Third Time’s A Charmer
Prologue
The lake place always made Olivia calm. It was home even though she was rarely ever there. After the accident, she did anything she could to run away, leaving everything and everyone she knew behind.
For the last few years she worked with up-and-coming musical talent to build their brand and image. She had seen tremendous success with a few of the bands. Once they rose to the popularity they were seeking, she moved on to her next client. It was a great way to run from the pain of the past. She enjoyed what she did. She had always been in the music business but never “on the road”. This was a new way of life for her, and so far it was just what she needed. She met some fantastic people and became quite close with many of them. But once again she found herself running. She was back at the lake wondering where her next client was going to come from when her phone buzzed in her hand.
Chapter 1
Olivia was just lounging in bed getting some work done when someone was rapping on the door. It was late and she wasn’t in the mood for company. She had gotten used to being alone at night so the thought crossed her mind to just ignore the knocking. But it could be important. She opened the door to find Harris standing there. “Hey, I saw your light on, thought I'd check on you. You ok?” Olivia opened the door for him to come in.
“I'm trying to get some work done. What are you doing up roaming the grounds? It’s kinda creepy. How often do you do this?” She said with a wink.
He laughed. When he was with Olivia he felt at ease. His life had been so chaotic and was spinning out of control before she arrived. Thank God his manager found her and hired her to get him to straighten up. Who knows what would have happened next had she not agreed to take him on as her next client. “Mind if I come in? I can't sleep and just need some company.”
Olivia rolled her eyes before turning to head back to the bedroom.
“Want to finish the movie with me?” she asked.
Harris and her had become very comfortable with each other over the past few weeks. He was a mess when she arrived. But after getting him back on the straight and narrow he’d done remarkable. The record company didn’t want the publicity of sending Harris to rehab. They contacted Olivia instead. This was a bit out of her realm. She was seasoned at building careers and images, not putting someone’s back together. The story was that she was brought on as the interior designer in charge of Harris' new Malibu estate. No one questioned since Olivia had seen some success in the past doing just that. She had been staying in the guest house since she arrived. She implemented some strict rules right away and was surprised by Harris' willingness to move forward in his life and get it back on track. They started each day together with a run. After which they had breakfast and went over the schedule for the day. With the band on hiatus, the schedule wasn’t as crazy as Harris was used to, which led to a lot of downtime. He wasn’t good with downtime. That’s what led to his self-destructive behavior just months ago. Olivia was making sure he was staying busy enough to stay out of trouble but also being selective with how he spent his time. And working on the house turned out to be a big part of it.
“Sure, what are you watching?” Harris asked as he sauntered in the room, grabbing an apple off the counter on his way.
“Just some rom com…I wasn’t really paying attention, but we could watch it to pass some time if you want”.
He flopped down on the bed and Olivia crawled back to where her laptop was sitting. They sat watching for a while. Neither spoke but it was okay. There was a comfortable silence between them. Olivia genuinely liked Harris. She felt he was an outstanding guy. He was kind, gentle, loyal and honest. He reminded her of Miles. But when she let her mind wander there she quickly snapped herself out of it. The pain was still too much to face. Harris had spent a few evenings watching movies on the couch all cozied up with her. She had picked the large white velvet stunner for the main house and he liked it so much he had another one delivered for the guest house. Their friendship was growing and so was their fondness for each other. Anything beyond that never crossed her mind.
Olivia woke up with Harris' arm and leg draped over her. Her eyes went wide as she thought to herself, “Oh Liv, this is not good.” Play it cool she thought and was able to slide out from underneath him without waking him and made her way to the kitchen. Her mind was racing and so was her heart. What the hell was happening? Why was she affected like this all of a sudden by him? She took a deep breath and tried to convince herself it was nothing. She shook it off and started making some coffee. Moments later she heard the door open. Instinctively, she turned and saw him walk out of the bedroom. Hair tousled, shorts hanging low on his hips and the best “fuck me” look on his face.
“Morning.” he said with a growl.
Sweet Jesus. Did he not know that he oozed sex? And how had she not noticed it before? He looked at her sheepishly and said, “I’m so sorry, Olivia. I must have fallen asleep. Please forgive me.”
She tried her best to be nonchalant and brush it all off. “Not a big deal. Do you want some coffee?” She asked sounding calm, when on the inside she was trying to regain some self-freaking-control. Good lord what it must be like to hear that raspy voice while rolling around naked in bed with that creature. Get a grip Livy, she yelled to herself.
He stayed for two cups and they spoke of the things they had coming up in the next few days. On his way out the door he turned, “Hey Liv? Are you free the rest of the day?”
She didn't know how to reply. Did she want to run away as usual? Of course, but she surprised herself when she heard, “Yes why?” come out of her mouth.
“Get ready, we’ll leave in an hour.” And he was out the door.
Livy leaned against the island in the kitchen, eyes wide, wondering what the fuck just happened. One minute they were two friends watching a movie, the next thing she knew, his bare chest was pressed against her back in a way that made her feel things she hadn't in a while. It was all innocent she kept telling herself. She got ready for the day, not knowing what to expect from this turn of events.
Chapter 2
The day flew. They spent it running around to art galleries and furniture shops, learning that they truly had a lot in common. It was fun and easy. As it moved into evening, Harris realized he again didn’t want to be alone and that he really enjoyed being with Olivia. This was new. He usually tired of a woman’s company rather quickly. But she was different. There was something about her. She was guarded and there was a sadness at times in her eyes. He noticed it when he watched her. She liked her alone time and he respected it but silently he questioned why. What happened to her?
“Want to grab a quick bite before we head back? I know a great place.” Harris asked as they left the last shop. Livy enjoyed spending the day with him but was quick to answer with some story about having to get back and make some calls. She needed to breathe.
Chapter 3
Olivia
I couldn’t believe how fast the day went with Harris. He was great company and I was surprised at his taste in art. It was great to have that insight knowing that the main living area was my next focus. I decided to call the last gallery we were at and have them deliver one piece he was eyeing. I knew he’d be out for the evening with his friends so I decided to surprise him and get a part of the room done. I decided to handle the painting of a part of the wall myself. It wouldn’t be too hard. I just needed to find a ladder tall enough. It was a large expanse overlooking the ocean. It had one small section of wall that ran ceiling to floor in the middle of full length windows. The rest of the room was all white with deep, tobacco colored, wood floors and ceilings. I wanted the art piece to pop. I decided I needed to paint the small part of t
he wall black. It would be stunning and I was fairly certain I could get it done before he returned home. I missed the DIY part of my designs. When I first started out, I did everything. It was fun and I enjoyed the work. I had Miles then to help me. We did everything together. I never thought I'd be left to go through life without him. But life wasn’t fair and I'd had my share of loss. You get better at burying the hurt and moving on.
I hadn’t wanted to waste any time. I started painting right away. I didn’t bother running to the guest house to change. I climbed the ladder and got to it. I was one of those girls that could do everything in heels. In fact, I was better in heels than in anything flat. And the only flat shoes I owned were my running shoes.
I decided to open a bottle of wine and admire my work so far. What’s the harm, I thought, I had hours yet before Harris would wrap up his night. I needed music. I found Harris' little Bluetooth speaker and hooked my phone to it. I had a playlist for every moment in life. Certain moments called for certain music and I was feeling melancholy. I chose a band I had brought up from the beginning. I noticed lately they were achieving great success. It made me happy even though I had left them before they had truly made it. I had spent a year in Spain with them and grew quite close…too close. In the middle of a show one day, I left. It was the right thing to do for everyone involved. I was glad no one ever contacted me or searched me out afterwards. I had done my job. They were selling out arenas all over the world now. I hoped they were enjoying their success. They deserved it. They were a bunch of humble Spanish boys with amazing roots and tons of talent. And there was Andres. He was beautiful. I loved his voice, his heart, him.
I chose a song that meant, “you forgot to love me”. I know he wrote it for me. It’s a beautiful song and I'll forever regret never seeing him sing it.
I had the music on loudly and was 9 feet up the ladder with a wine glass in one hand and a paint roller in the other. I was putting on the last coat of paint. I didn’t hear the door open. I didn’t hear Harris come in. I had no idea he was standing behind me, stunned, speechless, and a little tipsy.
Chapter 4
Harris
The lads had dropped me off after a night of drinking at our favorite little pub. A place we could go that wouldn’t cause a scene with fans. A place we could be ourselves. That was why Nic bought it.
It was great to see the boys. We haven’t spent much time together lately. This break had us going in different directions for much of the past year. Before Olivia was hired to straighten my ass out, I didn’t want to hang with them. I didn’t want them to see what I was doing to myself. How the idle time was messing with me. Now that Olivia has brought some normalcy back into my life, I wanted to see the gang again and do some catching up. The lads wouldn’t stop asking about her. It was all over the tabloids about her designing my new manse. The news had died down some. Before, there were pictures of us on our runs, doing errands, on our buying trips for the houses, whatever. I guess the paparazzi finally realized there was nothing romantic going on and moved on. I spent the night getting drilled about my relationship with the new beautiful woman living in my guest house. Afterwards, I started to see Livy in a different light. We had grown close quickly. She was easy to talk to. She knew the music industry so we had a lot in common. She was always upbeat and she was wise. It was like she’d known me for a lifetime even though it had only been a few short weeks. In that time, I hadn’t learned much about her. She’s a very private person. What I did know, I liked. I was beginning to notice I liked her more and more each day. I saw her differently after we woke up together. I’m not sure how I fell asleep on one side of the bed, and ended up having her wrapped in my arms by morning. I pretended to be asleep when she slid out of bed this morning. I never truly meant that to happen, but I won’t lie and say I didn’t like it. I hadn’t been sleeping well. Last night I fell asleep lying there with her as we watched a film. We’d been doing that more lately, we’d hang out in the evening and watch movies or tv. I think for both of us it was about not being alone. It was comfortable. It was innocent. Until I was stirred by something this morning when she left the bed we shared. I felt panicked at first, as did she. She wouldn’t have snuck out otherwise. But, then I missed her. I noticed how the pillow smelled like her and how it was still warm from where she laid with me. Dammit, Harris. You’re such an arse. What the fuck was I doing?
We ended up having a great day. We got past the awkwardness from the morning and went on like nothing happened. And nothing did happen so why does it all seem to be on my mind?
I opened the door and heard music pouring in from the main room. As I rounded the corner I saw her. She was up a ladder in high heels and her skirt from today. She had taken off her blouse and only wore a silk tank now. She was drinking wine and…painting!! What the hell was she doing up there?? I didn’t let on right away I was there. I just stood there mesmerized by this woman. She was beautiful. I had noticed little things about her over the past weeks, but I never had the chance to sit and stare at her like I was doing right now. Like a creeper in my own house. She was stunning with her blonde hair up in a bun, her beautiful skin aglow from the recessed lights shining down on her and those legs. Wow. I should have noticed those before. She was gorgeous. I was admiring her when all of a sudden, she turned around and let out the loudest scream I’d ever heard.
Chapter 5
Olivia
I saw a movement reflect in the window below me. I turned around to find Harris staring up at me. Automatically, I screamed like someone was there to murder me. For fuck's sake! I'd always been jumpy but this wasn’t good. I was 9 feet in the air with both hands grasping onto something other than the ladder. In my freak out I spilled wine on my tank and almost dropped the paint roller to the floor. Thank God I was able to hold onto it and the ladder. Bloody hell Harris! I regained composure and was about to start down the ladder when he stumbled over to where I was. He had been drinking. I noticed the sweet, little grin on his face. Wait, where the fuck did that come from? It must be the wine talking. Pull it together girl! He grabbed my empty glass and the roller as I climbed down the ladder. He had a strange look on his face.
“Why are you looking at me like that? Are you mad?” I asked.
He shook his head and went to put the roller in the paint pan and headed toward the kitchen with my glass. He came back with it full of wine and a glass for himself. He placed them on the table by the sofa and left the room. He mumbled to stay put. Oh boy. Was he pissed that I painted the wall? I wanted to have it done and have the artwork hung so he could see the finished project. I hated when people came into my designs when they were half done. Most people can’t visualize and they end up disappointed and underwhelmed. If they had waited to see it completed they would get the full effect. Oh well, he’d just have to deal with it. It will look amazing and I could actually use his help hanging the art. Harris came back into the room with a tshirt in his hand.
“Here, Livy, put this on. I’ve seen you in too little of clothing twice now today.”
What was that supposed to mean? Whatever…
I whipped my tank off and pulled his tshirt on.
Chapter 6
Harris
About the time I shifted to lean against the wall to admire her, all hell broke loose. Wine went flying, she swayed on the ladder before she regained her grip again, and that scream. Jesus Christ! I didn’t know what to do. So, I just stood there in shock. By the time I stumbled over to the ladder she was almost on the ground. She had wine spilled on her barely there top. It was sticking to her body in all the right places and I felt a twitch below my belt. I grabbed her glass and the paint thing and went to the kitchen. I needed some of that damn wine to get through the rest of the evening. I also needed to get something to cover up that amazing body of hers I just seemed to notice. How and the hell did I never notice how beautiful she was. The damn lads had made me realize it. Shit!
I placed our wine on the table, and made my way to my
bedroom without looking at her. I couldn't. I knew if I did I would end up staring. We’d had enough awkward moments today, thank you very much. I grabbed my favorite Rolling Stones tshirt and went into the living room. I flung the shirt at her thinking she would go change. Instead she flung off the wine stained tank and revealed the most perfect breasts. She shot me a smirk and pulled my shirt over them. I wasn't sure what I was to do next so I grabbed my wine and chugged it. I turned to the freshly painted wall and cocked my head.
“What’s this all about?” I asked.
She got excited in an instant. She had called the last gallery we visited today and had them send the amazing piece over. She explained something about it needing to pop. Next thing I knew she was wielding a hammer and I had never been more turned on in my life. What has this woman done to me??? She was up the ladder again in those damn high heels, on her tiptoes leaning over to pound the nail in. Damn, she looked good from this angle. I let my eyes travel up the back of her toned legs to where the slit in her pencil skirt split up the back of her thighs. I was about to check out her ass when she yelled for me to help. I stayed on the ground. I hate ladders and although I’m not fond of her on one, at least I get one hell of a view.
I held the piece while she hooked the wire. She straightened and fussed with it and once she was pleased with its placement, she climbed down the ladder. She dragged the enormous thing aside and came to stand by me holding her glass of wine. We stood there for a moment gazing at the art now hanging. She was right. It was amazing between the floor to ceiling windows. It was genius to paint the wall black. The art looked like it was floating. It was amazing and so was she. I looked at her and said one word. Beautiful.
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