by T. K. Leigh
She gazed up at him, savoring the feel of his hand on her body as he led the dance. Olivia was surprised how well he glided across the dance floor. “You’re quite a good dancer, Mr. Burnham. Still surprising me after all these months.” Olivia winked at him.
“You’re not so bad yourself, Miss Adler.” He beamed down at the woman in his arms.
“Where did you learn to dance?”
“Do you remember the girl my mom was talking about during dinner? The one I was madly in love with when I was a little boy?”
She nodded her head. “Your other Olivia?”
“Yes. Well, she would always say that she would only marry me if I could dance. She would say that she couldn’t possibly be seen at a ball with a man who had two left feet. According to her, princesses needed a prince who could show off on the dance floor.” Olivia looked at him, the memory clearly painful for him, his words stirring a memory deep within her own brain.
“I’m sorry, darling,” she said, leaning her head against his chest as they continued to dance, Olivia wondering why the story about his childhood friend sounded so familiar.
“So am I,” Alexander whispered so she couldn’t hear him.
Over the next several hours, Alexander led Olivia around the dance floor, not wanting to miss any opportunity to dance with her.
“May I cut in?” Tyler said to Alexander toward the end of the night.
“Sure, but keep your hands above the waist, little bro.” Alexander smirked.
“Tyler,” Olivia said, putting one arm around his neck and clutching his hand with her free one.
“Hi, Libby,” he replied, grabbing onto her waist, heeding his brother’s warning to keep his hands on an appropriate part of her body.
“Enjoying yourself?” Olivia asked, noting that Tyler danced just as well as Alexander. Maybe it was genetic.
“I am, but if I had to dance once more with Ma, I was going to lose it.” He laughed, nodding toward his mother, now dancing with Alexander. Olivia followed his gaze, her eyes settling on the beautiful man that she knew so intimately.
“You make him very happy, you know,” Tyler said, bringing Olivia’s gaze back to his.
“Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so happy. I mean, and this was before I was born and all, when he lost his friend, it took him years to get over it. According to Ma, they were inseparable growing up, and he took it hard. And don’t even try to talk to him around his birthday. He’s such a brood.”
Olivia looked confused. “What do you mean?”
“That’s when she died. August twenty-fourth. Same day as his birthday. That’s why he never celebrates it. He usually goes down to Connecticut and sits at her grave. Fun way to spend your birthday, huh?”
Olivia was shocked. She didn’t realize that was his birthday. “Well, it must have been hard,” she said, snapping back. “I know how difficult it was for me when I lost my parents at such a young age.” Olivia couldn’t believe that she was openly talking about her parents. She reflected briefly about how far she had come in the several months she had known Alexander and how she could barely recognize the woman she was before. “I used to have trouble talking about them, and I don’t think I ever really got over their deaths. Sometimes it’s doing the little things in order to keep them alive in your heart. That way, they’re never really gone,” she said, recalling Alexander’s words to her that day months ago when they were at Beer Works.
Olivia looked up to see Alexander standing over his brother’s shoulder. “I’ll take over from here, Tyler,” Alexander said sternly.
“Okay. It was a pleasure, Libby.” Tyler bowed and left them.
“I’m sorry about that,” Alexander said, bringing Olivia’s body close to his once more, leading them across the dance floor with ease. “I don’t want you to get the wrong idea and think I’m still hung up on a girl I knew when I was a little boy. I’m not.”
“Alexander,” Olivia interrupted. “It’s okay. I get it. You suffered a loss at such a young age. I know what that feels like. And everyone has different ways of coping with loss. Music was, and still is, mine. If you need to sit by her grave every year, I understand.”
Alexander smiled, planting a gentle kiss on her forehead, relishing the feeling of her in his arms as the song finished.
Polite applause sounded from the guests in attendance before the pianist started playing the opening notes of A Kiss To Build A Dream On.
“Dance with me, love.” Alexander pulled Olivia back into his embrace, and they began to move around the dance floor to the melody. Alexander gazed down at her, his adoration for her swelling in his chest. How could he possibly explain to her how important she had become to him? She had always been important to him, but now that he knew it really was her, how could he put that into words?
He pulled her into his chest and leaned down as they swayed to the music. Alexander began to sing along with the band. Olivia sighed at the sound of his voice crooning those words to her, knowing that he sang them only for her, just as she sang each night for him.
As the song ended, Alexander dipped Olivia back, leaning over her, and kissed her passionately in the middle of the dance floor. Reaching up, she ran her fingers through his hair, loving the feeling of his silky locks as she communicated with her mouth how much she needed him. She couldn’t imagine life without Alexander in it, but she still wasn’t able to admit that she loved him. It was too soon.
~~~~~~~~~~
“We can wait in here,” Alexander said, motioning to the hotel lobby after they made their way out of the banquet hall. “That way you don’t freeze while we wait for Martin.”
Olivia thought about it. “No. That’s fine. I could use some fresh air. Plus, I’ve got a hot guy to keep me warm.” She winked as she walked in the direction of the front doors leading out onto Boylston Street.
Once outside, she took a deep breath, inhaling the chilly Boston air. Alexander looked around nervously. He relaxed once he realized that the only people on the street were fellow party-goers, as well as other tourists and bar hoppers out for a good time on a Saturday night in Boston.
He looked down at Olivia and couldn’t hold back anymore. “Here. Come with me.” He reached for her hand and pulled her around the corner of the hotel into a side alley.
Pinning her back against the building with his hips, he devoured her mouth, letting his hands explore her body. It was a body that he had become so well acquainted with those past several months, a body that he was scared to lose.
His hands rested on her ass. Olivia wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist as he lifted her up.
“Do you feel what you do to me?” Alexander asked breathlessly, pulling his mouth from hers for a brief moment before diving back in. Olivia moaned. She didn’t care that they were out in public. She wanted him right there. Alexander planted needy kisses down her neck, her shoulders, her chest. He pulled back once more and stared into Olivia’s eyes, slowing his breathing down and dropping her legs.
“Do you have any idea how important you are to me?” Alexander asked sweetly, staring into those beautiful brown eyes.
Olivia shook her head, glancing down at her feet.
“Hey. Look at me.”
She snapped her eyes back to his, their eyes meeting.
“You. Are. So. Important. To. Me.” He emphasized each word. “Olivia, I…” He hesitated telling her what he really wanted to say to her, fearful that she would run, even after all the assurances she had given over the past several weeks that she was done running.
“What?” she asked, her heart racing.
A smile crept across his face. “I had a wonderful time with you tonight.” They would get there, Alexander thought.
“As did I,” Olivia replied, planting one more kiss on his lips.
“Well, the night is still young, Miss Adler.” He glanced at his watch noting that it was only eleven. “Where to now?”
�
��Well, Kiera said she was going to MacFadden’s with Bridget and Melanie. Apparently, the DJ cancelled so Mo’s band is filling in. Want to go?”
“Sure. Should we go home and change first?”
“Um, that’s probably not a good idea. Once we’re home, I think we’ll find other ways to occupy our time rather than go to a bar. Don’t you agree, Mr. Burnham?”
“Ah. Of course. You’re right about that.” Alexander grinned. “To MacFadden’s then.” He grabbed Olivia’s hand and led her out of the alley just as Martin pulled up in their limo.
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
OH SO HOT
OLIVIA MANEUVERED THROUGH THE crowd of people on the second floor of MacFadden’s, spotting Kiera down front and center, staring up at Mo, Melanie and Bridget dancing behind her. The guys were performing a new song that evening. It was a great tune for Mo’s incredible vocal ability. He had such an amazing voice and Olivia couldn’t believe that he still played in bars. She thought he would have had a record deal by now.
When Mo finished the song, he looked down, saw Kiera there, jumped off the stage and gave her a kiss. And not just a friendly kiss, either. Olivia couldn’t believe her eyes. Up until that point, they had kept their “relationship” quiet, not really wanting to label it.
“So, Mo and Kiera?!” Alexander looked at Olivia, questioning.
“It’s been going on for a bit, but I guess they just kind of made it official!” Olivia shouted.
“Drink?!” Alexander asked with a raised voice, trying to be heard over the noise.
“Yeah! Sapphire tonic, please!”
Alexander went over to the bar to get their drink order just as the band took a break before their next set.
Kiera saw Olivia and ran over to her, brimming with enthusiasm. “You made it! Oh, my god!” she shouted, taking in Olivia’s appearance. “You look amazing! Holy shit! If I was a lesbian, I’d take you out back and do you right now.” Kiera laughed as Melanie and Bridget walked up behind her, waving at Olivia.
“But, apparently, you’re not, are you, Care Bear?” Olivia commented, smiling.
“So you saw that, huh?” Kiera asked, referring to the kiss.
Olivia gave her a hug. “I’m so happy for you. He’s a good guy, and you’re great. You deserve each other.”
“Is Tyler with you?” Melanie asked before taking a sip from her drink.
Olivia raised her eyebrows. “What’s going on with you two?”
Bridget laughed. “Oh, she’s in it.”
“What do you mean?”
“He’s all she’s been talking about since she met him last month, but the two of them are too shy and stupid to do anything about it.”
“Come on, Bridge!” Melanie protested. “He’s just so fucking hot!”
“He’s probably saying the same thing about you, ya’ know?” Olivia said. “If you dig him, make your move. Want me to give him your number?”
“HELL NO!” Melanie shouted. “That would make me look desperate.”
Olivia rolled her eyes. “Whatever. You let me know when you do.” She turned to look for Alexander, finally spotting him at the bar talking to Mo. Her heart warmed when she saw how well they got along.
A half-hour later, the band went back on stage and started their second set. A lot of people in the crowd noticed that Olivia was in the audience and kept coming up to her asking if she was performing that night. She hadn’t thought about it.
Alexander excused himself briefly when it got close to midnight. “Sorry, love. Nature calls.”
“Okay. I’ll be fine with the girls here,” she said as they stood off to the side by the bar, giggling about setting Melanie up with Tyler. “Oh, and the bathroom downstairs will probably have shorter lines. If you need any help in there, let me know.”
His heart skipped a beat when she winked at him as he turned to leave, giving some serious thought to grabbing her, dragging her to the bathroom, and burying himself deep inside of her.
The boys finished their next song to resounding cheers. Then, out of nowhere, a bunch of guys began chanting, “We want Libby! We want Libby!”
Mo stepped up to the microphone. “I guess some of the male population in attendance have noticed that Miss Olivia Adler is here.” Cheers and catcalls were heard throughout the bar. “And, boy, does she look good tonight.” Mo looked at her, searching for an answer of whether she wanted to get on stage. She nodded, smiling. “Okay, Livvy. Get your butt up here.”
Alexander heard Mo announce Olivia and immediately returned to the second floor just as someone shouted his name. “Alex, darling!” the voice called as he listened to Mo sing the opening bars of the Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow song, Picture. It was a slower song and the audience was grooving along.
Alexander hesitated, not wanting to see the source of that voice, knowing all too well who it belonged to. He slowly turned around and watched as Adele made her way up the stairs.
“What are you doing here, Adele? How did you know I would be here?” His brow furrowed, watching Olivia walk up to the microphone, the audience cheering wildly for her as she sang the second verse.
“I saw you leave the charity auction so I had my driver follow you.” She climbed the remaining steps and grabbed Alexander’s arm, pulling him with her toward the bar. “Buy me a drink, will you?”
Alexander rolled his eyes. “What do you want, Adele?”
She just smiled. “You, Alex. I want you.”
Olivia looked out over the audience during the instrumental break and couldn’t believe her eyes. ‘Plastic Surgery Barbie’ was dragging Alexander toward the bar, no doubt trying to convince him to buy her a drink. Olivia was not normally the jealous type, but why was she there? She ignored it as she walked back up to the microphone to finish the song, Mo and her trading lines, the audience singing along with lit smart phone screens waving in the air.
The song ended and Alexander met Olivia’s eyes. He sent her a pleading look. Adele wouldn’t leave his side.
“She is quite talented, isn’t she? I can see why you like her,” Adele said. “But it won’t last. You’ll come crawling back to me one of these days. I just know it.” She smiled at Alexander, kissing his neck before he took a step away.
Olivia saw the entire exchange and turned to Mo, smiling. “Let’s do one more.” She laughed to herself as she began to introduce the next song.
“Thanks, everyone. One more song and then I’m out of here for the evening to spend some time with my hot boyfriend.” The crowd cheered and Olivia met Alexander’s eyes, a wide smile across his gorgeous face. As it quieted down again, she grabbed the microphone off the stand and walked toward the front of the stage. “Ever date someone who had a psycho bitch ex?” she blurted into the microphone, glaring at Adele. The audience erupted in applause, laughing. Adele’s eyes grew wide.
“Yeah. Well, sometimes, they need to take the fucking hint and move on, don’t they? This is Put the Gun Down by Z.Z. Ward. Enjoy y’all!”
“Y’all?” Adele sneered at Alexander.
“Shut it, Adele.”
“Trash, Alex. She’s fucking trash.”
Olivia counted off and began singing, the percussionist keeping a simple beat behind her vocals. She slinked around the front of the stage with the microphone in her hand, glaring at Adele as if sending her a message to back off from her man. Alexander was hers and she was not about to lose him.
She hit the first chorus and Alexander busted out laughing. He didn’t think it was possible, but he fell even more in love with the girl on the stage.
“What are you laughing at?” Adele growled, her face bright red.
“This,” Alexander smiled. “Olivia’s giving you the big ‘fuck you’ and it’s awesome.” He simply laughed as Adele continued to stand there, pouting.
The audience grooved along to the driving beat of the song, Olivia belting out the lyrics. It was unlike anything Alexander had ever heard her sing before. It was upbeat and rocking, her voice strong, almos
t demanding. She was staking her claim. Her claim to him, and it turned him on.
Men in the audience whistled as Olivia moved across the stage, singing the second verse, touching her body through her silk dress in such a way to cause anyone to want to leave with her. She stopped when she reached a group of drunk guys, throwing her right leg out slightly, locking eyes with Alexander as she inched the slit of her dress up, showing the lacy stockings attached to her garter belt.
“Fuck,” Alexander breathed softly as he felt his erection twitching. The whistles coming from the males in attendance were deafening.
“You think that’s cute, do you?” Adele asked. “She’s trashy, Alex. What self-respecting woman would get up on stage for everyone to gawk at? I’m surprised they’re not throwing dollar bills her way, for crying out loud!”
Alexander laughed again. “Adele, you’re just jealous that she gets all this attention from having a raw talent that she didn’t have to pay thousands of dollars to some plastic surgeon for.”
Adele faced forward, her blood rising as she continued to watch Olivia move around the stage.
Olivia began the final chorus, the crowd singing and dancing along with her. She jumped off the stage, not really knowing what had possessed her to do that. She made her way through the audience, her eyes trained on one person alone, singing and dancing with a few people before reaching Adele standing next to her man. She grinded up against Alexander, her back to his front, his erection growing from the contact, as she glared at Adele.
Alexander placed his hand possessively over Olivia’s stomach, kissing her neck, and she kept singing. Adele’s mouth went wide with shock and the audience lost it, cheering for Olivia.
Once the driving beat picked up again, Olivia immediately turned and made her way back to the stage, finishing the song to a raucous applause. She noticed that Adele no longer stood next to her man.