Sorry for the late update.
To the guest reviewers that commented on the taxi drive from the last chapter: Just wanted to say that in this fic, just assume that Fitz would take care of all security-related business even if I don't specifically state it. He wouldn't just get in some random taxi without any precautions, the drivers were employed by the travel agency, and they were cleared. Furthermore, the cab driver was an honest man, and Fitz was able to see that right away when the man gave them a choice of which route to take back to Cancun, any other driver would have just taken them on the longest ride and make more money on the taximeter.
THIS CHAPTER WAS EDITED 6-17-19
Ypsilanti, Michigan. Mid-morning.
Officer Johnson braced himself. It was his first day on the job, and he hated letting his boss down; the bottom line was that he'd failed to bring Olivia Smith or Pope or whatever the woman in question called herself.
"What the heck? Where is she? I thought I told you not to come back here unless you had Olivia Smith with you. "said chief Springfield leaning forward on his swivel chair.
"She's on some kind of vacation…"
Springfield leaned forward on his desk, put the stub of his black cigar in the astray and sneered as though the word 'vacation' was a dirty word, "Vacation? Where?" He'd been wanting to take a vacation for years, but it was not happening any time soon. No siree! The last thing he wanted was a reminder of how badly his life really sucked.
Johnson shrugged one shoulder, he'd really tried to do what his boss demanded and even told the old lady something about the next of kin, but it had been no use, the woman in question was actually out of the country. "Mexico, I think."
Aw, Mexico. Well, at least that wasn't halfway across the world.
Springfield shoved his chair closer to his desk, he made some notes and shuffled them aside until his desk was a clutter of frayed papers and turned up corners.
Up to this point, he was just getting acquainted with the case of Derek Smith. There was the matter of his death, so far ruled an accidental drug overdose. And then there was the matter of him profiting from the sale of diluted pharmaceuticals. Foul play could not be completely ruled out until it was confirmed that Smith had acted alone; although everything pointed to him being the lone ranger.
He frowned, trying to puzzle this one out. They'd already frozen all the assets, and there was no sign of the million dollars he pocketed, and if anybody knew where he'd hidden the money, it had to be the ex-wife. First thing this morning, he'd interviewed his Barbie girlfriend, who obviously didn't get the missing boyfriend memo and was still living la vida loca, and whom he was more than happy to cross off the list. Anyhow, if Smith had any sense in him, he would have hidden the money he embezzled in an overseas account or invested it in some kind of money laundering scheme and given the account number to his wife (ex-wife, whatever, who cares) and mother of his only child in case anything happened to him.
Oh, yes…Wait till the feds got hold of this, he grimaced, rolling his eyes heavenward. His jurisdiction over the case would officially end. Diluting the strength of pharmaceuticals, tampering with chemotherapy drugs was illegal and carried a federal penalty. Had the poor SOB lived, he would have faced at least 30 years in prison and been the defendant in hundreds of lawsuits for fraud and wrongful deaths.
He glanced up from his papers and frowned as if suddenly remembering that Johnson was there. "Do we have a positive ID on the body?"
"Yes, sir. This morning Evelyn Pope mother of Olivia Smith identified the body of Derek Smith." He said proudly, thinking that at least, he'd been able to do something right.
"Good," Springfield sneered, the other man's formal tone irritated him. It was his first day on the job, but he didn't have to look like a terrified kindergartner. "Now, don't stand there and get me the ex-wife's phone number."
Johnson just stood there like a deer caught in the car headlights.
"Don't tell me you don't get her cell phone number?" He raised his voice exasperated. "I still need her to come in for an interrogation.
"Sorry, sir. Just the home number. I didn't think it was necessary. Her mother said she would call her…"
"Oh, yes," Springfield replied disdainfully, "you didn't think…that may be the problem," he added, tapping his temple with his fist, he shoulda known better than to send a newbie. He signed exasperated, dismissing the officer with a wave of the hand. And with that, he went back to his papers. He was gonna have to contact Evelyn Pope himself.
He picked up one of the files, and his eyes instantly narrowed his lips moving as he re-read some of the words. It had all started two years ago when a sales representative for the pharmaceutical company that produced the cancers drug Taxol and Gemzar, noticed a discrepancy between the amount of drug Smith bought and the amount he sold. She conducted an internal investigation that found no evidence of tampering. Two years later, the sales representative mentioned the matter to a nurse that worked for an oncologist who was one of Smith's clients. The oncologist wasted no time having the drugs supplied by Smith tested and immediately notified the authorities. And then surprise surprise! Perfect timing: the oncologist mysteriously disappeared, and Smith is found dead in his apartment. Coincidentally, they also happened to receive an out-of-state call around the same time from Smith's mother stating that she was worried about her son who had not returned any of her calls in days and she was bedbound or had severe peanut allergies and could not travel…or something like that.
XXX
Cancun, Mexico, mid-morning.
Olivia opened the door to find Fitz standing outside her room sporting a five o'clock shadow, his hand raised as if to knock on the door. Upon seeing her, he stopped and smiled that same exhilarating smile that made her weak in the knees.
I' m sorry, baby...I missed your text message last night, I must have fallen asleep."
She took his hand and pulled him inside, letting the door slam shut and threw her arms around him. Fitz hugged her tight, burying his face in her hair. He had dreamed of such a greeting all night long; her hair and neck smelled as good as he imagined.
"I promise I'll be good from now on," he said in a light-hearted tone pulling back just enough to peer down at her face.
"Well…ok…As long as you don't try to become my sugar daddy, you know," she said with a smirk, looking into his eyes.
"Don't worry, sweet baby…." He smirked back at her audacious remark. "I'm much too young for that…
She rolled her eyes playfully. And then in the next breath, something changed. Her face grew suddenly serious.
"I missed this…" She traced his lips with her finger, "I missed us."
"I missed us too." He replied with a sweet look in his eyes. "Olivia… you're everything I've ever wanted," he added with the most amazing pensive expression.
Surprised at his candid comment, Olivia drew in a breath. At a loss for words, she leaned in a little and so did he, their lips meeting his lips in a loving and gentle kiss that rapidly turned passionate and demanding, making her moan and weak in the knees. She felt a soft wetness starting to spread through her core, and she marveled at how one touch from this man could turn her into a quivering mess.
And then, he lifted her off the ground just as she linked her arms around his neck and carried her inside to the bedroom. In his arms, she felt perfect and clung to him, resting her head at the crook of his neck, breathing in his scent. He stopped when a few steps away from the king-sized bed and lowered her onto the floor.
They stood peering at each other, and she pulled him close, needing continuous contact with his body. He brought his mouth down on hers, exploring her hungrily and started undressing her slowly in between kisses, still leaving her clad in her panties and running his mouth along her shoulders and arms. She moaned, feeling faint with desire. Yet somehow, she managed to undress him as fast as she could, delighting in his smooth skin, strong thighs and hardened chest.
She was breathless long before they tumbled into bed together. Even though she loved that he was controlling the pace but was also eager to feel him inside her. And he was driving her insane as he was taking his own sweet time as his fingers played around her opening, teasing, almost making their way, lingering around the entrance and then retreating. She gasped anticipating the removal of the last barrier between them and the thrill of release.
Before she knew it, he had slipped a finger underneath the silky fabric and began stroking her and rubbing her clitoris, losing himself in the sensations. She was so incredibly wet, his mind went blank.
God, there's so much I want to do to you, "he murmured as his nose nuzzles along her lower abdomen, stopping for a second to kiss her tattoo, waves of his hair briefly tickling her stomach. Then, squeezing her calves, his hands slid up her legs and push her thighs far, far apart. Running his nose farther down and stopping over her sensitive bundle of nerves, he inhaled deeply. "You smell so good. Wet and ready for me," he made her squirm in anticipation by nuzzling his nose and planting a soft kiss over her bundle of nerves.
Fitz yanked off her panties at the last possible moment and when she least expected. He let out a low, breathy groan as he dipped his finger between her slick lips, so nice and smooth. "hmm…so wet. "
She squeezed the quilt between her fingers, watched him slip two fingers deep inside her. "Ah… God," She began to thrust against his finger, needing more.
"You're so damn tight." His hot breath whispered against her sensitive nerves making her gasp and grab his hair. Holding his head between her legs, she felt as though she was on fire, and only his tongue could bring her relief. Good heavens! The way he alternated between sucking and licking—fast and hard, soft and long—while slowly moving his fingers in and out made her want to scream so loud. And she did, as the wall of tension waiting to explode got bigger by the second.
"I'm gonna come so hard," Olivia said in a voice so brash and wanton she didn't recognize. It couldn't possibly be hers. Was there a sex goddess in the room with them?
Fitz moaned which sent delicious vibrations through his lips.
Olivia's body is nothing but sensation and greedy lust, striving and pulsing for release, "God, Fitz!"
"You're almost there, baby." He could see her trying to get there but needed that extra push.
He pulled back and started stroking himself. The sight of him was so goddamn beautiful, she reaches for him, "let me, I want you in my mouth."
He turned their bodies around so that now they're in position sixty-nine. "I hope you're okay with this, you taste like heaven, and I'm not stopping till you come."
Before Olivia had the chance to answer, Fitz dove back between her legs, pushing his tantalizing tongue deep inside her. Her cries and moans filled the room. Once again, she became convinced that those sounds couldn't possibly be coming from her, she's never made such sounds during sex, ever. "Oh, God, it's so good," she whimpered, taking his manhood into both her hands and then running her lips down his shaft. Then, she took the entire length of him inside her mouth and continued pumping him, making him groan several times.
"Show me what you like," he murmured breathlessly.
"I love everything, everything…"
His tongue started circling her opening and kept on going everywhere….
She clenched a little. "Relax, baby," he kissed his way back to her bundle of nerves, and in response, she sucked him deep into her mouth trying to take his entire length but failing; he was so big, hitting the back of her throat. She pulled back and delved again, sucking and flicking her tongue.
He released a hiss of air and pulled her tighter against his mouth, relentlessly sucking her clit. Heat started to expand like a raging inferno inside of her, urging her body to thrust and rock against him. She was now on fire and takes him in and out of her mouth at the same frantic pace. She was sooo darn close now, she sucked harder and faster as her orgasm builds and builds….
Unable to keep up, she took a break. "Oh, God, Oh, Fitz, I'm…" she exploded, crying out and throwing her head back, eyes shut tight. Her insides throbbed and gripped as her thighs naturally locked around his face. He drew out her pleasure by pumping his fingers in and out of her.
A moment later, she opened her eyes to find herself underneath him, his weight resting on his forearms, and the head of his cock nestled there against her opening, driving her mad.
"My God, Livvie, you're perfect," he locked eyes with her, "I've never needed a woman this much, and I never will."
"Oh, Fitz…I need to feel you… all the way inside," she demanded breathlessly.
He gave her a small smile and kissed her lips tenderly right before thrusting into her in one hard thrust. She moaned deeply satisfied as he stretches and fills her in all the right places and then gasped as a powerful orgasm crashed through her body, making her cry out his name. Fitz thrust into her harder and harder, and her orgasm continued. She was positive she'd never felt anything like it.
"Yes, oh, Livvie," he groaned. He was losing control, and she loved every second of it; the primal slap of their bodies coming together echoing all around them. Soon his movements became more erratic. With a roar, he exploded inside her body, and it was the most fantastic sensation. She cried out in joy, she didn't want it to ever end, and as the last ripples of her orgasm began to fade, she sought his lips.
"That was incredible," she mumbled against his lips with him still nestled inside of her.
"Yeah," he grunted, rolling onto his pillow beside her.
She ran her fingers along his jaw, enjoying the feel of his one-day stubble. She was surprised at how much she liked the fact that he hadn't shaved. Everything about him that moment was so masculine-bold and confident; it made it nearly impossible for a woman not to lose herself around him. And those eyes of his…they were so piercing and honest. She had to admit, she had fallen hard for this man. And it wasn't just the romancing, charisma, and sculpted face that drew her in. It was much deeper than that.
So much deeper.
It was as if God pulled out his pencil and sat down to write her a one of a kind heartwarming fairy tale romance, the kind that stays with you long after you finished reading and changes how you view the world.
He wrapped his arms around her, and she nuzzled the sensitive spot on his neck and inhaled his scent and then settled her head on his chest.
"Tell me about you as a kid," she prompted, "Were you Dennis the Menace or nice and compliant?"
"How about somewhere in between? He smirked. Average?"
She pulled back and let her eyes travel down his naked body, "somehow, you don't strike me as average anything in any department," and her cheeks warmed at the implication. She couldn't believe she'd just said that!
"Thanks, love," he smirked again, and she found that smirk infectious. " That's just about the nicest compliment any woman has ever paid me," he said cryptically.
"Ah, flattery.. ." She murmured against his chest, "I would have you continue, but you still haven't told me anything about you as a kid, she reiterated.
"Believe it or not, I was your average kid..." He paused, his smile fading, lost in the memories, "I loved solving puzzles, I got into cryptology when I was nine." He paused for effect. Olivia shifted so that she could lay with her body parallel to his, her arms propped against his stellar six-pack abs, and with her head lying on her hands so she could look up at him.
"Cryptology is mainly the constructing and analyzing protocols so that messages and information remain secure. In our information age, cryptology can be used for espionage, which is why some governments across the globe limit or even prohibited its use."
"Ah, so you started young…"
He smiled faintly at that, "you know the cryptex you gave me?" He waited for her to nod before continuing. "You're not going to believe this…but I got one exactly like this one back home.
"Wow..Really?"
"Yeah. My mother gave it to me for my birthday the year she passed away.
There was a moment of awkward silence. Olivia was sure he hadn't mentioned anything about his mother being dead.
" Fitz...I
" It' s okay, baby. Don't feel bad. That was a long time ago." He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He shifted and pulled her closer, and she snuggled up to him with a small sigh, "have you heard of the actress Mia Farrow?"
"Yeah..."
Olivia's eyes widened. "?"
" Not exactly," he shrugged followed by a tiny smirk. "She was a struggling actress for many years. At one point she chose the stage name of Mia Farrow...she was a great fan," he said with an embarrassed smile. She started off with as a fashion model, she never made it to the big screen. However, she got to play a role in All My Children for three years. One day, she walked into my dad' s office looking for a bodyguard, one of her fans had been stalking her. My father had just started Allstate Services which at the time had a different name. He became her personal bodyguard. In the beginning, they both tried to keep their distance and not get romantically involved. But they couldn't help falling in love," he sighed. " and the rest is history."
"How romantic," she sighed dreamingly, running her fingers over his chest and tracing little circles around his nipples. "Were you their first child?"
"I was…" he murmured. "Actually, I was their only child. My father later re-married and had Daniel." He then changed the subject, "Hey…I don't know about you, but I'm starved!"
Later...
They ordered room service and had a hearty brunch.
"My treat, he said, for making us miss the tour this morning."
"I should take responsibility for my half," she said. "We both slept in," she added before taking a bite of her eggs.
"Were you like this as a kid?" he chuckled, "cos that would have been kinda cute." They both shared a smile that spread into a wide grin, "I was the opposite…trust me, I was never the one to break the flower base or stick his hands in the cookie jar."
"Okay, love, I'm off to the salon," she announced after they both had their fill.
"Oh, pooh," he smirked, "what am I gonna do for hours at a time without you?"
"Whatever it is you did before you met me," she smirked back, giving him a peck on the lips. She collecting her clothing scattered about, got dressed, checked her self in the mirror and re-applied some lipstick. Minutes later, she was out the door.
XXX
Olivia came back from the salon mid-afternoon in a relaxed mood and properly caffeinated. Fitz had spent the afternoon properly Wi-Fi'ed, she discovered.
"You look gorgeous," he whistled, admiring her hair and her figure.
Olivia beamed. She'd had the ends trimmed and what a difference it made in this humidity. Her curls now looked bouncy and shiny as though it got a new lease on life.
"Guess what I did with my time...
She locked her arms around his shoulders. " Okay, let me guess...hmm… you went surfing?"
"I booked a late evening sea turtle tour. I know what you're thinking... but you know it' s my turn, technically, since you were the one who booked the tour we missed this morning. "
Hmm, Olivia mused, pretty soon she was going to start losing track of whose turn it was. "Dinner is on me!" She called out walking over to the closet, her mind drifting to what she was going to wear tonight.
"No arguments here," he called back.
XXX
And so tonight they would be heading for the beach to watch the nesting giant sea turtles, and then having a late dinner at the hotel. Olivia dressed in the best thing she'd packed in her suitcase: a cream colored cocktail dress with a V neckline which showed a good amount of cleavage without hinting too much. The dress was casual enough for a stroll around the beach and at the same time, classy enough for going out to dinner. Around her neck, she wore a single strand of pink pearls and on her feet, a pair of spiky black heels. And she pulled her hair back into a tight bun to keep it neat and off her face when they were out in the ocean breeze. Fitz wore a short-sleeved dress shirt and a pair of dressy trousers. He'd combed his hair straight back right out of the shower, but it kept falling forward as he moved, giving him a boyish look.
"You know what, I think we got about half an hour to spare…" he said rather suggestively.
She gave him a knowing look. Right then, her mobile rang.
Who is it?" Fitz asked. "Don't answer it," he advised in his next breath.
But Olivia fished it out of her purse, the ringing pulling her like a magnet. "It's my mother," she muttered wanting to hear the sweet sound of Adam's voice. "I need to take this."
Fitz shrugged in a mock defeated gesture, kicked off his shoes and climbed in bed, his back cushioned with pillows resting high against the headboard.
"It'll be just a minute," she whispered just before she answered, "Hi, mom. Yeah, everything's great. How are you? Adam's been good?"
Olivia turned at that moment and made eye contact with Fitz who was watching her intently with a dreamy look on his face. Then, in a flash of inspiration, she took off her sandals, hiked up her dress and slowly climbed in bed, inching up to him (with the phone cradled to her ear) She sat up beside him and he quickly fluffed a couple of pillows against the headboard so she could lean back in comfort.
"Hi, sweetheart, miss you so much," Olivia cooed into the receiver. "Yes, yes. Wow. That's cool. Okay, I wanna hear you sing it." She was quiet for a little while and then chuckled.
With his arms folded under his head and propped up by pillows, Fitz watched her as she spoke to her little boy in a happy, loving voice. Then, he heard her ask the boy to get grandma back on the phone. At this point, he leaned to kiss the top of her head, and she shifted so that he ended up putting his arms around her and resting his chin on her shoulder. She loved the way his arms wrapped around her; it was so natural like it was meant to be.
"Mom…yeah, that's good. Guess what," she paused, glancing back at Fitz, smiling. "I met someone." She then laughed at something her mother said. "Yeah, he's tall and handsome. Smart, funny, personable. Yeah, we went to the pyramids together…it was wonderful. " Olivia laughed at something her mother said. She shot him a playful look, covered the receiver and whispered," she just asked me if you're a keeper. And then before Fitz could respond, she said, "Yeah, I think so. He's a keeper."
With a growl of approval Fitz dove for her neck. Olivia shuddered as his lips, teeth and tongue dance along her skin. She closed her eyes, and despite her resolution to remain clear-headed, she couldn't formulate complete sentences after that, and her responses were limited to a series of interjections.
At last, she found her voice long enough to end the call," Okay, mom…we'll talk tomorrow…we gotta go. We're going on a tour… I'll tell you all about it later. Okay, love you too."
Olivia pulled the phone away from her ear and Fitz seamlessly retrieved it from her hand and pressed the 'end' button to finish the call so he could concentrate on nibbling her cute earlobes before trailing kisses down her jaw and down her neck….
"Hmm…Fitz…" she sighed, she was enjoying this so much, but they needed to talk. And there was also dinner…and their scheduled tour of Akumal beach later in the evening (they had missed a field trip already). Most reluctantly, she sprung off the bed and stood in front of the mirror behind the dresser to run a brush through her hair and fasten a pair of pearl drop earrings.
"Okay…so what did she say?" he peered at her expectantly through the mirror.
"About me meeting you?" he nodded almost imperceptibly. "Well, first of all, she started chanting a series of hallelujahs," she smirked.
He gave her an incredulous look.
"Just kidding!" she laughed. "Well, okay…she actually squealed, can you believe that? And said she'd been saving clippings from wedding magazines and wanted to start going over color schemes.
For the first time ever, Fitz looked absolutely stumped; he certainly hadn't expected that and for the first time couldn't formulate a clever come-back response. "Is that so?"
Olivia flung her head back in laughter. "You look about as thrilled as the last guy I dragged to the opera on super bowl Sunday." she teased.
Fitz joined in her laughter. It felt wonderful to laugh. Energy shot through his system making him feel more alive. For a few moments, he let himself hold on to the drunken, happy feeling and then brought himself back to normal seconds later.
"Boy," he said with a mock expression of relief. "I can't tell you how relieved I am…and here I was thinking I would have to drag you kicking and screaming down the aisle." He retorted.
She turned to give him a long playful look, "It seems to me that I should be the one saying that, that's my prerogative as a woman," she good-naturedly huffed.
"I speak for us both then, there won't be any kicking and screaming…" he smirked settling back on the pillows, arms folded behind his head. "As a matter of fact, wild horses couldn't keep me away from you when we finally say our "I do's."
It took all her willpower not to laugh at the vivid image he had painted; of wild horses, a reluctant bride and a wedding ceremony. She bit her lip and looked at him with glee in her eyes. It was then that she burst out laughing, letting herself flop down on the mattress facing the ceiling, her entire body shaking with laughter. Once again, he joined in her laughter and marveled at how was it possible for them to be so comfortable around each other, shedding tears of joy, and solidifying their bond. Remarkably, they were also talking marriage this early into their relationship, no hang-ups, no inhibitions.
"Okay, okay…seriously, though." She drew in a breath forcing herself to calm down, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.
"Okay, I'm all ears."
"Soon we'll have to go back home," she said with a heavy heart, "and then… when will we see each other again?"
He thought about her question; they would be leading separate lives in separate states. The realization unsettled him.
"I don't know when," He leaned in closer and stroked her cheek. The expression on his face had lost some of its playful edge, turning warm and intimate. "All I know is that I will come up and see you every chance I get. That, I promise you, Liv."
"Good," she smiled rather ruefully, "Cos' I hate saying good-bye."
"So do I," he pecked her lips. "In fact, let's not ever say good-bye, okay? With us, it always be a 'see you later'. That's how I want it to be between us."
XXX
Ypsilanti, Michigan.
After ending the call with Olivia, Evelyn released the tension she'd been holding and plopped herself on the nearest chair. My goodness, she'd nearly told Olivia about Derek which would have certainly put a damper on her new relationship. With a heavy heart, she picked up the receiver once again. Her next call was not an easy one to make. She'd met Derek's mother maybe half a dozen times in all the time her daughter had been married to her son, but they were never close. Still, her heart went out to her nonetheless; she couldn't imagine anything worse than losing a child.
With a deep sigh, she dialed the woman's number and waited. Where could she be? The woman had severe nut allergies, and as far as she knew, she was housebound. She called several more times throughout the day, but every single one of her calls went directly to voice mail.
XXX
Akumal beach, Mexico, early evening.
There was nothing as black as the ocean at night. It was blacker than the shadows their bodies cast as they walked together barefoot, hand in hand along the sand on a starless night. They picked up the pace and got caught up with the group of about fifteen people that had gathered to watch the nesting sea turtles. Akumal was home to the most pristine beaches with crystal clear waters. There were untouched natural areas where hundreds of turtles stay during the months of May, June, and July.
"Over here," someone called flashing a giant flashlight, and everyone gathered around a giant nesting sea turtle known as the loggerhead as it had a big head.
Everyone gasped as they spotted the eggs which were the size of ping pong balls and with a soft shell. There are around 110 eggs in a nest, but not every egg would hatch.
Fitz and Olivia were surprised to learn that only one in one thousand sea turtles will survive to adulthood. They face many obstacles to their survival in nature yet humans are the greatest threat to the survival of these creatures; for the last 100 years, the demand for turtle meat, eggs, skin and colorful shells had greatly reduced their populations.
Fitz pondered on all this while he watched the turtle lay her eggs and promised himself to look more into what he could do to help in the conservation of sea turtles, even if only through educational programs and by establishing a monetary fund to aid in maintaining nesting areas undisturbed. These beautiful creatures needed protection, and if they became extinct, both coastal and marine ecosystems would be negatively affected. Sea turtles were valuable creatures; they helped maintain the health of the ecosystem by consuming sea grass which needs to be cut short like lawn grass in order to provide the necessary nutrients to many species of fish and shellfish.
Olivia watched in awe the turtle nest and felt in her heart the kindness emanating from the creature and knew she was one with nature. She had always felt a great connection to the animal kingdom and to creatures of the sea in particular. As she looked out into the darkness of the sea, the greatest animal habitat on earth, her mind flashed to her first encounter with the ocean many years ago when she was just a preteen. Watching a ship being swallowed in the apparent nothingness, she realized back then that there was more to the vastness of the ocean than its sparkling shade of blue.
Later that evening upon their return to the Hyatt Zylara, Fitz and Olivia had a romantic dinner at a private gazebo by the pool under the stars.
The only thing that would have been more perfect was if she'd allowed him to take care of dinner and treat her like a queen, place her atop that pedestal where she deserved to be. More than anything, he wanted to spoil her, share with her his good fortune. He suspected though that she was going to continue to stick to her principles and make it hard for him. Ironically, the more she resisted, the more determined he became wanting to treat her like the queen of his heart.
Their four-course meal started with a Fruits of love salad, Princess cream soup, Patron's filet, and exotic fruit parfait with hibiscus flower coulis.
Fitz lifted his glass and toasted, "To Liv…Your wish is my command, always," he winked at her feeling particularly romantic.
Olivia completed the toast with some words of her own (at this point she'd lost track of whose turn it really was anyway), "to Fitz…thank you for such a beautiful day…for such a wonderful week, actually. Every day has been a joy, I have enjoyed your company so much, "she glowed, smiling over her glass, "thank you for making this the best vacation I've ever had."
"Ditto," He murmured, and they clinked glasses and sipped their champagne.
The magic of the moment intensified as the sound of a mariachi ballad started humming in the background. The music started getting louder with each passing second, and Olivia scanned her surroundings just as a Mariachi quartet appeared from the shadows on a terrace just below them overlooking the pool.
"May I have this dance?" Fitz gallantly asked, and she let out a tiny squeal.
A slightly inebriated Olivia, eager to slow dance, wrapped her arms around her man, holding him close. Soon they were slow dancing, moving together effortlessly over the dance floor. He pulled back a little and noticed the light of the moon bathing her face making her inner radiance shine through. He leaned forward and kissed her lips ever so tenderly, hoping that the magic and the mystery of it all would last forever.
A/N:
What's new? I started a new fic which means updates for this one may not be all that timely, but I will continue to update as often as I can. Please, stay tuned, I have great plans for this one.
Please keep on reviewing, thanks so much for your awesome support and have a great week,