AN: Well, the story's only been up for 2 hours and already I see a review and 2 alerts…
AN: Well, the story's only been up for 2 hours and already I see a review and 2 alerts….Thanks so much! That just encourages me to keep going!
Chapter 2
Zoey Smith sighed as she began counting out money from the cash register. It was seven AM, and she had yet to go home from the night before. The club's second night had been a crazy one. She was desperately thinking about the bed upstairs that was calling her name when the door to the club creaked open. To her immense surprise, Bruce walked in.
"What are you doing here?" Zoey asked, a smile coming to her face.
"I was actually hoping that you'd be here," Bruce said, walking to the bar. The club was now dim, with both fire tanks extinguished. "I hope you weren't waiting for me specifically last night."
"I kinda was, and I kinda wasn't," Zoey admitted. "I thought it was too good to be true that Bruce Wayne was actually going to come back to my club."
Bruce smiled, "I'm nothing special."
Zoey smirked, "If you're saying that, you're even more special than I thought. You're the goddamn king of Gotham."
Zoey leaned onto the bar, forgetting the money for a second. Her red eyes glittered slightly, "I'm happy that you came by now."
Her eyes caught sight of a bandage over Bruce's hand, "What happened?"
"Burned myself while cooking," Bruce said. It wasn't exactly like he could tell the truth to this woman, as much as he was starting to like her.
"I'm sorry," Zoey said. "Here."
She pulled a tube out from under the bar, "The guys who were installing the fire tanks before I opened left this here. It's supposed to heal burns."
"Thanks," Bruce said.
"Here, let me help you."
Zoey gently took one of Bruce's hands in hers and slowly took off the bandage that was wrapped around it. She hissed slightly when she saw how badly his hand was actually burned, "Did you arm wrestle with the fire itself?"
Bruce laughed, "Are you always so nosy, or is it just with me?"
Zoey arched one eyebrow, "I am not nosy; I'm merely curious."
"You know what they say," Bruce said as Zoey squirted some of the jell out of the tube. "Curiosity killed the cat."
Zoey smirked, "This is going to sting a little."
The jell did sting like hell as Zoey rubbed it into his hand, but the more she rubbed it in, the more the pain deadened.
"Wow," Bruce said as Zoey began to re-bandage his hand. "That stuff actually worked."
Zoey shrugged, "I never tried it out. Hopefully, I'll never have to."
"Where do you live now?" Bruce inquired.
"Here," Zoey laughed. "Well, upstairs technically. At least until my house is done being built."
"I know what that's like," Bruce rolled his eyes. "My parent's house was burned down a little over a year ago. It's still being rebuilt."
"My parents are gone," Zoey said with a sigh. "They were killed in the car accident that resulted in my change of eye color."
"I'm sorry," Bruce said. "My parents were murdered when I was a kid as well."
"I know," Zoey responded. "I know more than you think I do."
"Really," Bruce said challengingly. "What do you know?"
Zoey smirked, "If I told you, then I'd have no secrets for myself, Mr. Wayne."
She leaned over the bar and kissed Bruce gently on the lips. Bruce was surprised, but he'd be damned if he let Zoey get away with just a gentle kiss. Before she could move away, he put his good hand on her cheek and deepened the kiss. He felt Zoey moan into the kiss as his tongue dueled with hers.
"Bruce," Zoey gasped when they broke apart. "I don't think we should—"
"Worried?" Bruce smirked.
"Hardly," Zoey rolled her eyes. "Bruce, there's more to me than you're thinking, and there are some things going on in my life that you wouldn't understand."
"Try me," Bruce challenged.
Zoey shook her head, "Bruce, I can't."
"Aha," Bruce's eyebrows rose. "Zoey, I know we all have secrets, but you can tell me anything."
Zoey sighed, "I highly doubt that, Bruce. There are some things about me I can't tell anyone."
Zoey walked the length of the bar and slid out of it. While she had her back to him, Bruce noticed a tattoo on her back, right below her right shoulder. It was a tattoo of a flaming bird…
"A phoenix?" Bruce said before he could stop himself.
"How'd you know what my tattoo was?" Zoey inquired.
"I studied a mythology course for a semester," Bruce said, the world around him screaming. "Zoey…."
Before he could say anything else, Zoey's cell phone began ringing. Her eyes widened when she saw the name flashing across the screen.
"Bruce, I gotta go," Zoey said.
Bruce nodded and left, his ears still ringing slightly.
No way can Zoey be Phoenix! Bruce's mind was arguing with him. She seems so good….
Bruce's attention was caught a few moments later as a motorcycle roared out from behind the club. He saw Zoey's distinctive red and black hair from under the motorcycle helmet. Against his better judgment, he followed her.
She led him to an abandoned section of the docks. He parked his Lamborghini a bit distant from the storage house Zoey went into and followed her slowly.
"….How's it going with Bruce Wayne, Phoenix?"
"I can't do it anymore, Triton, I won't," That voice belonged to Zoey. "I hurt him badly last night."
"You're supposed to be used to all of this already, Phoenix!" The one called Triton snarled. "What the fuck is wrong with you?!"
"I'm a goddamn human, Triton!" Zoey snarled back. "Maybe I did this shit while living abroad, but being back in Gotham…."
"Do you want to meet the same fate as your parents, Phoenix?" Triton asked.
"Of course I don't," Zoey's voice was weaker now.
"Then you'll do as you're told!" Triton yelled. Bruce saw Zoey flinch as if he had hit her. "You were given a mission, and you'll finish it. If you don't, I'll be glad to send you to the bottom of the ocean where nobody will ever find you. We have a deal; you do what you're told and you get anything you want, but if you double cross us, you'll be wishing for death."
Bruce suddenly felt something grab him, Shit, shit, shit! Two men had grabbed him by his upper arms.
"Well," One of them said. "Look who we have here….Seems like Phoenix's job just got easier…."
"Triton!" The other called. "It looks like we've caught ourselves a little bat."
Both Zoey and Triton turned around, when Zoey saw Bruce, her eyes widened with fear.
Triton was an aged, but powerful looking man. His muscles rippled down his body as he stood tall and dominating next to Zoey, who now looked like she was about to pass out.
"Perfect," Triton said, his lips curling into a smile. "Bruce Wayne in our midst…. Phoenix, looks like you don't have to go after him any longer…."