Olivia

I felt like I’d run some kind of sprint. That bit of conversation felt a bit like an interrogation, but it was to be expected. If Momma had been here, she’d have put him through worse. So I suppose it wasn’t that bad.

“Food,” I said. “I’ve heard that there are a lot of really great places to eat, so definitely food. Do you have favorite places?”

He laughed. “Do I? Yes, I do. So we’ll eat. You want to see a show or something?”

“You mean outside of your show?”

To my surprise, his cheeks reddened slightly. “You want to see it?”

“Sure. You already know I’m a fan.”

“Well, OK.”

“Unless you’d rather I not,” I said. He didn’t seem overly enthused.

“No, I want you to. It’s just I don’t normally have people with me during these trips,” he said. “Don’t worry about it. I’m just being a weirdo.”

“I already knew that,” I teased. “Listen, if you’d rather I didn’t come with you, I’m fine with that.”

He looked at me then. “Really? You wouldn’t get all bent out of shape?”

I shook my head. “No. I understand needing to work, and I knew this was a work trip for you.”

“That’s really awesome of you to say,” Xavier said. “But it’s not like this is a super private event. Of course, you’re welcome.”

While he smiled when he said that, I got the impression it wasn’t entirely the truth. That bothered me, but…I mentally shrugged my shoulders. This wasn’t my issue to manage. I’d been honest with him all the way from the moment we’d met, and if he couldn’t be entirely honest, as long as he didn’t hurt me, I wasn’t going to carry his water.

I’d been doing that for long enough. I wouldn’t do it again, even for a guy like Xavier, who seemed fantastic.

Of course, that could be my hormones talking, too. I felt a level of desire for him that shocked me in its intensity. I’d been all but celibate with Royce for some time, what with one thing and another. Mostly with a thing named Suzan, I thought snidely. Well, he was her problem now. Careful what you wish for, I thought, the snark taking over again. She may think he’s a great guy, but he’s mad, and when he’s mad, that makes him mean, and he lashes out. I’d feel sorry for her, but as she obviously had no problem with sleeping with my husband, I figured she earned whatever grief she’d brought on herself through that choice.

Back to Xavier. He was so…hot. So incredibly, amazingly hot. I wanted to just put my entire upbringing aside, and tear his clothes from him, and have hot and very sweaty sex, but I couldn’t.

Put my upbringing and morals aside, I mean. Although I really, really wanted to.

I also needed to be careful because I was not far out of the shock of getting divorce papers. While I didn’t have a slew of relationships behind me, I knew that people often rebounded into something unsuitable in times like this.

Would that be so bad?

I considered that. Would it really? If I was careful, what was the worst thing that could happen? I mean, getting over my mother’s shocked intake of breath I could hear in my head, what was the worst thing that could happen?

I could have really hot sex. I could laugh a lot with a guy who thought I was hot, and who was fun.

Someone like me wasn’t the type who would ever end up with someone like Xavier, XTC, Mr. I’m-all-that rapper. It just didn’t happen.

Not outside of a Hallmark movie of the week, anyway.

So why not just enjoy myself? Let whatever happened, happen. Not sweat it, and enjoy that someone as fun as Xavier wanted to hang out and spend time together. Not every relationship had to be a forever thing.

With those thoughts, I felt as though a weight had lifted off me. It helped to dispel the feeling of awkwardness that settled over us after we’d nearly attacked one another before the coffee came in.

With that resolution in mind, I leaned over so I could look into Xavier’s eyes. “Hey,” I said. “We’ll do whatever. I don’t have an agenda. I wanted to come with you because this sounded like a lot of fun. You sound like a lot of fun. That’s it, Xavier. Nothing more. Let’s just have fun.” I raised my eyebrows in a question.

I watched his expression and something I couldn’t read crossed his face. Then he smiled, and the whatever I’d just seen fell away.

“That sounds like a plan, Ms. Livvie. Let me show you the places I like to go, and then you decide, OK?” He let go of my hand as he pulled out his phone.

Xavier

I couldn’t decide how I felt at her words. Happy? Disappointed? I didn’t know. But wasn’t I just the one who was sitting here pissing and moaning internally with what if questions? Her words should make me happy, relieved. It showed she didn’t expect anything from me.

So why didn’t I feel happy and relieved?

I wasn’t going to focus on it. I studied my phone as we talked about where to go. Did I want her to come to the benefit? It made sense that she thought she would –it’s why I invited her, after all.

I didn’t have to decide until the day after tomorrow. We had the entire day to do whatever tomorrow.

“Oh, let’s do that!” She took the phone from me to widen something she’d seen on Google. “Doesn’t this look like fun?”

I peered at the phone. “The Exploratorium? What is it?”

“It’s a science museum,” she looked up, her face alight.

I wasn’t a horrible student in school, but school wasn’t a fun time for me. Mostly because of non-school related things, but still. I didn’t have fond memories or anything.

“If you say so. But you’ll have to hold my hand, “ I said with a smile.

“Deal,” she said.

* * *

It turned out that Olivia—Livvie—was right. The Exploratorium had been a lot of fun. Everything yesterday was a lot of fun. We’d walked all over the piers, and stopped and eaten when we felt like it, being the basic tourists.

I’d contacted one of my PR people and gotten us tickets on the night tour to Alcatraz for tonight. The benefit was during the day, so we’d be free at night.

I loved how comfortable I felt with her, how she treated me like a normal person, not really making any references or allowances to the other side of my life. No fawning, but no studied indifference, either. I’d seen both in women I was interested in.

With every passing moment, I wanted her more and more. I could almost feel an ache in my bones—and not just the one in my groin—with how much I wanted her.

The trouble was, I couldn’t tell if she and I were on the same page with that. We hadn’t kissed again like we’d done on the plane. When we’d gotten back last night, she’d taken the other room. She’d kissed me before she walked through the connecting door, and it had been hot as hell. But she hadn’t hesitated when she walked away, or when she’d shut the door behind her.

Was that good or bad? I realized I had no idea. The women I normally dated were ready to be naked about twelve seconds into our dates, so they weren’t a good comparison.

I stretched, walking out into the dining area of the suite. I’d gotten up and ordered breakfast right away. I found that I was starving, in spite of all that I’d eaten yesterday when we walked miles together.

A light knock on the door sent me to the door quickly. Livvie wasn’t up yet, and I didn’t want to wake her. The attendant brought in the cart and headed for the table on the balcony. It was sunny out, with mist on the other side of the bay. A nice day for San Francisco, and it was too gorgeous to stay in.

I loved New York, but I always enjoyed being out here. There was something about this city that drew you in, and wrapped itself around you, without you even being aware of it.

After the room service guy left, I sat and leaned back in the chair, enjoying the peace of the moment. The coffee was hot—what was that coffee Livvie had asked about? Community coffee? I’d have to get some, see why she liked it so much.

Then I wondered why I was so interested.

My train of thought was halted when Livvie appeared, looking delectable in pajamas. They were striped, and crisp looking like cotton PJs look, and she was adorable. She rubbed her eyes, and then stretched her arms out.

“Were you really going to sit out here with this delicious-smelling coffee and not get me up?” She asked as she walked around to sit down across from me.

I poured her a cup by way of an apology. “I didn’t want to wake you. We walked a marathon yesterday.”

Livvie laughed. “It feels like it, doesn’t it?” She added cream to the coffee and took a sip, looking out at the view. “This is lovely, Xavier. Thank you for asking me to come with you.” She turned back to me, smiling over the rim of her cup.

The flush that raced through me was unfamiliar, but I liked it.

As I was about to speak, the phone rang with Tibby’s ring.

“I’m sorry, I have to take this,” I said.

She nodded, still drinking her coffee.

“Hey,” I said into the phone. “How was the honeymoon? You back at work already? I have problems, if so. If not, feel free to ignore me.”

“Bryant told me you were firing Preston,” Tibby said. She had her business voice on.

“Already did it.”

“Where are you?”

“In San Francisco?”

“Why?”

There was a time when Tibby knew my schedule as well as I did, and I felt a pang for what we used to have, when it was just the two of us.

But that wasn’t fair of me. She and I would never be a couple, and she deserved a great guy like Seth. Plus, I got Seth and Bryant as a family because they were her family. So I really had no room to bitch. There was something to be said for not feeling it was you against the whole world.

Tibby had helped me, and herself, to feel otherwise.

“Y benefit.”

“Make sure you get all the records—”

“—to the accountant,” I finished for her. “Yeah, yeah, I always do, Mom. How was the honeymoon?”

“It was amazing. I can only hope that you can finally find some woman to put up with you and your shit so that you can have this kind of happiness. You’re a pain in my ass, but you deserve it.”

“Tib, you are getting soft.”

“I am, but since it benefits you, shut up. Why’d you fire Preston?”

“He wouldn’t stop nagging. It was worse than my mom, Tib.“

“That bad?”

She knew I didn’t bring up my mom often. She also knew my mom, so she knew what the comparison meant.

“Yes. And he was convinced that I was ruined with going out the other night, and just harped on the whole gay club aspect to the point that I wanted to punch him.”

“Oh?” Tibby’s voice changed. “You think he was carrying his own baggage there?”

“For sure. I won’t put up with that shit.”

“Well, good decision on your part, but it means that you don’t have anyone on site for you. “

“You could—”

“No. That’s a big ol’ nope from me, X. You know that. You need someone who can devote a lot of time to you and all the things that come along with managing your life. It’s not me. Nice statement, by the way. I think you might have made Bryant cry.”

When Tibby had first started, she’d had more time, and she was so annoyed with my casual attitude that she told me she didn’t want to see me robbed blind so she’d look over my stuff.

She was still my main attorney, but I had entertainment lawyers who managed my contracts. They’d been picked by her.

“Well, damn,” I said. I wasn’t sure what to say to that.

“Don’t say anything. He’ll be pissed I’m tattling. It was a good thing. So, X?”

“Yeah?”

“Anything out of the ordinary happen while I was away?”

Tib had that tone in her voice she’d had at her wedding when she told me to go with anything that popped up. I sat up straighter.

“You gonna tell me what this is about?”

“I’ll tell you when I see you again,” she said.

I laughed. “That’s just a bribe, and you know it!”

“Maybe, but it’s nothing I want to talk about now.”

“Well, I’m here in San Fran with a lovely lady I met on a plane.”

“That is not out of the ordinary. You meet women everywhere.”

“Then I guess I have nothing to report, oh taskmaster,” I laughed again.

“You’re so stupid sometimes,” I could hear the huff of breath and knew she was rolling her eyes. “Please be careful, OK?”

“You saying that as my lawyer or my friend?”

“Both. Let me know when you get back.”

She hung up.

Laughing a little, I hung up the phone.

“I’m surprised you told her about me, even indirectly,” Olivia said.

“I tell Tib everything. But no worries, because she was too busy giving me hell over everything else she’s missed by being away,” I laughed again. “She’s so funny. Sometimes I feel like she can’t figure out what to give me grief over first.”

“Do you really take that much management?”

“I’m pretty good with my own business stuff, but Tib is a lawyer, so she sees everything in terms of minimizing risk, and she is aware that being famous and having money brings a lot of risks.” I shrugged my shoulders. “I know it too, and I think she wants me to be more aware of it. I can’t help who I am, or that I’ve been successful, so I live with it. She’s too suspicious for me.”

“She sounds fearsome,” Olivia said.

“No, just a best friend and good at what she does.”

“Does she work with other entertainers? I know a lot of entertainment attorneys, and I don’t know any named Tibby.”

“Her full name is Tabitha, and she actually specializes in shipping law, so no, she doesn’t have anyone else like me on her plate. It’s a good thing too. She doesn’t have the patience for a lot of people like me.”

“You’re lucky to have her,” Olivia said.

“Don’t I know it.” I looked up. I’d felt something hit my head, but there wasn’t anything above us, outside of the roof of the balcony. No birds, nothing floating in the air. I brushed at my head.

“It feels like she’s been with me forever. I thought about having her do some web and IT work for me, but she looked at me like I’d grown another head,” I added. I always wanted to ask her website questions for the longest time, and I had no idea as to why. She’d been an attorney from the moment she was accepted to law school. But the idea persisted, like a lost memory, or a dream.

“I imagine you’ve got a good team in place,” Olivia said.

“Thanks to Tib, again,” I said. “So you coming with me to this benefit thing?”

“You want me to?” Again with the gaze over the coffee cup. It was intoxicating.

“I do. I’d like to be discreet, though.” I hoped I wouldn’t offend her.

She laughed out loud. “Then perhaps you need to keep your hands to yourself, Mr. XTC!”

I stared. Was she complaining? Then I saw her expression. “Well, it’s hard when I am with such a fine woman like you, Ms. Livvie, but I suppose I can try.”

“I’m not the one who‘ll have fans crying,” she was laughing harder. “Sitting in mourning, even,” her laugh increased, and she set down her coffee cup.

“Are you making fun of me?” I mock-growled.

“No, no,” she waved a hand at me, still laughing. “I wouldn’t dare.”

“Good thing,” I said. “I am a big deal, I’ll have you know.”

“Oh, I know! I am well aware of my good fortune!” She laughed, even more, when I threw a strawberry at her. She caught it and popped it into her mouth.

The sight of her lips as she ate the strawberry drove all other thoughts from my head. I stood up and pulled her from the chair, snuggling her close to me so I could lean down and kiss her.

She tasted of the bitter and sweet taste of fresh strawberries, and it drove me wild. I swept her into my arms and walked through the balcony door sideways, holding her close to my chest. Her arms came up around my neck, and she pulled me close to kiss me.

With her clutched to me, I could feel her heartbeat, and it was as fast as mine, thundering like a drum. I devoured her mouth, wanting to get lost in the sensation of sweet fruit and sunshine.

Whatever I’d been planning to do this morning, or not do, or whatever reservations I had—they were gone. I headed to my bedroom. I didn’t expect this, but since she was here, in my arms, and kissing me as enthusiastically as I kissed her, I wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

No way.

As I walked into the bedroom, I laid her on the bed carefully. She sat up, keeping one arm around my neck, and kissed me as though her life depended on it.

Shit. Shit shit shit.

“Hang on, babe,” I said. I went to the bathroom and dug through my bag. Thank God I’d brought them with me. I’d hesitated when I’d packed. They were a staple in my toiletry bag, but I’d been unsure about Olivia.

I came back and placed the small silver packet on the nightstand as I slid myself onto the bed and into her waiting arms.

“Missed you,” she murmured into my lips, and then she didn’t say anything else because I kissed her as though my life depended on it.

I ran my hands down her body, and she felt so warm, so good. Her hip curved sweetly into my hand, and I reached around and felt her ass. That felt even better. I’d watched her as she walked away once we’d gotten to the airport the first time we’d met, and the slight sway of her ass hypnotized me. To feel it in my hand, with only the striped PJs between us made me even harder.

She put a hand on my chest and pushed me away gently.

I was slightly dazed, and just about to ask her what the hell, when she pulled her top over her head and tossed it to the floor.

She was wearing nothing underneath, and her breasts rose and fell as she pulled me back to her with a greater ferocity than she’d done before. I reached up and cupped them, and as I felt her nipples, she moaned into my mouth.

I had to take a moment because that sound with the feel of her nipples hardening in my hand nearly made me come.

How had this quiet woman sent me to the edge like this? I’d never felt this before in my life.

I slid my hands down to the waist of her PJ bottoms, but she stopped me.

“No,” she whispered, looking at me like she could see into my soul. “I want to see you,” as she pulled my shirt up.

I leaned back and took it off, letting it fall wherever. I let my head fall back as she sat up and kissed my chest, little small nipping kisses, taking the time to run her tongue over my nipples, scraping with her teeth.

I nearly saw stars.

“Oh my God, Ms. Livvie,” I muttered. I pushed her back so I could offer the same attention to her.

She let her head fall back, and as I glanced up at her, I could see the expression on her face. The idea that I was the one who put it there inflamed me and spurred me on.

Her eyes still closed, her hands drifted to my pants and tugged on them. I didn’t need another hint. I moved away from her, which made her open her eyes.

So she watched as I undid my pants and let them fall from me. Like her, I wore nothing underneath.

“Oh, my,” she breathed. “You’re good enough to eat,” she finished.

“If you insist,” I crawled back onto the bed, stopping before I fell on top of her and devoured her. “But I think you are still wearing too many clothes, miss.”

Without taking her eyes off me, she slid her PJ bottoms down, and my breath caught.

Olivia’s skin, flush with what we were doing, practically glowed. I’d never seen a more beautiful woman in my life.

And she was mine.

Where had that come from?

Shut up, I told myself. Not the time.

I crawled up her body and settled myself on top of her. She fit, she felt right. I could feel my tenuous control beginning to slip.

“Hate to admit it, but you’re driving me wild, woman. I don’t know how much teasing I can take,” I said. It was true. She strained all my normal levels of control.

Olivia moved underneath me, causing my cock to get even harder as it moved along her body. Not sure how that was possible, but that’s what it felt like. I could feel a lightness in my head.

“Well, you’re not alone. Why don’t you put that thing on,” her hand waved in the direction of the nightstand, “And we’ll stop teasing each other?”

Never had any words been sexier or more enticing. I reached over and leaned on an elbow to rip open the packet. I put it on the head of my cock, and her warm hand covered mine as she rolled it down.

Her hand on me made me tremble. I slid a hand between us and felt her. She was as excited about things as I was, which made me feel amazing.

“I don’t know if I can—” I said in a rush. I wanted this to be good for her, and she was making me so crazy that—

“I don’t want you to,” she answered me, kissing me and stopping any further words.

None were needed. We both knew what we wanted. What I’d wanted since I’d met Olivia on the plane, her strength and her weakness on full display.

I moved my hand, and she put her arms around my neck, bringing me closer to her.

Carefully, sweating, I eased into her. Her legs opened further, and her hands went down my back to my ass, bringing me into her even more.

“Ohhhh…” she moaned, breaking off our kiss.

“More of that, all you want,” I ground out, starting to move.

What I wanted was to pound into her until she screamed my name, until we both came a hundred times over, and collapsed, unable to move.

I wasn’t sure I’d make it that long, but I concentrated on trying.

As I moved, she gripped my ass harder, her nails digging into me a little. I liked it, liked it even more as she wrapped her legs around my waist.

My hands went back to her breasts, and I played with her nipples as I kissed her. I wanted her to feel that everything I could touch was getting everything I could give. I wanted her to feel fulfilled.

Complete.

Just as I did.

Olivia

I was going to die. Xavier moved carefully, almost slowly, allowing me to feel every inch of him, every bit, as he went in and out of me. It was the most amazing, delicious thing I’d ever felt. Never, ever with anyone else had sex felt like this.

Certainly not the first time, either.

His hands palmed my breasts, taking the time to pinch and twist to the point where even the slightest breath sent me nearly into convulsions, and his mouth moved in harmony with his hands and his lower bits.

Lower bits…I would have laughed at myself if I weren’t dying of pleasure.

His dick. His cock. I could see why his exes all got bitter. Who would want to give this up?

He increased the tempo, and I clutched him harder to me.

Jesus, could it get better?

It could.

It did.

Slowly, the bastard, he went faster, but at his pace, ignoring the fact that I was dying over here.

Finally, he placed his hands on either side of me, and lifted himself up, looking into my eyes. Then he moved, and this time, he went faster and faster, not bothering to take his time. His thrusts were hard, and each one seemed to drive me further into the bedding.

I wanted it. I never wanted him to stop.

I wanted to look away, to close my eyes, to close out the naked feeling I could see in him, but I was locked into his gaze. I knew that my own joy at this shone out of my eyes, and I didn’t care.

I wanted him to see it. To give him back what he was giving me.

My hands let go of his ass, which was kind of a shame, because it was marvelous, and reached up to his arms, straining under his efforts. I held his wrists, letting my fingers curl around each one. I could feel the muscles and every hair on them.

He stopped for a moment and deliberately lifted up one hand and then the other, taking my hands under his. Leaned down, and kissed me. The slight motion drove me crazy, and I moved, wanting to be closer to him.

Without warning, he started to move again, even faster than before. I felt like I was on the back of a wild stallion, hanging on for dear life.

I was on a stallion, all right. I didn’t even have the breath to giggle.

His thrusts were even more intense, and I could see a sheen of sweat on his forehead. My palms were sweaty as we held hands and he took us to the edge.

As we fell over it together, he never took his eyes from mine.

“Olivia…” he whispered.

I couldn’t speak. He lowered himself onto me, and I wrapped my arms around his back, keeping my legs twined around him.

I didn’t want to let him go.