MMF BISEXUAL ROMANCE: Phoenix Running (4 page)

“I’ll keep that in mind, Mayor Briton. Thank you.”

“Call me Phoenix, Cee-Cee.” There wasn’t much space separating them.

She tugged on her dress again, and their thighs brushed. That electric spark reanimated. There was chemistry in the backseat of the car.

Phoenix felt the stirring awareness of her womanly proximity somewhere low in his pelvis as he shifted position. He could tell she was aware of him too by the way she pressed her legs together and crossed her arms in front of her perky nipples. She rolled her eyes subtly.
So what he’s hot and rich, and we’re alone together in his ridiculously expensive Rolls?
her face seemed to say. He laughed aloud.

“You don’t know how to feel about me, do you? Cee-Cee, behind the title of mayor, I’m a pretty regular guy. I hope you don’t find me intimidating, because I try not to be. We’re going to be working closely over the next few months, and I want you to be comfortable around me.”

“You’re very approachable,” she allowed. “But, I gotta be honest with you. I’m not here to feel anything about you. I’m here to prove myself as a serious entrepreneur. It’s just, I…feel more like a kid playing a game of Lemonade Stand.” She snickered, admitting it. He laughed as well.

His diamond cuff links winked under the streetlight as the car hummed quietly, accelerating. “For what it’s worth, I see you as a serious entrepreneur.”

“Thank you for the opportunity to give this presentation tonight. Even if my app isn’t chosen, it was nice meeting with you. I foresee us working well together in the future.” She swallowed and slid her sweaty palms over her exposed thighs. She tried again to pull that damned skirt a little lower with no success. Cee-Cee lifted her head and tossed her hair and pasted on that smile that said she was a winner, in spite of, and he smiled back.

“Well, I haven’t not chosen you. I’d like to assess the beta program personally. Is that alright with you? I know a lounge nearby where we can hang out together a little longer and you can show me how it works.”

“Are you serious?” He nodded. Her eyes sparkled with glee, and she clapped her hands in anticipation while gnawing on her bottom lip, looking uncertain. “Where to start? There’s so much the program can do.”

“Show me everything,” he said. His eyes took a slow stroll up her body to her eyes. There was definitely something unspoken going on between them, and he found himself grinning in response.

“Let’s get to that lounge, then,” she murmured.

“You’ll like the place,” Phoenix assured her. “I go often enough for the folks to know me on a first name basis, but I still feel a sense of anonymity there. I can let my hair down, so to speak. Sometimes I need to feel like an average dumb twenty-something. Know what I mean? What about you? You go out any?”

She lifted a shoulder and shook her head, exactly as he suspected. “I’m really more of a homebody.” Phoenix reached in a built-in cooler for something to take the edge off, and he splashed a finger of vodka into a glass. She pointed at it. “Hmm. About that. I have a two-sip maximum.”

“Grenadine?” He held up the red drink additive, and she flashed a relaxed smile.

“How’d you know?”

Chuckling, Phoenix added the crimson syrup, stirred it, and handed it to Cee-Cee. “You don’t seem like a girl who turns down sweets. What’s a gorgeous woman like you doing staying at home on a Friday night?”

He toasted her and watched her waning confidence resurge in the form of a hair flip and dazzling smile. Suddenly they were two successful young people hanging out, all he had wanted in the first place.

“Achieving,” said Cee-Cee. “It’s what I do.”

“That’s what I do, too. I’ve got a feeling, Ms. Cora-Lynn Carson, we’re going to see a lot of success together.”

They crisscrossed downtown to the warehouse district, arriving at Phoenix Briton’s favorite hangout, the Yellow Lounge. His driver dropped them in front of the building, and Phoenix led her on his arm like a celebrity.

A
shley Terrence held
his selfie stick away from the group and yelled for everyone to “Chill, chill!” The throng of people backstage with him shoved and squeezed in for the picture. Magnetic, handsome, jovial Ashley tossed his curly dark hair out of his face and grinned as the camera flashed and the picture was taken. “Worldwide, Ashers!” he shouted excitedly with a toss-up of rock star fingers.

In response, the twenty or so guys hanging out with him added to the mayhem with a few hoorahs that drew shushes from the people running the show. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry!” Ashley covered his grin with the back of his hand and ducked off into his dressing room to keep the noise down. Of course he was followed. Five or six of his entourage materialized in the cramped room with him. He minded, but he didn’t show it.

“Ash, your set is up in twenty minutes. Preserve your voice,” his manager, Tegan, cautioned dryly. Ashley snickered and ignored her as he posed for another picture for his Twitter fans, one for Snapchat and a quick video to make into a Vine later when he had the time. Tegan sighed at his antics and continued working her phone, scheduling appearances for him.

Ashley was backstage at a high-end nightclub in this modest-sized town while en route to a bigger act in a city thirty minutes away. That meant two shows in one night. Playing on the Internet was the only way to normalize the chaotic frenzy of being a performer.

Although the twenty-five-year-old Aussie was semi-drunk and putting on a show of having a good time with his crew, the road life was boring the fuck out of him. They had been touring for the past two months. Meanwhile, his real friends were in Australia texting, telling him he was missing out on surfing and partying with them. His best mate, Tam, whom he hadn’t seen in months, was back in Australia, but he couldn’t get in touch with him because of the shitty time difference.

The irony was that even though he was surrounded by people, with millions of fans and hundreds of thousands of followers, this was the most alone Ashley Terrence had felt in his life. But three more months of this, and he would be free.

It was crazy, but he missed the ungodly heat of home. He missed his mother pouring him a Coke and his step-dad sitting in his underwear in the living room watching TV like that was normal. Most of all, he missed knowing for sure that the folks he considered friends weren’t hanging with him simply because he was a star.

He couldn’t wait to be back to that life, although he knew once he was, he’d be wishing for the bright lights, cameras and action once again. To think he was here because a few notes crooned on some YouTube videos had garnered the right attention from the right music execs. In a year’s time, Ashley Terrence’s life had rapidly changed.

He sang soulful indie pop and had a growing following in America. This tour would add fuel to the flames of his popularity, giving him the fame and success his label felt he deserved. For Ashley, it was all about getting his name and music out there. With his talent, he was destined to be an icon. Everyone agreed he had the look and the voice. Plus, he had a personality the size of a demi-god’s.

“Tegan, do you reckon I’ll be missed if I mingle in the crowd a bit before we go on?” Ashley peeped at his manager in the mirror and she shrugged, not in the mood to babysit him tonight.

“I don’t care, as long as your arse is back where you need to be in time for hair and make-up.”

“Right.”

He shimmied away from his buddies, sick of seeing the same faces on this blasted tour. “Not this time, fellas. I want to be incognito.” They hung back with the booze and the groupies. That wasn’t Ashley’s scene. He liked real people. One of the reasons he was so good at drawing followers was because he was genuinely interested in what went on in other people’s lives, and tonight he wanted to meet someone new, learn something new.

He pulled on a pair of shades and tiptoed out the back door to reenter through the front of the club. He ended up in line behind a striking couple in black and blue. As he eyed the attractive pair, Ashley felt the familiar pulse of desire. His grey eyes swept over the man’s wide back, appreciating the way the fabric of his coat molded to his frame. Then he stared at the woman, her raven hair falling asymmetrically across her face.

The two people in line in front of him spoke quietly and seemed content in their own little world. Ashley had an urge to insinuate himself into their private moment, but he held back. He nodded at the bouncer who smiled in surprise at seeing him out here instead of inside. Ashley put a finger to his lips, entering the club without any need to show ID or pay the cover.

But in the process of getting past the doorman, he lost the couple he was tailing. “Bummer,” he muttered. The bar winked with amber and clear bottles, and he was tempted to order a drink. Instead, he ambled deeper into the club to watch the band on stage.

T
he lounge enveloped
Cee-Cee and Phoenix in darkness and the palpable vibration of music—not Cee-Cee’s favorite. It was punchy and alternative. Scented candles lightly coated the space with the smell of sea, sun and juniper. She was out of her element as she gazed around at the plastic women in cocktail and party dresses with bleach-blonde hair and perfect make-up. They looked cool and chic. She could never compete with that.

Cee-Cee was glad her mom had modified the simple black dress to fit her. At least she looked classic, she hoped. Phoenix peered over his shoulder and saw her falling behind because she was people watching. He noticed the look on her face—not that of a woman confident of her appeal. “Don’t be self-conscious. You look amazing, Cee-Cee.” He slowed his step.

“Of course. I’m right behind you.” She was ecstatic that he wanted to give her app a shot. She pushed past the clubbers and followed him to a rounded pink sofa wedged into a shadowy corner of the club. “Let’s get started. We can use my phone. So, what would you like your first post to be?”

“Explain it a little to me first.”

“You can simultaneously post to every major social media site. Now, you might be thinking there are plenty of programs that let you do that. What sets NowIn apart? Well, say you want a cool pic for Instagram.” She held up her camera and took a photo. “But you also want to say something snazzy on Twitter. Like, ‘This is Cee-Cee hanging out with Mayor Phoenix Briton!’” Her voice was recorded and converted to text.

She swiped a few keys. When Cee-Cee was done, what was created was a video clip with her image and voice as well as her comment transcribed to post as text. She drew a few doodles on her image using her fingers and the touchscreen, added some filters, and… “Voila!” She showed him her modifications to the post.

Phoenix peered over her shoulder and nodded, lips downturned and eyebrows lifted in appreciation. “That’s decent.”

Cee-Cee snorted in amusement at the understatement. She could tell by his face he was impressed.

“Obviously, it can do more than that. You know how Snapchat is lauded for its ability to put people in the moment? People love that app because it encourages users to share their world with friends all throughout the day. NowIn does the same thing, only your posts don’t disappear into cyber oblivion after they’re seen. You can take your tiny personal moments and present your best self to the world, to every site you love—Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and soon international sites like RenRen in China and Orkut in India.”

“You did a great job with this.”

“Thank you. No wasting time typing in witty commentary. Just speak it, photograph it, film it. You’re done.”

“Came up with this on your own?” He crossed his arms and looked down his nose, a half-smile tickling his lips.

Cee-Cee shrugged modestly. “It’s a hobby that I plan to make my career, if all goes well with this first app.”

“Well, here’s to hoping all goes well.” Phoenix flagged down a sexy waitress in a leather mini skirt and tube top who flirted with body language as she took his drink order, but his eyes remained on Cee-Cee the whole time. “Would you like another drink?”

“Oh, um…No, thanks. I finished mine in the car.” She squirmed under his obvious scrutiny, already feeling buzzed without the need for more alcohol. Her inhibitions had dipped low enough, although she kept her libido in check. She had a lot of experience with keeping her eye on the prize, which at the moment was getting her app into the right hands. But, damn, he was sexy enough to make her job harder!

Cee-Cee reminded herself she wasn’t looking for a meaningless sexual tryst with the mayor. How déclassé would that be?

If they were different people, sure. They’d probably be fucking in the back of his car by now. Bigger things were expected of them, however, thanks to a few smart moves that had led them to early respectability. Phoenix was the youngest mayor their town had ever had, and she was a kickass programmer who would someday give Bill Gates a run for his money. Eyes on the prize, Cee-Cee.

“So, you wanna give the app a try?”

Smiling, Phoenix replied, “I think I’ve seen enough, but since we’re off the clock now, maybe it’s alright to get a smidge more personal. Are you seeing anyone?”

“What?” Cee-Cee hiccupped and giggled in embarrassment. “Oh, god. I think I might be tipsy,” she whispered, covering her lips. He grinned and was about to say something else when suddenly a guy with startling grey eyes and curly dark hair slid onto the sofa next to them. Phoenix froze. Cee-Cee looked askance at the newcomer who had sat down on the other side of her.

“How are you doing? I’m Ashley Terrence. I couldn’t help noticing the two of you when you walked in. How are you for a third?”

“This is a private party,” said Phoenix coolly.

Cee-Cee’s eyes widened. “A third what?”

H
e was even more
beautiful up close. Ashley stared. He had thrust out his hand for a handshake and forgotten it there—lost in the man’s dark eyes—but the blue-suited gentleman didn’t immediately shake it. The equally attractive woman clasped his fingers in a firm handshake, and Ashley bit his bottom lip with a soft hum as he turned his gaze to her. She was gorgeous. What a stroke of luck…

“A third wheel. As you can probably tell from my accent, I’m a long way from home, and since I don’t know any of the locals, I was wondering if I could hang out with the two of you. You look like you know how to have a good time.” Ashley snapped for the waitress who quickly materialized. He ordered a drink.

“Hi. I’m Cora-Lynn, but my friends call me Cee-Cee. Nice to meet you, Ashley. This is…”

“Phoenix,” the man broke his silence and shook Ashley’s hand. When their fingers connected, Ashley’s heart thundered in his chest and his mouth went dry. He noticed the wayward hairs of Phoenix’s dark bushy brows and the way his beard roughened his soft face, the hook of his nose above his unsmiling lips. The way his eyes bored into Ashley’s like a drowning man eyeing a buoy. The attraction was mutual.

He sensed it.

“The pleasure is all mine, trust me.” Ashley sat back against the pink leather sofa. An awkward silence tried to slip in, but he refused to let it settle. He spied the device in Cee-Cee’s hand and noticed she was posting something to social media. “What do you have there?”

“Oh, I was just showing my friend what we can do with this new app I designed. It’s nothing, really. I mean, it’s still in beta.” She quickly shoved the phone into her purse, gaze skating to her date, who looked incredibly uncomfortable. Phoenix’s eyes swept the club. Ashley licked his lips, peering around as well, but no one was watching them. He knew the look of a man wary of being seen with another man.

“I hate to intrude or impose…?” He made the statement a question, asking if he was. Phoenix’s dark brown eyes brushed his face and dropped to his lap, and Ashley grinned, boldly sliding his hips forward to give the man a closer look. The pliable black leather pants hugged his thighs as closely as the black t-shirt hugged his torso. He knew he was an appealing piece of maleness. Why not let him look?

“You’re not imposing,” Cee-Cee smiled. Her dancing blue eyes speared him and flew again to her date, and her fingers tightened in her lap like she had to resist touching.

He had to resist, too. Ashley was a hedonist. Pleasure wasn’t something he resisted often. Ashley just couldn’t decide which of them he wanted more—Ms. Sweet Smile or Mr. Brooding Eyes. All he knew for certain was there was no way in hell he was about to let the opportunity to get to know these two slip away, no matter how aloof the male half of the pair was.

He needed an opening. Ashley pushed his hair back from his face and casually gestured at the clutch where Cee-Cee had secreted away her phone. “Social media is kind of my thing. Mind if I have a look?” She widened those doll-like eyes and cautiously dug her cellphone from her purse, handing it to him reluctantly after pulling up the application and explaining how it worked.

Ashley had merely asked to see it as an icebreaker, but as he listened to what NowIn had the potential to do, his interest was piqued. “And
you
developed this? Wow! Impressive. This is something a guy like me could use. I’m a YouTube personality, Twitter king, Snapchat hero, all the buzzy buzzwords the kids are using. Can I give it a go?”

“Well, you’ll have to log into your accounts.” Cee-Cee swept her hair behind her ear and handed him the phone. Their fingers grazed. She flinched. She felt it too. The chemistry between them crackled and popped. It was a wonder no one else noticed the sparks. Ashley glanced at Phoenix. Well, almost no one noticed the sparks.

He keyed in his information, not really worried about her hacking into his shit. All she’d see was fan mail and love letters. He grinned excitedly as he brought up his YouTube channel, and she showed him how to post to simultaneous accounts. “Squeeze into the frame with me,” he ordered.

Cee-Cee scooted a centimeter closer, but Phoenix scooted away. Ashley quietly laughed, understanding. Men like him had secrets to keep. He threw an arm around Cee-Cee and pressed the side of his face to hers. She smelled of apples and cinnamon, which was an unexpected delight. Women were expected to smell like flowers, but her pale clear skin made him want to have a taste. He stole a kiss on her cheek, and she giggled and blushed, pushing him away.

“Hey, now! What was that for?”

“Have you seen yourself? You’re impossible to resist.”

“And you’re a terrible flirt,” she accused. Ashley stared into her eyes and felt the dizzying club lights spin slower. On the periphery he saw Phoenix grimace, two fingers to his cheek, two fingers in front of his mouth, staring wordlessly. The girl clearly liked him, and Phoenix was obviously into her. Ashley wondered if he was barking up the wrong tree.

He turned to Cee-Cee’s phone and spoke overly loud to be heard over the music while he made the recording. “Hello, Ashers! Look at this beautiful darling hanging out with me at the Yellow Lounge! Say hello, Cee-Cee!” He danced to the music, and she shyly waved, smiling self-consciously while Phoenix averted his face and leaned further away. “Ash and Incandescence on tour in the U.S. of A. If you haven’t gotten your tickets to my next show, you’re missing out! Worldwide, Ashers!”

Ashley stopped recording and played back the clip, nodding appreciatively at the result. He pointed at the phone and looked at Cee-Cee. “This. I so want this! I can’t believe my luck, running into you two. Do you come here often?”

“This is my first time here, but I think Phoenix comes here fairly often. We just wrapped a dinner date. Business dinner,” she amended.

“Excellent, excellent,” Ashley responded. “Phoenix, what do you do?”

“I’m in politics. What about you?”

“I’m something of a celebrity. I’m here to perform tonight. But I’d love to give the two of you a private show. Want to hang out on my tour bus afterwards?” Ashley held his breath. They could say yes or no, but the odds of them saying yes was nil if he didn’t ask.

“Excuse me?” Phoenix looked taken aback by the offer. Ashley dropped a hand on his knee and squeezed. Phoenix didn’t protest, although he eyed the hand as if Ashley had made a serious social faux pas. Silly, prudish Americans.

“Just the three of us. It’ll be cozy. Drinks, chit chat and all that.”

Cee-Cee was already shaking her head with a surprised laugh. “Aww, that sounds fun, but I can’t! I don’t suppose the two of you want to make it a boys' night? My parents are expecting me home early.”

“C’mon, break a few rules, mate. Fuck curfew! It’ll feel good to rebel a little.” He winked.

“You are tempting! Now that I think about it, I can’t say I’ve ever hung out a tour bus with anyone before,” Cee-Cee admitted. “Maybe we could just peep in?” She looked at Phoenix.

Her date frowned, but Ashley gave a small hoot in triumph. “If the girl says go, you go.” Phoenix grumbled in response. As if he had summoned up his own taskmaster, a text from Tegan buzzed on his phone. Ashley glanced at it in disappointment. “Looks like I have to run. See you after my set. Don’t disappear off without saying goodbye, alright? It was nice to meet you, Cee-Cee, Phoenix.”

He shook Phoenix’s hand just to feel the soft texture again, and their fingers lingered, gripped. Their eyes locked. Phoenix parted his lips and inhaled shallowly, and Ashley pushed away from the sofa before he was encouraged to stick around a little longer. He disappeared in the crowded club, leaving the two new acquaintances staring after him like a town in the wake of a whirlwind.

P
hoenix flexed
his hand where Ashley had held it longer than necessary. Then, he dropped his palm to the seat where the rock star had been sitting and felt the warmth he had left behind. The heat permeated his cool reserve. He was surprised. People didn't normally have that effect on him.

Cee-Cee reached for her drink, and he snapped out of his daze and forced himself to be mindful of her watching him; others were watching, too. This might be a place he felt comfortable relaxing with a highball, but he wouldn’t make the mistake of getting too relaxed. They were here on business.

“Well, now that I’ve seen what NowIn can do, I think we can call it a night. What about you? I heard you mention your family is waiting up for you.” Phoenix gestured to the door with his drink, but she shook her head.

“Ah, no! I made that up. I mean, I live with my parents, but I told them I’d be in late tonight. I told Ashley I had to get home early because I sensed you weren’t too comfortable with his invitation to the after-party. Was I right?”

Phoenix settled his glass on the low square table in front of them and crossed his legs. His argyle socks showed beneath the blue cuffs of his trousers. His platinum watch glinted on his wrist as he propped his hand on his knee. “It’s not that I want to keep you from experiencing the life-changing wonder of partying with rock stars, but I’m a mayor. I’m held to a different standard than celebrities. I’m careful about how I play.”

“Do you ever play, Phoenix?” Her bronze lips barely moved as she asked. His eyes swept over her face and stopped at her quizzical gaze. She was exquisite. He swept the hair back from her face and let his thumb graze her cheek. His hand drifted to her mouth, and he cupped her chin. Her tongue darted out to wet her lips. Arousal tightened within him.

“Yes.” She didn’t flinch as his face moved closer to hers. He entertained the thought of a quickie in the backseat of his car. Closer. Would she go for that? He wondered what exactly Ashley had had in mind when he invited them on his tour bus. Closer. Wasn’t he missing out on life, playing by the rules and coloring in the lines?

Their mouths connected with a whisper of skin to skin, and she opened for him without hesitation. Inhaling the sweet, spicy smell of her perfume, Phoenix swore her lips tasted of all things fulfilling. Her hands slid up his shoulders, and her fingers curled in the layers of silky dark hair at the nape of his neck. “I play very hard,” he whispered into her mouth.

She swallowed a moan at the implications. Phoenix controlled himself and pulled away. When he did, the track spinning on a turntable somewhere faded to silence, and the lights went up on the stage. Cee-Cee and Phoenix looked at each other after the kiss that shouldn’t have happened, that wasn’t part of the script. She looked like she wanted to say something, but the activity at the front of the club was too rowdy to ignore, and both of them turned to see what was going on.

An unseen emcee announced the headline act, Ash and Incandescence. Judging by the hysteria that swept the crowd, Phoenix realized the overly friendly guy who had paused at their table was kind of a big deal. “What on earth…” Cee-Cee giggled in surprise at the way the crowd rushed the stage and pressed up against barricades, held back only by the burly security guards keeping things from going crazy. “Do you see this? Have you ever heard of his band?”

In response, Phoenix shook his head. The first strum of guitar strings whined from the speakers, poignant chords that instantly drew him in. Ashley bowed his head over a scarlet guitar. The beat dropped, and Phoenix scooted to the edge of his seat. The audience erupted with explosive cheers. Cee-Cee said breathlessly, “Wow…”

Ashley Terrence grabbed the microphone and sang, and the sound of his voice was liquid sensuality. Phoenix actually felt the fine hairs stand up along his skin as his heart slowed and the noise of the crowd faded out, leaving only Ashley’s singing. The lyrics were stark and earnest in delivery. Cee-Cee gripped Phoenix’s forearm. His quick glance at her revealed she was under the same spell.

Neither of them said a word as the artist got through the first song of his set, a ballad about falling off a precipice into bliss.

When the final notes died to a hush and Ashley broke off to greet his fans and say a little bit about the next song he’d be singing, Cee-Cee sat back against the sofa and let out another exclamation of shock. “Who would’ve ever thought he could sing like that?”

“That was pretty amazing,” Phoenix murmured. He couldn’t take his eyes off the stage. Ashley worked it effortlessly. His long-legged stride carried him from one end to the other as he asked the audience something and leaned closer to hear individual responses. It was readily apparent that if this guy weren’t yet a household name, he soon would be.

And Phoenix’s reluctance to get involved with him, even for a night, was set in stone by that fact. He couldn’t afford Ashley’s celebrity. Men like Ashley Terrence came with an entourage, paparazzi, snooping reporters and inquisitive fans, and from what he’d seen when Ashley was trying out Cee-Cee’s app, the guy wasn’t shy about blasting his personal life out to anyone who would pay attention.

There might have been a time—maybe in college, when no one was watching, waiting for him to fail—when he could’ve asked Ashley out for a drink. He might have casually invited him back to his studio apartment behind the bookstore where the pale green elephant ear plants grew as tall as a teen and blocked the view of his front door.

Closeted in the cozy apartment that smelled of patchouli and Mary Jane, they might have drunk cheap wine and discussed politics and philosophy with their backs against the daybed. Might have watched the sky beyond the sliding glass patio doors turn blue-black and stud with stars while something mellow played from Phoenix’s secondhand stereo, and then they would’ve ended up in bed.

The sex would’ve been a glorious rebellion. The next day, of course, they’d go their separate ways back to the land of conservatives, maybe pretending not to know each other. It had happened enough times for Phoenix to know the script.

Ever since he had graduated and started thinking about politics, he had labored mightily to keep his fluid sexuality under wraps, and he had succeeded. He had had a few nights here and there…cautious nights…but not lately. And at this most critical point in his political career, he couldn’t have any kind of nights with beautiful, thoughtful men. Ashley was a temptation he had to resist.