My Friend, Phoenix Read online

  My Friend, Phoenix

  By

  Sidney Wright

  Copyright © 2014 by Sidney Wright

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be used or reproduced without express written permission from the author except in the case of brief excerpts embodied in published reviews.

  Image: © vladans / Dollar Photo Club

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 1

  Sam

  I was at my first end-of-the-semester college party.

  It was a strange feeling. In high school, I’d always avoided the party scene. Yet here I was at some random college student’s house, partying with these fellow students like I knew them and they knew me. Which they clearly didn’t. But that was fine by me. I wasn’t here for them. I was here for one person only.

  Phoenix Saunders.

  As usual, he was surrounded by a gaggle of girls and a few boys. I couldn’t hear what he was talking about, but his admirers clearly found him witty and entertaining, judging by the way they were reacting. I wondered if I should go and join them. Just as I mustered up the courage, someone tapped me on the shoulder.

  “Sam, is that you?”

  Oh, no. It was Hairy Larry from my music theory class. To be honest, he wasn’t that hairy, but the name just stuck because of his unkempt hair and the perpetual five o’clock shadow on his face. Blue eyes peeped out from under curly strands of dark brown hair.

  “Yeah, it’s me,” I said reluctantly, avoiding his stare. Instead of my usual messy bun, I had my hair down, and I’d put on more makeup than usual. I prayed that he wouldn’t make a major fuss about it. Not here.

  He hooted like the ass that he was. “Seriously? Wooo! You look kinda hot – I think. Are you drunk? Your face is all red.”

  “It’s blush, Larry,” someone said.

  I whirled around, embarrassed.

  My embarrassment turned to horror when I saw who had spoken. It was Phoenix. Hadn’t he been standing over there just now? So what was he doing here in front of me?

  “Hey, Phoenix,” I greeted, a stupid smile spreading over my face. I couldn’t help it; he had this effect on me. Every time he was near, my idiotic heart went pitty-pat, pitty-pat, and my stomach did somersaults. It was madness.

  “Leave my girl alone, Larry,” Phoenix said as he wrapped an arm around my waist. I smelled alcohol on his breath. “I think she looks awesome.”

  “Those are some massive beer goggles you’ve got on,” Larry said with a smirk. “Anyway, gotta go. Nature calls.” And he left, thank the gods.

  I looked up at Phoenix, who was swaying a little. He and I went way back, to the time when we were first graders. In those days, he had been the one who’d had a crush on me. Small and weak, with scrapes all over his knees, he had followed me around, demanding that I be his girlfriend. To which I had replied, “I don’t want your cooties!”

  But now, I wanted them. Oh, so very badly. Too bad he had changed his mind, though.

  Around the time we became sophomores, Phoenix shot up to six foot three and became cool and hung out with the popular crowd. He played the guitar and piano and wrote amazing songs. All the girls wanted him. Some of the freshman boys snuck him Valentines. He loved them all. He accepted them all.

  Except mine.

  When I gave him Valentine chocolates in junior year, more as a friendship thing than anything, he’d looked at me strangely, as if I had sprouted another head.

  “What’s this?”

  “What does it look like? They’re Valentine chocolates for you.”

  He’d given me another strange look. “I don’t want them.” And he’d handed the box back to me and left me standing beside his locker, completely humiliated. I never gave him anything for Valentine’s Day again.

  He swayed again and leaned into me. “I wrote a song for you,” he said, blinking. “You want to hear it?”

  “Not right now,” I said, groaning under his weight. Phoenix was too heavy for my five-foot-four frame. He squeezed his eyes closed as he leaned forward, and I wondered if he was going to throw up. Not here! I thought desperately as I steered him toward the door. One frat boy slapped him on the back as we made our way out, and he mumbled a goodbye as we headed to my car. I hadn’t even said goodbye to the host, whoever that was. Oh, well.

  It was one in the morning. I drove him home, a three-story mansion that he shared with his older brother. Their father was currently situated somewhere in Asia due to work, so the boys pretty much had the place to themselves. As for their mother, she was off in Europe somewhere, partying with her boy toys from what I was told. So the Saunders boys did whatever they wanted and brought home whoever they wanted. By day, it was a respectable mansion; by night, it was a den of sin and depravity. At least, that’s what I told myself. It was an entertaining thought.

  Phoenix fumbled with his keys and we finally made it through the door. Unfortunately, he was too drunk to go up the stairs, so we shuffled toward a first-floor guestroom. We made our way inside, and he fell across the bed heavily, dragging me down with him like a large lion bringing down its prey. I was trapped in his arms. I couldn’t budge an inch.

  When I tried to pull away, Phoenix rolled me over and pinned me down.

  “Are you running away again?”

  My heart leaped when he opened his eyes. He didn’t look that wasted anymore.

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  He didn’t reply, but stared at me wordlessly. Before I knew what was happening, he had already crushed his lips to mine. When I didn’t object, his hands reached down to pull up my shirt. I was shocked at first, but even more so when I found my eyes closing. His lips were soft and warm, and I sighed against his mouth at his familiar scent. His hand lingered on my stomach underneath the shirt, as light as a feather.

  My heart thudded. Was I going to do this? I opened my eyes to look at him once more. The room was dark, but there was enough moonlight for me to see his beautiful face. His eyes were half-closed, but I saw how much he needed me, wanted me.

  I decided to take the plunge.

  I wrapped a leg around his hip and pulled him in closer to encourage him. As soon as he realized what I was doing, he rolled over and leaned back on the pillows. He threw an arm over his eyes.

  “I’m so wasted,” he slurred. He remained quiet for a moment, then muttered, “See yourself out, would you? I’ll call you tomorrow.” And before I could utter a single word, he quickly rose to his feet and padded to the bathroom. The soft click of the bathroom door closing felt like a slap to my face. Humiliation washed over me, and I shut my eyes to stop the sudden tears from gushing down my cheeks.

  When I felt calm enough, I stood on weak legs and hurried through the cold, uninviting mansion, wiping my eyes as I stepped out into the cool night.

  Chapter 2

  Sam

  The next morning, Phoenix called me while I was still in my bed sleeping. I groaned and pressed my phone against my ear.

  “Who is this? What time is it?” I croaked, my eyes half-closed.

  There was a slight pause. “It’s me,” a male voice answered. It sounded contrite.

  I immediately pressed “end call” and went back to sleep. Several seconds later, the phone began ringing again. I threw my blanket over my head, trying to ignore the annoying ring tone.

  It went on and on and on. The jerk just wouldn’t give up. My arm shot out and grabbed the phone.

&nb
sp; “What. Do. You. Want?” I gritted out each word with as much loathing as I could muster.

  “We need to talk.”

  “No, we don’t. Now leave me alone.”

  “I can’t do that,” he said quietly. “I’m in front of your house. In fact, I can see your stepdad coming out of the house.” I could hear him walking on the pavement. “Morning, Mr. Henderson,” he drawled. “Heading out somewhere?”

  “Meeting a buddy of mine to play squash,” he answered, sounding irritated. “And didn’t I tell you to call me Jack?”

  “Habit, I guess,” Phoenix said, but I knew he had done it on purpose. There was the sound of an engine running. “Have fun playing with your friend!” If Jack replied, it was drowned out by all the noise.

  My mom was in her mid-forties and still very beautiful. She was blonde, green-eyed, statuesque, and sported a perpetual killer tan. I took after my dad in the looks department, which meant I had light-brown hair and olive skin. The only trait I’d inherited from my mom was her green eyes.

  As soon as Mom divorced Dad, she met Jack at a casino and immediately hit it off with him. Jack kind of looked like Mom’s twin brother – he was also tall, attractive, and blond. After a whirlwind romance, they got married two months later, spending their honeymoon at Santorini. He was a restaurateur and fifteen years younger than her. He was a nice-enough guy, but I could never bring myself to call him “Dad.” Also, I’d caught him staring at me a few times when I came out of the shower with a bathrobe wrapped around me. That had been really awkward and a little more than creepy, to say the least.

  I pressed “end call” on my phone again and threw myself back on the pillow. Frankly, I was still feeling tired. After tossing and turning all night, I had fallen asleep around four in the morning. Just thinking about last night made my stomach churn. I didn’t want to see Phoenix. I wasn’t ready to face him yet. Sighing, I got up and hurried over to the door to lock it when it suddenly swung open, revealing a disheveled Phoenix looming in the doorway. When our eyes locked, he stepped forward, brows drawn together.

  “Get out!” I shouted. I grabbed the nearest thing (a stuffed pig) and aimed it at his head. Phoenix didn’t even bother to swat it away. It bounced off his head and landed on the floor, releasing a pre-recorded series of melodious oinks as it lay on its side. Phoenix paused to study the stuffed toy at his feet.

  “I gave that to you when we were twelve,” he said thoughtfully. “I didn’t know you still had it.”

  “Was it you? I don’t remember,” I lied as I turned my back to him.

  He paused, then asked, “Is your stepdad still giving you creepy stares?”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Don’t play dumb with me. You know what I’m talking about.” Phoenix sounded angry. “The egotistical loser would try to get into your pants if he thought you were even remotely interested.”

  The nerve of the guy! I shot him a look of disgust. “Thank you for ruining my Saturday morning. Ugh! Now I need to go and pour bleach into my head to wipe out that image.” I went to the bathroom.

  Phoenix followed me in. “Just be careful,” he said. “He’s . . . what? Thirty years old? Your mom probably can’t keep up with him in bed. If I were you –”

  “Get out!” I shouted. “I feel grubby, and I really need to take a shower. You’re going to make me late for my piano lessons.” I taught piano to kids on the weekends. The pay was pretty good and helped pay a portion of my college tuition.

  Phoenix fell silent. “Do you want me to scrub your back for you?” he asked, totally serious. He wasn’t even blushing, like I was. To my horror, a pleasant tingle ran through my body at the thought of Phoenix’s hands on my bare skin. I swallowed hard and pushed him out the door.

  “Last night, you made it pretty clear that you didn’t want to touch me. So, no thanks. I have no intention of taking you up on that offer.” And before I could change my mind, I slammed the bathroom door in his face.

  ***

  Phoenix

  I stood there staring at the bathroom door, listening to Sam turn on the shower. Knowing that she was inside, soaping up her wet skin, made me want to kick down the door so that I could join her.

  My phone buzzed in my back pocket, and I brought it to my ear, somewhat dazed.

  “Yeah. Who’s this?”

  “Phoenix!” It was a female voice, sounding extremely annoyed. “Where are you? You promised me we’d spend Saturday at the beach together.” When I didn’t respond, she blew out an exasperated breath. “Remember? Breakfast at Blue Ocean Café, swimming, then dinner at my place? Hello? Phoenix, are you listening?”

  My fuzzy mind cleared, and I remembered that I’d made plans with Wanda, my on-and-off girlfriend. Of course, I’d completely forgotten about it; since last night, all of my thoughts had been on Sam. Sam, underneath me. Sam, kissing me. Sam, hurt as I’d brushed her off and left her on the bed. Sam, gone when I’d returned from the bathroom.

  Even in my dreams, she’d been there.

  Rubbing a hand over my face, I replied, “Yeah, sorry about that. Something came up. Listen . . . how about we meet later, say about twelve? I just have to take care of a few things first.”

  I could practically hear her pouting over the phone. “I’m alone here, Phoenix. I’m wearing that bikini you love so much, and the guys here won’t stop staring at me.”

  Get real. You love all that attention, and you know it.

  “Sorry, babe, gotta go. I’ll be there by noon.” And before she could start complaining again, I hung up on her and pressed my forehead against the bathroom door with a frustrated sigh.

  Last night, I’d acted like a major screwup. I remembered feeling drunk and pissed off that she was beneath me while I was drunk. I’ve loved this girl since first grade, but last night, her willingness to go further had caught me off guard. Honestly, I’d thought she would push me away and laugh about what a drunken idiot I was. And when she hadn’t, I’d panicked and sent her home.

  Everything was a mess.

  The bathroom door swung open and Sam stood there, wrapped in a fluffy robe and with wet hair streaming down her back. She glared at me with those pretty green eyes.

  “Why are you still here?”

  “Told you, we need to talk.”

  She brushed past me and entered her bedroom, plopping down at the vanity table. She pulled out her hair dryer. “We’ll talk tomorrow.”

  “I don’t think so –”

  She switched the hair dryer on to full blast to drown me out.

  Fine. If she wanted silence, I would give it to her. I crossed my arms, leaned against the wall, and stared at her reflection in the mirror. After a few minutes of intense staring, I saw her starting to fidget in her seat, looking really uncomfortable. I didn’t care.

  I continued staring.

  It must have gotten to her. She turned off the hair dryer and turned around, scowling.

  “Stop it. It’s really creepy.”

  “Then talk to me.”

  Sighing, she stood up and yanked her hair into a messy bun. “Fine! You can drive me to Missy’s house. We’ll talk on the way.”

  I winked at her reflection. “That’s my girl. I’ll be waiting in the car, so don’t even think about sneaking away.”

  ***

  Sam

  When he stepped out of my bedroom door, I groaned and buried my head in my arms. The last thing I wanted to do was talk. But I knew Phoenix. He’d never let the matter go until he got his way. It was one of his most irresistible and annoying traits.

  Nervous, I applied some light makeup with trembling fingers. What would I say to him? Would he believe me if I said it had all been a joke? That I hadn’t meant it?

  Lame! He’ll see right through your pathetic lies, my inner critic said haughtily.

  “Shut up, you,” I grumbled. Great. Now I was talking to myself.

  After pulling on a summery print dress, I stepped into a pair of tan sandals and grabbed t
he keys and my wallet. I had to buy some groceries on the way back for dinner, as Mom was spending the entire weekend at an expensive spa with her girlfriends. She’d left me alone, with Jack.

  Thanks, Mom.

  Outside, Phoenix honked his car twice.

  “I’m coming!” I yelled, along with a few choice expletives.

  When I locked the front door and turned around, Phoenix was in the driver’s seat, his eyes hidden behind a pair of aviator sunglasses. He turned his head in my direction and flicked his fingers in a “come here” gesture.

  My traitorous heart melted at the sight of him. Why was he so gorgeous? No wonder I couldn’t keep my hands off him! Brushing a stray lock of hair over my ear, I calmly walked over and settled into the passenger seat. When I buckled my seatbelt on, he smirked at me and drove down the street, in the opposite direction to Missy’s house.

  “You’re going the wrong way!”

  He shrugged. “I already called Missy’s mom. Told her you were feeling unwell, and that you wouldn’t be teaching today. She seemed fine with it.”

  I gawked at him. “You have her number?”

  There was that nonchalant shrug again. “We bumped into each other a few times on the main campus. She gave me her number then.”

  Missy’s mom, Rhonda, was a part-time student at the college, and was taking a couple of musicology classes at the music department. That was where I had met the woman. I was pretty certain that she didn’t share any classes with Phoenix, but she must have seen him around. It was pretty hard not to notice him.

  I also knew she was a single parent who was very much available.

  “Best friends now, are we?” I said in a disapproving tone.

  “Jealous?”

  I snorted. “Hardly.”

  “Good, because she asked me out on a date.”

  The nerve of the woman. “Does she know you have a girlfriend?”

  “I mentioned it, but she didn’t seem to mind.”

  She must reeeally like Phoenix. I almost felt sorry for her. That was one stallion she was never going to ride on.