When she reached Rhys and Zoey’s apartment, her cell phone rang in her purse. A quick look at the screen revealed her aunt and uncle were calling. “Good morning,” she said after she answered the FaceTime.
“Hi, sweetie,” her aunt Marylin said, and Uncle Joe waved his greeting.
Aunt Marylin had warm bright-blue eyes, mid-length blonde hair that was sun kissed by the Florida sun. Uncle Joe was fit from his long career with the New York City Police Department. His gray hair had thinned in recent years, but his mischievous smile remained unchanged. “You two are so tan.”
“You can’t avoid the sun here,” Aunt Marylin said. “How are things at home?”
“Same,” Elise answered. They’d become snowbirds after they retired, and loved Florida so much they never returned to New York City. Zoey, Hazel, and Penny had filled the void of the missing family. Horns honked, and a man crossing the street cursed out a driver who nearly hit him. Elise laughed. “New York City is always the same.”
“We definitely don’t miss the hustle and bustle,” Uncle Joe said. “How’s work?”
“Busy. Which is good business.”
Uncle Joe smiled. “Glad to hear it.”
Aunt Marylin leaned in closer to her cell phone, examining her like only a caring mother would. “You look good.”
Yeah, multiple orgasms for an entire month could do incredible things to the body. “I feel good.”
Aunt Marylin gave a sly smile. “Is there a love interest we should know about that’s causing you to look so happy?”
“Can’t I look this happy just on my own?”
“Of course,” Aunt Marylin countered. “But you’ve got a certain sparkle in your eye. One that sure looks like a woman getting loved right.”
Elise laughed softly. “Well, there might be someone.”
“Oh?” Aunt Marylin quipped.
“It’s new, but it’s good,” Elise cut in before she could get any ideas. The first good relationship she’d ever had with a man. One that she didn’t wholly control, simply because Archer wasn’t the type of man anyone controlled unless he allowed it.
“What’s he do?” Uncle Joe asked.
“Head of Security for Rhys Harrington,” she said, choosing her words carefully. Everyone in New York City knew the powerful Harrington name.
“Ah,” Uncle Joe said. “In a similar field, then?”
Elise shrugged. “Sort of. He protects people. I catch the bad people.”
“And you’re damn good at it.” Uncle Joe beamed with pride.
“Thanks.” A beep followed by a message from Zoey asking when she would arrive popped up on her screen. “I’m sorry, but I’ve got to get to a meeting.”
“We won’t keep you,” Aunt Marilyn said. “Love you lots, honey. We’ll talk soon.”
“Love you too.” Elise waited for the typical waves goodbye before she ended the call. She would never forget what they had done for her, stepping in when Elise had no one. One day, she’d find a way to repay them. She quickly shoved her phone in her purse and entered Rhys’ building.
Once she cleared security, she was in the elevator and on her way up to their apartment. A fancy place that looked beyond her means even if she worked her whole life. A quick knock on the door at the end of the hallway, and it opened to Rhys.
“Good morning,” he said, stepping away from the door to allow her to enter.
“Mornin’.” She followed him, kicking off her shoes at the door, scared to get dirt on anything. Zoey wouldn’t have cared, but Rhys grew up and lived in another world. One with private schools, dinner parties, and people worth more money than Elise could ever dream up.
“Coffee?” he asked.
“Please.”
He led her to the kitchen and quickly poured two cups. “Thanks for coming to see me this morning,” he said, offering her a mug. “My day is full of off-site meetings, but I wanted to make sure we touched base.”
She slid onto the stool at the counter and added sugar and cream to hers. “No problem. I know things aren’t moving as quickly as you’d probably like.”
“The club has been closed for a month now,” he stated, stirring his coffee. “Members are growing restless, and we’ve already lost quite a few.”
“I know it’s frustrating,” Elise said, feeling like she wasn’t only letting Rhys down, but Archer too, since the breach landed on his shoulders. “But there’s been zero activity. We’ve bugged the house Connie and Isaac visit. I’m following their paper trail, cyber trail, any trail, really. They’re not taking a step sideways.”
Rhys considered her, cocking his hand. “I want to reopen the club, but to do so, I need to revoke their memberships, which would mean confronting them. Is this a risk?”
“I think that’s a hard question to answer,” she admitted. “We don’t know the real reason they sold the photo.”
“What does your gut tell you?”
She appreciated how he trusted her, and she had the sense that Rhys only trusted her that much because Archer did. “We need to wait. Something will come of this; there’s a reason they did it.”
“Then stay on them,” Rhys said, without hesitation, running a hand over his face. “Everyone reveals themselves, eventually.”
Elise nodded and then proceeded to go into a lengthy conversation about every single thing she’d discovered about Connie and Isaac. The good, the bad, and the boring. Until she reached the end of what she and Penny had learned. “And that’s all I’ve got right now. Believe me, I’m equally as frustrated.”
“I bet,” Rhys said. “You’re doing a good job for us. Keep me updated if anything more develops. We’ll keep Phoenix closed for another couple weeks before we revisit the issue.”
Elise accepted the order with a nod, taking a long sip of her coffee, one she nearly spit out as Rhys said, “On another front, I’ve been meaning to speak to you. I’ve had a request from a member that you partake in another show.”
She set her coffee mug down. “Oh.”
Rhys set that hard stare on her, assessing her. “Archer has offered to do the show with you, if you would like.”
The offer was a direct hit to her heart, and she felt the coldness creep into all the spots Archer’s touch had been healing this past month. “I told him I’m not interested in that.”
Rhys’ brows drew together tight, telling her, her raw emotions showed on her face. “I’m aware, but he also wanted to give you time to see if you had a change of opinion on that. He simply said that if you were interested in taking part in the show, he’d do the show with you.”
Something deep and raw broke inside her, and that’s when she knew, somewhere along the way, she’d let all her guards down. Even let herself believe he didn’t need others to watch them to find fulfillment; he only needed her. She thought he saw her, liked her, and wanted her for what she was, not what he hoped she’d become—a woman who wanted to live his lifestyle.
“I asked him a while ago,” Rhys said quickly, obviously reading something in her expression. “If things have changed and if I have overstepped, I’m sorry, Elise.”