[open] The Prince and the Princess

[Phoenix Zima]

Parker was right. Phoenix would get over it... she would come to terms with being without Ice, and she would move on. It was going to take some time for her to move on completely, of course, but eventually she would just focus everything on Casper and put all of her energy into the horse. She was strong, she had forced herself to become impenetrable when she was little so that nothing could ever get to her. Now this had gotten to her, but by the time 48 hours had passed she would appear outwardly to have nothing wrong. Right now she was still a little bit in shock from the whole ordeal. It had been a pretty bad crash, and she was definitely shaken by it. She would bet a little better by the time she went to bed, but right now it hadn't even been 12 hours since the accident and it was still very fresh in her mind and she needed a little more time before she would be okay.

She nodded and pulled away from Parker, walking over to the table and handing the papers to him with a trembling hand. It was some work to get Parker to believe that she was going to be okay being left home alone tonight, but she assured him she would be fine. All she needed right now was for him to take care of this for her, and to curl up on the couch with a cup of something hot and her cat, and she would be fine. She was a girl... girls were emotional... and even Phoenix couldn't be an exception to that all the time. This was the first time anyone had ever seen her cry or show any actual real emotion, and it was probably going to be a long long time before it happened again. Phoenix had learned from Parker, and Parker was a pro at not showing emotion. She was fairly sure she had only seen him ever show any hint of emotion when he was riding and with his horses.

After he left, she had a hard time, and while she was curled up on the couch she shed a few more tears and polished off a cup of hot chocolate before realizing that it just wasn't cutting it and turned to the bottle of Smirnoff that she had been keeping for a special occasion. This was definitely a special occasion. After polishing it off, she felt a bit better, and took the cat and curled up in bed and fell asleep shortly after. Luckily for her it was a dreamless sleep, and although it was relatively restless, at least it was sleep. that was what she needed after a day like that, and that was exactly what she got, even if it wasn't the best sleep in the whole world.

The first week after the accident, Phoenix didn't ride a whole heck of a lot, but when she did it was only dressage, no jumping. Parker caught on to her lack of enthusiasm and took her out for a night on the town... and the town happened to have been New York City. Of course Parker hadn't told her that. He'd just taken her out shopping for a new outfit, since the riding breeches and polo she was wearing "wasn't appropriate" for the party he was taking her to. Then, in typical Parker Townsend style, they went to the airport and took his private jet to the city. From there it was a short ride on Parker's street bike to the party, which was all well and good. Unfortunately, the after party had a bit of drama which lead to Parker telling her about something he'd seen that was very dangerous information. The night ended with both of them getting laid, then flying home... and home was new for Phoenix, considering Parker refused to let her go back to her apartment and insisted she come live with him.

Phoenix wasn't going to tell him how grateful she was for everything he did for her... but she really was. He'd paid her rent for her many times when she couldn't afford it herself, he'd paid her boarding fees many times when she couldn't cover it all... he was always taking care of her. He was like the older brother who was still in contact with the parents... even though he didn't like it... and was looking out for the little sister who jumped off the deep end, disowned the parents, and alienated herself from their funding as best she could... which ended up being difficult considering her job as a waitress hardly covered expenses, even though she was exceptionally good at getting large tips, it still didn't quite cover the cost of housing, boarding, and everything else that she needed for daily life... and Parker was always covering for her when she needed it... even though half the time she didn't even know he was doing it until later.

The second week she was alright... or at least appeared to be. She was pretty good at pretending, even though she wasn't. She was riding more on her regular schedule, and she'd taken Casper over a few small jumps in the jumping arena, but she stayed away from anything higher than two feet and anything resembling cross-country. She was too nervous, and she knew it was dangerous to try to put a horse over a jump you weren't comfortable, and she wasn't willing to risk that. She'd already lost Ice, and she didn't want to lose Casper too. Those horses were her life, and Casper was all she had left of them... or so she thought.

It was week three now, and she'd jumped off the deep end again. She was still riding, but she was getting herself wasted just about every night and passing out in the arms of a different guy. As luck would have it... she just happened to bring two of them home with her... although she didn't know it when she did it. She was far too wasted to even know what she was doing at all. So when Parker came into her room, the sight that met him was Phoenix sprawled out on her bed, still passed out. She was tangled up in one of them, and the other was passed out on the floor. It had definitely been a wild night... but Phoenix probably wouldn't remember any of it. She'd been much too drunk last night to remember any of it.

When Parker rapped his knuckles on the door and cleared his throat, Phoenix was pulled rather rudely out of her almost "unconscious" sleep, and as he started talking, she groaned and pulled a pillow over her head. Go away Parkerrr She growled, her voice muffled by the pillow. She definitely had a hell of a hangover, and a hungover Phoenix was never willing to get up, much less go anywhere. But Parker was Parker... and he would get her up and out... he always did. Even as much of a stubborn bitch she was, that gratefulness to Parker played a bit role in her eventual giving in to whatever he was trying to get her to do... he might have a little bit of a harder time with it this time though, "rough" didn't even begin to describe how last night had been.

[Vivian Kings]

Things had been quite hectic the last few weeks for him mainly because he was helping Phoenix with this horse medical bills but also withthe incident in New York... Sure taking Phoenix out was a nice deed and surprise for her seeing how she'd never been there... but For Parker it was also a business meeting... the type of meeting everyone tried to get out of. Parker hated business and all thathe prefered to stay in the stable yards... heliked riding and thats what he did... he left business up to his father. But his father had other plans... but this business in NY wasn't any part of the family business... it was more so person... and it definitely wasn't good it was oh so very bad. He hadn't told anyone that is until he told Phe on the plane ride home... and he didn't even want that to happen... but keeping secrets from Phoenix wasn't something that Parker liked to do...

Oh yes he had his fair share of secrets and he was more than able to keep them from her... like why he hated his parents... or why he left them to begin with... or why he didn't want any part of his fathers business... there was so much that he kept to himself... but Parker wasn't like most people... so it didn't dig at him on a daily basis. He didn't care that there was no one who knew everything about him. It didn't bug him when he knew there was no one he could run to when he got in trouble... He was the perfect example and definition of the term independant. He was very comfortable with who he was and what he knew. He liked thinking things over carefully and playing the game of life very stragically. He was all too smart for his own good that was for sure.

For instance these two situations he was in now. The case with the men from NY he wasn't scared... he knew the law he knew his situation front to back... he knew the right people and with the right plays he would be free of this so called supression that they were trying to play on him. And then there's the case with Phoenix. Keeping the secret with Ice to himself was easy... he knew how to play her and manipulate her to get her in the right position... he had a lot of control over her simple mind... not that he ever used it. She was a friend and he didn't make her do anything... sure he could if he wanted to... Parker was a very influential man. He was smart and got away with nearly anything. Parents take notes... this is what your children become when you ignore them for 20 years.

Now here he was trying to be the sweet best friend by giving her what she honestly truly really wants. But noooo instead he gets to walk in on her and some disgusting low life and be told to go away. And after all he's done for her... gave her a place to live paid for her boarding fees paid her vet bill took care of her horse and this is how she thanks him... he was never going to let her get out of this one. He would hold it over her head for the rest of her life. I should have made a bigger pot of coffee huh? He loved being a smart ass and driving her insane... the true reason behind him letting her live with him was so he could torture her on a regular basis. Parker never did anything that didn't benefit him...

[Phoenix Zima]

Phoenix wasn't ungrateful for all that Parker did for her. Quite on the contrary really. She knew that she wouldn't have made it this far if it weren't for Parker. He taught her to ride, he challenged her to try to reach the bar he'd set so high which resulted in her starting to rise above the crowd, sort of like he had only at a much slower pace and odds were that she would never be at the same height as he was, he had paid her rent and boarding and countless other things more times than she could even remember, he knew the difference between when she was having a bad day and when she was just being a bitch and would take her out and make her at least temporarily forget about whatever it was that was on her mind, and now he'd talked her into living with him which completely eliminated her housing expenses. In an odd way, Parker was always there for her... even if the majority of the time he acted like he completely hated her and vice versa.

At Parker's coffee comment, she knew that he wasn't going to go away. She didn't know what he wanted, but whatever it was, it was going to be easier for all of them if she just gave it to him and didn't put up a fight. Besides, she had a roaring headache, and the only way to cure it was with coffee and aspirin. She wouldn't be getting back to sleep with pain like that throbbing in her head. Phoenix knew all about hangovers and getting drunk. She wasn't sure if Parker did though... it seemed like he could drink the hardest drinks there were all night long and never get drunk... he was like some supernatural being, and half the time she wondered if he really was human. Anyway, she could hold a lot more liquor than most girls, but even so... she completely ignored her limits most of the time and just got herself wasted... which always lead to hangovers in the morning.

She sat up and looked at him with an expression that would make any lesser man run away in terror, and threw the well aimed pillow at him muttering something under her breath about him before climbing out of bed, finding her lingerie and pulling it on. She didn't care if Parker saw her with nothing on... why should she? He saw a different girl with nothing on every night, why should it matter if he saw her with no clothes on? Besides... it wasn't like this was the first time... hell, it probably wasn't even the tenth time. They'd had situations like this dozens of times, and it always turned out the same.

After she had run her fingers through her thick hair to tame it's post-sex look, she turned back towards him. What do you want? She asked crossing her arms and scowling in that "if looks could kill..." way that scared unwanted men away, Besides torturing me. Her voice was a bit of a growl, and definitely had that hangover sound to it. She was not a morning person until she was on the back of her horse, then she was just a bitch. But until then in the morning, she always really was just grouchy and unpleasant... but Parker was probably more than used to that. Some people were morning people, some people weren't, and Phoenix was anything but chipper in the morning especially when she'd been just about on the edge of dangerously well beyond just drunk like she'd been last night.

Yesterday hadn't been a good day. Normally when she brought guys home with her she wasn't all that drunk so that she could get rid of them before morning and not have to deal with the obnoxious "morning after Phoenix" symptoms that all guys seemed to get after sleeping with her. But because yesterday hadn't been a good day she'd been more drunk than she normally was, and so here they were... passed out in her room, and it was morning. Now not only was she going to have to deal with one guy with "MAP" but two... oh what a horrible day this was looking to be. If it were up to her she'd just dump the two of them on the street and go back to bed... but it appeared Parker had other plans, so she was just going to have to deal with it.

[Parker Townsend]

Parker never made mistakes... to the outside observer he was perfect. Always cleanly shaven and dressed sharply even when he was dressed casually. He rode perfectly, never faltered, always had complete control over the situation. His only fault was the fact that he didn't care. He was reckless and wild... underneath his perfect mannered self he was mischievous and devilish and to smart for his own good. He never did anything wrong. Or at least thats what he wanted you to think. When in reality he caused more trouble than a 4 year old boy with a bucket of mud. The trick was he never got caught. He broke the law on several levels he was pro at import and export of illegal goods but no one dared question Parker... he was to smart.

He never got drunk nor did he suffer from hangovers. Her curiosity to whether he really was human or not was rightly directed. But in his supernatural abilities he would never make the mistake that Phoenix had made last night. Sure he'd had tow girls come home with him before but he was always up and out of the house way before they woke up. One of the pluses of having high tolerance for Alcohol. No hang over the next morning to bed rid you. Thats also why he had his personal assistant she did all the stuff he didn't want to or didn't have time to. And taking out the trash was apart of that description and in turn he paid her well and gave her nights off and plenty of full days off. It was only natural that Phoenix stumbled though... Parker was a hard act to follow and though she was doing better than anyone else. She still had a lot to learn.

Despite people's assumptions Parker was not perfect he did have his flaws. He was just intelligent enough to keep them hidden from the rest of the world. Yes there were things even Phoenix didn't know about. And the fact that he was in some deep shit with some bad guys wasn't one of those imperfections... thats what he called... good publicity. He was good at enjoying the thrill of trouble but avoiding the consequences. But there was special privileges that came with being a Townsend... and being able to avoid trouble was one of them. It also helped that Parker knew the laws inside and out and he also knew every single way around them. Yes there was such a thing as too smart for your own good.... but not for Parker.

He chuckled and caught the pillow after its impact struck him and simply tossed it aside. He knew he got on her nerves. But she got on his so if she wanted to play with the big boys she was just going to have to learn to handle what the big boys dished out. And what Parker dished out was some rough sh*it. He was constantly testing her limits and so far he hadn't found one... and he wasn't a complete a*ss... well maybe he was but he knew that harsh words directed at her when she was hurting wasn't something that anyone should have to handle anyways. Sure he still called her names and got on her case but it was never anything he knew would upset her more. Parker was definitely one of those people you had to get to know before you could understand them... and even then your chances of understanding him weren't very high because the only one he let remotely close to him was Phoenix and his Grandfather and even that wasn't as close as other people's relationships. He just liked his life to remain just that... his.

In all honesty she was right though. Seeing her without any clothes on wasn't anything special. He didn't stare and gap at the sexy naked woman in front of him. He saw a variation of that same thing ever night it wasn't anything special. Not to say he didn't get turned on by a hot body but being the talented man that he was he had the ability to turn off his drive despite how high it was and turn it on whenever her pleased. But with Phoenix it was always, and i mean always, off. There wasn't any chemistry there whatsoever it was just too awkward she was like his little sister... he took care of her... and if any guy touched or looked at her when she didn't want them too you can bet he was right there to kick their a*ss... even if it was one of the guys that was threatening to kill him.

After a few minutes she finally turned back to him with underwear on and a quick run through of her hair with her fingers. His ever so devious smirk displayed on his face as she looked at him with all the hatred of a scorned woman. Oh... nothing really... that was all. Sure that was a lie and he did have something for her... but he wasn't going to give it to her with such a b*itchy attitude that would just be... way too easy. He wasn't sure exactly how he was going to surprise her yet but he knew that by the afternoon she would be as giddy as a school girl... well as giddy as Phoenix could get... which wasn't very much but he knew the difference. As for the quickly rising men he would leave them to his personal assistant as well... he didn't deal with that type of mess... and kicking men out of his house definitely wasn't something he ever planned on having to do. But he'd get used to it... besides it wasn't as if it was the first time he had walked in on Phoenix with someone... in fact some times where on purpose just to piss her off... of course he pretended as if they were accidents... but they both knew the truth. Why she stuck around? There was only one answer. Parker was all she had... and he wasn't planning on her ever having to go without him. And i mean that in the most torturous way possible.

[Phoenix Zima]

Parker was lucky that Phoenix actually didn't despise him and that she owed him a lot more than she could ever pay him back... otherwise there was a very good chance that she would have killed him by now. As Parker knew all too well, Phoenix was anything but a forgiving person. She held grudges longer than you could believe, and if someone wronged her then you could bet they would either have to work their ass off to get forgiveness, or just submit to the hell she was going to cause their lives to be for making her mad. And if anyone ever hurt her, they would never be forgiven for it... ever. Sure, it might seem like the things Parker said were mean and hurtful, but everything he said was true. He called her a bitch... she was one. Any "off color comment he made was always true, so Phoenix never saw any reason to be offended. She liked how she was and who she was wasn't a very nice person... but no one could change her.

Phoenix's expression hardened even more when Parker said he didn't have any purpose for coming there except to annoy her. She knew he did it on purpose, and she knew she humored him greatly by her reactions, but she couldn't help it. She wasn't void of human emotions like he was, and when he pissed her off, she showed it. In fact, to most people it would appear that the only emotion Phoenix had was anger. She seemed to always be mad at someone about something... though in reality it was quite the contrary. She wasn't mad about much of anything. Sure she could get upset, but most of the time she was content and just wanted people to believe that she was angry all the time. After all, aside from Parkr, who could ever possibly like someone who was always mad at you for something? She didn't want people to like her... she wanted them to hate her.

Yes, it was true, Parker was all that Phoenix had as far as humans went. Having been abandoned by her real family and hated by her adopted family, Parker was the only human she had ever come in contact with who didn't hate her right away. He was mean to her and he appeared to dislike her... but for whatever reason, Phoenix just attached to him. He was the protective older brother she never had but would have given anything for. Even though most of the time she pretended she didn't appreciate all he did for her, especially when it came to the guys who would take advantage of her if given the chance. She was hot, and because of that she was a target for a lot of men with less than good intentions. Half the time she didn't even know it, and she wouldn't be surprised if Parker had someone following her and keeping those sorts of people away from her. He always went out of his way to protect her, and even though she acted like she didn't care, she really did appreciate it.

Parker... She started to say, then changed her mind. She told him what she was going to say enough times that it just didn't have the same charm anymore. Yes, he was a jackass, and he knew it so there was no point in her telling him again. ...it had better not be decaf. She turned and walked over to her closet, grabbing her skimpy silk robe and pulling it on over her thin shoulders. Even with the post-sex look, Phoenix was incredibly good looking, and most guys would call Parker insane for not being turned on by her... and Parker... he was really good looking too, and people would call her insane for not being turned on by him. It was strange, really, but if the situation was different...if Parker wasn't like her older brother, there was no doubt in anyone's minds that the two of them would have already slept together and would no longer associate with one another. Phoenix could never sleep with Parker the way they were though... they were too much alike.

She walked past him and out into the hall, heading for the kitchen where there would be coffee and aspirin. about five feet down the hall though, she stopped and turned back towards Parker. Who's Chuck... she started to ask, then stopped and thought about it for a few minutes, trying to remember the last name. Trout I think...? Yes, this was one of those Phoenix moments that tended to drive Parker crazy. Phoenix was a major annoyance to Parker most of the time with her blond moments... but in her defense, she'd been so wasted when she heard his name that she couldn't remember what it was except that it was some sort of fish... which was more than she normally could have remembered. She'd had a rough night, she couldn't help it, that was just the way some things happened sometimes, especially when you were a girl like Phoenix.

[Parker Townsend]

Parker, as previously stated was a jackass, He was rich, he had everything everyone wanted, he got any girl he wanted, he was talented, he had good looks, and with all that it was only right that he the mansion to go along with all that fabulousness. Huge was an understatement that was for sure. But it matched Parker's personality perfectly. It was big more modern not in a nerdy way... well at least the west wing was modern and the east wing was more... elegant. His room was the master of course... set up exactly how he wanted it balcony overlooking the indoor pool and another balcony overlooking the outdoor pool. Dark foresty looking green with brown and gold designing accents and what not with his trophies decorating his room along with his pictures with Foxy from when he was younger till the age he was.

Some may say he was conceded for putting his pictures all over the place... but in reality it was the picture of Foxy that he was putting all over the place. She was his prize... his one and only and he loved her and only her... well and Kalypso but she was his second love. Foxy always came first and formost... she was like the favorite child. So he knew that thats how Phe felt about Ice and he got the fact that that wasn't something you got over easily. He probably would have shot himself if it happened to Foxy. He'd do anything for that horse... and she'd probably be living in his house if he didn't think it wasn't appropriate to have her around when he was home... considering he was only home at night... and those activities weren't appropriate for her ears. She was like his baby... she owned his nonexistent heart.

So therefore all those pictures... she was the center point... his whole room focused on her... He had a large blown up professional photo of her on his wall... he had pictures of several horses throughout the house but she was his favorite and the blown up black and white one in his room was by far his favorite. It hung over the fireplace in his room and it was obvious that he loved it... it never had a speck of dust on it... If he was robbed he wouldn't care just so long as the picture was still hung safely where it was.... Also the picture hide the rather large safe behind it... another reason the picture was his favorite that horse cost more than his car and that picture was the protector of a lot of valuables. Diamonds, Cash, the ownership papers of the house, the cars, the horses, and most importantly... even more important than Foxy, the ownership papers of Townsend farms.

His grandfather gave them to him when he went off to college... He told him that Brad, Parker's father, wasn't the right man for the job. Parkers dad was all about wealth money and winning. Not so much for the horse's well being. Parker never approved of the way his father did things and constantly said it to him. Parker definitely got his grandfather's gentle hand that was just made to be around horses. And though Parker was a wild reckless man with an act for pissing people off, he was good with horses. He could read their body language and was good at getting them to do what he wanted without forcing them into it... it was a relationship that involved both parties happiness. He would never sacrifice that relationship for money. Besides he had enough money to live off of for the rest of his life. Thanks to his grandfather's savings and to the fact that Parker was good at business despite his want not to be involved in it. He also was able to thank Foxy for a lot of the money he had... with her he was able to win a lot of purses and there for a lot of money.

Which is how he wound up with this house... that he didn't need considering he was never home. So why not invite Phoenix to live with them... its not like he hasn't seen her in every single state imaginable. Naked, Happy, Sad, Angry, sleeping, awake, you name it and he's probably seen her like that. And he was hardly ever home anyways, whether he was at the barn, at a club, or out doing business usually he only spent a couple hours a day actually in his multi million dollar home. Then there was his personal assistant who also lived there under strict rules. 1. She always had to be ready for work on time. 2. She wasn't allowed to be late. 3. She was never to have people over when he was home and she was supposed to be working. Other than that... he didn't care if she had her boyfriend over or whatever if it was her day off all the rules went out the window. Oh and a rule that was a rule for everyone in the house Phoenix and his PA included but not himself... No parties. He was allowed to throw Parties in his home but no one else was.

Actually with Phoenix living there he was home a lot more than normal... which was only like an hour more than usual but it was a lot for him. But that was mainly because of what she was going through having lost Ice and all. But today was the day it all changed. His eyes shone in that way that made every girl (with the exception of Phoenix) swoon and his smirk remained in its place as she threatened him. Of course it wasn't decaf... he wasn't stupid... he was on the other hand a complete Jerk and would totally make her decaf coffee if he didn't want her to be sober when he took her down the the barn. He knew she was going to say something else too but she didn't and he almost smiled and mentally thanked God that she didn't let her stupid blondness control what came out of her mouth.

He started to follow her down the hall then she stopped and turned to face him. Who's Chuck...Trout I think...? He wanted to smack his palm onto his forehead. He hated the hangover that other people got it made them even more stupid than usual. He thingyed an eyebrow and just looked at her like she was the moron that she was acting like. He didn't think he'd ever be able to handle that aspect of people. He hated how dense they could be and what got him the most mad was when people didn't think before they spoke and when they stated the obvious. It nearly made him insane... not that he ever showed it. He usually retorted with his dull why am i even talking to this moron voice. But in this case he wanted to know something else. Chuck Bass.... Why? He didn't like it when other people answered with a question but it was alright for him to do... because Parker Townsend was the exception for every rule.[/size][/color]

[Phoenix Zima]

Most people never saw the blond side of Phoenix... mostly because she never wanted anyone to see it. That was the real Phoenix... innocent in her lack of intelligence. She certainly wasn't the smartest person on the planet, but underneath the bitch she really was a rather sweet girl. Of course, no one would ever know that. Even Parker hadn't ever seen who she really was underneath it all, except when she'd had her meltdown after the accident... but that didn't count. She thought she had lost so much. Between Ice and Casper she really didn't have anything, and losing one of them was about like losing half of herself. Sure, she still had Casper, but Ice was her first horse... and anyone who doesn't get dearly attached to their first horse has got to have something seriously wrong with them in many ways. Phoenix was no exception to this.

For the most part, Phoenix was harmless. She wasn't really out to hurt people... except maybe their feelings or their egos. Of course, she broke a hell of a lot of hearts when the guys she slept with who had been trying for years to get with her realized that they were just another one night stand... just another winner for her trophy case... but it really wasn't her intention. She slept with people because she liked sex, she didn't want any emotional ties to them. It was more fun when it was just a one night stand. There was more sport to it for her. Phoenix made everything into a competition or a game, and sex was no exception. She was good at it, no doubt about it, and any guy who was in their right mind would give just about anything for a second shot at a night with Phoenix... but very very few of them would ever get that second shot. She was an exclusively one time deal for the most part.

Phoenix really wasn't a very complicated girl, but she always came off as extremely so. The guys who tried to get with Phoenix were always trying to figure her out, find out what she liked and didn't like so that they could maybe have a chance at actually having a relationship with her. Of course, she made it impossible for them to figure things out. Even when she was pleased or happy she never came off as being so, and she didn't really have any specific tendencies that would indicate her habits and what she liked. It often frustrated people to the point that they eventually just gave up, which was exactly what she wanted. Every so often she got a few cling-ons, but for the most part she had been lucky enough to chase them off before they got that attached to her. A few guys would get upset with their inability to please her, and she definitely enjoyed that... but it was impossible to tell.

I suppose in a way, she was complicated in that when she looked angry and made other people upset or miserable, then she was happy. Deceit was something she was extremely good at and the best part was that most people could never tell if she was deceiving them into something. Parker had taught her well, and she really was pretty much a miniature of him. It was sort of unfortunate for the other people who she interacted with, considering Parker was a major heart breaker, and since Phoenix was basically a female version of him, she was a heart breaker too.

She shrugged slightly when Parker asked her why she was asking about Chuck Bass. Oh no reason really... she said in response, apparently they were supposed to have some important business meeting with him last night... they said I'd regret being the cause of them not being there... but I don't care. I was just wondering who he was. It was generally pretty difficult for other people to bother Phoenix. Parker had getting on her nerves down to a T but no one else had figured out what made her tick at this point. She was a bit of a problem child in most people's opinions... but the way she saw it, she was just that much better than the rest of them... with the exception of Parker, but he didn't count... he wasn't human. She didn't know what he was, but he certainly wasn't human, that was for sure.

[Parker Townsend]

Usually only a few words came to mind when you heard the name Parker Townsend. Rich, Jackass, and gorgeous; there were many more I suppose, but it would take to long to list the variations of the same word. He was the kind of guy that had a different girl on his arm every night. His motto: “Why stick with one when you can have them all with just the snap of you’re finger.” Yes, that’s what made him an egotistical jackass. He knew he was highly sought after in the woman world. He was simply irresistible his attitude probably enhanced that even more. Though you wouldn’t think so, but women like a man with confidence, Parker may just have had too much confidence. He was very self-assured; he knew he had the money, the looks, and everything else that a woman wants if you know what I mean. Another reason he had a different girl every night, besides the fact that he got bored easily, was because he couldn’t stand being with someone for so long who couldn’t keep up an intelligent conversation with him…. And pretty much no one could.

He had very high standards blondes were usually a no go with him…. Partially because of the moments they had that caused him to cringe. He hated it when anyone had a “blonde moment” It drove him insane. After a while he discovered there was no escaping this so he just stopped trying to have a mature conversation and just stuck with wowing the crowd and sleeping with them. I’m pretty sure Parker has never had a girlfriend. There have been several girls that have called themselves his girlfriend, but lets face it girls no one has ever come remotely close to getting a second chance with Parker. Which made them all stand with their jaws on the ground when he was seen with Phoenix all the time. It mystified them, but that was because they assumed from her looks that he was sleeping with her. Which was false but why not let them be jealous… it was all the more fun that way.

Phoenix was the only girl Parker tolerated for long periods of time. Even that wasn’t saying much because he rarely spent 2 full days in a row with her. He couldn’t help that he was busy all the time… Besides his leading lady, Foxy, took up the majority of his time. Don’t be mistaken, Foxy was his horse. Figures the only girl he could spend every day with was one that walked on all fours and couldn’t talk back. That’s exactly how he liked it. Not to say that was the only reason he liked Foxy. Oh no he loved Foxy… she was probably the only one he would ever say that dreaded 4-letter word too. She was the only one who could manage to bring an honest to God smile to his face. When they were flying around a cross-country course or elegantly moving over a dressage pattern he couldn’t help but to grin afterwards. Mainly because he knew they just blew the crowd away and made every other rider extremely jealous. No one could beat Parker and Foxy. They were the definition of Perfection.

Parker Townsend didn’t believe in love if you asked him for his opinion on the subject, if he didn’t completely ignore and brush past you, he would most likely retort with something along the lines of “love is just something people use to get what they want…. Its used to manipulate the simple minded… such as yourself.” He never said I love you to a girl, never even uttered the word to family, why should he? He thought it was a waste of his time… he could get whatever he wanted without having to use the word. Even when the girl of the night moaned it out to him he just smirked and responded with an “I know.” He broke many a girls heart but he didn’t feel the slightest bit guilty quiet the contrary he was very proud of that fact. He never expressed his like for food with I love this or any sort of thing… as far as he was concerned it had been erased from his vocabulary since birth. No one had ever heard the word come from his mouth except for Foxy and she wasn’t going to tell anyone.

“Oh no reason really...” she said in response, “apparently they were supposed to have some important business meeting with him last night... they said I'd regret being the cause of them not being there... but I don't care. I was just wondering who he was.” Sometimes he wondered why he bothered with her. He rolled his eyes and continued down the stairs toward the kitchen. “Don’t worry about him… but I’d advise you to steer clear of him…” A sigh escaped his lips as he reached the kitchen. “Not that you’ll listen to me anyways…” Sometimes it was like he was talking to himself when he had a conversation with her. He grabbed his cup of coffee that was waiting for him as usual. He glanced over a few papers that were on the counter before walking out of the room without a word. “Penny, be sure to take out the trash that has accumulated in Phoenix’s room.” Though he was sure she would without him asking… he didn’t tell her that Phoenix would be living with them… so him telling her once implanted the idea that, that would now be apart of her regular duties. She couldn’t complain though… she got paid extremely well.

He came back to the kitchen glancing over his rather expensive Rolex then back up at Phoenix. “Would you mind hurrying it up...” He said in his impatient flat tone. She would thank him later… actually she probably wouldn’t but he knew she’d be happier once he showed her why he was being such an ass this morning… well more of one than usual. Sometimes he just couldn’t help but smirk at how deviously clever he was… though he didn’t now if he wanted her to go along with it without suspecting a thing he needed to play the part. Which he did rather well he could have pulled off being an actor if he didn’t think he’d get bored. He preferred being on horseback all day. Which is why he lived out here on his own verses back in Kentucky on the farm… But that was another story entirely… He waited for her sassy response… with a dull expression on his face explaining simply how bored he was.

He really did care about Phoenix. He must because there was no way he would do this for someone he didn’t care about. She was the closest thing he had to family… even though he did have family but he tried to forget that he did. Besides ever since he had taken her under his wing… unwillingly I might add… he sort of felt obligated to take care of her… I mean look at her she was a mess, in his mind anyways. He wondered how on earth she managed without him for this long. I suppose in a very twisted way he was her knight in shining armor. Except he did care about her romantically, he treated her like crap, and acted like he was better than her. But in all honesty he thought and knew he was better than her. Luckily for him he trained her right and she was almost just as bad as him, which is why she put up with him. Well other than the fact that they both knew no one else in the world would put up with them so they might as well stick together. Though neither of them would admit that they needed the other. It was a very rare relationship they had.