Chapter 41

Phoenix

Itold McKenzie I didn't have to be in the room when Dr. Pearl was working with her, but she was insistent. She wanted me in here. Listening to her telling us what happened to her makes me want to kill Dr. Chamberland and my mother all over again.

"McKenzie, it's time to wake up," Dr. Pearl says softly. McKenzie's eyes flutter open and she immediately turns her head to look at me. She begins crying and I'm next to her in an instant. "I'll give you two a minute."

I don't hear Dr. Pearl leave as I gather Kenz in my arms and hold her tight. She wraps her arms tightly around my neck. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," she whispers over and over again.

"There's nothing to be sorry for, love." I rub my hands up and down her back.

"I remember feeling so guilty. The day I married you, you thought you were forcing me to marry you. I wanted to marry you. I had fantasies about it in high school. But I felt so guilty because you thought you were making me. I knew you were doing it because of the rules. Deep down, I knew you loved me. Or you wouldn't have gone to those lengths." I sit back so I can look at her. I wipe her tears away with my thumbs, and she laughs. "Shouldn't you be licking them away?"

I chuckle and lean forward, licking one. "Happy?"

"I do like when you lick me," she murmurs and I laugh.

"I like licking you."

She rests her head on my shoulder and gives me a tentative smile. "Are you mad?"

I run my fingers through her hair. "No, love I'm not. You got close to me, yes. But you didn't know why you were doing it. Now we have the bigger picture. We know how you lost your memories and why they were altered. You took a shitty situation and turned it in your favor." I lean forward and kiss her softly. "It looks like this therapy with Dr. Pearl will help you remember everything else over time."

She sighs and rests her head on my shoulder. "I hope so." She runs her fingers through the back of my hair. "I hate not remembering. I hate it."

I'm in my downstairs office looking at the plans for the new property while Kenz is baking. From the smell drifting in, I think it's cupcakes and maybe cinnamon rolls. My phone rings and I pick it up without looking at the name.

"Phoenix," I answer.

"Hey boss," Felix says. "You told me to call you with updates on Shay. She's been talking to Dr. Pearl, working through everything that happened. She says she doesn't want to go back to the fights."

I lean back in my chair. "Alright. That's her choice, and she has every right to decide that."

"That's what I told her, but she was still nervous."

I shrug. "Is that why you're telling me and not her?"

"Yep." He pops the P and I chuckle.

"What does she want to do?" I ask him.

"She wants to go back to school, then open her own beauty shop." He pauses. "I told her she could stay with me until things settle."

"Yeah, that sounds like a plan. Let me know where she enrolls. I'll pay for her school and I'll help her open her shop."

"What? Really?" Felix sounds surprised and I shake my head.

"Yeah, I've told all the girls from day one if they no longer wanted to do that, I would help them do what they wanted," I remind him.

"I know, but…"

"It obviously hasn't stuck. Call a meeting, have everyone be there in two hours." He agrees and we hang up.

Walking into the kitchen, I smirk at the sight of McKenzie leaning over the island with a book in her hand while she waits for the oven timer to go off. I step up behind her and pull her hips into me. She gasps and turns her head over her shoulder to look at me, giving me a knowing smile.

"How did you know I needed you?" she says as she rubs herself against me.

I moan and drop my forehead to the top of her spine. "I was coming to tell you I have to go into the city for a meeting."

Her eyes narrow as she looks at me, but shrugs and turns back to her book. "I thought you said it only took you sixty seconds, but maybe I'm remembering wrong." I growl and pluck the book out of her hand, setting it down on the counter. She giggles as I lift her in my arms and walk into the pantry.

It's the middle of the day, so anyone can walk in on us in the kitchen. She's wearing a sundress, so it's perfect. I yank her panties down and swipe my fingers through her pussy lips. We moan together. I quickly undo my pants and lift her so her back is against the door.

"What were you reading, you naughty woman?" I ask as I sink into her.

Her tight heat wraps around me, and I savor it for a few moments before I begin to leisurely thrust in and out of her. She clings to me as her head lands against the door.

"Since you got pierced, I've been obsessed, so I've read every book I can get my hands on where the male main character is pierced," she admits, and I smirk. I tilt my hips so my piercing rubs against her inner walls and she moans. "Fuck, it feels so good."

"Are you remembering what it felt like before I had it?" I ask her as I lift her dress and stare at where we're connected.

"Yes," she moans, and I don't know if she's answering my question or agreeing to how good it feels. "It's always been good, but—" I pound into her, cutting her off. "Oh god, Nix." Her nails dig into my neck, but I welcome it. I love it when she can't get enough.

She allows me to move her and have complete control. I bring a hand between us and rub my thumb over her clit. She holds tight to me so she doesn't slip as she gives into the feeling. I bite my lip, holding off my orgasm as she rides my dick. She feels so good. If I lose focus, I'll come before she does.

"Nix." She's right there. I feel her getting tighter around me and it takes everything I have to hold off. My balls are drawing up and the tingling in my lower back becomes intense. "Oh, fuck!" she cries out and begins to pulse around me. I groan as I stop myself from holding back, thrusting into her a few more times before coming with her.

Her forehead lands on my shoulder and I plaster one arm against the door and the other goes around her waist as we both try to catch our breath. After a few moments, she leans back and gives me a sultry smile. "I think that was longer than sixty seconds."

I arch an eyebrow at her. "Don't test me, woman," I warn her and she laughs. It causes her to tighten some more around me and I moan. I could go again, but I have to get into the city. I slowly release her and her feet hit the floor. I kiss her long and hard before taking a step back and making myself look presentable again.

She leans down to get her panties, but I grab them before she can. She puts a hand on her hip and arches an eyebrow at me. I kiss her on the forehead. "I'm taking these with me." I put them in my pocket and she shakes her head in amusement. I know she's probably dripping, and the thought makes me feral.

We walk into the kitchen and stop in our tracks at the sight of Phillip, Clara, Rex, and Anna. They're all giving us amused looks. McKenzie's face turns bright red, and she puts her face in her hands. I wrap my arm around her and pull her into my side completely unashamed as everyone laughs.

"I know what happened to Shay is scary, so I want to apologize to each and every one of you for not taking better measures to make sure each of you is safe. There will be different protocols going forward if you decide to continue doing this. For each shift, you will check in with Felix or one of his guys. If you decide to go home with a client, you'll let us know who the client is, where they live, how long you'll be staying, and you will check in with us when you leave. If we don't hear from you by the time you said you'll be done, we will come find you. You all will be required to have your location turned on your phone so we can track you."

I pause and look at each of the girls. The fighters and all employees are here as well. "If you decide you no longer want to do this after what happened to Shay or if you've been thinking about quitting, I'm letting you know it's okay. The money you make here is yours. I don't take a cut. The only cut I get is from the winnings of the fight. So, if you want to quit, you can."

Everyone is quiet, and I put my hands in my pockets. "That's all I have to say. Are there any questions?"

One of the fighters leans forward. "Will there be stricter policies on who fights? Like background checks?"

I nod. "Yes, McKenzie's father, Marcus, is going to help with that. I'll be introducing you all to him soon." I run my hand over my head. "I thought we had the best, but after what happened with Bill, I realize that isn't true. Marcus has the best."

One of the girls raises her hand. "So, is your father no longer in business with you?"

I shake my head. "No. But he hasn't been a part of this for a while now, so you all won't notice anything different."

The two of them asking questions opens the floor and more people ask questions and some of the girls admit they no longer want to do this. I tell them to stay after and we'll come up with a plan for their future. Whether it's something they want to do on their own or if they want to come work in one of my other businesses until they decide what they want to do.

Overall, it's a great meeting, and for the first time in years, I feel in control. It seems strange to think I wasn't in control, but I had one motive, and that was to find my mother. Now that I know who she really was, I can focus on McKenzie and I. And how I can make our lives better without any outside interference.