Phoenix flipped Tarik off as he made his way to the kitchen. Damn man always knew everything that was going on, even when he shouldn't.

"Twenty-four, huh?" he asked, meeting Tarik's inquisitive gold eyes as he gripped his coffee cup.

"That's what it says."

"Well, at least I know she's too young for you," Phoenix told him, smirking.

"Fuck off," Tarik said in that dark, gravelly tone that made the ladies go crazy.

"I'd say thirty-eight is probably too old for a twenty-four-year-old," Phoenix said casually, taking another sip of coffee as he looked at Tarik over the rim of his cup.

Tarik laughed. "Good thing I'm only thirty-one, asshole."

Tossing back what was left of his cold coffee, Phoenix grinned. Riling Tarik up first thing in the morning was the highlight of his day. Hell, riling Tarik up at any time made for a damn good day.

Well, that was before he'd been graced with seeing crystal-clear blue eyes on the elevator. She was another highlight of Phoenix's day.

Now he had to figure out a way to meet her without looking like some kind of creepy stalker.

AMUSED, TARIK WATCHED Phoenix as he made his way across the kitchen, pleased when the other man went to fiddle with the coffee maker.

It was a habit that Phoenix probably didn't even realize he had, making his own coffee whenever they were alone together. Considering in recent months, Tarik had become, for all intents and purposes, Phoenix's assistant - although a rather loose interpretation of one, as far as Tarik was concerned - he should've been the one making the coffee, but he didn't bother to move from where he leaned against the wall.

He figured that preoccupying himself with other things was Phoenix's way of putting a little space between them whenever he felt they were getting too close. Not that they were particularly close right then, but for Phoenix, the fifteen feet that separated them was likely a little too close for comfort.

Tarik let his gaze follow Phoenix as he moved around the kitchen, fidgeting with the single cup coffee maker, then walking to the refrigerator to get... Hmmm. Interesting. Phoenix came back empty-handed and stared at his coffee mug, apparently doing his best not to look at him. Another telling sign that Phoenix was doing whatever was necessary to avoid him.

Like most mornings, Phoenix was pretending to be distracted, although Tarik figured he really was wrapped up in his thoughts, something that happened more often than not these days. Granted, it was generally business that was plaguing Phoenix, worrying about the next meeting, the next issue, the next purchase. The guy spent a ridiculous amount of time worrying about shit that he paid other people to worry about. As a venture capitalist, Phoenix's job was investing money in start-up companies, so Tarik could see how that might be a little stressful. Phoenix took a significant amount of risk with every move he made.

On top of that, Phoenix now managed the day-to-day of an NHL team whose previous losing record had fans hovering on the brink of abandoning ship. Until this year. This year had started off with a bang, the team currently on a winning streak that no one had predicted. It left Phoenix little time to deal with anything other than dealing with the press.

However, this morning, Phoenix's distraction seemed to be a woman, which, quite frankly, surprised the shit out of Tarik. That was very unlike him. So far out of the norm that Tarik had already made a mental note to dig in to who this woman was.

Tarik wouldn't have known except for the fact he'd gone down to the lobby to check on the elevator and had opted to take the stairs at the same time Phoenix had come in the building. Habit had him stopping halfway up to the second floor, keeping his eyes on Phoenix as the other man waited for the elevator. That was when he'd noticed Phoenix's intense reaction to the blonde who'd stepped into the lobby.

Honestly, whoever she was, she was already added to the rare list of women who sparked Phoenix's interest without her being naked. It wouldn't have surprised Tarik to have come back from the gym to find the blonde naked on the couch being plowed into the leather as Phoenix fucked her into oblivion. That was how the man worked. No strings. Rarely any lingering interest.

Never before had Phoenix asked about a tenant in the building, which was the first warning sign. And now, as Phoenix watched the coffee pour into his cup, Tarik figured he was pondering the details Tarik had supplied him with. Another rarity. At least to the point where Phoenix appeared distracted.

Okay, yes, Tarik had to admit as he glanced down at his phone once again, the woman was attractive. He'd seen her on the security cameras several times in the last few months since she'd moved in. Not to mention, a picture of her had been part of the details he'd pulled up from the complex's files. However, there was one thing that Tarik had noticed right away... She wasn't what Tarik would consider the type of woman Phoenix generally went after - appearing far too innocent for the likes of Phoenix.

That didn't mean Tarik couldn't see why the man was interested.

"Why'd you ask about Mia?" Tarik asked, both curious and wanting Phoenix to look at him.

"No reason," Phoenix answered with a shrug, not tearing his gaze from the coffee cup. "I think she was the woman I saw in the lobby this morning. I wanted to know if she was a tenant."

"Right," Tarik retorted sarcastically. "Because you generally inquire about random women in the lobby."

"Shut up," Phoenix bit out, his green eyes coming up to meet Tarik's briefly.

Tarik made sure to capture and hold Phoenix's gaze for a few seconds before releasing it. It was an intimidating factor Tarik used to keep people at arm's length. It worked on most people, generally. Not Phoenix. No, his boss wasn't intimidated by him in the least, and that made for some entertaining times between them, especially since Phoenix reacted to him in other ways. Ways he wasn't even sure Phoenix was aware of.

Tarik seemed to have a slightly different effect on Phoenix, but - except for that one night many months ago - Phoenix pretended otherwise. On the other hand, Phoenix affected Tarik like no one else - man or woman - that he'd ever known, and therein lay the problem.

Phoenix claimed to be straight these days, despite the man's admission to having been intimate with men in the past, to what degree, Phoenix had never elaborated on. Not in full detail, anyway. Then again, Phoenix had been drunk the night he'd rambled on to Tarik about his sexual preferences. Tarik suspected that declaration had been more wishful thinking than truth, though. Sure, Phoenix worshiped women and pretended that nothing had ever happened between the two of them, and because of the latter, Tarik almost believed it. Almost. Phoenix would need to work on hiding his physical reaction a little better if he expected Tarik to believe him entirely, though.

And like Phoenix, Tarik appreciated a beautiful woman and frequently indulged himself when the need arose. But unlike Phoenix, Tarik wasn't interested in hiding the other side of himself. From the time he was old enough to know what physical attraction was, Tarik had accepted the fact that he got a hard-on for both men and women.

"Are you ready to head to the office?" Tarik asked, pushing off the wall and walking to the bar that separated the enormous kitchen from the living and dining areas. He adjusted his semi-hard dick as he moved toward the incredibly handsome man who could make him hard purely by looking at him.

"Yeah," Phoenix said, sipping his coffee and watching Tarik. "You?"

"It's not about me, remember?" he responded caustically. "You're the boss. I just do what I'm told."

"Right," Phoenix said with a snort. "You're a lot of damn things, but obedient certainly isn't one of them."

No, obedience definitely wasn't in his repertoire of skills.

"Give me ten minutes to shower and change." Offering Phoenix a smirk, Tarik turned and headed out the front door. He'd need a cold shower before he was ready to face the rest of the day with Phoenix.

Chapter Three.

TARIK TOOK THE stairs down to his floor rather than waiting for the elevator. He lived on the thirty-third floor, in a condo significantly smaller than the one Phoenix occupied. Had it not been for Ellen's insistence that Tarik remain close to Phoenix at all times, there would be no way he'd have lived in the same building as his boss. Hell, if Phoenix's mother had her way, Tarik would've lived in the same condo as Phoenix, but that was where Tarik had drawn the line. Working with him day in and day out was one thing; having to suffer living there and always being close to him was more than he could bear.

When he reached his floor, he pulled his key from his pocket and unlocked the door, letting it swing shut behind him as he headed for his bedroom. Flipping on the water in the shower, Tarik pulled off his shirt and walked back to the spare room he used as an office for the days he worked directly from home. Since they were always on the road, the space wasn't used much, but Tarik still appreciated not having to go to the office to get things done.

Grabbing his laptop from the small desk in the corner, he headed back to his room, kicking off his shoes as he walked. Tossing the laptop on the bed, he pushed his shorts and underwear down his hips and stepped out of them on his way to the shower. He was nothing if not efficient, and he knew not to keep Phoenix waiting for too long. Once the man was ready to go, if Tarik wasn't following behind him, he'd be left trying to catch up.

He mentally ran through Phoenix's agenda for the day while he scrubbed his body and his hair. As he washed his face, he considered shaving but then shrugged off the idea. He'd have no choice in a couple of days, or he'd look like a mountain man, but until then, he simply didn't have the energy to do it.

As it was, he wished there was more time in the day to get shit done. If he had his say in the matter, they'd forego the office and work from home until they had to catch a plane later that evening.

Tarik preferred to work out of the condo for many reasons. For one, it was a hell of a lot easier to keep an eye on Phoenix from there, and since that was a large part of his job description, Tarik took it very seriously. And two ... well, Tarik wasn't all that fond of people, to be honest, although, yes, admittedly, he did have a knack for talking to them. He merely preferred the solitude that came from working from home.

With the exception of Phoenix's mother, Ellen, Tarik seldom had to encounter anyone other than Phoenix on the days they handled things from either Phoenix's condo or Tarik's. On occasion, there would be a stray woman that Phoenix would invite up to his penthouse. But aside from hearing the noises coming from the guest bedroom - if he hadn't managed to sneak out in time - Tarik didn't usually have to deal with the woman. Unless, of course, Phoenix was in one of those moods where he would invite Tarik to join them. Another reason Tarik didn't believe Phoenix was entirely immune to him: since the first chance encounter nearly six years ago, Phoenix had been inviting Tarik into his sexual encounters quite often, although he still managed to keep his distance. Tarik sensed that Phoenix trusted him, felt safe including him in the sexual encounters that he wasn't looking to have exploited.

Not many people knew the extent of Phoenix's sexual desires. Threesomes were part of his regular routine or had been until recently. And for the last few years, the only other person Phoenix invited into the bedroom with one of his many conquests was Tarik. Not that he was complaining. A threesome was a threesome. The best of both worlds, as far as Tarik was concerned. However, there were plenty of times he wished that Phoenix would give in one more time to that side of himself he worked so damn hard to deny.

As much as Phoenix wanted to pretend he wasn't interested in threesomes or men, Tarik knew better. Well, maybe that last part was only partially true. As far as Tarik knew, Phoenix had never had intercourse with a man. Although they hadn't gone quite that far, what had happened between them that one night nearly eight months ago was proof that Phoenix was interested. It also wasn't all that Tarik wanted from Phoenix. But for now it was enough to keep him hopeful.

Tarik showered and dressed in record time, knowing not to keep Phoenix waiting too long or else his mood would take a turn for the worse. After grabbing the Glock from his bedside table, checking that the safety was on, Tarik tucked it into the waistband of his slacks, letting his jacket cover the piece. Grabbing his laptop, he then ventured into the kitchen and pilfered a power bar.

A second later, like clockwork, his front door opened and Phoenix stepped inside.

"You done primping yet? We've got shit to do."

Tarik laughed as he snatched his key off the bar and headed for the front door. Based on the lack of mug in his hands, Phoenix had already given up on the coffee, which could be a bad thing for everyone if the man didn't get enough caffeine. But he didn't have time to think about that, because Phoenix was already heading out the door, so Tarik fell into step behind him, shutting and locking the front door after they exited.

The elevator, as usual, took its own sweet fucking time getting to his floor, and when it finally arrived, Tarik moved inside ahead of Phoenix, hitting the button for the parking garage after entering a code that would bypass all other floors, even if someone called the elevator. It was one of the safety precautions they rarely used; however, it was one that Tarik had put in place not long after he'd been assigned to watch over Phoenix. It still amused him that the elevator was equipped with passcode overrides, but the damn thing took a decade to get from one floor to another.

Had it not been for the ruckus stirred up by the lawsuit currently pending against Phoenix, Tarik might've been a little less concerned about Phoenix's well-being. Although he didn't take it lightly, Tarik knew the attempt by the jealous husband had been an isolated incident. But the way shit seemed to be going these days, he couldn't be too careful. It was as though everyone wanted a piece of Phoenix at the moment. Hell, it was enough fending off the reporters camping out between the condo, the office, the training facility, as well as the Arrows Center. Yep, Phoenix was making headlines these days, and Tarik had been on guard more often than not these last few months.

"Run down my schedule for me," Phoenix said as they rode the elevator down to the parking garage.

"We're in Montreal on Tuesday, Tampa on Thursday, then back here Friday. You've got a charity ball Friday evening and a home game Saturday night."

Phoenix nodded, his eyes darting toward the numbers on the elevator. "Do I need to prepare anything for the charity event?"

"You're off the hook with this one. No speech for you this time."

"Anything else I should be worried about?" Phoenix asked.

"Not at this time, no." Tarik wasn't about to go into detail about the little things he was in the process of tracking. There was no sense in worrying Phoenix if he didn't have to. It was Tarik's job to ensure that the threats remained as far from Phoenix as possible.

"You coming with me?"

"To the ball?" Tarik questioned, glancing over at his boss. "You want me to?"

Phoenix didn't respond immediately, and Tarik waited, meeting those intense green eyes when they finally slid over to him.

"Yeah. I do."

Releasing the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, Tarik nodded. "Then I'll be there."

Chapter Four.

"THANK YOU, GEORGE," Mia said to the older man who kindly held the door open for her when she arrived back at her condominium building at five o'clock.

"My pleasure, Ms. Cantrell. And how was class today?"

"Tiring," she admitted honestly. She was exhausted, and the only thing she had done for the majority of the day was sit in one classroom after another and review syllabi and expectations for the new semester's classes. Not exactly how she had anticipated the day going, but at least it was over.

"Do you go back tomorrow?" he inquired, looking as though he was trying to remember what day it was.

Mia stopped inside the door, mainly to get away from the paparazzi who were stalking outside the building, and then turned to face George to avoid being rude. "Nope. Like last semester, I've got Tuesdays off. I think I might sleep in tomorrow."

"Well, then I look forward to seeing you on Wednesday."

She smiled at George and hoisted her bag higher on her arm, thrusting her hands into the front pocket of her hoodie. As she normally did when she walked through the grand lobby of the building she now lived in, Mia admired the decor. It was still new to her, even all these months after she'd moved in, and she hadn't gotten bored with the interior just yet. There were always fresh flowers sitting at the reception desk and on the small tables in the seating areas scattered about. The grand staircase that led to the second floor, with its detailed wrought iron railing, drew her eyes. It seemed more like a fancy hotel lobby than what Mia would've expected in a condominium complex in downtown Austin, but she had learned to expect the unexpected. After all, having been married to Damien, she'd seen what money could buy.

Mia made her way to the elevator doors, pushing the up button and watching it light up. She'd been there long enough to know that taking the stairs would've probably taken less time than waiting for the elevator to arrive. And she lived on the seventeenth floor, so that was a little off-putting.

It would've also been a bit more cumbersome now that she was hefting a few required textbooks, however, still probably faster. She found that somewhat amusing considering how plush the lobby was. They could've spent a little less on fresh flowers and splurged for a set of elevators that were installed in this century at least. As it was, only one of the two usually worked. Based on a paper sign hanging on the other set of doors, it looked as though only one was working now.

As the doors opened, someone walked up beside her, but Mia refused to look over. She noticed the elevator car was empty, so she stepped on, hit the button for the seventeenth floor, and moved back out of the way, not stopping until her back hit the mirrored wall. The man who joined her punched in a code on the control panel, and the penthouse button lit up.

He took a step back and glanced over. Mia was doing her best to avoid his gaze, but something piqued her curiosity enough to have her eyes slowly traveling up his tall - he had to be at least six feet, maybe a couple of inches over - lean, well-dressed form. The suit was a nice touch. Expensive.

She expected to arrive at a middle-aged face, but what she saw when her gaze landed on his exquisitely chiseled features had her eyes immediately darting to the control panel once again.

Come on, elevator. This is ridiculous.

He smelled ridiculous.

Good ridiculous, but still ridiculous.

Damn it.

"Elevator's a little slow," the extremely attractive, much-younger-than-Mia-thought-he-would-be, well-dressed man said in a voice that was rich and dark and way too sexy.

"Dust collects faster," she replied absently, meeting his gaze briefly.

The brilliant smile he gifted her with had her gripping the metal bar that was currently pressing into her back. She swallowed hard and looked away.

Nope. Not going to happen.

Mia was not going to get distracted by a handsome face. Especially not one that belonged to a man whose suit cost more than her mother's mortgage in an area known for its million-dollar homes. Okay, maybe not that much, but perhaps close. She was done with men like that. Give her one like the guy she'd seen in the lobby that morning, wearing shorts and a hoodie, looking like he'd just gotten back from his morning jog. Someone a little less ... expensive. Yeah, she'd willingly take a guy like that. Not one who eyed her like she was next on his long list of playthings that he wanted to play with briefly and then toss out.

No, thank you.

The elevator dinged, and Mia unclenched her hands, forcing herself to relax.

Without saying a word, she stepped off, walking slowly in the hopes that the doors would shut before she reached her door. Last thing she needed was to let some stranger - no matter how well dressed he was - know where she lived.

The doors finally closed, and she made a mad dash for her front door, shoving the key in the lock and letting herself in. Once inside, she even peered out through the security hole to ensure the good-looking, expensive-suit-wearing, penthouse-living man hadn't decided to follow her.

Why would he?

Jeez.