by T. K. Leigh
“WAKE UP, LIBBY!” KIERA shouted later that evening, jumping on Olivia’s massive bed and waking her up from a far too short nap. The girls had spent the majority of the afternoon by the luxurious hotel pool, sipping too many cocktails to count as they basked in the warm desert sun.
“Go away,” Olivia groaned.
“Nope. It’s your bachelorette weekend, and we are not going to spend it sleeping. Get up, take a shower, and then we’re going out!”
Olivia raised her head, squinting at her friend. “What time is it?”
“It’s seven-thirty. Dinner is at nine at a five-star sushi restaurant here in the hotel so get moving.”
“Fine, but do me a favor.”
“What is it?”
“Call down and have a bottle of champagne brought up.”
“That was so thirty minutes ago.” Kiera handed Olivia a glass of champagne off the nightstand.
“I love you, Care Bear.”
Kiera smiled as they clinked glasses.
Later that evening, after a relaxing sushi dinner, the girls filed out of the casino they were staying at and made their way toward Toby as he waited for them with the limo out front.
“I totally think he works for Alexander,” Olivia whispered.
“Ah, who cares?” Melanie smiled. “I, for one, am happy that we have our own driver and don’t have to stand in that cab line.” She nodded her head at a line that snaked around the building.
“Good point.” Olivia laughed as she stepped into the limo.
“I love all the stares we’re getting, like we’re celebrities or something,” Bridget said as the limo pulled out of the valet area.
“We are,” Kiera stated. “We’re with Olivia, and she’s about to marry one of the country’s most eligible bachelors.” Her face brimmed with excitement.
“You love those gossip mags, don’t you?” Olivia asked, smiling at the fact that she was less than two months away from becoming Alexander’s wife. She didn’t care that he was one of the country’s richest and most successful single men. She’d want to marry him even if he didn’t have a penny to his name.
“Yes,” Kiera admitted. “And be glad that you have someone keeping an eye on what they say about you. Some girls would kill to be in your shoes. Literally. I mean those heels are pretty bitching…”
Olivia laughed, the rest of the girls joining in.
After a short ride down the Vegas Strip, Toby pulled up in front of a rather impressive looking hotel and the girls made their way through another crowded casino toward a night club. As soon as the bouncers saw their entourage approach, they immediately pulled back the rope, allowing their party to enter ahead of the line. A hostess greeted them immediately.
“Miss Adler, it's wonderful to see you this evening,” she said, leading them toward the back of a dark club that was decorated black and red throughout. The dance floor was already packed and people were lined up at the bar, anxious to grab a drink as loud music blared. Olivia couldn't wait to get onto that dance floor and let loose. “Your fiancé has arranged for anything you and your friends need this evening so I do hope you enjoy yourselves.”
The hostess led them to a small V.I.P. area adjacent to the dance floor that was roped off from the general public, two bouncers standing guard. The noise level was slightly lower and Olivia secretly loved that Alexander made all the arrangements, ensuring that they had a private place to relax between shaking their booties.
After the hostess left, Melanie turned to Olivia. “I wonder how she knew it was you.”
Olivia shrugged.
“It's because her face has been plastered all over the internet for months now,” Kiera interjected, winking at the hot server that had just come to take their drink order. “Two bottles of Cristal, please.”
The server nodded and returned in record time with their champagne.
“To Olivia!” Kiera shouted, raising her champagne flute. All the girls followed suit, clinking glasses. Olivia smiled at how different her life seemed from just a few short months ago. She still couldn’t get over the fact that she was getting married.
“We’ve been sitting down all night,” she said after pouring herself a second glass. “Let’s dance!” She jumped up from their table and made her way to the dance floor, the rest of her party close behind. Olivia closed her eyes, getting lost in the rhythm of the music, mindful to not spill her champagne as she moved to the beat.
She felt someone nudge her and immediately opened her eyes, smiling when she saw Kiera grinding up next to her. “Look over there!” she shouted, nodding her head a few feet away. Olivia followed Kiera's gaze and saw Bridget dancing rather intimately with an attractive man, Melanie talking to another guy just a few feet beyond that. “Only been here for five minutes and she’s already attracting the hotties! That girl’s on a mission!” Kiera commented, referring to Bridget.
Olivia laughed. “That's fine! She can have them! We've got our own hotties back home!”
Kiera clinked her glass with Olivia. “Damn straight!”
They danced for a few minutes, enjoying their time together, knowing that it was probably one of their last outings before Olivia got married. Kiera couldn't be happier for her friend.
“Hey, guys!” Melanie shouted over the music. A rather imposing man stood next to her, making her tall, lean body look tiny. He had dark hair and olive-toned skin with a strong jaw and a dazzling smile. “This is Lucas! He lives in Boston, too!” she said, placing her hand on his thick bicep. “Isn't that funny? He goes to Northeastern with me! He’s even a psych major, although we’ve never met each other. We have a class together this fall!”
Olivia looked at Melanie with a questioning look on her face.
“Oh, don’t worry, Libby,” she said. “I told him I’m not single. Plus, he’s gay.”
Olivia laughed, slightly relieved.
Bridget approached with the guy she had been dancing with. He had a rather strong resemblance to the young man standing at Melanie’s side.
“Lucas, it's great to meet you.” Olivia extended her hand to him. “Where in Boston…? Oh, fuck it. Come back to our table with us,” she yelled, not wanting to shout over the music anymore.
The guys followed the girls back to their booth, Olivia letting the bouncers guarding their area know that it was okay to let them in.
After pouring champagne for everyone and ordering a few more bottles, Olivia turned back to Lucas. “Well, where in Boston do you live?”
“I live in Brighton. This is my brother, Dylan,” he said, gesturing to the guy sitting next to Bridget.
“Dylan went to Harvard!” Bridget said, her dark eyes brimming with excitement.
“Oh, really?” Kiera asked. “What do you do now?”
Dylan smiled and his hand disappeared beneath the table. “Oh, a little bit of this. A little bit of that.”
“Who's older?” Olivia asked, noticing Bridget’s face flush red. She could only assume that Dylan had his hand on her leg.
“Dylan is,” Lucas said. “He's twenty-seven. I'm twenty-five. I started college a little late, but I’ll graduate this December.”
“Me, too!” Melanie exclaimed. “I can’t believe we haven’t run into each other before!”
Lucas nervously shifted in his seat, obviously flustered with Melanie’s beauty, even if he was gay. “Well, Northeastern’s a big school, and there are a lot of psych majors.”
Melanie rolled her eyes, an adorable look of mock irritation crossing her face. “You can say that again. We should totally form a study group for Professor Meecham’s seminar next fall. I hear it’s a bitch.”
“Definitely. I could use all the help I can get.”
“You both live in Brighton?” Olivia asked, interrupting Melanie’s conversation.
“I live in Cambridge,” Dylan explained, sharing a look with Bridget.
“You guys need to come to MacFadden's one of these nights and see Miss Olivia sing! She's a rock star!” Melanie s
aid excitedly.
“Olivia?” Lucas said. “That’s it! I thought you looked familiar. You’re Olivia Adler, aren’t you? You’re about to marry Alexander Burnham! Man, if he was gay…” He flashed a dazzling white smile.
Olivia took a sip of her champagne, hiding her grin as the entire table erupted in laughter. She still got butterflies just thinking about marrying Alexander. She wanted it to be August twenty-fourth already. The past few months felt like a big waiting game and part of her wanted to just drag Alexander to Vegas that weekend and marry him there without all the bullshit of having a big wedding.
“Well, congratulations,” Lucas said, raising his champagne glass. “I wish you the best of luck in your marriage.” A strange look crossed his face. Olivia tried not to read too much into it, but something seemed off. Then again, maybe Alexander’s paranoia was just rubbing off on her. These guys meant no harm. They were in Vegas on a guy's weekend, having a good time…just like she was.
They danced the rest of the night away, Bridget attached to Dylan’s hip throughout the entire evening. Melanie seemed content to be her wingman, spending time with Lucas and talking about school.
“I gave him my number!” Bridget slurred on the limo ride back to their hotel. “And I got his, too!”
“That's great!” Kiera said excitedly.
“I know! He's so sweet, guys! I mean, like really, really sweet. He kept telling me that I was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen and that he felt like he had been waiting his entire life to meet me.”
“You two make a really cute couple,” Olivia said, watching Bridget brim with excitement.
“We already have plans to see each other on Tuesday. He wants to take me out to dinner! I have a date! I haven't had a real date in so long!”
Olivia smiled at her friend, hoping that everything worked out with Dylan and Bridget because she deserved someone who treated her like a princess.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
NO CHOICE
“I’LL JUST PARK THE car and be right up with your luggage, ma’am,” Carter said late Monday night after picking up Olivia from the airport. She had a wonderful time with her friends, but was thankful to be home. At that moment, she finally realized that Alexander’s penthouse was home.
“Thank you,” she said quietly, climbing out of the car and making her way into the waterfront building. She ascended the twenty-five stories and quickly punched the code into the door, eager to see Runner. As the door to the penthouse slid open, the fifty-pound ball of energy wrapped in fur came bounding up to her, nearly toppling her over.
“Hey, boy. I sure did miss you!” She scratched his head before walking over to the couch, ready to collapse. Runner jumped up and snuggled next to her. Nepenthe stalked down the corridor, his keen eyes trained on the dog, debating whether or not he would allow him to live another day. He stretched and yawned before walking down the stairs to find another warm, dark spot to sleep in.
“Excuse me, ma’am,” Carter said, interrupting Olivia’s relaxing minute with the dog. “Where would you like your bags?”
“Up in the master bedroom is fine, Carter. Thank you.”
“It’s my pleasure, Miss Adler.”
Olivia collapsed back into the couch, feeling absolutely exhausted from the weekend. She fell asleep before she even heard Carter leave the apartment, dreaming of beautiful green eyes once more.
Several hours later, she woke up with a start after hearing Cam’s voice in her sleep. She had no idea what it all meant. Why, after all this time, was she dreaming of Cam? It wasn’t as if she had feelings for him in any way other than him being a good friend who had helped her during her darkest time. But there was something about the dream that made it feel so real.
She raised herself off the couch and walked into the kitchen. Opening the refrigerator, she grabbed a bottle of water and glanced at the clock on the wall. It wasn’t even midnight yet, but she felt completely exhausted. After rummaging through her purse, she found her cell phone, wondering why she hadn’t heard from Alexander yet.
Shit, she said to herself once she found it. Alexander is going to be pissed. She had forgotten to turn it back on after she landed.
Letting out a long breath, she pressed the power button and waited for it to boot up. Once it found a signal, she was immediately bombarded with texts and voicemails from Alexander.
“Great,” she muttered to herself. She hated the feeling she got when she didn’t check in with him when he expected her to. He always overreacted, thinking that she wasn’t safe for whatever reason he concocted in his head. She was starting to get tired of Alexander’s hero complex. She loved him with every fiber of her being, but she still wondered whether he would love her when she no longer needed protection from whatever force he believed was threatening her.
She sat down at the kitchen island, savoring the coldness of the water as she stared at her phone. Memories of that day months ago came flooding back. She had just gotten back into town and went to Alexander’s office, begging him to take her back. He had chased her through the streets of Boston to give her the coat she forgot. A strange man approached her and attempted to hit on her, rather poorly, Olivia thought. Alexander saw it and pummeled the guy to the ground.
She recalled how it always seemed like he was trying to protect or save her from one threat or another. But she couldn’t shake the memory of his face when she told him exactly what she wanted from him while they stood on the snowy street that day: “I don’t want you to always feel like you have to come and help me, Alex. I just want you to stand by my side while I try to help myself.”
Olivia began to realize that, no matter what, he would never follow those words. He would always try to be the one to do the saving, and she wasn’t sure how she felt about that.
Her phone interrupted her thoughts, Alexander’s photo flashing on the screen. She became nervous and was hesitant to answer, not wanting to be yelled at as if she was an errant child. “Well, I either have to face this today or tomorrow.”
She pushed the button on the screen and answered the call. “Hello, Alex.”
“Olivia! What the fuck?! Where have you been?! Your phone was off! I’ve been worried sick about you! I’m in the middle of an important meeting and, instead being able to describe in detail what my company’s doing over in Afghanistan, I’m worried about whether my wife-to-be is still fucking alive!”
“Jesus Christ, Alex. I’m fine. I fell asleep after getting back to the apartment tonight. You always go overboard where my safety is concerned and it’s getting old. Not to mention that I’m pretty fucking sure the chauffeur you arranged for us was one of your trained mercenaries, even though you promised that I could have this weekend to myself!” she spat out, fuming as she paced the kitchen. “Plus, you could have just called Carter! You know he was picking me up from the airport and dropping me off at home!”
“I don’t want to talk to Carter! I want to talk to you!” The line was silent for several long moments before Alexander spoke, softening his voice. “I’m sorry, Olivia. I’m working on my overbearing tendencies. I am. I just need to make sure that you’re safe.”
“Alex, how many times do we have to go through this? I don’t want you to constantly go behind my back to try to keep me safe! I can do that on my own!” She exhaled loudly before lowering her voice. “Do you know what I was thinking about just before the phone rang?”
“What’s that?” he asked quietly.
“That day in the snow back in January…”
The line went silent.
“Do you remember what I said to you?”
Alexander let out the breath he was holding. “I do, Olivia, but I just can’t stand aside where your safety is concerned. I have control issues. You know that.”
She walked over to the couch, flopping down on it. “But it’s suffocating me, Alex. I love you, but sometimes I wish I could go back to how things were before you came into my life.”
“What are you saying, lo
ve?” he asked, his voice full of hurt.
“No!” she yelled, shooting up into a sitting position. “I’m not saying that. I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you, but since I met you, you’ve been smothering me, making sure I have a protection detail with me at all times. I want my simple life back. I know I’ll never truly have that now that I’m marrying you, but I don’t always need protection, Alex, and you know that.”
Alexander sat there, reeling from what Olivia was saying. If she only knew the threats to her life that he was aware of, maybe she would be singing a different song. He didn’t know what to do. This conversation had been occurring more and more often, and he knew it was only a matter of time before she would figure it all out.
“Olivia, darling, there are things you should know,” he sighed, resigning himself to do the right thing…although it went against her father’s wishes. “I’ll be home tomorrow evening and we’ll discuss all of this then, face-to-face. We’ll come up with a compromise. I never meant to suffocate you. I just need to make sure you’re safe. Always.”
“I know, Alex, but you need to start telling me what you’re trying to keep me safe from.”
“I know, and I will. Tomorrow. I love you, Olivia.”
She smiled. “I love you, too, Alexander. Good night.”
“Good night, love.” Alexander hung up as he sat at a desk in his hotel room in San Francisco overlooking Union Square, thinking about what he had just promised. He would have to tell her, and he would have to do it the following day. He didn’t know if he was quite ready for that but, suddenly, he no longer had a choice.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
TRUTH AND CONSEQUENCES
“CAN YOU TAKE ME to the Starbucks by Alexander’s office building?” Olivia asked Marshall as she exited her apartment building just before four o’clock the following day.
“Absolutely, ma’am,” Marshall responded, opening the door for Olivia to climb into the back seat of the SUV.
Olivia was somewhat surprised that she made no move to contact Alexander to make sure he was okay with it. Then again, she met Kiera out for coffee quite often so it wasn’t an unusual request. This time, however, she wasn’t seeing Kiera. She had promised Adele that she would speak with her one last time and listen to what she had to say. Then, if Adele kept her word, she would never have to see her again.
