said.
Bryan clapped. His applause elicited applause from others at the table, and Cee-Cee enthusiastically clapped along. An attitude like that was why Phoenix Briton would win reelection. Who wouldn’t want a man like that at the helm? She beamed at the mayor and turned back to her uncle to hear his rebuttal.
“I like the way you think, Mayor Briton. That’s why as your public relations team, we seek to highlight your best works without grandstanding. We think your upcoming Children’s Tumor Foundation fundraiser should make the news, and there’s a way to do it without putting you in the spotlight.”
Gina piped up, “For instance, we hire a celebrity appearance. We use the fundraiser as a soft endorsement. When Richard Gere endorsed Hilary Clinton, it was a boon for her campaign.”
Cee-Cee looked aside, a thought forming as the conversation flowed around her. Phoenix seemed to be on board with the idea, but they were trying to figure out which celebrity could be drafted on such short notice. She stared at her cellphone, biting her bottom lip to hold in the idea, but it just wouldn’t be silenced. Cee-Cee sat up straighter.
She shakily piped up, “Wasn’t Mayor Briton’s landslide win last election due largely to the record-breaking millennial voter turn-out? This is the demographic we need to target, and you don’t want to trot out the usual act to appeal to them. Nix the actor idea. I’m thinking music artist,” she replied.
Phoenix lifted a hand to halt her, but Bryan didn’t notice. “Excellent, Ms. Carson. Who do you have in mind? Who would appeal to millennials like yourself? What about this 'Quan' all the kids are talking about hitting, that dancer guy?”
Cee-Cee snorted a giggle. “He’s, uh, not the artist I had in mind.” She tapped on her tablet as she spoke, pulling up the music videos by Ashley Terrence. She hit play and let those at the table have a listen for themselves. When the mellow ballad that Ashley had opened with Friday night reached the midway point, she stopped the video. She avoided eye contact with Phoenix.
She rose to her feet and injected confidence into her amplified voice. “His name is Ashley Terrence. Now, he’s a relatively new artist, but he’s a name many in the under-30 bracket will recognize because he's exploding in popularity all over the Internet—Twitter, YouTube, Instagram. He’s young and attractive. His music is also family friendly, which I don’t think would be the case if we called in Quan. And he happens to already be in our area performing a number of other shows. I connected with him, and I’m pretty sure I can get him on board to perform at the fundraiser. What do you guys think?”
“No,” Phoenix muttered angrily, glaring at her. But his one-syllable response was drowned out by the voices of assent coming from everyone else.
She was asked to display the music video on the projector, and everyone agreed Ashley Terrence had the look. Cee-Cee watched Phoenix staring at the screen with an involuntary tic quivering at the corner of his left eyelid. She knew he’d come around to her idea eventually. Ashley would definitely say yes to the performance, and it would give Phoenix the nonpublic-publicity he needed.
Bryan resumed his discussion, explaining that a celebrity presence at the fundraiser would give reporters someone to talk about directly while indirectly mentioning that the mayor had spearheaded the event. It was the sort of carefully-crafted marketing Phoenix desired. It would work. She knew it would work.
Cee-Cee was gleefully preparing to head back to PR-ISM where she was sure her co-workers would mention what a great suggestion she had given. However, a sticky note was placed in her hand by one of Briton’s staff. She glanced down in surprise.
“My office. Now.”
The aide who had given her the message waited for her to grab her things. Cee-Cee whispered to her uncle that the mayor had requested her presence, and he let her stay behind as the rest of PR-ISM left.
She pushed down butterflies and prepared herself for the meeting with Phoenix. He was obviously unhappy about her suggestion of Ashley Torrance. Would she be able to convince him to give the artist a chance?
* * *
After Briton slammed the door behind her, there was a nervous hum, felt more than heard. A static crackle and snap between them. It was the calm before the storm, judging by the molten look in his eyes.
Cee-Cee stepped back against the door and Phoenix grabbed her wrists, holding her in place. No retreat. “You’re angry with me. I was just trying to help.” She twisted her arms in his grasp, but he wouldn’t let her go. It was hard to breathe with Phoenix Briton close enough to make her head spin. Why did he have to be so goddamned appealing? She should’ve been upset about being manhandled, but she wasn’t. She was turned on by it.
“I told you I keep my political life and my personal life separate. I trusted you, Cee-Cee!” His eyebrows hooked in confusion as his eyes scanned her face, and she felt like shit because of course it had to seem like a betrayal to him. Recommending his male crush to perform at a charity function where he’d be forced to interact with Ashley in front of everyone? Way to go, Cee-Cee.
Okay, so she hadn’t thought the suggestion through, but it had seemed like a good idea when she mentioned it. Cee-Cee had been trying to one-up Gina, and it had worked. The PR-ISM PR team was one hundred percent on board with booking Ashley for the act. Phoenix was in a position where he couldn’t reasonably say no without coming up with an explanation for why not.
“Let me explain.”
“I don’t want to hear it,” he said in a whispered scream, clearly trying to avoid drawing unwanted attention from the rest of the office.
Cee-Cee gritted her teeth and yanked her arms harder, breaking free. She pointed at him in frustration. “You’re going to cost yourself your career trying to hide something that nobody is looking for. Stop it! Ashley Terrence performing at your fundraiser will draw the millennials, and they’re your biggest supporters. Do you want to win reelection? Or are you too concerned someone might think you’re—”
His mouth collided with hers before she could get the word out. Phoenix pressed her arms above her head and pinned her to the door with his body. His knee slid between her legs, and her full breasts were flush against his chest. His hands moved down her arms to hold her waist as she melted with the unexpected seduction.
She slipped her arms around his neck. His kiss was a forceful, but languid exploration of her mouth. Unhurried, casual. His tongue slid over her teeth and warred with her tongue, and her airy exhale poured past his lips. Involuntary tremors started in her legs. She tightened her trembling thighs around his, rolling her throbbing pelvis against him, and he rammed his leg harder against her.
As the excitement built, Cee-Cee broke the kiss with a gasp before this grinding session turned into the real deal. Her sex-starved body could use the release. “We can’t do this,” she gasped.
She stared into Phoenix’s eyes. “Does this seem like the behavior of a man who isn’t into women?” he asked. She felt his erection between them, evidence that he was indeed attracted to her. And trying desperately to prove that the attraction stopped there. Cee-Cee dropped her gaze.
“Are you proving a point or are you really into me?”
“I’m into you.” His fingers eased beneath her satin blouse to graz
e the bottom of her breasts. Her eyes slipped shut. Cee-Cee bit her lower lip, nodding.
“Good, because I don’t really think this proves anything. You clearly don’t understand how bisexuality works.” She stared him down. Phoenix chuckled angrily.
He pushed away from the door, away from her. He shoved his fingers through his hair in a restless move that signaled his frustration as he paced his office.
Cee-Cee didn’t know why she was pressing the issue, other than she wanted Phoenix to be honest with himself and with her. He was attracted to Ashley; otherwise, he wouldn’t be bothered by the Aussie performing at the upcoming fundraiser. Phoenix was afraid he wouldn’t be able to hide his reaction to the soulful crooner, and after spending the night hanging out with the two of them, Cee-Cee was kind of afraid of the same thing.
But it was the twenty-first century. The time for archaic beliefs and homophobia was coming to a close.
“Men can’t be bisexual,” he responded. Phoenix moved around to the other side of his desk and stood before his wingback chair where he felt more in control of things, including this conversation.
She held up a finger. “They can, and some are. It doesn’t make you less of a man to admit that,” she gently replied.
He grinned, hands on his hips at her audacity. He sat down with a shake of his head. “The last thing you have to worry about is me questioning my manhood, sweetheart. Maybe I am bisexual. I don’t know. I don’t do labels.”
“Fair enough.” Cee-Cee took a seat as well and felt more comfortable being eye-to-eye for this chat. She crossed her legs. She was still getting used to Phoenix Briton. First kisses, now condescension.
“What worries me about Ashley Terrence is, he’s a pretty boy who loves the spotlight and wants the world to see every aspect of his life. That’s the complete opposite of what I do. He could hurt my campaign, Cee-Cee, so get off your LGBT soapbox and let’s look at this pragmatically.”
She rolled her eyes at his comment and crossed her arms. “Pragmatically speaking, what?”
“I’m the mayor of a Midwest town in the middle of the Bible belt. My platform is the usual conservative Republican status quo. It doesn’t matter who I am or what I believe personally. It’s about the values of the people I represent.”
She was disappointed by his answer. “Point taken. And here I thought getting elected to office was how people changed the world.”
“There’s nothing wrong with our town. We have one of the lowest crime rates in the state, low unemployment, a six-figure median income. People are happy here.”
“The majority…the majority of people are happy here….Anyway, you let me handle Ashley Terrence.”
“What do you plan to do?”
“A confidentiality agreement. That way, if the two of you decide to pursue something…”
“We won’t.”
She shrugged. “He won’t want to be tied up in a lawsuit. It covers your ass. If there’s one thing I’ve learned in public relations, it’s that you always cover your ass. Now, I’ve gotta get back to PR-ISM to handle some things. Can I give them the go-ahead on booking Ashley?”
He waved dismissively. “I don’t care. He’s your friend. You just make sure you tell him to keep his shock-and-awe tactics on the stage and out of my personal life.”
“Fine. Whatever you want.”
Chapter 9
Back at PR-ISM after the meeting with Phoenix, Cee-Cee grabbed the receiver of the clunky landline phone and pushed back her short black hair as she stuck it to her ear. Eyeing Ashley’s phone number written out on an index card, she dialed him. It wasn’t a conversation she wanted to have at PR-ISM, and she planned to ask if he’d meet her somewhere. On the other end of the line, Ashley’s phone rang and rang but no one answered. Cee-Cee blew out a breath.
“Hey, you!” a chirpy female voice cut through the wait.
Cee-Cee looked up with a frown. “Gina, I’m busy right now. Go find someone else to harass.”
“I noticed you stuck around at the mayor’s office after everyone from PR-ISM left. How was it for you?” The stylish agent smiled insincerely and tilted her head to the side to examine Cee-Cee. “You look a little flushed.”
Ashley’s voicemail picked up, and Cee-Cee rolled her eyes at the woman leaning over the panel separating her cubicle from the next. “Ashley, it’s Cee-Cee. Call or text me when you get this message. Do it on my personal cellphone in case I’m not here at the office by the time you hear this. Talk to you later.” She hung up the phone and finally addressed the woman who was trying to get a rise out of her.
Since it was around lunchtime, there were only a handful of people working nearby, and no one was paying attention to this tense confrontation. She kept her voice low and firm. “If you don’t get away from my desk right now, you are going to regret it! I’ve dealt with enough bullies in life to know how to handle people like you.”
“Aw, what are you going to do? Run to your uncle? You were probably always the teacher’s pet. Guess what, honey. This ain’t high school.” Gina came around from the other side of the partition so there was nothing between the two of them. “Cee-Cee, we don’t have to be enemies. I’m trying to help you. If you want that silly little app picked up, I’m telling you, sleep with him. He’ll feel obligated to do something in return for you.
Swallowing, Cee-Cee rose to her feet. “That’s not how I operate.”
Donning a saccharine smile that she had clearly practiced many times before, Gina took a menacing step closer. “Well, now that we’ve got that established, just don’t stand in my way. See, I operate however I need to in order to get what I want. Right now what I want is to be department chief, and getting Briton reelected is just what the doctor ordered. I don’t have a single reservation about fucking his brains out to get seniority on this project.”
“You wouldn’t.”
“Oh, I would. And I’d enjoy it. Have you seen the man?” Gina scoffed.
The door to PR-ISM opened, and Cee-Cee dragged her attention from her rival to see who had entered. Her eyes widened in surprise. Her sister was Josey rushing to the front desk to talk to the secretary. Cee-Cee skirted Gina to get to her.
“Josey, what are you doing here?”
“Thank god I found you here. I was worried you’d be out of the office. Cee-Cee, I need you.” Josey looked distressed. Baby Joe was on her hip, despite her pregnant belly. She looked so uncomfortable. The toddler was crying loudly, and his clear blue eyes were red-rimmed. He was in the middle of a tantrum that was drawing people out of the break room to see what was going on. Cee-Cee went through a side door into the lobby and collected her nephew into her arms.
“Let’s get outside where we can talk,” she whispered. She was embarrassed that her sister would come to her job with a crisis. There was enough scrutiny on Cee-Cee as it was. With everyone assuming she was getting special treatment because Bryan was her uncle, she didn’t need to give them cause to complain. Kids weren’t allowed in the office.
As soon as they stepped out, Cee-Cee flashed on her sister. “You can’t show up at my office with a crying baby like this, Josey! What were you thinking? I could get in trouble for this.”
Josey covered her face and started crying, and Cee-Cee curbed her anger. Something was wrong. “I didn’t know where else to go. Mom went shopping and Dad is at work. Baby Joe has an ear infection. I took him to the clinic, and they gave him medicine, but he hasn’t stopped crying. Cee-Cee, I’m at my wit’s end!”
“Calm down,” Cee-Cee soothed. She patted Joe’s back and shushed him, crooning softly until she got him to stop the sobbing hiccups . His grubby fingers went for her earring. She gently disengaged his hand and kissed his fingertips. “What’s up with you, little rugrat?” She smiled at him, and he sniffled loudly, laying his head on her shoulder.
“How do you get him to do that? I’ve tried everything,” Josey complained. Cee-Cee glanced through the window into her office building and spotted Gina watching them
closely. Frowning, she led Josey deeper into the parking lot to her sister’s car. “Can you keep him for a little while? Isn’t it your lunch break?”
“Yeah, but I was working through my break.” Cee-Cee was on the verge of telling her no, but the look on Josey’s face told her it was a better idea to pull strings and keep her nephew, at least for thirty minutes. Josey needed to regain composure. Not for the first time, Cee-Cee regretted her sister’s questionable life decisions.
Josey opened the door to her car and plopped down in the driver’s seat. She dropped her head on the steering wheel and just sat there, looking tired.
Cee-Cee replied quietly, “Josey, I think you need to look into putting Baby Joe in daycare. I know you wanted to save a little money from your part-time job, but I don’t think you’ll be able to keep up at the pace you’re going. You’ve got school to worry about, and you need a break.”
Josey nodded. “Yeah, that’s what Brett and I are planning to do, soon as he gets home. I’ve been so stressed out that I don’t know what to do. The only highlight of my day lately is when I get to talk to Brett.”
Cee-Cee rolled her eyes. “Sis, you need to open your eyes. A relationship isn’t going to save you.”
Josey looked up at her. “I don’t expect it to. I’m saving myself. That’s why I’m going to school and working. Don’t you see that? I guess you don’t. You never have thought very highly of me.”
“That’s not true, Josey!”
“It is,” Josey laughed bitterly. “You think I’m a screw-up.”
“I think you’ve let what you thought was love get in the way of your dreams for your future, Sis. But I think you have time to rectify that. Having a baby isn’t the end of the world.”
MMF BISEXUAL ROMANCE: Phoenix Running Page 7