Rage of the Phoenix Page 14

  I tensed, and he lifted his head and looked into my eyes looking for permission. I blinked, and he smiled, his head dipping to my breast. Pulling my bra to one side, his mouth kissed the soft skin around my nipple before taking it into his mouth. Drake made a noise of pure male satisfaction. My legs clamped around his waist and I pushed upwards, harder, desperate to feel him.

  “Christ, baby.” He whispered. “You’re gonna make me come in my pants and I ain’t done that since I was a teen.” I pulled his head back to my breast and arched upwards. My hands pulled his tee upwards, and I communicated I wanted skin against skin and he gave me what I wanted.

  I pushed him back and straddled him and began kissing my way down his chest. Drake held my hips, grinding slowly into me through our jeans as I explored his chest with my mouth. His own breathing was unsteady, and I found he liked his nipples being kissed and licked. I kissed my way down his throat and then trailed back up again using my tongue and he gave me a hard thrust.

  “Baby, we got to stop. I’m seconds away from takin’ you and we got kids upstairs.” Drake muttered his fingers twisting into my hair and he pulled my head back exposing my throat. He growled and his mouth kissed me there. I shivered under his touch and he growled again and then with great effort he put me away from him.

  I stared at him dazed, couldn’t remember a time I had been so aroused. Not for a long bloody time. Not even for Justin, had I ignited like that and we’d had a fantastic sex life. Drake’s face was intense and focussed and that made me wetter if possible.

  “Shit, I just want to sink deep inside you.” Drake grated.

  “I think I need that.” I whispered. He gave a half grin and leaning forward kissed my forehead.

  “Yeah, need it too, but I’m gonna do right by you babe. Gonna court you and then take you and when I do, you’ll know you’re mine and no one else’s. Gonna burn me into you, babe.” He told me cupping my face. Who knew bikers could be romantic?

  “You know when you do, I, um, I’m adventurous.” I whispered my face beginning to burn.

  “Oh yeah?” He asked curiously.

  “I like being tied up, blindfolded and having headphones. It’s called sensory deprivation.” I whispered as my face burned hotter. Drake closed his eyes, and I bit my lip. “Drake?” I whispered. Was he turned off? Oh god, what if I’d disgusted him?

  “Shhh babe, I’m enjoying the image in my head.” He told me and I relaxed against him. Drake held me tight and then let me go.

  “I better go, you got work tomorrow.” He told me. I nodded and straightened my clothing. Drake dragged me to my feet somewhat unsteadily as he rose above me. Drake stepped into my space and wrapped one arm around my waist and raised his other and ran his fingers across my cheek.

  “We’ll do this again, Phoe.” He muttered and then he walked out with me following behind. He climbed in the SUV and drove away. I waited until his lights disappeared and then shut the door and set the alarm. I turned and to my surprise saw Micah sitting at the piano in the entrance hall.

  “Son?”

  “Be careful Mum, he’s not Chance.” Micah replied. I stiffened.

  “I know, Micah.”

  “No one deserves happiness more than you, I’d hoped for a long time it would be you and Chance. Maybe it’s not meant to be, but Mum be careful of him, there’s a darkness in him.” Micah warned and then got to his feet and went to bed.

  Chapter Seven.

  I was sitting in my office Friday, going through paperwork when my phone pinged with a message from Drake saying he was bringing lunch. Two weeks had passed since our first date and Drake had kept his word. He was wooing me. We’d been out for several dinners and he’d come to the Hall often, bringing food for everyone.

  Drake brought me lunch every day since our first date. We’d had the hog roast, and it had been fun watching them in their own environment. We hadn’t yet managed to get into my attic. Drake sent me a wink emoji, and I smiled. Sent him an okay and received one back saying he’d be here in half an hour. We were getting closer to each other, and I was enjoying learning about him.

  I liked having lunch with him a whole lot. Lunch included heavy petting behind my blinds. I’d got used to smug smirks from the Directors when the blinds closed and Stefan had begun singing immature songs. Drake and Phoe sitting in a tree! Childish, I know.

  Although we’d reached second and third base several times, Drake never let it go any further. Sexually I was extremely frustrated! Much more and I’d be ripping his clothes off and pinning him to the bed.

  I’d just finished a meeting, wrapping up what had happened in California. It was an error and not theft thankfully. Saffron had hired a cousin who’d mixed the accounts and receipts up. To say I wasn’t amused was an understatement, and both women had reprimands on file now.

  Sally had disciplined Saffron and clarified that this should have been brought to me straight away and we could have resolved it sooner. The cousin had been placing the funds in the P.T account and not fundraising. Kyle had a simple task of transferring them. At the end of the day Saffrons performance was under par, not acceptable from one of my long-term managers.

  My office door was open when I heard phones start ringing in a chorus and looked up as Directors began scrabbling. Curiously, I watched Kyle flying out of his office and jogging down the stairs. As he didn’t call me, I turned my attention back to the file in front of me. A loud bang on my window, ten minutes later, made me leap out of my chair.

  With a frown, I walked out of my office and Stefan scurried past me. He headed for the stairs and I called out his name and he turned and shouted at me to hurry to the first floor. I chased after him and jumped as Stuart raced to the stairs. He grabbed my hand and tugged me to move quicker and picking up the urgency I hurried behind him. I noticed that there wasn’t a single director or assistant on our floor.

  The first floor was manic, people shouting and phones ringing off the hook. Stuart let go of my hand and hurried to an empty desk with a phone ringing insistently. Not even when we’re fundraising, did the lines get this manic. Confused, I looked for someone to explain it to me.

  “What on earth is happening?” I asked, finally catching Kyle who ended a call.

  “Phoe, you’re not going to believe this!” Kyle exclaimed in excitement practically bouncing in his seat.

  “What!” Kyle’s excitement was catching.

  “Texas, it started in Texas! Those beautiful cowboys! A billionaire donated twenty-five million to build a P.T in the state.” I jolted upright. Texas was one state we weren’t in and we certainly needed to open in.

  “You’re joking?” I whispered, disbelief colouring my voice.

  “No. Straight up, twenty-five mill. Didn’t need to fundraise, the guy just up and donated this morning. The guy’s nephew was Navy and came back messed up. We found his nephew a few months ago. Nephew was situated at Norfolk P.T, got straight and his uncle wanted to say thanks.

  Not to be outdone the guy’s business rival, who the guy phoned to boast too, then donated another twenty-five million for a R.T. Then the guy’s brother, the nephew’s father, again not to be outdone, donated another twenty-five million for an E.T. This took an hour!”

  “Oh my god.” I said, starting to bounce on my heels, excited.

  “A donation war!” Kyle trilled. Stefan and Diana sat on phones speaking to people.

  “Donation war?” I asked, somewhat dumbly. I didn’t fully believe what I was hearing. Usually, it took a few months when we planned to open in a state for momentum to kick in.

  “The Texans bragged on social media and sent out a few challenges. Further donations are flooding in from Texas. People are goading one another on social media and we’re at two hundred million. They’ve been at it for three hours now. Texas has gone insane, it’s a frenzy, everyone trying to outdo one another.

  The phones are ringing off the hook, an S.M rang upstairs for help. Business rivals are daring each other to donate and bragg
ing what they have donated. Rich families are trying to out donate each other. It’s not just gone freaking mental in Texas, the frenzy has spilt over to other states.”

  “No way?” I said, as I sank into a chair in stunned shock. Two admin staff rushed by waving paperwork at Stuart.

  “Arkansas have started their own bidding war, last check it was at a seventy million.” I put my hand to my head, staggered. “Millionaires and billionaires are donating left, right and centre. Ego is playing a huge part of it but the Texan Three as the media are calling them are challenging people across the country.”

  “Emily run to reception, make sure she’s not being drowned.” Diana ordered putting down her phone. Emily dashed past me and Diana looked at me. “Oregon’s hit fifty million.”

  “No!” I breathed.

  “Turn on the TV.” Someone shouted. The TV flashed on and a reporter was standing outside a well-known NFL ground. The chairman’s name was flashing across the screen and we caught the end of his speech.

  “To sum up what I was saying, the team has always taken part in the annual charity match. Our aim has been to raise money for these worthwhile causes, ever since the Trusts opened. But today we as a team are donating ten million dollars to the Phoenix, Rebirth and Eternal Trusts. The teams’ challenge is to other NFL teams to donate at least two million each to these worthy charities. Our own players are donating sums from one hundred thousand dollars of their personal money too.” The chairman’s name was called, and he looked over his shoulder. “Excuse me.”

  The chairman walked away and came back to the camera, smiling, “Our quarterback wants it known, he’s just donated his fee for his latest set of advertising. Four point five million dollars. If our quarterback can donate a fee, who else can?

  Let’s raise some money and show those oil barons in Texas, it’s not just them who can kick butt!” The chairman finished on a holler and cheers sounded behind him from where his team gathered and my eyes shot across as people sat back stunned.

  “The phones will go nuts.” Abigail exclaimed.

  “Redirect every phone to log into the donation line, accounting, admin, everywhere. Susan get on the phones to anyone at home, get them here. Call in my family, get anyone in who can answer a phone. We’re going to need a load of help. Emily print up hundreds of donations sheets, the pitch is on there and they can follow the sheets. It’s easy enough with the sheets.” I ordered spinning in a circle.

  My eyes caught Drake standing by the door. He dumped a bag on a nearby desk, flipped his phone and left. I felt hurt and then puzzled for a minute as I pondered his actions. Drake hadn’t even spoken to me. Was Drake that petty that this interfered with his lunch plans, he was angry? I didn’t understand, I thought I knew Drake. Then a chorus of shouts and cheers rose from a corner and distracted me.

  “Vermont just hit thirty million to Trusts in their state!” Ignoring what I perceived as Drake’s hurtful actions, I turned back to organising HQ.

  “We need trackers. Get white boards up, flip boards, something we can write on.” Admin staff not on phones bustled past, heading to the supply closets to get what I’d asked. The door opened and Bernard walked in, following him were a few of our S.Ms.

  “Thought you might need reinforcements. The Trusts have taken over the media.” Bernard said with a chuckle before I could speak.

  “I love you.” I told him. “Get them to the second floor. We need to open it.” Diana hustled as I grinned at Bernard. Two admin staff came racing back in with flip charts. They began writing on them with state names and pinning them to walls.

  “Yo!” Kyle bellowed, following up with a loud whistle. “Donation sheets are being given out. Use them, if you don’t have any yet, write details on a piece of paper and someone will come around and collect them up. Make sure you write the state, name, address, contact number, bank/card details and amount of donation.”

  I grabbed a phone that was ringing and was halfway through the call when I blinked. Rage, every single brother, their office girl, their mechanics and old ladies (the two of them) walked into the room. Diana spoke briefly to Drake and sent them upstairs, Drake gave me a wink and left me to my call. I was lost for words as I realised what Drake had done.

  He’d seen me calling for help and getting extra people in. Drake had marched across to Rage and shut their business. Just to give me extra people we desperately needed. My throat clenched with tears and I swallowed hard. To think I’d worried Drake may not understand or maybe get jealous over the Trusts, he’d just proved me very wrong.

  How could I possibly have doubted Drake? Despite our rough start he’d taken time to prove he was serious about me and the kids. He was inserting himself into every aspect of my life and proving himself true time and time again. I needed to stop doubting him and stop doubting my own self-worth.

  As soon as my call ended, I passed the phone a S.M, who’d just arrived. Running upstairs to the second floor where three S.Ms were explaining what to do, I slammed into a chair next to Drake. Drake gave me a shit-eating grin, and I huffed at him. Still grinning, Drake grabbed the back of my neck and dragged me across for a kiss and then carried on listening.

  “Think I’d let you down, Phoe?” Drake growled as the S.Ms finished speaking.

  “Was worried when you walked out.”

  “Will always have your back woman. Trust me on that.” Drake growled and kissed me.

  Asses hit chairs, and I phoned downstairs and spoke to Emily who sounded frazzled. The second floor phones were re-routed to our donation line, and the phones began ringing instantly. Admin staffed bustled around and began pinning up flip charts.

  An hour later my heart leapt a second time as I saw Hellfire arrive and hit a desk. Chance sent me a look and Bear grinned. I wondered if Drake had called them or if they’d seen the media coverage. Drake reached over to me, holding Chance’s eyes and tucked me under his shoulder. A claiming sign from him. Chance narrowed his eyes and then took a call.

  Stuart locked our work cell phones into the network. This freed up the desk phones for people coming in and the Directors and S.Ms could perch on someone’s desk. Drake snagged me around the waist and I was sat next to him, hip to hip on a desk. I felt eyes from Hellfire and Rage watching, Rage in approval, Hellfire warning.

  Husbands, wives and older teenagers came in, the families of those working. Every phone on every floor had a person answering it. Enough volunteers arrived that there was two per call. As a call ended, the volunteer not answering the phone grabbed the paperwork and tracked the correct chart. They wrote the figure on it and we finally had a rudimentary tracking system going.

  Donations kept coming. The three Texans who had started this were being interviewed smug as bugs on several news channels. The MLB, NHL and NBA not to be outdone by the NFL had kicked in with their own challenges. There was a big interview in Nashville, where famous music artists were donating money and challenging other performers to do the same.

  Even states which had Trusts had people who were calling in adding extra to their states pot. I took several calls on the emergency phone telling me that Trusts properties in established states were getting lots of calls. P.Ms were calling in extra staff of their own. The whole country literally seemed to be on a donation bend.

  Antony and Andrew gave interviews, other interviews played on the news with Phoenix Trust Heroes. My heart was in my throat and tears in my eyes as I saw Rebirth Trust Survivors and Eternal Trust Fighters on the news. Everyone giving their own interviews, telling their stories and praising our virtue for everything they were worth.

  Drake watched with me as poignant stories were played out for millions of people to watch. Several times I wiped tears from my eyes and I thought he did the same at one point. Men, women and children bared their souls on TV for people to understand what the Trusts did. After a particularly sad story Drake hauled me into his lap and buried his face in my hair. My man had a big heart.

  Ordinary people got involved
, donations for five dollars, ten dollars, one hundred dollars, the everyday Joe deciding that they weren’t being left out. A few hours later I stretched my shoulders and rolled my head around and caught Chance’s eye.

  His eyes looked deep into me and I saw him scribble on a piece of paper and pass to Bear. Bear had just ended his call and his head snapped my way and he strolled in my direction. Drake on a call, watched the big man lumber our way.

  “Phoe?” Bear asked, crouching by my feet.

  “I’m okay, just stiff.” I told him. Bear nodded, left the floor, and a few minutes later reappeared with a coffee and sub.

  “Local delis have been sending food.” Bear said, and I snatched the sub from his hand and bit into it. A moan of pleasure escaped me, I was starved. Drake lifted and eyebrow and then dropped his phone and called for a spare volunteer. He began massaging my shoulders while Bear walked back to his desk. Drake’s concern was plain to see, his dark gaze kept people away for ten minutes.

  Bliss, sheer bliss. Diana came over, suit jacket off, sleeves rolled up and blouse unbuttoned to a low neckline. No shoes on her feet and her normally impeccable hair was scraped up in a ponytail. Drake gazed at her for a few seconds before giving her permission to talk. I snickered internally, Drake was showing his overprotective side!

  “Calls are slowing somewhat but every time someone ends on there’s another call on the line. Good news is that no one is queueing for over fifteen minutes. Call waiting is down to around seven minutes. The internet site was up fast, so donations are coming in using that too.”

  “Any idea of how much raised?” I asked yawning.

  “No but we are well over nine hundred million raised so far. Everyone’s involved. The entire country! The press is reporting it as a donation frenzy. Monied folk on TV sending personal challenges to rivals. Sports teams buying in and sending their own challenges. Broadway, Hollywood, Nashville.