A Million Tiny Pieces (13 page)

Damien
didn’t say anything, merely studied Phoenix momentarily.

Phoenix
had never actually met Damien Landry before today. He’d known of the man, but
then again, Damien was a well-known businessman — it would’ve been hard not to
know who he was. For the most part, Phoenix did his best to steer clear of guys
like Damien. Arrogant, greedy assholes who thought they’d accomplished
something others couldn’t possibly.

They
didn’t run in the same circles, didn’t have any mutual friends. Actually, the
only reason Phoenix had had any interaction with Landry was thanks to his
father’s previous discussions with him. Back when Phoenix’s father had been
alive, a month or so before he’d passed, to be exact, the old man had mentioned
Landry’s interest in buying the Austin Arrows, much to Phoenix’s dismay.
However, Sid had never intended to sell the team, so where Landry had come up
with the absurd idea that Sid had backed out of a deal, Phoenix didn’t know.

If
he had to guess, Sid Pierce had entertained the notion because that was the way
he did business. He listened to what people had to say. Always said it was good
business, that it made people trust you. Based on what Phoenix knew of Damien,
the guy had likely misconstrued Sid’s attention to the idea as something more
than it was.

But
Phoenix didn’t plan to play that game with Landry. Although he could be as
shrewd as the next guy when it came to the high stakes of his company, Phoenix
had always put people first. When he did something, he always weighed the good
with the bad. It was clear that Damien Landry didn’t work that way. He was a
greedy, selfish bastard who had only his own best interests at heart.

“I’m
sorry if somehow you mistook my father’s kindness for something more than it
was, Landry, but I assure you he had no intention of selling the team.”

Landry’s
blond eyebrows shot up into his hairline, his forehead wrinkling with the move.
Apparently Phoenix had surprised him with that response. Of course, Damien was
the type to think that everyone would bow to him when it came down to it.

He
was about to learn a lesson that Phoenix hoped the guy would never forget.

“I
think you need to give this the attention it deserves,” Damien said quickly.
“Sid and I had an agreement. He backed out of the deal, and I have every
intention of recouping my losses here. What I stood to gain from taking on the
team far outweighs any amount you could settle for.”

“That’s
a little overdramatic, even for you, Landry. Regardless, I have no intention of
settling,” Phoenix replied confidently, making sure to show absolutely no
emotion. “In case you forgot, my father was a very smart businessman. If you
had proof of your claim, you’d have presented it by now.”

“Oh,
I’ve got proof. I think we can handle this civilly. I’m merely giving you
another chance to consider my offer.”

“See,
I’ve always said
you
should avoid that. The thinking part. It’ll only
get you in trouble,” Phoenix countered, his frustration with Landry’s snobbish
responses beginning to get the best of him.

“I
could make you a very rich man,” Landry said through gritted teeth, clearly
unhappy with Phoenix’s retort. “The publicity alone from this lawsuit is going
to benefit you.”

“Money’s
not the most important thing to me, Landry,” Phoenix informed the other man,
clenching his teeth as he finally grew tired of the conversation.

“It
should be.”

Phoenix
leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table. “Is that why you’re engaged
to one of the biggest gold diggers in Texas?”

Not
surprisingly, Damien didn’t jump to defend his fiancée. Then again, this was
the same guy who’d cheated on his wife.

“Teresa
comes from money,” Damien said quietly, his lips a hard, thin line. “The
relationship will be good for both of us.”

“I
know Teresa well. We go way back,” Phoenix said, purposely insinuating how well
he knew her with the inflection in his tone. “And you’re correct, she does come
from a very wealthy family. But in case you haven’t verified her net worth
prior to putting that rock on her hand, you might want to know that her father
is the one with the money. Not her.”

“At
least her father is a sensible businessman,” Damien returned, the hostility in
the man’s tone making Phoenix feel only slightly better.

And
while he mentally celebrated the small win — pissing Landry off didn’t bother
him in the least — he pretended to consider the statement. Teresa’s father
couldn’t be too sensible if he were willingly backing his daughter’s impending
nuptials to one of the biggest assholes Phoenix had ever had the displeasure to
meet.

“Last
I recall, you were already married,” Phoenix stated, once more resuming his
casual stance, leaning back in his chair.

“Divorced.”
Damien’s response was almost instant, as though the guy knew he had to be on
the defensive.

“I’m
sorry to hear that,” Phoenix said, pretending to actually give a shit.

“I’m
not. Mia didn’t have what it took to support a man like me.”

Phoenix
chuckled, glancing down at his hands, imagining them wrapped around Landry’s
thick neck. “A man like you.”

“She
was too soft. Too…”

A
growl sounded from behind Phoenix, but he didn’t turn around. He knew that was
Tarik’s way of informing him he wasn’t happy with the conversation.

“
Too
what?” Phoenix inquired, wanting Landry to explain himself.

His
heart rate had spiked from the hatred that began sizzling in his veins. He
might not know much about Mia, but he knew that she deserved someone a hell of
a lot better than Landry.

“You
should know,” Damien smarted off, looking up at Tarik. “The two of you looked
kinda cozy the other night. Not that it matters. She got what she wanted,”
Damien said, obviously not planning to finish his earlier statement as he met
Phoenix’s gaze again.

“Which
was?”

“Money.”

“Is
that right?” Phoenix said, biting his tongue to keep from saying something he
shouldn’t.

“She
walked away with three million. Now she can get the education she never
bothered to get. She’ll make some blue collar worker a nice wife one day.”
Damien nodded toward Tarik as he said the words.

“According
to what I read, she should’ve received another ten mil for your infidelity,”
Tarik stated.

“That
was never proven.”

“Of
course it wasn’t,” Tarik muttered.

Phoenix
growled, the sound radiating from his chest before he even realized it. “We’re
through here,” he told Landry.

Damien
pushed to his feet, his eyes still locked with Phoenix’s. “Is this about Mia?
Is your lackey over here trying to get in her panties? Trust me, it just takes
a little money to get her to spread ’em. I doubt
he
” — Damien nodded
toward Tarik again — “makes nearly enough to satisfy her.”

Another
growl emanated from behind Phoenix, and he knew that a shit storm was about to
rain down.

“We’re.
Done,” Phoenix snapped as he leaned forward.

“You’re
making a mistake, Phoenix.”

“I
don’t think I am. But if that’s the case, it won’t be the first time.”

“See,
that’s where you and I differ,” Damien said through gritted teeth. “Every
single thing
I
do, I do for a reason. I don’t make mistakes.”

Phoenix
grinned defiantly. “You already have, Damien. You already have.”

Damien
glared at him for a second longer but then turned and walked out, leaving
Phoenix to himself.

“That’s
not the only way we differ, you bastard,” Phoenix muttered to himself.

»»»»»♥«««««

TARIK
WAS TEMPTED to follow Landry out into the parking lot and beat his ass into a
slimy pulp. The bastard irritated the fuck out of him solely by breathing, but
then he’d gone and made the mistake of talking shit about Mia. The possessive
instinct that had overwhelmed him damn near had him doing something he’d likely
regret later.

Somehow
he managed to maintain his composure. But it wasn’t easy.

“Ten
million? Really?” Phoenix asked when he got to his feet, the lethal tone he’d
used with Landry no longer present in his voice. Phoenix casually slid his
hands into his pockets as he moved toward the door. Tarik fell into step behind
him.

“The
prenup had a fidelity clause. Of course, Landry’s lawyers made it damn near
impossible for Mia to win that one.”

“So
she just let it go?”

“From
what I can tell, yes. She got a mil for every birthday she spent with him. She
asked for a divorce a couple of weeks before year four.”

“Well,
that proves she wasn’t in it for the money.”

“Honestly,
I don’t know what the fuck she saw in him,” Tarik stated fiercely.

“You
and me both,” Phoenix agreed as they stepped out of the conference room and
back in the direction of Phoenix’s office. “I’ll be ready to head out in a
few.”

Tarik
nodded and then went to his office to get his laptop. He couldn’t stop thinking
about Damien’s comment. Could the asshole really be that stupid? Did he
honestly believe the bullshit he’d spewed about Mia? Or was that his ego
talking? After all, she’d up and left him for cheating. Tarik wasn’t sure that
Phoenix had ever dated a woman who would’ve cared as long as she was sitting in
the lap of luxury while he dipped his wick in someone else’s pool.

It
made him like Mia all the more, and he realized he already liked her quite a
bit. So much so that he’d been a little disappointed that he hadn’t been able
to see her over the weekend. At one point, he had considered stopping by her
condo to talk to her but had thought better of it. First of all, Phoenix had
warned him away from her — not that he had any intention of following direction
for the simple fact that he enjoyed the hell out of getting Phoenix riled up.
And second, Tarik had spent most of the weekend trying to figure out how to
deal with the situation with Phoenix, doing a little more research on Mia
Cantrell while he was at it.

He
still didn’t have an answer for how to handle Phoenix, but he did understand
Mia quite a bit more now.

From
what he’d read, Mia had been barely twenty when she’d said her vows to Landry.
From the pictures he’d pulled up, she had looked like a woman in love. Damien,
on the other hand, had looked like a man who’d acquired something he’d longed
to get his hands on. Knowing Phoenix as well as he did, Tarik understood the
emotion behind an acquisition, but he also knew how quickly the elation faded
when all was said and done.

Based
on the stories he’d found, through the years, Mia had stood by Damien’s side,
flaunted as a trophy, talked about as though she lacked a single brain cell —
by the press
and
by Landry.
He’d noticed a change in Mia through the
progression of pictures over time — her smile and the light in her eyes had
dimmed over time. Yet Tarik had been surprised to find that there weren’t any
stories from Mia’s point of view after she’d asked for a divorce. She had never
gone to the press, never tried to fight for the money that was due her. It said
a lot about the woman they’d both found themselves taken with.

“You
ready?”

Tarik
looked up to see Phoenix standing in the doorway. He hadn’t even realized he’d
sat down at his desk until that moment. The thought bothered him. He wasn’t
supposed to sit down. The whole PR/assistant thing was more of a way to stay
close to Phoenix without hovering, something that had irritated Phoenix in the
beginning. Not that Tarik minded the details of his job. They didn’t bother him
one bit. Talking hockey was more a hobby than a job. And Phoenix had never made
him feel as though he had to do anything for him. Tarik did them because he
wanted to. His real job was to protect Phoenix. And he was clearly failing.

“I’m
ready,” Tarik said as he grabbed his laptop and pulled the key to the Escalade
from his pocket. “Where to?”

“Let’s
grab lunch and then stop by the training center. We’ll be meeting Mia at UT
around four thirty when her classes are over.”

Tarik
didn’t respond, merely lifted his eyebrow at the news. It wasn’t his place to
argue with Phoenix.

Nor
did he want to.

MIA
WAS NERVOUS as she exited the building on her way to the spot where she’d left
Phoenix that morning. It wasn’t because of what had happened or the possibility
that someone had been following her that had her on edge, either. No, her
nerves had been slowly ratcheting up one notch at a time for the last hour as
she’d counted down the minutes before she would see Phoenix again.

It
could’ve also been due to the information she’d immersed herself in during the
day. And no, she wasn’t referring to schoolwork.

If
someone were to ask her to explain anything her professors had discussed in any
of her classes, she would’ve been at a total loss. For the better part of the
day, she’d been daydreaming, lost in her own thoughts. She felt like a
schoolgirl anxiously hoping she would get a glimpse of the boy she was crushing
on as she passed him in the hall, never mind the fact that she was,
technically, in school. When she wasn’t doing that, she was researching.

As
she walked across the campus, she rapidly glanced from one face to another
until she saw him. Luckily, her feet continued to move her forward, because her
chest had tightened and her belly fluttered at the mere sight of him standing
there exactly where she’d left him that morning. She wasn’t the only one who
had noticed him, either. Then again, there weren’t many men on the planet who
drew attention the way Phoenix Pierce did. And of course, it didn’t hurt that
he was wearing a suit and looked like he’d stepped out of
GQ
magazine.

“Mia,”
he greeted when she approached.

The
way he said her name, his tone low and authoritative, had the army of butterflies
desperately trying to escape her stomach.

“Hey,”
she said, still admiring him when he took her bag from her arm, hefting it on
his shoulder.

“I
hope you don’t mind, but I brought the car.”

“I
don’t mind.” Hell, she didn’t know what she was even saying, but she decided to
go with it because he seemed to be okay with her answer.

When
they approached the sleek black Escalade, she realized the driver was none
other than the sexy, intimidating Tarik Marx. She wasn’t sure she should’ve
been surprised. He was, after all, Phoenix’s right-hand man — as she’d learned
via her Internet research. Since Phoenix was none other than the owner of
Austin’s very own NHL team and Tarik was responsible for public relations, it
seemed fitting that the two of them were always together. It didn’t hurt that
she’d read hints that Tarik was also Phoenix’s bodyguard, although that had
never been publicly stated by Phoenix or Tarik. However, she remembered the
knowing gleam in Tarik’s eyes when she had mentioned it.

Still,
knowing all that she did now, she ignored the myriad of questions she had for
both of them as she smiled at Tarik. His golden eyes traveled over her briefly
as though he was sizing her up to determine whether or not she was a threat.

That
or he wanted to eat her for dinner.

The
thought sent a tremor of awareness snaking down her spine.

She
could’ve assured him she wasn’t a threat — not to Phoenix and certainly not to
him — but she didn’t. She merely thanked him when he opened the door for her.
Phoenix climbed in behind her, and the door closed, sealing them inside.

Alone.

At
least until Tarik made his way around and into the front seat.

More
butterflies began a flurry of activity inside her belly. Her thoughts drifted
to the information she’d pulled up online. The
interesting
stuff. Not
the articles that went on and on about hockey and the Arrows organization, or
even those that talked about Phoenix’s other company. No, Mia was thinking
about the stories that had alluded to the two of them involved in certain
sexual encounters. Things that Mia hadn’t thought really happened. Well, except
for in the erotic novels she had stumbled upon a few short months ago.

“How
was your day?” Phoenix asked, his tone friendly but loud enough to catch her
off guard, causing her to jump.

“Sorry.”
Smiling through her nervousness, Mia added, “Good.” Looking over at him again,
she tried her best to ignore the intimidating man glancing back at her in the rearview
mirror, all while avoiding the curiosity regarding what these two actually did
behind closed doors.

She
could feel her cheeks heat when she saw that Phoenix was looking at her, as
well. She wasn’t sure why she was so nervous, but the more she’d thought about
him that day, the more anxious she’d been to see him. Adding Tarik to the mix
didn’t make it any easier.

There
had even been a point in the day — a brief half hour between classes when she
had grabbed food in the cafeteria — that she had pondered the idea of actually
seeing where things might lead with this man.
Well, more accurately, her
thoughts had bordered on the lascivious until she’d had no choice but to toss
her food in the trash and sneak off to the restroom to run cold water over her
wrists in an attempt to cool herself off.

Absurd,
she knew, but she hadn’t been able to shake the thought. And as the day had
passed, she’d secretly wished that he would make a move. What kind of move, she
didn’t know, but she felt significantly more educated after reading the
information she’d found about him online.

“Are
you hungry?” he asked.

Glancing
down at her jeans and sweatshirt, Mia realized that she wasn’t dressed to go
anywhere with him. By comparison, she looked as though he had picked her up at
a homeless shelter, and that certainly wouldn’t do for going out in public with
him dressed like that, so she answered with, “No, I’m good.”

“You
sure? I could change. There’s a fantastic Japanese restaurant around the
corner.”

Mia
met his green gaze and hesitated. She wanted to say yes, but she didn’t know
how.

When
Phoenix smiled, she knew he had figured her out.

“All
right. We’ll drop your stuff off, I’ll go to my place and change, and I’ll meet
you in the lobby in … say … twenty minutes.”

“Okay,”
she said instantly. His smile grew even wider, and Mia’s insides lit up like a
bonfire.

Half
an hour later, Mia stepped off the elevator back in the lobby and came
face-to-face with Phoenix. She had to admit, she was a little disappointed to
see that he was alone. Part of her had hoped that Tarik would accompany them
tonight, but she shoved the thought away. She was getting too carried away with
herself.

Phoenix
looked incredibly handsome, which didn’t help all that much in pulling her mind
out of the gutter. He had abandoned the suit in lieu of a pair of distressed
jeans and a forest-green polo coupled with a sexy brown leather jacket. Mia
felt her mouth begin to water. She’d seen him in his running gear, she’d seen him
in immaculate suits, and she’d even seen him in a tuxedo, but this… She’d never
seen him look as good as he did right then. Casual. Sexy.

“We’ll
walk, if you don’t mind,” Phoenix said, coming to stand directly in front of
her.

“Sounds
good to me.” Kicking out her foot, Mia showed him that she hadn’t changed out
of her athletic shoes. She’d considered putting on something nicer but then
refused. It was one thing for her to give in to the pleasure of his company; it
was something else to put forth more effort than she should simply to get his
attention.

Phoenix
placed his hand on the small of her back and urged her toward the door. When
they stepped outside, the lingering January chill filled her lungs and made Mia
long for spring. As much as she loved this time of year, she was ready to be
rid of the blustering winds and the biting chill in the air. There was still
the possibility of snow — something she would love to see — between now and
spring, but even with that chance, she longed for warmer temperatures.

By
the time they reached the restaurant, Mia was shivering and her fingers were
numb. She tried to pretend not to be cold as she smiled at Phoenix.

The
hostess greeted Phoenix by name, which wasn’t all that surprising. Considering
he lived around the corner and had rattled off the place as his first
suggestion, it wasn’t shocking that he frequented the establishment enough for
them to know him. The woman gathered two menus and then led them through the
restaurant to a small table in the back.

Once
they were seated, the pleasant hostess left them alone for a few minutes, and
Mia took the time to study the menu.

“What
do you suggest?” she asked Phoenix, primarily to make conversation. When she
looked up at him, she saw that he was watching her, his hands resting over the
closed menu, a mischievous gleam in his eyes, only highlighted by the flicker
of candlelight from the table.

“Do
you like sushi?”

“Yes,”
she replied, holding his gaze.

“Then
I say we load up on it.”

“I’m
game if you are,” she said softly, her mind drifting to other things she’d be
willing to load up on. Namely him.

As
though the waiter had been listening in, he appeared at their side, a pad of
paper and pen at the ready. Mia allowed Phoenix to order for her, and he didn’t
hesitate, rattling off what sounded like half the menu.

“Tell
me about you,” Phoenix suggested when they were alone once again.

“What
do you want to know?”

“Did
you grow up here?”

“In
Austin, yes,” she admitted. “My mother lives in Circle C. She’s a pediatric
surgeon.”

“And
your father?”

“He
was a professor at UT. He died when I was ten,” Mia told him sadly.

“I’m
sorry to hear that. Health problems?”

Mia’s
eyes dropped to the table. “No, he committed suicide. He was diagnosed with
bipolar disorder in his early twenties. He battled with long bouts of severe
depression his entire life.”

“Which
explains why you’re an advocate for suicide prevention,” he stated. There
wasn’t an ounce of judgment in his tone. “My reason for supporting is similar,
although the person I lost wasn’t a family member. He was a player.”

Mia
nodded, saddened by the thought.

“My
father passed away nine months ago,” he stated. “I don’t think it’s easy to
lose someone you’re close to at any age. For any reason.”

“No,
it’s not.” All her memories of her father were good ones, and she could spend
hours going through the photo albums she had of them when she was younger. It
was still difficult to talk about him, though, but only because she missed him
terribly. She didn’t hold it against him that he’d felt life had become
unbearable enough that he had taken his own life, but she wished she’d have
been able to do something to prevent it. “What about you? Are you from here?”
she asked, changing the subject.

“Born
and raised. I went to UT, got my MBA from McCombs School of Business.”

“And
you own a hockey team?”

She’d
apparently surprised him with that information, because his eyebrows rose
slightly as he said, “Among other things.”

“Pierce
Industries?” Mia asked.

His
smirk said he caught what she’d said. “So you did a little investigating, did
you?”

“Just
a little,” she answered, her face heating.

She’d
actually spent her entire first class period devouring every bit of information
she could pull up in the Google search engine. There was enough detail on the
Internet on Phoenix to write a book. In the hockey world, he was a celebrity.
On the business side, he’d taken the world by storm, making millions by
investing in some well-known companies long before they were well-known.

It
wasn’t until her second class that she had encountered some of the most
interesting
articles about him.

“What
else did you find out?”

She
opted to go with the safe things she’d learned. “Your father bought the
expansion team nearly a decade ago.”

“Correct,”
Phoenix confirmed. “I think he did it more for me. His father was a venture
capitalist, made millions investing in people with ideas that he knew would
make them both rich.”

“Sort
of like
Shark Tank
?” she asked, referring to the television show she’d
watched a time or two.

Phoenix’s
smile lit up his entire face. “Exactly. My father followed suit, taking over
when my grandfather passed away. I don’t think it was ever really his thing,
although he was certainly good at making a buck. Since I was such a hockey
fanatic as a kid, I think he bought into my passion.”

“But
hockey wasn’t your first love?” she asked, enjoying his enthusiasm.

“It
warred with my analytical side, I think. I didn’t dream of being a hockey star.
I wanted to be like my grandfather. Investing in other people’s dreams and
seeing them through does something for me.”

Mia
could understand that. Especially when he explained it with so much light in
his eyes.

“What
else did you learn?” he asked after the waiter brought their drinks.