Chapter 42

Phoenix

One Year Later

I'm sitting in the chair in our bedroom, waiting for McKenzie to walk out of our closet. Clara and Anna came out a few minutes ago. Anna's hair and makeup was done, and she looked healthier than she did a year ago. She and McKenzie have worked through the shit they went through, both of them seeing Dr. Pearl on a regular basis. All of McKenzie's memories have come back. Some of them have been hard and some of them good. We've worked through it together.

The door cracks slightly. "Are you ready?" she asks, and I chuckle.

"I am." I lean forward, my elbows resting on my knees, and bring my thumb up to my lip as she steps out of the closet. "Fuck me," I whisper.

She twirls and gives me a sultry smile. "Oh, I plan on it." Her raspy voice washes over me and I smirk. She walks toward me and stops in front. "Sit back." I lean back in the chair and she lifts her leg and places her shoe in the middle of my chest.

I smirk at her and lick my lips. She has her heels on, but they're not hooked. They're silver high heels with diamonds. I hook the first, then she places her other shoe against my chest. I hook it; before releasing her, I lean down and kiss the top of her foot right beneath her anklet.

My eyes sweep over her. Her hair hangs over one shoulder, the collar I gave her wrapped around her pretty throat, and the light blue embroidered sheer dress. It's low cut, and the slit reaches all the way up to the top of her thigh.

She sits gingerly in my lap, so I wrap my arm around her waist and adjust her legs so they"re on either side of my legs, forcing her to spread hers. She leans her back against my chest and lays her head against my shoulder. "The dress matches your eyes," she whispers as my hands begin to wander over her body.

I rub my thumb over the queen chess piece that was tattooed behind her ear, over her shoulders, her breasts, down her stomach to her thighs. She squirms against me. I told her not to wear any panties tonight. Part of me hopes she didn't listen so I can punish her later. I run my fingers up the inside of her thighs and they meet bare skin.

I kiss the top of her shoulder. "Such a good girl," I whisper. She whines when I rub my index finger and middle finger through her folds. "Should I let you come for listening?" She nods eagerly. I plunge my fingers into her and she cries out. We have to leave in fifteen minutes, but we need to be downstairs in ten. I rub my thumb around her clit and she moans, her lips latching onto the spot just below my ear where the chess piece tattoo I have is.

She rides my fingers as she marks me, moaning and whining in my ear. "Nix," she whimpers as I increase the speed. "I want your dick," she murmurs and I smirk.

"You'll get it when we get to the auction," I promise her just as I apply more pressure to her clit, making her come undone. She cries out as I continue to rub her, making her orgasm last. I pull my fingers out of her and bring them to my mouth. I hum at the sweet taste of her.

"How long do we have?" she asks as she pushes herself off my chest and begins to drop to her knees, but I stop her.

"We don't have time for that." She pouts and I grin at her, dropping a quick kiss on her ruby lips. "We'll have all the time in the world later, love."

McKenzie

Anna sits up front with Rex, and I sit in the back with Phoenix. He hands me my mask and I gaze down at it. "It's so beautiful," I whisper, running my fingers along the diamonds. His is black and silver and reminds me of the Phantom of the Opera mask. He helps put mine on and I help him with his. He's wearing a light blue suit with a white tie.

I requested this color because I knew it would make his eyes more prominent. With his mask on, I know I was right. My stomach swoops like it's the first time seeing him. I lean forward and kiss him. He wraps his hand around my hair and deepens the kiss before we pull away. "You know, you still give me butterflies," I tell him.

He hums against my lips, his mouth tipping into a smile. "Same, love. The butterflies usually make me hard, though." I giggle and playfully smack his chest. He grabs my hand and holds it against his chest. "It beats for you," he whispers for only me to hear.

We've been through so much, and here we are. Happy. I've never been happy like this in my life. I didn't realize it was possible. His father still refuses to speak to him, but I keep hoping maybe one day he'll come around. I never would have thought Nix and my father would become so close. They're in business together now. My dad helps him with the fights and has helped oversee the different properties that want to host auctions.

It's surreal. The man he thought of as his enemy all these years has become like a father to him. We pull up to the new property, our property, he's been working on for the past year, and I'm practically jumping in my seat. This is the first time I'll see it since it has been finished. He's brought me up here a few times, but once the major things started getting done, he told me he wanted to surprise me.

He promised he wouldn't make it look like a museum, and that was all I needed to hear. Rex pulls up into the driveway and I marvel at the trees arching over the gravel as we drive under them. "This is going to be beautiful in the fall," I whisper. Anna and I both have put our windows down so we can get a better look.

There are lights in the trees, but it's still daylight, so it's hard to get the full picture of them. I bet it will look gorgeous tonight when we leave. Unless we're staying the night. Nix never told me. The driveway loops around a huge water fountain. Rex stops in front of the stairs that lead to the entrance. There are two sets of stairs, one on the left, the other on the right.

"We'll have the left staircase closed off, so everyone will have to come up the right. There's also a canopy there so people can stand under it and not get wet if it's raining," Nix points out.

"I'll park and be in soon, sir." The valet are already here setting up, so one of them walks to the SUV and opens the door. Phoenix has already gotten out on his side and walks around to take my arm. Anna chooses to stay with Rex, so it's just Nix and me. We walk up the stairs as I take in every detail.

"It's beautiful, Nix." The house is white. There's two stories, the top story has a wrap-around porch. He sees me eyeing it and smiles.

"People can come out and look at the stars."

I smile at him. "I love it."

When we walk in, my mouth gapes open. It's like we've stepped back outside. It looks like a courtyard. There are circular tables throughout for people to sit at, and to each side there is a buffet table with a bar off to the corner. Straight ahead is a stage.

"That's where the auction will be held. We'll eat, then the auction will happen," Nix explains. I glance up and he chuckles. "You can see the stars here as well, but if it's cloudy or any chance of rain, there is a motorized canopy that will cover the area so we don't get wet."

"I don't even know what to say. It's so different and beautiful." We continue through the courtyard and he shows me where the room is to be watched if people want to be watched. Except for this one, people have to stand outside and look through a window. If the couple in the room want others to join, they can, but only four people can be in a room at a time.

After he shows me everything and we make our way back to the courtyard, I turn to him and clap my hands. "Where's our room?" He told me he had a room made just for us, but he hasn't shown it to me.

He smirks and grabs my hand, leading me back to the front door. "I'll show you that later, wife."

I groan, but follow him. Tonight is going to be fun. It's the first auction we've hosted since the modifications and while all of them have been a lot of fun with the new changes, I know tonight will be different because it's on our territory.