by Robyn Roze
Olivia was frozen and barely breathing as she sat just staring straight ahead. She didn’t know what to think or say while she worked to get her head around everything he had just said.
“Olivia? Did you hear me?” Nick questioned as he proceeded through the green light.
“Yes.” The whispered response was all she could muster.
Could someone really make such drastic changes so fast? She had hoped her last visit would force him to reexamine his choices, but then when it ended with him in her bed she had lost all hope. She was skeptical and a little unnerved, but this certainly made things easier for her. She already knew she would never sleep with him again anyway and had prepared herself for a monster fight over the sleeping arrangements before his announcement, but he had just sucked all of the wind out of her sails. What was he up to?
The hair bristling on the back of her neck told her to be careful.
****
Olivia awoke stretching in her bed and then suddenly bolted upright looking beside her and around the room. Last night before going to sleep, she had pulled a dresser partially across her door so that if Nick reneged, he couldn’t get in her room undetected. Her pounding heart slowed and she grabbed her cell phone out of her jacket pocket to turn on the power. She had told Jake that her phone wouldn’t be on, but she promised that she would check it periodically over the weekend, and she smiled when she saw two text messages from him. Last night’s message,
*hey liv. wish I was
there to tuck you in.
sweet dreams…*
Oh, God, how she would rather be in his bed right now than where she was. His second message was from this morning.
*hope you have good day.
not TOO good. I want you
to miss me…*
She giggled. He had no idea how much she missed him already. What had started as a diversion was quickly evolving into something else, and she needed to be cautious. She didn’t want to hurt him. Olivia rolled her eyes to the ceiling at her own idiotic thought. Hurt him, right, Olivia, come on! Even with the way he looked at her and the things he said, she still had doubts about him. Most likely, she was just the newest toy, and the novelty would wear off when something shinier walked past. Getting girls was far too easy for him, and once in awhile he probably just liked keeping the same one around for a while until he got bored. She just caught him during one of those times, she convinced herself. She would just enjoy the ride until her situation was resolved, and she was enjoying the ride.
She squeezed her legs together and squirmed at the thought of Jake. He definitely knew how to push her buttons. Buttons she didn’t even know existed. Finally, she understood all the fuss. He had unlocked her sexually and there was no shame in her game with him.
*i had a dream that
you tucked me in last
night…oxox
btw, i do miss
you…not having THAT
much fun. ;) *
She got up to head for the shower when Jake’s text beeped at her.
*tell me about your dream…*
Oh, he wanted to play this morning. She was up for it and giggled as she fell back onto the bed.
*if i tell you it won’t
come true…*
*that’s for wishbones and
birthdays not dreams--spill
it!*
Okay, so he wanted to be hot and bothered while she was away. Would he wait for her to get back or hook up with a no name girl tonight? She decided to trust him for now and just have fun for however long it lasted. Breathing out loudly, she sexted what she knew would work him up.
*hot and moaning…
licking and sucking…
wet and begging…
hard and throbbing…
pounding harder, faster…
ME on top…
YOU tied down…
(if necessary… ;) *
Jake definitely liked being in control, but she wanted to flip the tables on him sometime soon. She had some ideas. Her phone beeped.
*you’re so lucky I can’t
drive where you are
right now…
btw…i’ll do it
ANYWAY you want…*
*really?*
*try me…*
She remembered the last time he had said those two little words and her insides began to melt as she fantasized seeing him tomorrow. She was jolted from her torrid daydream by a knock at her door. Olivia jumped at the sound of Nick’s voice and her eyes slammed shut.
“Olivia, are you awake? I’ve got chocolate chip pancakes downstairs,” Nick announced through the door.
She winced at the sound of his voice. What a buzz kill.
“Olivia?” He ventured louder, lightly tapping on her door.
“Yeah, I’ll be down, Nick. Just give me a few, okay?”
“Sure. I’ll wait for you in the kitchen.”
What was up with the chocolate chip pancakes, she wondered? They used to make those together when she was a kid. What was he doing? Was he really trying to make amends with her? She shook her head and looked back at her cell screen and texted Jake.
*i will. ;)
gotta go eat now.
don’t have too
much fun without
me either…*
*don’t worry the fun
won’t start until I see
you tomorrow…text me
before you go to sleep
tonight…ok?*
Olivia smiled and was already anticipating sexting him from bed later. Her core clenched.
*i will…bye oxox*
She shut off her phone and headed into her en suite shower.
****
Olivia was wearing jeans with a lime green t-shirt and running shoes. She entered the kitchen and saw Nick sitting in the nook looking out the window at the expansive back lawn and talking to someone on his cell phone. His free hand was absently flicking at the pages of a newspaper that he had been reading. He was wearing a long-sleeved, black t-shirt and black jeans, his somber wardrobe shade of choice since the accident. She shook her head and wondered when his period of mourning would end. As she moved to join him in the nook, he looked up at her and smiled, quickly ending his call and tucking his phone into his pocket.
“Morning, sunshine. How’d you sleep?” From the circles beneath his eyes, it appeared he hadn’t slept well knowing she was down the hall. She suspected he wanted her back in his bed, but was opting to be accommodating for now.
Olivia buttered her pancakes and drizzled on some syrup. Without looking up, she answered, “I slept well, Nick.”
He picked up the carafe and poured some orange juice for her while suggesting, “I thought we’d take the Ducati’s over to the Magnum Hills stadium. There’s a supercross event there today, and I’ll probably do a little scouting while I’m there, too. How’s that sound?” He hadn’t taken her to a race for a long time and she wondered if it was because he didn’t trust himself to be alone with her in the house all day.
With a mouthful of pancakes, she took a drink of her orange juice while eyeing him carefully. Anything to get out of his mausoleum she thought. “Yeah, sure, that sounds like fun. And, you said Ducati’s - plural - are we going to take back roads and do a little racing?” Her brow arched and her eyes flickered.
Nick’s eyes glinted; he knew how much she loved to race. He nodded with a lopsided grin. “Great. I’d prefer motocross, but this’ll do.” He smirked.
Nick had been an outstanding amateur motocross racer in his youth, moving up to super motocross and even some supercross. He had shelves packed full of trophies and a nice accumulation of purse winnings. He had wanted to race professionally, but his father had insisted on college, only supporting his son’s racing as a hobby, not a serious career choice. So, he continued in the amateur circuit while enrolling at a local college only to pacify his father, temporarily.
Nick had planned to break the news to the elder Moretti that he had
accepted the number one slot on a full factory ride with a winning team, but in the end, it was all a moot point.
“I’m sure you’re a little biased,” she replied, swallowing her chocolaty hotcakes. “But supercross is really popular in the States. It’s second only to NASCAR,” she stated matter-of-factly before shoveling in more pancakes.
Nick was surprised she knew that. He had done some supercross in his day, too, but had always preferred the outdoor tracks to the enclosed stadium venues. He was glad that she still seemed to have an interest in what he did. He had taken her to many races over the years and regaled her with all of his accomplishments. She absorbed it all, he was sure, as a way to fill and distract her from the gaping hole of abysmal loss.
He watched her devouring the pancakes and one side of his mouth curled up. She was really enjoying them. “You know, I burned a shitload of those this morning before I got it right,” he said peering at her over his paper.
“Oh, I figured you had Martha make them.” Olivia couldn’t believe that he had actually taken the time to do it. The two of them used to make silly shaped pancakes when she was young and they had tried once to make the biggest single pancake possible. As she recalled, that had ended in a big crumbly mess everywhere. Poor Martha, she remembered. Boy that memory hadn’t surfaced for a long time.
Nick grinned. “That would’ve definitely been less wasteful. But, no, I thought I’d see if I could still do it.” He seemed pleased that she was eating them so eagerly.
“When do we need to leave,” she mumbled through a mouthful of fluff and syrup.
He flashed a pinched grin at her with a raised brow and replied, “Whenever you’re finished with your gluttonous pancake assault.”
She stopped chewing and looked up at him with a mouth full of pancakes, wiping the syrup from her face and smiling like a chipmunk with nut-filled cheeks.
****
The fans were boisterous and rowdy in the stands, and Olivia was really enjoying herself. Since the stadium was open-air, there had been an elaborate fireworks display at the beginning to get things started and then a laser light show to amp the crowd up even further before the riders burst out onto the dirt track to electrify the fans. She knew that Nick preferred motocross, but she could definitely see why supercross had such a loyal following.
It was the Americanized version of motocross with most of the events occurring at large indoor venues. The tracks were manmade and the riders had the opportunity to display their talents with big jumps, aerial displays and maneuvers around and over a variety of obstacles. The tighter space meant the riders had to hone precision and timing skills since they couldn’t just rely on top speeds to win.
Olivia had a good idea who Nick was scouting. She was paying particular attention to a rider named Scott Chambers, who definitely stood out with his jumps, handling of hairpin turns, and deep whoops. It appeared to her that he kept his bike mostly pinned and managed to stuff a number of riders on turns followed by indomitable block passes. He had flash bulbs popping and the frenzied crowd standing and screaming more than once when he ripped across a massive triple and demonstrated impressive nac-nac maneuvers. When he won, he grabbed the checkered flag and wowed the spectators with a stunning whip it. He was definitely on his way to being a household name, she predicted to herself.
Nick leaned over and spoke into her ear, “I’m going down to the pits. I won’t be gone long. I’ll come back for you.” He looked directly at her to make sure she had heard him in the deafening arena. She nodded in acknowledgement and watched him get up to leave.
What a completely unexpected turn of events with Nick, she thought, sighing with relief. She never would have believed the weekend could turn out like this. She had expected yelling and some sort of altercation over her new-found independence. Then she replayed everything he had said on the way home last night. She shook her head at the memory. He hadn’t even tried to touch her. When they arrived home last night, he carried her bag upstairs and put it on her bed for her. She had waited in the hall until he came back out. He just looked at her and smiled softly without saying anything as he headed downstairs to his office. She must be in a parallel universe, she decided, shaking her head. There simply was no other explanation for his abrupt turnaround.
After Nick returned to the stands, they watched some more races before heading back to Lake Abyss.
****
Olivia really enjoyed the open road and whenever they found themselves alone on it, they felt compelled to race each other – just like old times. It was a beautiful evening and they took their time on the scenic route home, stopping at a pizzeria and then at a frozen yogurt shop before finally entering the expansive garage on Janus Lane. Nick stored their helmets and they walked up to the house. He suggested renting a movie on satellite and Olivia agreed. They made popcorn and settled in for the night to watch a comedy. When the movie was over, she yawned, said goodnight, and headed upstairs.
On her way up Nick called out, “I forgot to tell you that I changed you to an earlier flight tomorrow. I thought you might need some more time to unwind and get ready for the week after you get back to school.”
She stopped and looked back at him in amazement and uttered, “Thanks, Nick. I really appreciate that.” When she could move again, she continued upstairs in a daze. She shut her door and locked it, but didn’t pull the dresser over, not feeling the need to do so this time. She stood in place for a few seconds trying to understand what was happening this weekend.
Nick stretched back on the oversized leather sofa staring blankly at the satellite guide on the large plasma TV mounted above the massive limestone fireplace. He was running through the events of the day in his head. Olivia appeared more relaxed than she had in a long time. He noticed her looking at him differently and even smiling and joking with him today.
Now he was certain that this was the right approach. There needed to be more visits like this one. Then she would come to him, soon he hoped. This time, he wanted her to come to him. It was going to be hard not to touch her, but he needed to focus on the endgame and not be nearsighted. If he made a move too soon, she would bolt.
He would be out of the country for a month or so at the final races for the Grand Prix season in Japan, Malaysia, Australia and wrapping up in Valencia. All places he would like to take her with him someday. The schedule would help keep his mind off her, he hoped.
Nick grabbed the remote next to him and powered off the TV and satellite. He stood slowly, slid his hands into his front pockets, and walked reflectively into the foyer, poised at the foot of the stairs considering his options as he gazed longingly up to the second floor landing. Then he dropped his head and shook it, sighing heavily, as he turned and headed down the hall to his office.
****
Olivia was in her sleeping shirt and happily swallowing all of the cold spots on her sheets. She exhaled deeply waiting for her phone to power up. A text from Jake earlier in the evening appeared on the screen.
*good day?*
*better than I expected.
i’ll be on an earlier
flight tomorrow.*
She waited a few minutes, beginning to feel drowsy when her phone finally beeped.
*great! what time
should i pick you up?*
*i’ll let you know
tomorrow.*
*do you have a lot of
studying to do tomorrow?*
*not really.*
*good. get a good nights
sleep. you should probably
sleep on the plane too.*
*why will i need so much
sleep?*
*cuz we have a LOT of
work to do tomorrow…*
*grueling work? ;) *
*VERY*
Olivia could feel a shiver ripple in all directions out from her center.
*maybe I should get a
head start…won’t be so
much to do tomorrow…*
She could fee
l the pointed throbbing between her legs just thinking about being with him tomorrow.
*i’m not going to be
able to sleep thinking
about you like that…*
*i’m not going to be able
to sleep if I don’t scratch
this itch…*
Her eyes closed as she rolled onto her belly squeezing her hand tightly between her thighs and applying pressure to her throbbing clit as she rocked her hips. She began rubbing, squeezing, and imagining his hand, his mouth, his tongue, his stubble between her legs. Then she pushed her face into the pillow to stifle her cries as her sweet release came. She lay frozen for a few seconds allowing the sensation to wash over her. When she opened her eyes, she glimpsed the text Jake sent while she was fantasizing about him.
*GULP*
She smiled sleepily and texted him back.
*i can sleep now…