by Sarah Peis
“If that’s true, then how does Lana factor into all of this?”
“Ah, Lana. The queen viper. That girl was born with a mean streak and a drive to succeed like I’ve never seen before. Her family and Oliver’s family are business partners. They’ve built one of the biggest investment firms in North America together. The families planned their kids’ wedding from the moment they were born. And Lana loved the idea. Played along with it. But Oliver never thought it was what he wanted. That she was who he wanted.”
Chance took a big sip of his beer before continuing. “Six months ago, Oliver’s grandfather got really sick. And he was done with letting Oliver put off the wedding. I don’t know what he said to him, but next thing I knew, they were engaged. And a day later, Oliver disappeared. Lana tried moving into his penthouse, but he nearly lost it when he found out she was moving her shit in. Changed his door code and put her on the banned list. Should have seen her face.”
“But why didn’t he just tell me? I would have tried to understand.”
“Girlie, you were the most important person in his life. And he didn’t want you to think differently of him. Or leave him. He didn’t plan on meeting you the week after he was pushed into an engagement he wanted no part of. If I know anything about him, it’s that he knows a good thing when he sees one.”
I let that sink in, hoping for once my emotions weren’t reflected on my face. I believed Chance but wished Oliver was the one who had told me.
“It’s why he’s so good at what he does. Did he tell you we run a business together? He still works for his family, but he and I built a consulting firm from nothing. And if his parents ever make good on their threat to disown him and kick him out of the family business, then he still has something else to fall back on. And you should know that it doesn’t take the CEO to oversee a project like a mall. That’s small fish compared to some of the projects Thorpe Holdings takes on. He was looking for a project to stay there.”
That was a lot to take in. And even though I was sure he was never with Lana, especially since he dismissed her like he did earlier, I also felt terrible for not believing him.
“I knew he wouldn’t last long without checking up on you,” Chance said and looked past my shoulder.
“Everything okay?” Oliver asked when he got closer, looking unsure and a little lost.
I got up, tilting my head back. He immediately took me up on my invitation and kissed me. It was only a chaste kiss, but it still made a statement. I hoped Lana was watching. We separated, and Oliver kissed my nose before he pulled back.
“Let’s sit down and get this over with,” Chance said, and we followed him over to a long table that was set for at least fifty people and held a variety of food.
If I wasn’t ready to take off at a moment’s notice, I would have enjoyed the view and what looked to be delicious food. I wished Oliver and I had agreed on a signal for when we wanted to leave, because I was ready to give it now.
“Relax. It’s going to be fine,” he whispered in my ear when I sat down and he leaned over me to push my chair in.
That was not very reassuring. At all. He needed to work on his motivational skills. I unfolded the napkin in my lap while Oliver sat down next to me. He put his hand on my leg, and I relaxed a fraction.
Everyone began to take their seats, and conversation started up again. The chair on my other side was pulled out, and Lana sat down.
Why me? There were still plenty of other chairs available. Oliver didn’t notice her sitting down next to me since he was busy talking to a guy about stocks.
I tuned out when he started rattling off numbers. Instead, I buttered my bread roll and bit into it. I was midbite when Lana turned to me. “Classy.”
I chewed and reluctantly turned my head her way, fighting the urge to open my mouth and show her the half-eaten bread. Never said I was mature.
“Enjoy it while you can,” she said, her voice quiet so we wouldn’t be overheard. She smiled and waved at someone at the other end of the table. Her smile was still in place when she turned back to me. “He’ll marry me. It’s already decided. I’ll let him have his fun with you until he gets it out of his system. Just don’t get any ideas.”
I rolled my eyes and swallowed my food without opening my mouth. “Okay,” I said and took another bite. This bread was amazing. I was tempted to take a few rolls home with me. It wasn’t like there wouldn’t be more than enough left since nobody seemed to be eating it.
“You being here means nothing.”
I shrugged and continued eating, hoping she would get bored.
“Do you really think someone like him would ever be with someone like you?”
Okay, now I was getting annoyed.
“You are a nobody.”
I stopped eating and instead ground my teeth.
“His parents would never approve of you.”
I put down my bread roll.
“You don’t fit in here.”
I pushed the knife away, not wanting to take any chances. Easily accessible, sharp objects were a terrible idea at the moment.
“The sooner you realize that, the better.”
I straightened the napkin on my lap.
“Now why don’t you just do us all a favor and not drag this out any longer than necessary.”
I cleared my throat.
“You probably shouldn’t have that third roll. And definitely stay away from the butter,” she continued, thinking she was getting somewhere with her rant.
Did she just call me fat? Yup, I think she did. And I saw red. All I remembered was my hand shooting out, grabbing the first glass I could reach, and dumping its contents in her lap. I didn’t even bother making it look like an accident.
She shot up, gasping in outrage. “How dare you.”
“I’m so sorry. The glass slipped,” I said, blinking up at her and putting the glass back on the table. Her white summer dress was covered in red wine. Fate was on my side for once and made me grab the wine instead of the water right next to it.
“What’s going on?” Oliver asked, his hand leaving my thigh. Pity.
“Your whore just dumped wine all over me. She needs to leave,” Lana said, pointing at me and drawing everyone’s attention. I guess she was done trying to get me to leave quietly.
“What did you just call her?” Oliver asked, his voice deathly quiet. I had never heard him talk like that. And I decided right then and there that I never wanted to be on the receiving end of his wrath.
“You heard me,” Lana screeched, pointing at me. “You are done playing around with your country bum. Get rid of her.”
Oliver got out of his seat, his movements slow and measured. “Apologize.”
“Are you insane? She just dumped her wine all over me and ruined my dress.”
I rolled my eyes. As if she didn’t have hundreds of other dresses.
“What’s going on?” Oliver’s mom asked, walking over to our side of the table, his dad right behind her.
“Either Lana leaves or we will,” Oliver said, looking livid.
“I’m sure that’s unnecessary. I don’t think Lana is the one who should be leaving. Your friend emptied her wineglass all over her.”
“Are you asking Maisie to leave?” Oliver asked, his tone still as tightly controlled as when he was talking to Lana.
“I think that’s fair,” his mom said, throwing her hand my way in a dismissive gesture. I obviously hadn’t made the best impression on his parents.
“If she’s leaving, then so am I,” he said.
I got out of my chair, feeling awkward being the only one still sitting down. And I had just been asked to leave, so I figured I should do so before they got Sam to drag me out.
“Son, you can’t be serious,” his dad chimed in.
“I guess you’re agreeing with mom, then.” Oliver put his hand on my back. “I bring the girl I love to meet you, and you treat her worse than the dirt under your shoes. I’m done. For good this time.”
“Nice to meet you,” I responded before Oliver led me back inside the house.
“Anna,” he called out on our way through. “We’re leaving.”
Oliver didn’t stop or slow down as he made his way to the front door, not waiting for an answer.
“Shouldn’t we go look for her?” I asked.
“Someone will tell her that I called out to her.”
And he was right, because as we were getting into his car, Anna came bounding out the front door. “Go, go, go,” she shouted and jumped into the back seat.
Oliver got in on his side and didn’t delay. He raced down the driveway, and once the gate opened, we were back on the road. Freedom had never felt so great. I could breathe again. I couldn’t believe Oliver had grown up with those people.
“What did you take?” he asked.
“Just Grandma’s earrings.”
“Anna.” Oliver groaned. “She’ll know it was you.”
“I know she will since I left her a note. Wouldn’t want her to blame Silvie and fire her.”
“This is going to tip her over the edge,” he warned.
“I don’t care. I don’t want to have anything to do with them anymore. And Grandma wanted me to have the earrings. You were there when she said it.”
“I know.”
“Good. Now can you drop me off at Kris’s? They’re having a party tonight.”
“It’s Sunday.”
“Okay, old man. Doesn’t mean you have to go to bed at eight.”
Oliver grumbled under his breath but let it go. Instead he turned his attention to me.
“You never have to go back there again. I can’t believe they behaved like that.”
He took my hand and kissed it before putting it on his lap. “God, Maisie, I’m so sorry I made you go through that.”
“Oliver, stop. It’s not that bad.” It really was, but there was no point in making him feel any worse than he did already.
“Yes it was.”
“Let’s just move on. We could do some sightseeing.”
The shop was closed on Sundays, and the girls would be fine without me until lunch tomorrow.
“I’ll take you out tonight. Show you that LA isn’t all that bad,” Oliver suggested.
I didn’t think there was any way I would ever want to come back here, but I didn’t say that because Oliver looked hopeful.
“Sure, that sounds nice,” I replied instead.
The drive was short and quiet, both of us lost in our thoughts and Anna glued to her phone. We dropped her off as instructed, and Oliver reminded her to be ready to go to the airport tomorrow. She waved him off, and after blowing us both kisses, she skipped up the stairs to a nondescript apartment building.
When we got back to Oliver’s apartment, I threw myself on the couch and kicked off my shoes.
“I have to make a few phone calls,” he said and pressed a light kiss to my lips. “Why don’t you order us something to eat? There’s a great Thai place I eat at a lot. Menu is on the fridge.”
“Sounds good. What do you want?” I asked. Oliver got the menu off the fridge where it was pinned with a magnet and handed it to me.
“You choose.”
“Okay,” I said, confident I knew what he liked. He watched me for a moment before walking out onto the balcony.
I studied the menu and chose a few things.
Oliver still hadn’t come back inside by the time the food was delivered. I set everything on the table and went out to the balcony, where he was leaning over the railing, looking at the city. He wasn’t on the phone anymore, and I walked up behind him, sliding my hands around him. I put my cheek on his back and held on tight.
His hands covered mine, and he stood up, taking us both upright again.
“The food’s here,” I said, hoping the day’s events hadn’t changed us. He supported me today, not once asking why I dumped wine on Lana or hesitating to leave with me when his parents tried to kick me out.
“Let’s go eat. You must be starving,” he said.
I stepped back and we walked inside. “Hey now, I can go a few hours without eating,” I joked, trying to lighten the somber mood.
“You’re grumpy when you don’t eat at least every two hours.”
“You’ve noticed that?”
He pulled my chair out for me, and I sank down into the soft leather.
“Of course I did. I notice everything about you. You should know that by now.” He got the food out of the bag. “So what did you get us?”
“The vegan meal,” I said and broke out in laughter when his face fell. “Don’t worry, I got a few different things. With meat.”
“Funny,” he said, but the relief was evident when he uncovered the food I’d ordered.
We spent the meal with light conversation, the lunch ordeal firmly behind us. Maybe this trip was salvageable after all.
“So where are we going?”
“I’m not telling you.”
“How about a hint?”
“It’s supposed to be a surprise.”
We were in the car, on our way to an undisclosed location. It was dark, and we’d already had dinner at a fancy restaurant where I couldn’t pronounce any of the meals and let Oliver choose my food for me. Everyone there knew him, and he was treated like royalty.
“Fine,” I pouted.
We drove up a winding road to a big parking lot where Oliver parked the car in one of the first empty spots we passed.
“Where are we?” I asked, looking at the manicured lawn and the incredible view. The lights of LA shimmered in the distance, the view even better than from his parents’ backyard. There were a few telescopes scattered around the lawn, and people were looking through them, sitting on the lawn, or standing near the edge, taking in the view of the city.
“At the Griffith Observatory.”
“This is amazing,” I said in awe, loving that he brought me here. “Best surprise ever.”
“Come on, let’s have a look around,” he said and got out of the car. He opened my door and helped me out, and we walked over to the telescopes. “Usually you can see the Hollywood sign from up here, but it’s not lit up at night.”
“It’s perfect the way it is. Incredible really.”
We found one that was free and I looked through the lens, rendered speechless at the clarity and amount of stars I could see.
“You have to have a look,” I said and turned back to Oliver. He was watching me, his face unreadable.
“I’ve been up here before. You keep looking before someone else tries to kick you off.”
“Okay. But if you want to have a look, let me know.”
He nodded and stepped closer, putting his big body behind me, keeping me sheltered from the slight chill in the air.
After I looked my fill, we walked around the gardens and explored inside the observatory. The planetarium was amazing, and we caught the last show of the day.
When we drove back, I turned to Oliver, who was looking like he was finally able to relax.
“Thank you so much for tonight. I loved every minute of it.”
“Anything for you, beautiful. I don’t want your only memories of LA to be bad ones.”
“I’m here with you, aren’t I? So there’s no chance of that. But I appreciate what you did for me today. And once we get back to your apartment, we can make more great memories.”
I put my hand on his thigh but didn’t move it where I really wanted to. Already tried that once, and it didn’t go so well.
We made it back to the apartment without another near crash, and Oliver hurried out of the car, nearly throwing the keys at the poor valet. He led the way through the reception area and into the elevator, gripping my hand.
&nb
sp; We stared at each other the whole way up to his place, the tension crackling between us. As soon as he closed the front door behind us, he kissed me like he needed me more than air. I could spend eternity kissing this man, and it would never be enough. But I also wanted to feel him, feel his skin on mine, his lips on my body. I broke the kiss, breathing hard, my lips tingling.
Oliver watched me, his eyes fixed on my every movement. He swallowed, his throat moving with the action. I kissed his stubbled cheek and moved to the buttons on his shirt, undoing them one by one. He still wasn’t moving, and I pushed the shirt off. Looking at him never got old. He was all sinewy muscles and bronze skin.
He kissed my forehead, and I leaned in to him, loving the feel of him under my hands. He undid the button on his pants when I lingered on his chest too long, busy placing tiny kisses all along his smooth skin and up to his jawline.
I trailed my fingers down his abs and helped him push his pants down. He was left with only his boxers.
“Your turn,” he said and pulled the clips out of my hair, making it tumble down around my face. “I love your hair.”
He then turned me so my back was facing him, kissing his way down as he lowered the zipper of my dress. I shivered at his touch, clenching my legs from the onslaught of sensation.
The dress I had changed into for dinner slid off me, leaving me in only my panties since I had to forego a bra due to the way it was cut.
“Leave the shoes on,” he said and pulled my panties down, helping me step out of them and then kissing along the insides of my thighs.
He stood up and turned me to face him, claiming my mouth in a hungry kiss. He walked me back toward the bed, never breaking contact and only stopping once the back of my thighs hit the mattress. We broke apart, and I sat down and shuffled to the middle, then lay down. He was still standing up, drinking me in, his eyes trailing over every inch of my body.
I let my legs drop to each side, hoping that would be enough incentive to get him to come closer. Because I was pulsing with need and needed him to touch me or I would burst.