Zoey wheezed along with them, grabbing her belly. “Ow, ow, okay, stop.”
Elise wiped the laughter tears from her eyes. “I can’t help it. As if Rhys Harrington needs to tempt you. The man is fucking hot!”
“I know.” Zoey breathed, leaning back in her seat. “This whole thing is absolutely ridiculous. I go from having no sex to having sex with one of the hottest men in New York City, who can have any woman he wants, but apparently, he wants more of me.”
Hazel’s smile died halfway through Zoey’s statement. “I actually don’t think that’s weird at all. I mean you’re entirely different than anyone he has probably met.”
“She’s not wrong,” Elise agreed after a moment of consideration. “He deals with people who live a passionate lifestyle and who are rich. They aren’t innocent dog-grooming virgins. Maybe he finds you refreshing.”
Zoey thought that over and finally shrugged. “I actually think he finds my pain refreshing.”
Hazel blinked. Then blinked again and frowned. “I don’t even understand what that means.”
“I don’t really know how to explain it,” Zoey countered, “but it’s a feeling I get from him. Like he wants to…I don’t know…take my pain away…” Elise grabbed her cell from the table and began typing as Zoey added, “In some weird way, I think he likes protecting women or bringing them happiness, or at least, that’s what it seemed he was saying to me. He wants to show me a life I don’t know exists, a life where a man doesn’t hurt a woman.”
“So, he’s a fixer?” Hazel asked.
“Yeah, a fixer. That’s a good way to put it,” Zoey agreed. “And, seriously, do I really want to be someone’s therapy project?”
Hazel gave a firm nod. “If that therapy includes hot sex with Rhys Harrington, then yes.”
Zoey laughed, but stopped when Elise slid the cell phone across the table. “Who is this?” she asked, staring at a beautiful brunette.
“Katherine Rothschild,” Elise said. “Rhys’ late girlfriend.”
Zoey looked up. “What happened to her?”
Elise took her cell back and began scrolling. “She had cervical cancer and lost her battle. She was only twenty-four years old.”
“Wow, that’s sad,” Hazel said.
Zoey agreed with a nod. “Which is a red flag, right? I mean, this guy owns a sex club and obviously has baggage. Probably best I stay away.” She couldn’t ignore red flags anymore. Those flags kept her safe.
“Maybe,” Elise said with a shrug. “Maybe not. I think, logically, anyone who has lost a loved one would do whatever they could to make sure the people around them were living their best life. If you ask me, I think it’s kind of sweet that his current goal in life is to make others happy and satisfied.”
“But he owns a sex club,” Zoey reminded her.
Hazel said dryly, “Which is probably why he’s such an incredible lay.”
“Seriously?” Zoey gawked.
Hazel giggled. “Well, it’s true, isn’t it? You came home last night with stars in your eyes. That guy has got mad skills. Why not enjoy that for a while? You deserve all this and so much more. Hell, he wants to give you hot sex, and then you move. What could go wrong?”
“Everything,” Zoey countered in haste. “Absolutely everything could go wrong.” Because it had.
Elise gave her a soft, supportive look and reached across the table again. “The difference here being that this is your choice. Your say. Your rules. Maybe what he’s offering is exactly what you need. Let him shake you out of your box, see the world with different eyes for a little bit then you can move back home, with the orgasmic glow that you deserve.”
Zoey considered, sipping her wine, smelling the oaky hints. “Can it be that simple, though? That good?”
Hazel’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully before she nodded. “If I can give my two cents, you’re at a crossroad now. You faced the one thing that terrified you. The two men who assaulted you. Now fate has tossed you a chance at something different, something new. Do you want to be that same scared woman you said you wanted to shed? Or are you this new Zoey who is doing life her way, on her terms, no matter how impossible it seems?”
It all made sense. But… “It’s really scary for me to let anyone in like that, even if this is sort of like an arrangement.” Though a new little voice in her head reminded her that when Rhys was there, she seemed to let go easily. That maybe this wasn’t so scary after all. And without a doubt, he’d stood up for her, protected her.
Elise lifted her glass to her mouth. Before she took a sip, she said, “Honey, life isn’t fun if it isn’t scary sometimes.”
Zoey snorted. “Yeah, that’s why I’ve lived very comfortably on the boring side of life lately.”
Hazel grinned, smacking the table with her hand. “Well, now it’s time to live on a different side, like Rhys Harrington’s sexy-as-hell backside.”
“It is a pretty spectacular backside,” Zoey agreed with a laugh.
“So,” Elise drawled, eyes dancing. “Does that mean you’ll be seeing more of him?”
Zoey pointed to her wine and smiled. “I need at least two more of these before making that decision.”
Elise reached for the bottle and filled up her glass. “There, now you can make the best decision of your life.”
Chapter 6
“Late night?” Rhys mused the next morning as Archer strode into the office on the main floor with dark circles under his eyes. After Rhys dropped off Zoey, he’d returned to the cigar club, where Archer waited for answers. Over a drink, Rhys gave them. He didn’t need to come down hard on Archer’s failure to keep the club safe. The guilt and frustration were etched into every line on Archer’s exhausted face. Whatever weakness was in the system would get fixed and any threat handled. Of that, Rhys was certain.
“Very late night,” Archer muttered, dropping down into his usual spot on the leather couch beneath the window, a file folder in his hand.
Rhys got up from behind his desk and took the wing-back chair across from Archer. The sun was trying to break through the clouds after the rain early this morning. This was the only time of the day when the club was quiet. The cigar bar didn’t open until eleven o’clock, but morning meetings with Archer were part of Rhys’ day-to-day.
“What’s in the file?”
“It’s—”
“Who pissed you off?” Hunt asked, gaze set on Archer, as he entered the office followed by Kieran, with coffees in hand.
Rhys grinned at his friends. Neither Hunt nor Kieran worked for him, but they were both there for one specific reason. To find out if they would be partaking in the show tonight. They were as much a part of the Phoenix family as Rhys and Archer. Rhys knew part of the success of his club was not just the stars, but the regulars who partook in the shows and knew how to fuck and give his members something glorious to look at. That passion made others want to watch. It was addictive, even to Rhys.
“Elise Fanning pissed me off,” Archer said to Kieran.