Authors: Rebecca K. Watts
“Well, at least you would have spoken your mind. But on second thought, you and your kids cannot come live with me. Keep doing what you do.” She made smooching noises. “Go kiss that booty, girl.”
“You make me sick.” She laughed. “How are my babies doing?”
“When are you going to quit calling those grown boys babies? They’re fine. You’re probably going to have a hard time making them catch the bus home. Momma has been picking them up every day.”
Olivia rolled her eyes. “The lady who used to tell us it isn’t raining that hard or snowing that bad is actually chauffeuring my boys around? My, my, things have really changed.”
“I think Momma was so aggravated from dealing with all those women daddy was messing around with that it spilled over to us. She’s all smiles these days.”
“Yeah, because he got old and realized she was the only one who would put up with him. Look, I will call you later, my break is almost over.” She noticed groups of people heading back to the conference room. Olivia followed suit.
Shortly after taking she sat down, Georgia walked in. Her nose was scrunched up and her lips tight.
Someone had sour lemons for lunch.
Olivia ignored her by pulling out her notepad, starting another list of things to do. Out the corner of her eye, she saw Richard moving to the front of the room. She couldn’t hold back her smile. Her pen dropped, and he had her undivided attention.
She watched as he c
ommanded the rooms’ attention. He was a natural speaker. Unbuttoning his cuffs, he pushed up his sleeves, showing his forearms. His muscles flexed as he moved around the room. Olivia began daydreaming about his arms around her. His touch was strong yet gentle.
Georgia cleared her throat loudly.
Her cold stare brought Olivia back to reality.
Richard ended his portion of the meeting by announcing that he was the last speaker for the day. As people cleared the room, she lingered behind, hoping to catch him alone. Just as Richard made his way in her direction, Georgia darted past her to him. While they spoke, Georgia flipped h
er long hair over her shoulder and leaned in closer, laughing. It was a classic flirtation move. Olivia waited a moment longer. Georgia showed no signs of leaving him alone. She held onto Richards arm while he walked out. As they passed, Georgia rolled her eyes at Olivia.
Not like he’s mine. I’m not about to fight for anyone’s attention.
She picked up her black leather satchel and dismissed herself.
Chapter Nineteen
Five hours had passed. Olivia called her kids, Devon, and her mother. She even got online, making some quick cash for two hours. She heard Richard knocking, but she refused to answer.
Olivia wasn’t upset about Georgia stealing him away until she had gone downstairs for dinner about an hour and a half after the meeting ended. Walking into the Italian restaurant, she was assaulted with the sight of Richard eating with Georgia. She’d lost her nerve. No way she’d let them see her eating alone. Olivia fled back to safety of her room and ordered in.
Open up. I know you are in there,
he sent in a text.
Angrily, she punched the letters on her cell phone
.
What makes you so sure?
I never saw you leave.
She rolled her eye
s
. You’re a stalker now?
No, just open up, and let me explain.
She gave up being evil and opened the door. He held roses. Olivia smiled, taking them from him, inhaling the fresh scent. Richard was far from off the hook. The time he’d promised her was given to her new nemesis. Her smile faded as she set them on the counter and faced him.
“Where do I begin?” he asked.
“Georgia,” she replied flatly.
“Straight to the point, huh?” He rubbed his head. “Well…she and I used to date a few years back.
She’s my ex-fiancé.”
Her jaw dropped.
“Your fiancé? You actually dated someone that stuck up and rude?” She thought the same of him too at first, but Georgia was another matter.
“I knew her from college and ran back into her a few years back. It lasted three years. Things happened, and I haven’t seen or heard from her until this conference. The funny thing is I know she saw me checking in because I stood only two people in front of her. She just chose not to speak until today.”
“I wonder why,” she mumbled. She wasn’t stupid. Georgia had seen her checking him out and went to stake her claim.
“It was over a year ago. I no longer love her. It was just different speaking with her again.” His gray eyes searched hers.
Olivia looked away. “I guess I can understand.”
“I think you intimidated her. Georgia’s used to being the pretty girl in the room, and you’re her new competition.”
“So you think I’m competition?” she said, letting her guard down and looking up at him.
He nodded. “Do you look at yourself in the mirror? You put her to shame.”
Richard held out his arms to her. There was a yearning in his eyes. She couldn’t resist. This man had put a spell on her. He gave her a long, hard, sensual kiss along with a tender hug.
“As much as I would love to be with you tonight, I can’t. It’s already late, and I have to handle a few things for tomorrow.”
Her attitude returned in an instant. She pulled away from him, turning her back. Like a naïve young girl, she was ready and willing.
“Don’t be like this.” He came up behind her, kissing her neck.
“Just go before I get more upset. I’m not your woman. I have no right. I understand you have obligations.” She lowered her voice, hiding the quivering sound as she fought back tears.
“Dinner tomorrow?”
She shrugged her shoulders, refusing to make any plans just to be disappointed again. It was time for her look at them for what they truly were. He was a man she met on the internet and not her Mr. Right.
Richard tried giving her another hug. She denied his embrace and held the door open for him.
She flopped down on the couch and began flipping through the cable channels. He was gone, and she was sexually frustrated. Being in his presence awakened her womanhood. Richard was a drug and she an addict. Right now, she was suffering from withdrawal.
A steamy series on a cable channel caught her eye. She loved the show. The scenes not only turned her on, they gave her ideas—ideas she wanted to try. This episode had women using a sex machine. She’d never seen one. Leaning in closer, she watched as the fake penis spun around and vibrated. Olivia made a mental note to look up the price on one of those. Her body started tingling while the woman was on all fours as the machine rotated and gyrated inside her. She moaned and screamed, sounding like it was the best sex of her life. Moisture formed between Olivia’s legs.
Her cell phone rang.
“Hello,” she answered. Her eyes were trained on the TV, and she hadn’t look
ed at the number.
“This is James. How are you?”
Fumbling for the remote, she quickly turned down the volume. She prayed he didn’t hear the moaning. “I’m good, and you?”
“I’m great. Were you busy? You sound distracted.”
“No…not at all. I was watching a rerun on TV. You know, just passing time.” She leaned back on the couch and relaxed.
“Where are you?”
“Atlanta, sorry I didn’t tell you. It was kind of last minute. I’m at a conference for my job.”
“It’s okay.” She could sense his smile through the phone. “I missed hearing your voice. I was afraid I ran you off.”
“No, I was trying to sort out a few things. Is the offer still there for a dinner date?” She twirled her hair around her index finger.
“Of course, glad you came around. You’ll see soon enough that I’m a good guy. I hate to cut our conversation short, but I need to finish up something for a client. I just wanted to touch base with you. I’ll give you a call tomorrow if you like.”
“Fine with me. Talk to you soon.”
Going to dinner shouldn’t be a problem. She was a single woman, and it was obvious things weren’t going to work with her and Richard. This would be her first real date. The one with Richard didn’t count—it was a booty call.
She focused back on the TV. Her show had ended. Olivia yawned; sleep was overtaking her. She curled up in her bed and was soon fast asleep.
Olivia woke up with a start. Her hands and eyes searched the room for Richard.
Where the hell did he go?
The moisture between her legs dripped down, and she realized she’d had a wet dream. She couldn’t get Richard out of her mind. She lay there another ten minutes, willing herself to drift back off to no avail.
Sliding back on into her clothes, she headed down to the bar. Only a stiff drink would solve her problem. The area was nearly empty. She ordered a drink, downing half of it in one swallow. From her view, she could overlook the lower levels of the hotel and the guests in the elevators going up.
“Will you be needing another?” the bartender asked.
Holding up her drink, she said, “I’m good.”
Her heart rate increased. In the bar mirror, she caught a glimpse of Richard and Georgia. She turned around. Her eyes weren’t playing tricks on her. They were going up in the elevator. From her view, they seemed to be embracing.
So much for having to work. She can have him.
After changing her mind and having a second drink, Olivia paid her tab and left the bar. Back in her room, she fell into a fitful slumber.
Chapter Twenty
The next day, she avoided making eye contact with Richard and ignored his text messages. She was there for business, not pleasure. Georgia’s words still stung. When Olivia took her seat, Georgia was already at the table.
“You didn’t really think he’d be seen with the likes of you, did you?” she asked.
“Excuse me?”
Georgia gave her an ice cold stare. “I’ll say it slow for you to comprehend. Richard may screw you, but he’ll never be seen in public with the likes of you. You’re nothing but a white man’s fantasy.”
Olivia jumped across the table, knocking Georgia to the ground—at least that’s what she imagined herself doing. The meeting had started, and Olivia wanted to keep her job. The rest of the conference, she avoided both of them and didn’t breathe easy until she was back home safely.
“I can’t believe Travis!” she gritted through her teeth as she spoke to Devon a few days later. She held the phone to the side as she kicked off her shoes. It was back to her daily routine at home.
“He’s just doing it to get at you. There’s no chance of him winning custody of the boys, especially after he agreed to the terms of the divorce in the first place,” Devon said.
“This whole thing is ridiculous. He doesn’t even want the boys. If he does get them, he’s just going to pawn them off on someone else.” She flopped in a chair in the living room. While sorting through her mail, she’d received a letter from Richard’s lawyer disputing custody.
“Look, just think about it,” Devon said in a calm voice. “Drug addicted mothers keep custody of their kids in this state. You make more than enough to support them. You’ve never been in trouble with the law, and you’re their mother. No judge in his right mind will take them from you.”
“You have a point, but I’m calling my lawyer first thing in the morning.” She had a headache.
“That’s my girl! Don’t sweat it, but handle your business.”
She willed herself to calm down before she had a panic attack. “Let me get in the kitchen and make Double J some food. You know they’ll be running in here any minute.”
“When am I going to be able to get some of Chef Olivia’s fine meals? You used to cook for me all the time in college. Now, yo
u don’t love me anymore. I see now.” Devon feigned being sad and dejected.
“You’re so goofy.” She laughed. “You’re welcome at my table any time.”
“See, I got you to smile. I’ll be there sooner than you think, just not today. Talk to you later.”
Olivia set the phone down the kitchen counter and began pulling out the ingredients to make lemon-baked chicken. Instead of chicken breasts, she chose wings. After seasoning the meat, sticking them in the oven, and setting the timer, they’d cook slow until they were tender and almost fell of the bone. This way she could go sit in the tub and relax.
She fought the urge to call Travis and cuss his bipolar tail out. How dare he try to take her babies from her! Who cares that he had to watch the kids for a whole week while she went out of town, which he didn’t do. He dropped them off with her sister. Olivia had been watching them from birth and did everything for them. School plays, sports, the doctor, shopping for clothes, teaching them to ride a bike, you name it, she did it. He was too busy saying he would do it tomorrow, which never came.
Sinking her tired body in the tub, she relaxed. The milk and honey mixed in the hot water put her at ease. Some candles and dim lighting would be nice, but then she may get so relaxed she’d bypass finishing up her meal. She lathered up her body until she felt the last bit of tension slip away.