by Diana Nixon
“Because I don’t want to. Besides, why don’t you go there alone?”
“I hate events like that.” He paused. “What if I pay you extra for joining me tomorrow?”
“How much extra?”
“Two times more than what you get for one month.”
“Let me think…”
He laughed into the handset. “You are hard to please, Olivia. Though I’m sure I would find a way to please you as no one else did before…”
“Shut up or you will go to the damn premiere alone.”
I really wanted to decline his invitation. But Bella and I needed money, and Leonel promised to pay well. And it was just for a couple of hours.
“Okay. I’ll go with you.”
“Great.”
“Money goes first.”
He laughed again. “Check your bank account. It’s already there.”
I looked at the phone again and saw a message from the bank showing a nice compensation for the upcoming premiere.
I spoke into the handset, “Does this mean I can take a day off tomorrow? I need to get ready for the night.” Of course, he interpreted my words the way he wanted to hear them.
“Take your time, baby. The better you get ready for the night with me, the more you’ll enjoy it.”
Screw you.
“See you tomorrow, Leo.”
“God, I’ll never tire of hearing you call me that. Good night, Liv.”
He ended the call, and I stood there not sure if what I was about to put myself into was a good idea. It felt so much like a date. And dating Leonel Cohen had never been a part of my revenge plan. As a matter of fact, it would be the worst idea ever.
I went to the couch and sat down. The clock on the wall showed six in the evening. Bella was playing in her room and I thought I would call Mr. Gow. He was Winter’s doctor, and since she refused to see me or talk to me because I made her go to the rehab, the man was my only hope to hear good news.
“Hello?” He said, answering the call.
“Dr. Gow, it’s Olivia Lambert. How’s my sister doing?”
“Glad you’ve called Miss Lambert. Winter is getting better. I talked to her today, and she said she wouldn’t mind meeting you one of these days.”
“Really?”
“Yes. It looks like she’s finally accepted the fact that bringing her here was for the best.”
“Oh, you can’t imagine how happy I am to hear that. I’ve been feeling so guilty for not having a chance to talk to her. I know she needs professional help. But I also know how much she loves her daughter and how much she wants to be with her now.”
“I think it’s too early to bring Bella. Winter might use her visit to go home with her, and she’s not ready to get back to her life.”
“But I can come and see her anyway, right?”
“Yes. Whenever you want.”
“Good. Then…” I was going to say I would come tomorrow, but then I remembered about my plans with Leo. “How about next Tuesday?”
“Perfect. See you on Tuesday.”
“Thank you. Goodbye, Dr. Gow.”
“Goodbye, Miss Lambert.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. I really wanted to see my sister and I missed her so much. Despite how different she and I had always been, I loved her.
“Auntie, can I take your mascara please?” Bella came to sit down next to me.
“My mascara? What do you need it for? Don’t you know that you are too young to use cosmetics?” I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her closer to my chest.
“I want my doll to go to a ball. She needs to be pretty to go there.”
“I see… Well, I’m sure she’s pretty enough without makeup.”
“You think so?” She gave her doll a long look. “Maybe you are right. Will go find her a nice dress to wear.” She jumped from the couch and disappeared into her room.
Looks like Bella’s doll wasn’t the only one who needed a nice dress for a ball. I went to my wardrobe and pulled out a box with a dress that I bought some time ago, but never got a chance to wear.
It was different from all the dresses I had ever worn, but Parker made me buy it, and now I was glad I listened to her. I put the dress to my chest and turned around in front of the mirror.
I felt a little too excited about the upcoming event. I shouldn’t be excited about a date with Leonel Cohen, but no matter how many times I told myself it wasn’t a date, it still felt like one.
I came to my bedside table and took a picture of him and my sister.
My heart hurt.
Winter looked so happy; she deserved to love and to be loved. But Leonel, obviously, wasn’t the man who could make it happen.
I sat down on my bed, clutching the dress I was going to wear tomorrow. I wanted to do it for Winter, not for myself. Not to impress the man who had no idea about the reasons that made me come to his office. I wanted to do it for Bella as well. Because it wasn’t her fault that her parents couldn’t be together anymore.
Then again, the more I tried to convince myself that there wasn’t any secret intention in accepting Leonel’s invitation, the better I could see it through my lies.
I shut my eyes and swallowed the sudden desire to cry. Because deep down inside, I knew I wanted the upcoming night with Leonel to be perfect. I wanted to be perfect too.
Because I…
“Auntie, you’ve got a new message.” Bella entered my room with my cell phone in her small hands.
“Thanks.”
I took the phone and read another message from Leonel, “Bet you’re choosing a dress for tomorrow.” Smartass. “Make sure it doesn’t cover too much.”
I rolled my eyes and turned off the phone.
“What’s the matter?” Bella asked. “Did the message upset you?”
“No. I just…remembered something very important. But I have good news for you.”
“Really? What is it?”
“I’m gonna work from home tomorrow.”
“Yay!” She jumped on my lap and wrapped her arms around my neck. “Does it mean Rose won’t come to babysit me?”
“Well, she’ll stay with you in the evening. Because I have an event planned for tomorrow night, and I can’t take you there with me.”
She pouted her pink lips, obviously upset to hear it.
I hurried to brighten her mood. “But until then, I’ll be all yours. Except for a few calls that I’ll need to do in the morning.”
“Still better than nothing.”
I smiled. “It’s never easy to please you, little devil.”
“It’s because you work so much, and I have to stay with Rose.”
“Grandma promised to come and take you for the weekend.”
“Really?”
“Aha.”
Her eyes glowed with joy. “Will she make my favorite lemon pie?”
“I hope she will.”
“I’m gonna call her right now.” Bella kissed me on the cheek and ran away to make the mentioned call.
At least one of us would fall asleep happy tonight.
Chapter 7
Leo
Olivia was taking her time making me wait for her.
I looked at my watch and got even more nervous. What if she wasn’t going to show up at all?
I readjusted my tux and leaned against my car, looking at the building where her apartment was. Could she see me through the window? Did she know we could be late for the event? Or was it a part of her plan to pay me for being an ass with her?
Damn it. With her, anything was possible.
It wasn’t the first time that I was about to go somewhere with a beautiful woman. But somehow, everything about tonight felt different. I didn’t remember the last time I was so nervous about a date. Not that it was a date, and Olivia would surely say it wasn’t a date. Still, I really wanted her to enjoy it.
Just when I thought my worries couldn’t grow any stronger, the door opened and she walked out.
Holly heavens, di
d she look breathtaking.
For a moment, I thought I was hallucinating, because she was too beautiful to be true.
Her hair was up; red lips begged to be kissed deeply. Her black halter neck dress was made of silk and fit her like a glove. It was floor-length and elegant, and its open back made me want to come closer to lock her in my arms, letting my palms feel the warmth of her skin.
“Don’t even think about it,” she said, going down the stairs.
I chuckled. “Think about what?”
“Taking it off me.”
I started to walk towards her until I took her hand in mine and kissed her palm. “I’ll let it stay on you for a while. Unless you’d prefer skipping the premiere and going to my place instead.”
“I told you - I will never go there again. Even if you threaten to take me there by force.”
“Scared to stay locked in one room with me?”
“Don’t give yourself too much credit, Leo. I’m not scared of you.”
“Then you must be scared of yourself…of what you might want to do with me once locked in one room with me.”
She rolled her beautiful eyes. “If you keep being your usual self, I’ll stay at home and you will have to go to the premiere alone.”
“Okay, I promise to behave.” I gave her my hand and she accepted it. We walked to the car and I opened the passenger door for her.
“You are driving tonight.”
“Yep. Didn’t want anyone to interrupt us.” I winked at her.
She smiled and lowered her eyes as if she was afraid I would see something in her gaze that I was not supposed to see.
I shut the door and walked around the car to take the wheel.
“How’s Bella?” I asked, starting the engine. “I bet she wasn’t thrilled about staying with her nanny again.”
“She said she would forgive me for leaving her with Rose if I take her to the zoo next week.”
“Sounds like a fair deal.”
“Any deal is fair if it includes candies and ice-cream.”
“Couldn’t agree more.”
“You have a sweet tooth, I know.”
“What else did Molly tell you about me?”
She hesitated with the response.
“Come on, I’m not going to fire her, I swear.”
“She said your employees hate your assistants because they have too many privileges.”
I tried to hide my smile but failed. Because Liv caught it and was about to use it against me.
“I’m not as bad as you think.”
“Right.”
“No, I mean it. So that you know – I’ve never had sex in my office. Despite everything that my employees think.”
“Then what did your previous assistants do for you? They were not your employees, but they came to the office every day and what – ironed your shirts?”
“It’s a double-meaning question.”
“No, it’s not. Answer it.”
“You won’t believe me anyway.”
“Surprise me.”
“I love beautiful women. But you already know it. I also love having them around. Even if I’m not going to sleep with them.”
“Is that why you didn’t want to go to the premiere alone? Because like women need clutches, you need a beautiful girl by your side?”
I smiled for what felt like the hundredth time in the past half an hour. “I didn’t say I don’t want to sleep with you.”
“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear it.”
“Wanna know why I let you stay in my firm?”
“Dying to.”
We stopped at a traffic light and I took her hand in mine. “You were different. Not the kind of a girl I used to see in my office. You were brave and independent. And you knew what you wanted. I liked that. I like people who know what they want to get from their lives. But most of all… I wanted you to stay because you made me look at my job from a different point of view – the one I never took into consideration when winning another case or two.”
She stayed quiet for a few moments. Then the red light changed to green and I had to let her hand go.
“I meant every word,” I said, when even after five minutes or so she didn’t say anything to me.
“I know.” She looked out of the window. Again, as if she didn’t want me to see her face at that moment.
So I spoke again, “You know… There’s always something new I see in you. Even tonight. I can’t read your mind, but I’m dying to know what you are thinking right now. Because it feels like something’s stopping you from being honest with me. And I want to know what it is.”
She turned to look at me and said, “It’s because people rarely surprise me. But you did. And now I don’t know what to think anymore.”
“Too much thinking is not always good.”
“Said a lawyer whose job is to think about every word he says.”
“True. But I don’t mean work now. Life is a very unpredictable thing, Liv. I realized it the day I agreed to give you a trial period. Who would have thought I would willingly agree to complicate my life that much?”
She smirked. “Courage, Mr. Cohen. The worst part of it hasn’t even started yet.”
***
Olivia
The floodlights… They scared me.
I felt like I was completely naked, standing in front of the eyes of so many people I didn’t know.
Leonel, as if feeling my fear, came to my rescue. He wrapped one arm around me, and despite how possessive the gesture was, I felt much better knowing that I wasn’t alone in it.
“Have I told you how stunning you look tonight?” His words made me look at him. His lips curved in that gentle smile that said all the things I didn’t want to hear from him, of all the men living on the planet.
He looked good too. Too good I would say. I had to pinch myself to believe that he was real. A tuxedo was definitely his thing. It emphasized his masculinity and power that made everyone around him bow their heads in respect.
“Thanks,” was the only thing I managed to mumble in response.
“Come on, they have taken enough pictures for the rest of my life.” He pushed me slightly to the door on my left. It opened to the owercrowded movie hall.
“Where are our seats?” I asked.
Leonel took out his invitation and then looked at the seat row. “Over there, the fifth row, seats number 10 and 11.”
We started walking to the mentioned above seats when suddenly someone called Leonel’s name. We stopped, and I saw a beautiful young woman walk towards us. She was around thirty, wearing a long red strapless dress; her platinum blond hair was short and ended a little below her ears.
“I didn’t know you would be here too,” she said to my boss, kissing him on both cheeks.
Was I imagining things or did he really feel uncomfortable in her presence?
“Layla,” he said shortly. “Good to see you again.” Then he pulled me closer to himself and said, “Meet Olivia Lambert.”
The blondie switched her attention from Leonel to me. Her green eyes expressed nothing but pure curiosity. “Layla Bester,” she introduced herself.
“Nice to meet you,” I said.
“You must be Leonel’s…” She intentionally let the end of her line hang in the air.
“Olivia is my friend,” he said. I could almost feel how much he wanted this conversation to end.
“And here I thought she was your new assistant…”
Ouch.
Here comes the first time that I felt what it was like to be a replacement for Leonel’s previous doll.
“Excuse us, Layla,” I said. “But we need to find our seats before the movie begins.”
“Of course.” She gave Leo one last look, and we left.
All the way to our seats, I could feel her gaze on my back. I wondered if there would be more surprises like her tonight. I hardly wanted to become the main topic of everyone’s discussion.
“It is not what you think,” Leo said
as soon as we finally took our seats.
“What are you talking about?” I didn’t want to talk about Layla or about any other girl he used to sleep with for that matter.
“We did have a short affair. Fact. But she’s in the past.”
“Why are you telling me this? You don’t owe me explanations. I’m not your girlfriend.”
“What if I want to change it?”
I chuckled. “You can’t be serious.”
“Look at my face, Liv. Do you see a smile on my lips?”
My eyes stopped at his lips and, damn it, it was the wrong part of his face to focus on. Every time they curved in a grin, I felt like it was harder to breathe. Just like right now, when I was too close to letting my imagination take me to a kiss that was never supposed to happen for us. Despite how sweet seemed to be the silent promise his lips sent to me.
“I don’t believe you anyway,” I said and turned away from him.
“What do I do to make you believe me?”
“I doubt there’s a key to this door, Leo. You are not made for a relationship. And I’m not here to let you break my heart.”
“I’m far from being a heartbreaker, Liv. I’ll find a way to make you believe me anyway.”
Not in this life. Considering I know at least about one heart that you broke so easily.
Somehow, the meeting with Layla and the conversation that followed it saddened me. I couldn’t explain it; I just felt like I didn’t want to be there anymore, but at home, with Bella and my troubled thoughts about her father.
Leonel stayed quiet as if lost in his thoughts. As soon the lights faded, a giant screen in front of us illuminated with the title of the movie - Flaws of Us.
“What genre is the movie?” I asked in a whisper.
“Don’t know. I forgot to read the booklet.”
“How very unlike you. I thought you hate being unprepared.”
“I don’t really care about the movie as long as I know you are here to watch it with me.”
A man who was sitting next to Leo cleared his throat; probably meaning we needed to shut up and just let him watch the movie.
“Sorry,” I mouthed to him. Then I turned to the screen again, hoping Leo would spare me his comments.
But the moment the couple from the story got to the bedroom, something unexpected happened. Well, it was unexpected to me, but not to those who had read the booklet before coming to the premiere.