“But if I do…” Olivia placed a finger to Hilary’s lips, but Hilary continued. “anything that feels uncomfortable.”
“Then I will tell you. Okay?” Olivia smiled again. She took a deep breath before climbing onto the bed and holding out her hand for Hilary to join her. “I trust you, Hilary.”
Making love with Hilary Palmer was incredible. Every touch, every kiss, every inch of her body reacted in ways Olivia had never felt with anyone before. Hilary was tender and unyielding in her want to satisfy her lover’s need. She was playful and attentive; she watched and read every signal now, and always found the right way to engage their union.
She was patient and took her time, letting Olivia reach her peak before taking her soaring over the brink, bringing her back down safely and protected with kisses and words of care and love.
Her fingertips inched gently as they caressed her. Down her spine they sent shivers, across her breasts they brought anticipation, and when they entered her, they brought only pleasure. Olivia’s skin burned with every touch of her lover’s fingers.
“Thank you,” she whispered. Wrapped in Hilary’s arms, she felt impossibly secure. Her love life up until now had always felt fragile, the last five years of her life especially; an unexpected pregnancy, and then, Ava.
She had been living in a waiting room and missing the train each time. But not now, now she was on the right track; she was travelling first class and hurtling toward a destination she had only ever really seen from a distance. The arms around her tightened, and she felt a kiss against her head.
“What for?” Hilary whispered back in reply.
“Patience, understanding.” She turned in Hilary’s arms to face her, taking her hand in her own and bringing them both up between them. She kissed Hilary’s knuckles. “Being so good with these.” Olivia smirked and kissed each finger one by one. “Loving me.” Her eyes locked with her lover’s. “I love you.”
“I love you too.” There was no hesitation, no holding back anymore. She didn’t have to pretend she wasn’t feeling what she felt, because she felt everything!
Chapter Thirty-Two
Michael Palmer fiddled with his tie as he examined his face in the mirror. He had a tiny piece of tissue stuck to his chin where the razor had caught.
“You look fine, Dad,” Hilary said as she passed the open bathroom door.
“Yeah? I wanna make a good impression.”
Hilary stopped and backtracked two steps until she was in front of the open door again. “Firstly, you are a decent guy, and that will always make an impression. But secondly, and most importantly, this is a fun day, with people who are kind and funny and really nice. You don’t have to worry.”
He turned to face her. “Hilary, it’s Cynthia Copeland.”
Hilary laughed. “Yeah, and?” She stepped forwards and pulled the piece of tissue away, double checking that the wound had stopped bleeding. “It will be fine. Now, are you ready, because I said we’d get there early for pre-dinner drinks.”
He glanced one last time in the mirror and combed his short blonde hair across his scalp one last time. Exhaling, he said, “Okay, let’s go.”
~MB~
There was a long whistle as Michael pulled the truck into the gates of Cynthia’s mansion. “Wow, you see these places in magazines, but you never really imagine they exist.”
Hilary shook her head, smiling at him. “You’re going to love this house. It is huge, and they have a pool, obviously.”
He parked the vehicle and climbed out, looking up at the impressive building, his eyes taking it all in.
“Hilary!” He watched as a small child ran from the opening door and into his daughter’s arms. She lifted her and swung her around, earning a fit of giggles. When they stopped spinning, the little girl, who he assumed was Gracie, said, “Hello, Mr. Hilary’s Daddy.”
Michael smiled and reached out a gentle hand. “Hey there, you must be Gracie?”
“That’s me,” she said, grinning. All thoughts of being Grace had gone. Hilary placed her down on the floor just as Olivia reached them.
“Hi Michael, I see you’ve met my daughter already. Thank you so much for coming.”
“Thank you for the invite. Oh, hang on.” He had a sudden thought and turned back to the truck. Reaching in, he pulled a bottle in a fancy bag from behind his seat. “It’s nothing fancy, but I like it.”
Olivia reached out for it. “Thank you, that was very sweet. Now, come on, let’s get inside, my mother is dying to meet you.” She grinned, tucking her arm through his, as she led them in with Hilary following, holding onto Gracie’s hand.
Cynthia Copeland stood at the bottom of the stairs, waiting. She looked the epitome of casual elegance as she smiled and stepped forward to greet their guest.
“Michael, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you,” she said, taking his hand and leading him away from Olivia and into the living room.
Olivia raised a brow at Hilary and they both laughed before stepping in front of each other to finally kiss. “I am so glad you’re here.”
“Me too,” piped up Gracie. They looked down to find her standing almost between them, looking up and grinning. “You are both princesses today,” she stated before running off to follow her Nanna.
“So, Princess Hilary, can I get you anything?” Olivia teased, taking Hilary’s hand and leading her towards the downstairs closet.
“Something hot, maybe?”
As Olivia pulled the door open and dragged Hilary inside, she grinned. “Definitely.”
~MB~
The afternoon was going swimmingly. Cynthia had placed Michael between herself and Joan. He looked terrified at first, but as the wine flowed, he began to loosen up.
“I really shouldn’t drink any more,” Michael said as Joan started to top up glasses. “I have to drive us home.”
“Oh, sorry Pop, I forgot to tell you that I am staying with Olivia tonight.”
Joan smiled at the pair. “Don’t they make such an adorable couple?”
“That they do, yes,” Michael replied, failing to notice Joan adding more wine to his glass.
“You know, Michael, we have plenty of rooms, why don’t you stay too and then we can all enjoy this wine together?” Cynthia said, jumping into the conversation.
“Yeah, say yes, Mr Hilary’s Dad.” Gracie grinned before shoving a mouthful of mashed potato into her mouth.
“You can call me Michael,” he said to Gracie before turning to Cynthia. “I really couldn’t impose on you all like that.”
She reached out and placed her hand on his arm. “You absolutely could.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
Olivia’s first day on the job had been hectic, but as time passed, she was rapidly getting used to it. Filming was taking place not on a studio lot, but in a mansion in Bel Air. The twelve celebrities were all living together in the house, on lockdown from the outside world; the only time they would leave would be when they would be bussed back and forth to whichever task they had been set that week, or when they were voted off and would leave the house for good. Cameras filmed them for 90% of the day and night. Bathroom privacy was the only time they were free from the eyes of the watching world. They wore microphones at all times except to sleep; however their beds were miked up too, just in case there were any late-night chats – or, as Tori hoped, a few romantic shenanigans!
Each evening they would be interviewed about their day, any problems they were finding, and what they expected from the following days/weeks.
For the first week there would be no filming; it was a chance for the celebrities to meet each other and get settled in the house, iron out any issues they had, and finalise their contracts. Eleven of them were in place and enjoying a meet and greet party in the grounds of the house. The production team were working around the clock to find a replacement for Maria. Word was out, and agents were calling or being called by the hour as they tried their best to get as big a star name as possible.
&
nbsp; Olivia was rushed off her feet and loving it. After months of doing not much of anything, she realised she really needed this, to have a motivation again even if it was just getting the show runner a coffee or finding a particular shampoo for Carrie Grey (an actress who had appeared several years ago in a long-forgotten soap opera, but still felt she had something to offer the world other than her ego).
Things with Hilary were going well. Christmas had been difficult as both had needed to spend time with their own families, but now they were planning to see each other as often as they could. Of course, there were difficulties in that. Her days were long, and with Hilary only really free Monday to Thursday, it made making plans a little more difficult. But she was determined to spend as much time as she could with her.
It had been a long time since anyone had made her feel like this. Even with Ava, it wasn’t like this.
~MB~
“Livvy?” the show’s producer, Tori Taylor, shouted from her seat in the main living room. She was sitting with some cast members, agents, and engineers as they worked out some final issues with microphones and recording agreements. “Can we get some coffee? And I need four more copies of this made.” She held some paperwork in the air that Olivia took. “Can you chase up with Greg how far along they are into signing up the last one? It’s cutting it pretty fucking fine, and I don’t need the grief I’m getting from the bigwigs with the money.”
“Sure Ms. Taylor, I’ll be right back.”
Greg Daniels was a tough cookie, and she had learned pretty quickly that he was the go-to guy when you wanted something done. Greg was her boss. Although everyone on set seemed to believe that she worked for them, the fact was, it was Greg who had the last word.
“Just tell her that it is all in hand and we think we might have snagged….” Greg addressed Olivia without looking at her as he continued to write the email he was replying to. “Tell her we’re talking A-list fuck up.”
~MB~
Thursday night, Hilary had finally sat down. She had spent most of the day on a bus, or with her father, who was in the last few weeks of his recovery and was itching to get back to work. As she relaxed on the couch with her feet up, nursing a well-deserved cup of coffee, her phone rang. Seeing the name Olivia, she grinned and snatched it up.
“I’m outside, open up,” the tired voice of Olivia mumbled into the handset.
Opening the door, Hilary reached out immediately. “Hey, what’s going on? What’s the matter?”
Olivia slumped forward into her arms. “I have to leave my job,” she cried.
“What? Why? I thought you loved it?”
“I do,” she said. Walking into the apartment, she dropped her bag on the floor.
“Then why?” Hilary asked, confused. It had only been a few hours ago when Liv had text her to say how great her day was, and now she was talking about leaving.
“Because fucking Ava is the new contestant.” Olivia sobbed and once again fell into Hilary’s arms.
“Holy shit, what asshole organised that? Don’t they know you used to date?”
“Of course they know, how do you think they persuaded her?” She pulled back and began pacing the room. "They fucking used my name to get her on board, it’s probably the reason I got the job in the first place, and now I am going to have to face her every day and not just that, but my job...” She was getting angry as she spoke, her vocal level rising. “My fucking job will be to run around at her beck and call anytime she wants something.”
“Okay, did you tell them how you feel, how it’s not—” Hilary walked to the fridge and grabbed two beers, uncapping and handing one to Olivia.
“No, what do I say?” she exclaimed, taking the bottle. “’I really would prefer you didn’t employ my ex-girlfriend because I just don’t want you to?’” She swigged at the cold drink. “I am not telling them. I won’t be the topic of gossip at the watercooler.”
“Of course, I just thought—” Hilary took a swig of her own beer before continuing. “So, you’re going to leave?”
“What else can I do?” Olivia replied in defeat as she flopped down on the couch. Hilary scrutinised her for a moment before sitting down next to her.
“You could say a big ‘fuck you’ and not let her win,” she said, sitting back and enjoying another sip of the cool liquid.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean you’re not the only PA, right? There are twelve celebrities. So, you got a one in twelve chance of having to work for her.”
“You’re saying I should stay and work with my ex, the same ex who assaulted me?” Olivia turned to her.
“I – I am saying that you love the job and—”
“I shouldn’t let her decide what I do or don’t do?” Olivia breathed out slowly and considered what her options truly were. “But what if—”
“Then you leave. You always have the option to leave, Liv.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
Supermodel Ava arrived in a whirlwind of media and paparazzi attention. Tori Taylor was ecstatic to have scored her and couldn’t keep the grin from her face. When she had signed up for this show, she knew that it would be a cast of has-beens and wannabes, but this was something else. Ava would bring the ratings they all hoped for. Ava Janko came with a reputation of course; which of their “celebrities” didn’t? But Ava was a big name, a real A-list star. Even if she was going through a rough patch with the media and losing her contract with Valari, she was everything this project needed.
It was pure coincidence that Olivia Copeland was working on the show. But when the opportunity impressed itself on Greg, he took it with both hands. It was almost as if fate had worked to get them the star they needed to boost ratings. And what would it hurt if he threw Olivia’s name into the negotiations? It seemed to be the clincher they needed.
Tori had tried everything she could to persuade Olivia to actually take part. It would be the perfect scenario of ex-lovers: both gorgeous, one a supermodel, the other an ex-model. And the whole nation could watch as the love affair either blossomed or imploded; either way it meant fantastic ratings. She hadn’t quite expected the reaction she had gotten from Olivia over the idea.
Greg pushed his thick-rimmed glasses back up his nose. “Olivia, look I know it’s not what you were expecting, but you have to see that having Ava on the show means—” He glanced across at Tori for support.
Arms folded across her chest, Olivia shook her head. “It’s fine Greg, I’m a grown up and I have a job to do, however I would appreciate not being left alone with her or even having anything to do with her if possible. I will work my ass off for you, but I need you to just trust me on this.”
Greg had worked with Cynthia once in the past and he had liked her. She was a straightforward and hard-working actress who never gave him any headaches. He liked Olivia too; it seemed she was cut from the same cloth as her mother.
“I can’t make promises, Liv, but I’ll do my best to keep you both apart,” he said, and Tori nodded in agreement.
“Thank you, now I’ll go get your coffee?” She smiled and was on the way out the door to get his Americano before he could speak.
“Shame,” Tori said, standing. “Would have been explosive.”
~MB~
Olivia was busy all day, running this way and that, and thankfully, no more was said about Ava. When she got home just past nine, Gracie was already in bed. School was wearing her out, but she was loving it, and Olivia was grateful. They were planning to spend some time over the weekend at Disney, and Gracie was beside herself with excitement over it. But right now, Olivia was shattered and just wanted to climb into bed. Her mother, however, had other ideas.
“How did it go?” Cynthia asked. She had spent the day worrying for her daughter. Ava having the nerve to do this hadn’t surprised her at all; the woman had no shame, clearly. But Olivia sticking it out? She was proud of her of course, but nonetheless, she worried. “Oh, these came for you.” She smiled and crossed the room to pick up
a large bouquet of colourful flowers and handed them to Olivia.
“Actually, it was okay. I didn’t see her. Jenny has been assigned her for the most part. I am assigned to Tariq, Belle Kelso, and Carrie Grey. Though mostly I am working for Greg Daniels.” She picked up the message on the flowers and opened the envelope.
“I remember Greg, nice guy. A hard ass, but fair. He worked on California Comfort with me.” Cynthia watched her daughter’s face light up as she read the note. “Hilary has beautiful taste.” She leaned in to smell the flowers.
“Yes, she does. I told her I loved her,” Olivia admitted.
“And?”
“She said she loved me too.” The smile on her face only added to the conviction of Cynthia’s that at some point recently her daughter’s relationship with Hilary had taken a major step forward. Olivia had been glowing.
“I assume things have moved forward?” Cynthia grinned as her daughter blushed.
“Mother!”
“What? I think it’s wonderful that you’ve had sex, it’s normal and exciting and you look happier than I think I have ever seen you.” She took both Olivia’s hands in her own. “Hilary is a wonderful girl; I like her very much, and she makes you happy, and she is wonderful with Gracie.”
“She does, I am so happy Mama. I need to call her and thank her for the flowers.”
“I suggest you do it from your room.” Her mother winked and left her to it.
On her way to her room, she stopped at Gracie’s door and peeked in. Her daughter was cuddled up to her rabbit, the covers kicked off. Olivia smiled and entered the room. As she reached down to pull the covers back up, Gracie opened one eye.
“Mummy, is time to get up already?”
“No baby, go back to sleep.” Gracie’s eye closed and she was sleeping in moments. “Sweet dreams,” Olivia whispered before heading to her own room, where she found another surprise: Hilary.
~MB~
One very long shower later and both women lay together on the bed, wrapped in fluffy white towels and each other.
Model Behavior Page 15
