by Lisa Shelby
"Ronan, what in the world are you doing?" I yell over the song I know well.
Shaking his hips, he saunters up to me, and even in my awful mood I can't deny it; the man can dance. He takes my hand and spins me in a circle in front of him before he pulls me into his chest and keeps those hips of his grinding to the beat of the music.
"Are you listening to Rita?" he yells over the music.
"What?"
"Listen to the words, baby. I know you know the words because I get the pleasure of listening to you sing along to it when you get ready in the morning. Just listen to the words, gorgeous."
"Ronan..."
With not an inch of space between our bodies, he doesn’t have to shout over the music for me to hear him when he continues to lift my mood. "No more sad songs, Olivia. There's only love songs for us. I found my heart the day I met you. I know we're going through a lot right now, but we've found each other again."
Without giving me a chance to reply, he spins me away from him and then brings me back and dips me deeply. He smiles down at me and all is right in the world. I may be locked in this beautiful penthouse that has me feeling like a caged animal, but I've got him. And just like Rita says, I'm in love and I don't want to sing mad or sad songs anymore. I found him, and he's here dancing with me and doing everything in his power to make me happy. He lifts me from our dip and kisses me sweetly.
"You may be mushy and sugary sweet, but I love you so much, Ronan."
"Never too sweet for you, though."
"Never."
His hips start finding their groove again, and my love for the song takes over, and I can’t help but to move along with him. I start dancing and jumping up and down, pointing at him and shaking my hair all around me while I lip sync the lyrics to him. I hear the words, and I feel the chorus deep down in my soul.
The song plays on repeat until we're both out of breath, and the magic that always surrounds us has moved to the forefront of everything and is no longer lingering underneath the surface. Eventually, he puts on a song that is slow, a song that we've made love to many times. He turns off the flashing lights and pulls me into the spot on the floor where the moonlight spills into the room. We silently, gently, and contently sway in each other’s arms.
The song ends and then starts again, and he brings us to the glass doors that lead out to our private balcony. "See, it doesn't matter where we are. It's always with us, baby. Our moon will always be there to light our way."
Whispering, I kiss him. "So, mushy."
"You love it."
"I do."
8
"Thank you for listening, Alex. I've missed you so much."
"I've missed you too, but next time, don't go so long without returning my calls. I know you've been through a lot, but you don't have to go through any of it alone. I know that's the way you like to roll but I'm here anytime day or night. Olivia, to know you were alone for weeks after Ronan left, breaks my heart for you. San Francisco isn't that far away, you know. I could have hopped on a plane and been to you in a couple hours."
"I know you're always here for me, Alex, and I promise, I'll get better at looping you in. But I wouldn't want you to leave your family to rush to my side."
"You're my family too, Olivia. Now that you are using your super top-secret burner phone and I can't call you, you better be sure to call me at least once a week and update me on things. I would say call me every day, but I know you'll never do it, so I'll shoot for once a week. Deal?"
"It's a deal. Thanks again and give Mick my love."
"I will and you tell Ronan he still needs to have a little sit down with me before things go too much further. You know you need my seal of approval, right?"
She makes me laugh, a much-needed laugh. "I know, I know. Hopefully, this madness will be over soon, and we can come visit you. I would love to show him around Portland."
"That would be great. You two are welcome any time."
"Thanks, Alex. I'll call you next week."
"Okay, bye bye, sweetie."
My hour-long chat with Alex was what I needed. She's known me longer than anyone, and she knows my story inside and out. Yes, I have now shared my story with Callie, but she knows the Readers Digest version, and I've only known her a matter of a few weeks. Alex has been through group therapy with me. She taught me the ins and outs of event planning and was there for every progression, or lack thereof during my relationship with Bryce. She was there the night I met Ronan and when I got my first invite to interview for a job with EVC. She has been there every step of the way, and I am more than fortunate to have her in my life.
My phone call was a nice distraction, but the gnawing in the pit of my stomach never really went away. There is no way to forget that at this very moment, London is probably touching him. That his parents are hoping this rekindling of their relationship is real and that they will indeed marry one day. Because I am not good enough for him. The distraction was great but now that I'm off the phone, it all comes back.
I can feel the fog of depression start to fill my atmosphere, and the only thoughts in my head are negative. It's not that I don't trust him, because I do, but the thought of him with another woman still hurts.
I know better but I can't help but open up my laptop and power it on. The event started three hours ago, and I am sure there are already pictures posted. Sure enough, there they are. It took me all of two seconds to find them.
Ronan in his tuxedo and London in her skin-tight, red Ralph Lauren dress. Her body is pressed to his, and his arm is around her waist with his hand resting casually on her hip. I can feel the tears of anger begin to form, and my fury that had been kept at bay since I found Ronan is back and intensifying, but London St. James does not deserve my tears. She is a hateful, vengeful bitch, and I will not give her the satisfaction.
When I click to the next picture, I slam the laptop closed.
"Skank!" I yell to no one, but it does make me feel just a bit better.
To see her whispering in his ear, with a seductive smile in place and his head tipped back laughing at her was too much. I am not sure I will ever be able to burn it from my memory. What hurts the most is his laugh seems genuine. He doesn't look like he's acting. Not one little bit.
I hear the buzz of his key card in the door, and I do my best to gather myself and find my inner chi before he sees me. I grab a glass of water from the kitchen, and this is where he finds me when he enters.
"Hey, baby. I'm glad you're still awake. How was your night?"
"Good. How was yours?" I sound cold and I know it, but I can't help it. It hurts. I can’t even bring myself to turn and look at him.
"Miserable, as was to be expected." He comes up behind me and wraps his arms around my middle like I usually love. Being in his arms seems to always fix any problem of any shape or size, but right now I can smell her on him, and I can't bear to face him. "Things are looking up now that I'm here with you."
"Hmmm..." I still can't turn around.
"Hmmm...what is that supposed to mean, gorgeous?"
"You didn't look too miserable to me."
Shit, Olivia. What are you doing? You knew what was going to happen and you told him to go. He's going to think you're one of those crazy, jealous women. Idiot.
"Olivia..."
I push myself out of his embrace and walk away from him. I know that I shouldn't be doing or saying everything I'm about to do and say, but I have no control over my actions, no matter how immature they may seem. I grab my laptop and open it up to the picture of the two of them laughing together and set it on the counter in front of him.
He shuts the lid forcefully and pushes the computer away. "Olivia, you knew I was going to have to put on a show and besides, it's not how it looks."
Swinging around to face him, I gasp and my anger is not only fueled but it explodes when I come face to face with the lipstick on his neck. "Oh really? Well, you must be a pretty good actor because I've only seen you laugh like that a few
times!” I’m yelling, but I can’t help it. It’s all too much. “You sure seemed entertained by whatever she was whispering in your ear! Was that sexy little moment before or after she left her mark on your neck?"
He slaps his hand to his neck and wipes and sees nothing on his hand.
"Other side."
He lifts his other hand and smears the perfect red kiss from his skin and a look of guilt crosses his features. He looks and sounds deflated. "Olivia, you knew what was going to happen. You've seen the other pictures. We talked about it."
"I sure did see the other pictures, but that was after you left me for her and it hurt then too. Now, that we're together it's more than I can bare. I'm not sure I'm strong enough to deal with this, Ronan."
I wrap my arms around my center, and I can't bring myself to look at him. I stare at the computer on the counter and wonder where we go from here.
"Olivia, nothing happened between the two of us. She may have kissed me on the neck or the cheek but I didn't kiss her. Not once. That picture of me laughing was taken when she alluded to the fact that we should just get back together and be a couple for real. This was the funniest thing I had ever heard and that laugh was my resounding hell no to her."
He comes around the counter and tries to pull me into his arms, but I'm not ready. "Ronan, stop."
He takes a step back, crossing his arms in front of him. "But, you were the one who told me to go. It was your decision."
"Some choice I had!" I practically spit at him. My rage keeps growing, and I can't seem to bury it down inside.
"I don't understand, Olivia. I didn't do anything you didn't agree to me doing in the first place. Do you think I had fun with her and my wretched family tonight? You aren't the only person sick to their stomach by all of this, you know that right? I am the one being blackmailed. I am the one having to put on the show. You aren't the only one that gets to be affected by this, Olivia."
He's right. I am only thinking of myself. Now I’m the one who feels wretched.
I close the distance between us and wrap my arms around his waist and rest my cheek against his chest. "I'm sorry. I didn't think it would be this hard."
"I know, baby. We'll get this figured out," he says, stroking the back of my hair.
I believe he means what he says. And I know he isn't having a great time with all of this either, but he isn't the one who has to see me with someone else. Not just some random person either. How would he handle seeing me with People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive? I'm not coming home to him with the smell of another man's cologne on me after he had to stay trapped in a hotel room for the fifth day in a row. He gets to come and go freely. I get he isn't being stalked by a murdering drug dealer, but it's still starting to wear on me.
Smelling London's perfume on his tuxedo had my stomach twisting into knots, but seeing her lipstick on his neck...his bare skin...sent me spinning with pain and jealousy. I may be nuzzling into his cheek and accepting his affection, but now I'm the actor. I'm not over it, and I'm not sure I will be able to let this happen again.
9
Ronan
"Mr. McKinley, your father is on his way back."
"Thank you for the warning, Leslie."
Two seconds later, my door bursts open and a very smug version of my father walks through the door. We haven't exchanged pleasantries since I came back to the office—our fake interactions last night didn't count. I know he's here to inflict the kind of bullshit that only he can, so I sit back in my chair and wait for him to spew whatever it is he came here for, and he wastes no time getting to the point.
"So, son, how is the St. Francis treating your gold-digging assistant?"
Fuck!
"I'm not your son, and you need watch your mouth."
"Well, aren't you an ungrateful bastard? I provided you a pretty good life considering you were the offspring of your slut of a mother."
My chair falls to the floor when I fly up to my feet and round my desk.
"Watch. Your. Mouth. Old. Man."
I'm grinding my teeth and seething with the urge to knock him out cold, but technically, he is my boss and I am at work with an entire floor of employees outside my door.
"You don't get to tell me what to do, especially when you are the one consorting with that white-trash assistant of yours, and not caring in the least that you will bring shame to our family name if the truth of where she comes from were to get out. London is right, you need to give up your little trollop and do what you were meant to do all along. Marry London."
"You're the trash. Olivia Adams is twice the person you are, you know that?"
He scoffs and stands his ground but doesn't speak again.
"Olivia doesn't have to blackmail someone for their affection. You and London are sick and deserve each other. In fact, if she's so great, maybe you should give Mom a break and divorce her so she can have her freedom back and you can marry London yourself. I mean, that is if you don't mind my sloppy seconds."
The slap that strikes my face barely registers. I tower over him, and I could take him out with one punch and he knows it. He also knows the kind of man I am and that I wouldn't put my hands on him here at the office.
"You're the one that needs to watch his mouth. Don't forget who you work for."
"Fuck. You."
"Boy, watch yourself."
Walking away from him and not breaking his neck is one of the hardest things I've ever done. I round my desk and right my chair. I take a seat and grab a piece of my monogrammed stationary and scratch out what is needed and sign it. I walk back over to the man I used to call father and hand him my resignation.
"I'll get Gloria up to speed and have my things out by the end of the day."
His face is a shade of red I have never seen before. He is red yet blotchy, and there is white spit forming in the corners of his mouth. I've just ruined his legacy and wasted all those years of grooming.
"You're making a big mistake, Ronan."
"That's where you're wrong. Every time I tried to please you and this family was my mistake. Those days are over, and you won't have to deal with me and my poor decision-making any longer. Olivia Adams will be my wife one day soon, and there isn't a damn thing you can do about it. I. Choose. Her."
"Letting some young, tight pussy brainwash you like this is surprising even for you."
"Get. The. Fuck. Out. Of. My. Office."
"Or what?"
"Or you won't be able to walk out of it. They'll have to take your old miserable ass out of here on a stretcher."
As if he isn't scared of me in the least, he puts his hands in his pockets and casually walks toward the door.
"I do have to say I like this side of you, Ronan. You've finally grown a pair. It's just too bad it's for all the wrong reasons and in the end, you're still going to let the daughter of a drug-addicted whore ruin your life."
He wants to provoke you. Don't let him win.
His hand is finally on the doorknob, but of course before walking out the door, he just has to have one last word.
"Don't forget the penthouse the two of you are staying in is paid for by my company, so be sure you're out tonight since you're no longer a vice president here at EVC. Have a nice life, Ronan."
Finally.
This is all I can think. I am finally rid of him. Finally, rid of this job. Finally, rid of London. It's time to really start my life with Olivia, but first things first. I have to protect her. It's already ten o'clock, and there is a lot to do before the day is over. I message Gloria to let her know I need to meet with her in thirty minutes. I'll need to talk to Evelyn as well, but more importantly I need to talk to Baxter.
I can feel the adrenaline soaring through my veins while I impatiently wait for Baxter to pick up his side of the line.
"Baxter, here."
"Baxter, my Dad and London know we’re at the St. Francis. It's time to go home."
"Yes, sir."
"Oh, and Baxter."
"Yes, sir."
"Today is my last day here at EVC. I hope you'll still want to stay on with me even if EVC is no longer supplying a company vehicle and your pay. I will match their pay, and we'll use my vehicles starting tonight. Are you in?"
"I work for you, Ronan. I don't care where the car or paycheck comes from, but know that I am in no way beholden to EVC or your father."
"Oh, yeah, that. We have a lot to talk about, Baxter. I'll fill you in later, but if you could please be sure the house is safe for Olivia and ready for us to move back in. I've got to wrap up some things here, and then I need to go home and break it to Olivia that the hotel is no longer an option and that we have to go home. I know she hates the hotel, but it has been the safest place for her. By the way, any new news on Dickey Brown?"
"Unfortunately, yes. I'll fill you in when I pick you up later today, but Ronan...he's here."
"Here?"
"Yes, Brown is in San Francisco."
"Fuck!"
"We've got this. Don't worry. Text me thirty minutes before you're ready to go, and I'll be waiting when you're ready. And Ronan...I promise we'll keep her safe."
"I know...I know. Thanks for everything, Baxter. I'll text you later, and we'll get all this shit figured out."
It's still the morning and I'm exhausted. I need to hear her voice. I call her burner phone, and it rings and rings. There's no voicemail set up, so I hang up and dial again. It's not like her not to answer. She knows only Baxter and I have the number to her phone. She must be in the shower. I'm sure I'm being irrational, but my gut tells me it's something else. I'll try a text and if she is in the shower, she'll see the message when she gets out. Because I'm sure that's all it is, because she's fine. I know she is.
Ronan: I need to hear your voice. Call me.