Chapter 6: Thinking About Her

Phoenix's POV

My eyes feel as though they're about to fall out of my f*cking head and roll across the floor of the tiled foyer as I walk past the receptionist's desk. After a long training session last night, my limbs feel heavy and my brain foggy. It could also be because I got about five hours of sleep between lying in bed, staring at the ceiling with a certain pair of amazonite crystals staring back at me, and having to wake up at 5 a.m. to get ready to come into the office.

I know I put this all on myself because I live a double life as an athlete and CEO, but at the end of the day, it's worth it. Coming into the office this early wasn't something I had to do, but I like to be present among my employees because having an absent boss won't do ReidCo any favors as we start to grow bigger. So, I wanted to make sure I got in with enough time to catch up on work before I head to my one-on-one training session with Coach Monroe.

As the main pitcher for the Cats, Coach likes to make sure I'm getting in as much practice as I can physically manage, even if that means having to do these private sessions. It just means that I'm typically f*cking drained by the end of the day, but that doesn't bother me. The LA Cats are tipped to make it to the finals this year, so I want to help make that dream come true for Coach, myself, and the rest of the team. Even if it means having to endure this kind of physical exhaustion.

"Good morning, Linda." I smile at the redhead woman sitting behind the wooden desk by the doors to the building.

"Good morning, Mr. Reid," she returns the greeting and shoots me a smile, batting her eyelashes slightly.

I chuckle to myself as I take the elevator up to my office. I'm already dreading the workload waiting for me because I know a lot would've come in when I left the office early to grab a drink at Mario's yesterday. At the time, I just really needed a f*cking drink after a long day, and luckily for me, I ran into the one woman who has been on my mind nonstop for the past few weeks.

The elevator doors open to the top floor of the building – my office. It's just me and my secretary up here, which is mostly great, but it does mean I have to travel between floors for meetings with other departments. The space isn't overly large, but the white walls make it feel bigger. The gray carpet is soft under my shoes as I walk past Mia sitting at her wooden desk by the entrance to my office.

She is quick to stand to her feet, her short brunette hair brushing against her shoulders as she follows me into my office. "Good morning, Mr. Reid. I have the messages left from yesterday as well as the new ones that came in this morning. You have a meeting with Mr. Montgomery at ten, and a product taste test at twelve before you leave for the afternoon."

"Thank you, Mia," I say as I sit down behind my large mahogany desk, my back facing the streets of Los Angeles. "That'll be all."

Mia's face falls at my dismissal of her, which isn't something she should be shocked by. It's too early to be having people in my face before I've had a coffee. "Phoenix, is everything okay? You left rather suddenly yesterday afternoon."

I lift my gaze from my computer to her soft brown eyes. There is a slight pout on her slender lips as she stares back at me, patiently waiting for me to answer. I sigh and run a hand down my face, not at all in the mood to be explaining any of this to her right now.

"I just needed to get out of the office. It's nothing for you to be concerned about, Mia."

Mia's shoulders slump forward slightly as if disappointed that I didn't give her more details, but she recovers quickly, squaring them. "Well, my girlfriends and I are going out tonight if you'd like to join us. We all know how to have a good time, so it could be worth your while," she grins, a flirtatious hint in her voice.

Classic Mia. Ever since I hired her to be my secretary almost a year ago, she has tried to flirt with me every chance she gets. I'm not oblivious to it, but I certainly don't engage with it. The last thing I want to do is jeopardize my business, and I just know sleeping with my secretary could potentially bring with it some trouble. I'll admit that Mia is beautiful, but she's not my type. I don't mix business with pleasure.

"No, thank you. I'm going to be exhausted after training this afternoon, so I'll probably just go home and crash," I mutter, slipping on my glasses, and turning my attention back to my computer as I click into my emails. The way they come flooding in sends a sense of dread down my spine.

"Okay. I understand. I'll leave you to your work."

The sound of Mia's heels clicking softly on the carpet is the only indication that she has left my office, allowing me to relax into the leather chair and focus on my work.

***

I return to my office after the meeting with Mr. Montgomery, releasing a sigh of relief when I lower myself into the comfortable leather. The meeting went well, thankfully, but my mind is all over the place. And I have a feeling as to why.

Tatum f*cking Monroe.

I can't get this damn woman out of my head, and I don't know why. We hooked up a couple of weeks back and have run into each other twice since then, and now she's trying to take up a permanent spot in my brain. What the f*ck is going on? I barely know this woman, but it also feels like I have known her my entire life at the same time. None of it makes sense to me, and that's the most frustrating part.

Is it her stunning smile? Her ability to make me laugh? The way her browny-blonde hair felt between my fingers? Or those f*cking crystal-like eyes that could shine bright in the darkest depths of the ocean?

I release a frustrated groan from my throat and close my eyes, pinching the bridge of my nose, willing the thoughts away of her slender body rocking above me and how her perfect t*ts filled my hands–

A sharp knock on the door forces me from my dirty thoughts about Tate. My eyes travel to the man walking into my office and I can't help but feel relieved to see him—my best friend, teammate, and colleague.

"You daydreaming about me again?" Khai winks as he sits in the brown plush chair across from me, resting his ankle on top of his left knee. "If you need new material, just let me know."

I roll my eyes at his playfulness but I'm honestly grateful for the distraction. "The only thing I was daydreaming about was punching you in the face."

Khai feigns mock hurt, placing his hand over his heart, green eyes blinking rapidly. "Nico, you're so cruel."

I laugh, shaking my head. Khai has been my best friend since we were kids. We have played baseball together for years, so it only felt right that we both signed with the Cats the same year almost five years ago now. I couldn't have done any of this without him by my side. He keeps me more grounded than most people realize. He is also amazing at graphic design, so it was a no-brainer bringing him on the team of ReidCo because it wouldn't feel right running this company without him.

"Anyway, what's going on with you?" Khai asks, running his hand over his styled brown hair. "You seem… stressed."

"I'm always stressed."

"But more than usual," Khai points out. "Is everything okay?"

I sigh and lean back in my seat. "I have a lot on my mind right now. My life is a never-ending rollercoaster."

Khai eyes me curiously as if he's trying to see past my exterior. Usually, this would make me feel uncomfortable, but with Khai, he knows everything about me so there's no point in hiding anything from him. Eventually, he'll figure it out.

"Does this have anything to do with Coach Monroe's daughter?"

I cringe at the way he referred to Tate. I hate thinking about the fact that she is the daughter of Coach after the things I did to her. "Maybe."

"I knew it! What's going on?"

"I don't know, Khai, I just can't get her out of my head." I sigh, chewing on my bottom lip as I try to sort through the jumbled thoughts. "There is just… something about her that is driving me crazy."

"In a good or bad way?" he asks.

"Both," I mutter, shaking my head. "She's so incredibly stunning and she knows how to have a good time, but I can't do anything about it now that I know who her father is. It just doesn't feel… right."

"Maybe you like her," Khai offers, shrugging his shoulders carelessly.

My eyes snap to him, my heart stuttering in my chest. "What?"

"Maybe you like her. I mean, it makes sense, doesn't it? Since hooking up with Tatum, have you slept with anyone else?"

I think back to the busty blonde I picked up the night I saw Tate at the training facility, hoping I would be able to erase her from my mind by sticking it to someone else. But when the woman's perfume smelled nothing like Tate, and her body just didn't fit perfectly against mine, I couldn't go through with it, much to the woman's disappointment.

"No."

Khai claps his hands together as a sh*t-eating grin split across his face. "Well, there you have it, Nico. You have a crush on the coach's daughter."

I rolled my eyes and waved him off with my hand. "That's not it, Khai. You know what I'm like. I can't hold down a relationship because of my inability to let women get too close to me. The same thing is going to happen with Tate, so maybe I'm just attracted to her, and my body can't get enough."

Now it's Khai's turn to roll his eyes. "Okay, Nico, you tell yourself whatever will help you sleep at night."