by Fiona Riley
Chapter Thirteen
The following weeks went by surprisingly quickly for Olivia. Savannah videoconferenced the launch of the Denver room to the Greater Image team while they began working on the Phoenix project that following Monday. It had come out great. Olivia could not have been prouder, and Corrine was so giddy she practically grew wings and flew around the office. The celebration was short-lived, though, because the next site was right around the corner.
The Phoenix project was considerably larger in size and complexity. The basic outline they had used for Denver would suffice as a guideline only. This site was vastly different from the last: Instead of a newer build like the last trial, New Horizons had acquired a building in the historic district of Phoenix and had tasked Olivia’s team with bringing their unique design ideas to a beloved, but much older architectural space, while insisting they keep nearly century-old charm intact. There were more oddly shaped walls, structures, restrictions, and details than the first project, requiring a lot of math and science work this time around. Devon’s and Farrah’s input was limited until they knew the final room layout. They bounced around a few signature pieces that New Horizons wanted to include, but a lot of their work would be done on-site. Reagan, Randal, and Daniel, on the other hand, were up to their elbows in prep work, and Olivia was juggling a little bit of everything to keep the team afloat.
Olivia sat in on half a dozen videoconferences with those three and Savannah to try to make things as seamless as possible. The head of the Phoenix crew was on the calls as well, but there appeared to be a scheduling issue regarding the launch date. The historical district in which the building was located was celebrating some significant anniversary around the time of the unveiling, and New Horizons wanted to speed the launch up a week so that VIPs could see the space during the citywide celebration in hopes of facilitating increased interest in expansion possibilities for the rest of the calendar year.
This put a significant strain on Olivia’s team. They were asking for a project completion in four weeks that would normally take five or six. But the exposure would be incredible, and Olivia knew that if she and her team could deliver a more complicated end product in a shorter time frame, Greater Image Design would come out looking, well, great. As an added incentive, not that they needed one, New Horizons was offering a short vacation upon project completion to Olivia’s team at one of the Phoenix-area resorts they partnered with. It was an all-inclusive stay for everyone involved, on New Horizons’ dime. So that wasn’t half bad. As long as every person involved understood that the project needed to be completed in the shortened schedule with perfect outcomes. No pressure or anything.
She’d gone over it with her team and everyone seemed to be on board, excited even, so she knew they would put in the extra effort.
Outside of the schedule shake-up, the days following Olivia and Savannah’s little make-out session were initially quiet. Professional emails were cc’d to the group and consisted mainly of setting up meetings and deadlines. Gradually, she and Savannah had started to extend their videoconferences by a few minutes, just the two of them making idle small talk when the team left the room. Olivia still stood by her feeling that it was foolish to ignore their mutual attraction but realized it was probably equally foolish to encourage it. Still, they had managed to keep things light, even if she felt like their eyes spoke volumes more than their lips.
It wasn’t until a few days into the final week before heading to Phoenix, when Savannah texted Olivia a work question after-hours, that the playful banter turned into a heated flirtation. Since then, it had been a pretty regular occurrence for them to flirt via text.
Their text flirting had been mostly harmless. A winky face here and there. A few brief references to piano benches or questions about how the morning coffee was. There were a few good-night messages, nothing major. The texts danced along that line of appearing slightly more than friendly to someone who might pick up their phones but could easily be excused away if need be. But today’s texts would have been particularly difficult to disguise.
Earlier today, Olivia was discussing what materials her team would need in the design space. Everything was fine until she asked for a few drafting tables. Then things escalated rather quickly, probably because Savannah took it there, commenting, those are distracting, at which point Olivia replied something along the lines of, only if used inappropriately, followed up shortly with, I like to work with a firm surface under me, you know, when I get my hands dirty. Savannah’s tongue-wagging reply emoji gave Olivia all kinds of visuals for the rest of the afternoon. And not that Olivia would ever admit this to anyone, but she was rereading some of those texts when her sister called and interrupted her.
“It’s been impossible getting ahold of you lately,” Christine complained. To be fair, that was true.
“I know. I know. I’ve totally sucked at the sister thing lately. Work is insane.” Olivia was glad to be home alone tonight. It was the first time in forever that she had nothing planned. She was savoring the quiet.
“I’m not a fan of this traveling thing. I never know when I can call or what time zone you’re in. It’s bananas.”
Olivia could hear her little niece echoing bananas, bananas in the background and her heart grew a thousand times. She couldn’t wait to see her. She must be so big now.
“Well, buckle up, Buttercup, because the next stop on the list is Phoenix.” Olivia poured herself a glass of wine and breathed in its aroma. It was heaven.
“Phoenix is hot stuff. Pack your antiperspirant—we both know how you sweat,” Christine teased.
“I’m going to ignore that.” Olivia plopped down on the couch and crossed her legs. “How’s Mackenzie?”
“She’s good. She made a bunch of new friends in her afterschool music class and has since declared she will be a professional tromboner. I tried to tell her that’s not the correct title for that, nor is that a life goal, but she’s four so it fell on deaf ears.”
“I love that kid so much.” Olivia’s face hurt from smiling.
“She’s a character—I’ll give you that.” Christine laughed. “We miss you, Liv.” Now she sounded sad. “I was joking about the traveling thing before, but in all seriousness, I need some sister time and Mackenzie has been asking about auntie cuddles.”
Guilt washed over Olivia like a tidal wave. Christine and her husband were getting a divorce, and although so far it was amicable, it couldn’t be easy on her sister. “Soon, Chris. Soon. I promise. Once Phoenix is behind me, I’ll have a little more wiggle room.”
“Until Chicago,” her sister pointed out.
“Right. Until Chicago. But then it’s all clear and the project is done. And hopefully New Horizons is thrilled and this is the professional growth I’ve been dreaming about.” Olivia didn’t like to say it out loud too much, but she was really proud of this opportunity. And she wanted to be successful.
“I know. I’m just jealous because you get to spend so much time with this Savannah chick. She sounds hot.” Mackenzie parroted that in the background and Christine told her it was time for bed. “I gotta put the little boogie to bed because it’s past her bedtime. Talk soon?”
“Yes. Love you, Mack! And you too, Chris.” Olivia was glad she had a chance to catch up with her sister, even if it was brief.
“Bye, Auntie.” That kid was the cutest.
Olivia closed her eyes and was letting the weariness of the day fade from her shoulders when her phone rang in her hand.
“Forget something?”
“I don’t think so. Should I have?”
She’d answered it without looking because she figured it was Chris calling her back for some reason. Imagine her surprise when Savannah was on the other end of the line.
At first, Olivia thought she might have dozed off and was dreaming. It wouldn’t be the first time that thoughts of Savannah danced across her subconscious. Olivia opened her eyes and looked at the cell phone screen. Yup, it was definitely Savannah
and not a dream.
“Savannah. Hi.”
“Hey.” She could hear Savannah’s smile in her voice.
“Calling, huh? No more texting?” Olivia teased but she preferred this. Any time she could listen to Savannah’s voice was her favorite time.
“Um, I’m driving. I have a meeting over cocktails and I needed some information about the Phoenix specs, but I know it’s after nine thirty your time, so I figured you might not check your work email this late. Is this a bad time? Am I disturbing you?”
Olivia appreciated how thoughtful Savannah was being. “You never disturb me. What’s up?”
“That’s nice to hear.” Olivia could hear a faint clicking noise in the background. It sounded like the turn signal of a car. Savannah asked, “Did your team come to a final decision on the water feature? I know it was a big hit in Denver—it’s like the focal point of the room there. I wasn’t quite sure what they thought about replicating it on a much grander scale in Phoenix. Have you guys discussed it?”
“Yeah, we’re going to pitch a few ideas to the Phoenix crew and see what they think. I like the way it offers that calming effect in the space, you know? I think we should stick with it.” Olivia had discussed this at length with the team and they were all in agreement.
“Okay, good. Great.” Savannah paused. “How was your day?”
Olivia noted the change to that phone sex tone she loved so much. It brought her thoughts back to the texts from earlier. “Good. Distracting, but good.”
“Oh? Why was it distracting?” Savannah’s tone was playful.
“Oh, you know, some woman keeps texting me mildly suggestive things. All day long. That kind of distracting.”
Savannah laughed. “Is that so?”
“Mm-hmm. It’s torturous.”
“She sounds like a nuisance. Want me to say something to her?”
“No, I can handle her.” Olivia wondered if that was true.
“And how do you plan to do that?”
Olivia got the feeling that this conversation was about to take a different turn. It was dangerous talking to Savannah on the phone. At least by text she had a chance to pause and think before hitting send. Talking on the phone made it almost too easy to instigate something more.
Olivia glanced around her apartment and decided to take this call into her bedroom, to get a little more comfortable. “Well, for starters, I would ask her nicely to stop, and see where that gets me.”
“And if asking nicely doesn’t work? What then?”
“Well, then I would have to let her know there is a time and place for such banter. And that there are consequences if she doesn’t heed my warnings.” Olivia closed her bedroom door and set her wineglass on the bedside table.
“Consequences? Those sound interesting. Tell me about them. What kind of consequences?”
Savannah was baiting her. She took it.
“No more phone calls. No more texting. And I wouldn’t tell her that I’m all alone in my apartment right now.” Olivia could feel the beginnings of arousal pooling in her lower stomach. She liked this game.
“Does she ask about that? Does she want to know things like…what are you wearing?”
Olivia pulled in a deep breath and took a hearty sip of wine as she pondered what might happen next. Savannah was asking her hypothetical questions that were stirring up all kinds of nonhypothetical feelings. She clicked off the overhead light and settled onto her bed before turning on her bedside lamp. “She hasn’t yet, but I feel like she wants to, like it’s going there. I just think I should prepare myself.”
“Maybe it would help if we practiced. You know, I’ll pretend to be the person distracting you, and you answer like you think you would. Would that be helpful?” Savannah’s voice was dripping with naughty intention.
Olivia was hypnotized. “Yeah, that might help.”
“All right. So, Liv, where are you right now?”
Olivia smiled at the use of her nickname. “In my room, on my bed.”
“Is the door closed?”
“It is, but I live alone so that’s not a big issue. Why?” She settled farther into the bed.
“No reason.” There was a pause. “What are you wearing?”
“I don’t know if that’s an appropriate line of questioning.” Olivia played along as she felt herself start to get turned on. She could feel the heat crawling up her neck at just the hint of where this might be going.
“I’m just curious—it’s okay. Tell me, what are you wearing, Liv?” Savannah remained in character and goaded her gently.
Olivia felt herself starting to melt into the sound of Savannah’s voice. She closed her eyes and focused on her breathing in an attempt to slow it a bit. “I’m wearing jeans and a button-up shirt.”
“How many buttons are open at the top of your shirt?”
Olivia glanced down: the top three were undone, showing just a hint of cleavage. She liked this shirt because it made her tits look great. It was tailored in all the right places to be professional but sexy at the same time. She’d changed out of her skirt when she got home and pulled on a pair of jeans to run to the store but she hadn’t bothered to change her top yet. “Three.” She breathed out.
“And tell me, the jeans, are they like the ones you had on at the pool that day? You know, so I have a point of reference.”
Olivia wondered if Savannah added that last bit to uphold the pretense of role-playing for the intention of setting boundaries. They had clearly veered off course in that department. She wasn’t about to stop it. “Actually, they’re the same pair.”
When Savannah moaned, Olivia decided to forgo the game entirely. She wanted to know what Savannah was thinking, fuck pretenses. “You remember my jeans? Did you like them?”
“They were memorable. I’m a fan.” Savannah hummed and Olivia flushed.
She dragged her fingertips along her collarbone and let herself remember the appreciative gaze Savannah cast her by the pool. “I have that effect on people.”
“You’re pretty unforgettable, especially in those jeans,” Savannah drawled.
“Anything particularly memorable?” Olivia closed her eyes and traced her fingers along the collar of her shirt as she remembered Savannah’s touch, her lips along her neck.
“Your lips,” Savannah husked. “I love the way your lips feel on mine.”
Olivia moaned.
“Do you remember the taste of my mouth on yours?”
“Fuck.” Olivia’s pulse quickened as she remembered their time on the piano bench. Oh, she definitely remembered. She thought about it often, more than she’d like to admit.
“Do you remember how it felt with my hands on your hips? When I pulled you onto me?” Savannah’s voice was thick. Her words were slow and deliberate.
Olivia whimpered. She didn’t think she could ever forget the way it felt. She kept her eyes closed as she let herself become absorbed into the conversation. She soaked up Savannah’s breathy sex voice, one syllable at a time.
There was a pause on the line before Savannah quietly commanded in the most seductive voice Olivia had ever heard, “Olivia, I want you to unbutton your shirt.”
“Jesus.” Olivia felt that heat from her neck start to spread through her body. It traveled across her chest, down her abdomen, and settled right between her thighs.
“One button at a time, Liv. Do it.” Savannah purred across the line and Olivia’s fingers shook as she complied.
“Okay.” She was surprised how affected by Savannah’s soft command she was. It made her shudder with want. She could feel that familiar stickiness against the crotch of her jeans as she undid each button, slowly, one by one. She let out a heavy sigh when her shirt was completely undone. Her breath was shallow and short. “All right.”
“Good girl,” Savannah cooed and Olivia was positively soaked. “Unbutton your pants, Liv. Unbutton them and slide them off your hips. But do it slowly. All right?”
“Mm-hmm.” Olivia abandoned any
attempt at speaking in full sentences. Not after that last little exchange. She was barely keeping it together long enough to fulfill Savannah’s request. Everything in her body screamed for her to just make herself come to the sound of Savannah’s voice, but she knew she should wait, see where this went. It was wonderfully torturous.
After a moment or two, Savannah asked, “How’s it going, Liv?”
Her fingers were deliberate as she unbuttoned her jeans and slowly lowered the zipper like Savannah asked. She pressed her hands onto her hips and hooked her thumbs under the denim as she eased her jeans down her hips, over her ass, and past her knees until she could kick them off. She trembled as she looked down at herself, near naked but feeling surprisingly warm.
“Pants free.” She licked her lips and waited to hear what Savannah had to say.
“Mm, Liv, what kind of underwear are you wearing?”
Olivia looked down the smooth plane of her body, over her breasts, and down to her panties. She squeezed her thighs together to help lessen the throbbing and a soft moan accompanied the action. “A black push-up bra with lace, matching thong…”
“That sounds so hot.” There was a pause. “Liv?”
“Yeah?” Olivia was breathless.
“I want you to think of me, okay?” That wasn’t any problem at all. “Think of me and use your left hand to massage your breast, over your bra. Can you do that for me?”
Well, fuck.
“Okay.” Olivia slid her palm up her naked stomach to loosely palm at her breast. Her nipple pebbled under her palm and she groaned as the throbbing between her legs intensified.
“Harder, Liv. Massage it harder.” Savannah’s encouragement was making her feel light-headed.
“Shit,” Olivia gasped out as she did as she was told.
“I want you to roll your nipple between your fingers, Liv. Think of my hands and tease them.”
“Oh my God.” Olivia pinched and plucked at her nipple. She kept her eyes closed and bit her bottom lip as she envisioned Savannah touching her, breathing into her ear, coaxing her on. Her unoccupied hand gripped at the blanket next to her and squeezed the fabric with frustration and pleasure as she waited. She was getting restless. “I wish you were here.”
