Tomorrow's Promise

by jennynchan11

Olivia manages one of the most popular nightclubs in Hong Kong. She is tenacious, savvy and quick witted when it comes to the business. But when it comes to love, she was forced to keep it at an arm's distance. That is until Edward came into her life. Olivia began to drop the barrier but she then discovered what a fraud he turned out to be. Enter the debonaire and mysterious Andy.

TOMORROW'S PROMISE

STORY BY: JENNY CHAN

Copyright © 2018 All rights reserved

Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

Author's Note:

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Chapter One

Hong Kong

The sound of her breathing in the crisp morning air drowned out the excess city noise. The hills were beautiful during the fall. People who were out and about early in the morning came to walk along the trails. But for Olivia, she jogged. She ran until her lungs cried out in pain and she slowed down after reaching the peak of Lantau mountain. Leaning against her knees, she managed to catch her breath. When she looked up, the sun had finally made its debut across the hazy horizon.

It was her day off and she wasn't the type to stay home and lounge. She was entering her thirties that year and it meant she needed to work a little harder to maintain her stamina. She was fit. Slender but curvy. It wasn't always that way. In her teens, she was described as long, skinny and awkward. Her curves came in her twenties and like most new things in her life, Olivia rejected them until she learn to embrace them.

Smoothing out her shoulder length hair, she pulled it back into a ponytail. She made her way down the hill in a slow easy jog until she came upon a small restaurant at the foot of the mountain. After retrieving her meal, she ate alone on a bench. Olivia welcomed the silence that surrounded her "Would you like some company?" a male voice interrupted her empty thoughts.

Olivia continued to stare ahead and replied with a simple "No." She was in no mood to converse. The male felt dejected as he retrieved to another area.

Today was her day and no one else's. She had learned years ago how to say no and not feel guilty for it. She used to yearn for approval from complete strangers. That was until she walked into R&D Nightclub nearly ten years ago. Barely coming out of her teens, she was very insecure.

Olivia was the manager at the club with innovative ideas. The industry was constantly changing. The clientele demanded more and she always found a way to deliver. R&D was the hippest and most popular nightclub in the city of LFG, a hotbed for young professionals to release tension from a long work day or week. Fridays and Saturdays were their busiest days. The tourists loved Olivia because she spoke many languages. A secret she never shared with anyone until the owner of the club, Joe, overheard her speaking to a group of Japanese tourists. She commanded respect from the staff and she had a way of making people feel uncomfortable and comfortable all at the same time. It was a gift, Joe often thought as he watched her in action.

The chime of her phone broke into her reminiscing thoughts. She read the text: James called in sick. Need you to come in. Olivia cursed under her breath. It was the only Saturday she managed to get off in the past six months. She had plenty of time before the club opened. Rushing home to freshen up, she made her way into the inner city of Sha Tin. She entered the Wu Orphanage and greeted the receptionist with a broad smile "Morning Emma."

"Morning Liv. Day off?" she was used to the routine. Olivia made an appearance at least once a week. She spent most of the day talking to the orphans and keeping them company.

"Not for long. I have to go into work later. One of the staff just called out sick."

"Oh." the young girl glanced down the hall "So you won't be here tonight?"

"No." she noticed the peculiar attitude "Why? What's happening tonight?"

Emma bounced from her seat with excitement as she whispered "I heard from one of the owners that a big donor is making an appearance today."

"So?" Olivia shrugged carelessly.

"So? Uh, he is single, rich and very handsome. I thought maybe Matt or Ava could introduce you to him? I think his name is Tony something-I can't remember his last name."

Olivia fought the urge to laugh "And why would I be interested?"

"Well, you're single, aren't you?" Emma questioned.

"Is Joe gossiping about me again?" she wagged her finger at the young girl "And besides, you're single, too. You could introduce yourself to him?"

"Eww. He's too old for me." The young girl rolled her eyes "He's like 36 or something. I'm only 20 this year."

"Oh the horror!" Olivia laughed "I'll remind you that I'm turning 30 this year. And if you come near me with the world old, I swear to God-"

"Okay!" Emma chimed in "You know I didn't mean it that way. But seriously, you should meet him. He's coming by at around 8PM, I heard. I've only seen him once. I think he's a businessman of sorts. He only comes in once a year to donate money. Sounds like a good person, wouldn't you agree?" her grin was menacing.

Olivia arched her brow up "Monetary donations does not equate to the word 'good'. Donating time and effort. Now that's good." she winked while pointing to herself.

Emma laughed "Okay. But don't be disappointed if someone else snags him up. I hear a bunch of other donors are coming tonight."

"Obviously, it's a dinner benefit honoring them." Olivia pointed to the flyer on the information board next to Emma's desk. She frowned "Joe's name is on the list."

"Right and he hasn't RSVP'd. Do you know if he's coming?" Emma asked.

"I'll ask him later." Olivia promised before making her way back to the infant station.

She often volunteered to hold the babies. The ratio was three to one when it came to infants and caretakers. Most babies didn't have the luxury of a physical touch daily. Volunteers were encouraged to help with the infants, who required more care.

Olivia noticed a few volunteers were in the same room. There were rows of rocking chairs lined up against the wall for people to use and a total of seven babies were in the room. The number always fluctuated since they were the first to be adopted. She was familiar with the system, the older the age, the harder it was to be adopted.

Her vision focused on a baby girl breaking through a swaddled blanket "Stronger than you look, Sophie." Olivia cradled the baby in her arms and rocked her gently "There, there...you're good." She soothed and the baby stopped squirming.

"You're a natural." a female voice spoke up "You have kids?"

Olivia glanced up and noticed the woman was also holding a baby in her arms "No, I just have a lot of practice. I come here weekly."

She was rocking the baby boy back and forth "Took me a while to put this one to sleep." she appeared to be in her late fifties "I have one. He's all grown up now. Sometimes I think about him at this age. Such a cliché to say but they really do grow up too fast." Suddenly, the boy in her arms began to fluster and let out a shrill cry.

"Leo has acid reflex, so he prefers to be upright." Olivia offered.

The woman lifted the baby and placed him over her shoulder. After a few rocks, the crying stopped "Good advice."

"Are you a new volunteer?" it wasn't like her to be nosy but she sensed the woman was warm and inviting.

"No. Vacation. I was born in Sha Tin. My husband is a foreigner. We got married and I moved to the States with him. I try to come back and visit at least once a year."

Olivia smiled genuinely "That's very generous of you to take time from your vacation to visit the orphanage. It doesn't happen very often."

"I believe in giving back whenever the opportunity arises. Besides, they are the innocent ones." She was referring to the infants "Helpless. Abandoned. It wasn't their choice." The elder woman noticed Olivia switching another baby to hold "Are you tied down to anyone?"

"I beg your pardon?" She was taken aback by the blunt question.

The woman laughed lightly "I didn't mean to be direct. You see, my son is visiting with me. It's his third time in Hong Kong and it would be nice to have someone show him around. He's a little older than you. And you seem like the perfect candidate."

"I'm sorry, Auntie. My work schedule is very full and I would love to help out but-"

"I understand." she smiled "Just thought I'd ask."

Suddenly, the door opened and appeared Emma "Mrs. Chin, your driver is here for you."

"Thank you, Emma." She placed the sleeping baby back in the bassinet and turned to Olivia "It was very nice talking to you."

"Likewise. Have a good one." Olivia said politely as she watched the woman leave.

Emma escorted the woman out to the receptionist area "Will we be seeing you later tonight, too? Along with your son, Tony?"

"You have a great memory, Emma." The woman complimented "My husband and I already have dinner plans but Tony will be here to represent our family."

"How do you know Olivia?" Emma asked nosily.

"Who?" the woman appeared confused.

She felt embarrassed for asking "Nevermind. Thank you for coming by to volunteer." she said cheerily before the woman exited.

Olivia left the orphanage at around 5PM, she had enough time to run home and change. When she arrived at the club, it was barely opening. There was no line yet. Chaos ensued around 8PM every weekend and didn't end until 3AM. She greeted the three watchers with a nod. They dubbed the name for themselves when the rule was created by Olivia that each station of the club needed a good pair of eyes to control possible problematic patrons. They had a strict no tolerance of drunks or violence, which often resulted from too much alcohol consumption. They had no problem removing patrons from the club with the two bouncers on duty.

She knocked twice on the office door "Come in." Joe was expecting her "Now, before you lecture me, I offered to help the watchers but they unanimously voted to call you in."

Olivia's eyes narrowed suspiciously "Everyone knows you don't like being on the floor. And the chances of you offering to help is one in a million."

The male in his late fifties wrinkled his eyes with delight "You know they prefer you over me any day. It was never up for debate." he leaned back on the swivel chair "I owe you an extra day."

"Yeah and I'll cash that along with my other 30 days that you owe me." she joked.

Joe chuckled "Aww, did I disrupt your day of doing nothing? Please, I know you were at home eating a tub of chocolate ice cream when I texted you."

She dismissed the jab and leaned towards him "Actually, I was volunteering at the orphanage. There's a donor benefit tonight and you're on the list. Emma said you haven't replied. And she was trying to introduce me to a donor. Got any idea why?"

Joe laughed in amusement "How would I know?"

A scowl appeared on her face "Please, I know you put her up to it."

He lifted his chin in defiance "I merely asked her to keep her ears open for a potential suitor that could possibly take you off the market."

"You know how I feel about blind dates." she scolded "And why you are not going...again."

"Suits, champagne, mingling...not my cup of tea." He said lightly.

"Pop music, drunken patrons and balancing books is more up your alley?" Olivia scoffed "Come on Joe, go out. Live a little." She had been trying to get him to make friends for years. He was a workaholic. She couldn't remember the last time he had any fun. He was single and never tied himself down to another person. He had trust issues, something they both had in common.

Joe shook his head "This dog is too old to learn new tricks. Trust me, I would be one awkward wall flower. But it's not too late for you. Say, Phil told me he has a cousin that's looking to get hitched-"

"Oh dear, look at the time, I need to get to work." Olivia walked out of the room to Joe's shrill laughter.

"Lana, you take TL. Phil is on BR and I guess I'll handle TR. That leaves Liv at BL." Connie pointed to the designated locations of the club.

"So, no Eagle Eye today." Lana asked while reaching for the comps.

"No." Connie said and placed the comps into her left ear "Let's keep a close eye tonight."

"Isn't that Liv's line?" Phil joked as he turned on his comps.

"Well, Liv is not here right now." Connie said haughtily. She shooed them away with a wave of her hands. When she turned to face the bar, she found a male in his mid thirties staring back at her. Raising a drink in his hand, he smiled directly at her. Connie smiled back and gingerly approached him "Hello." she cooed flirtatiously.

The male's grin widened "I heard stories about the calm and tactical Olivia from some friends but I've yet to see it in person until now. That was impressive."

Connie's smile was unmoving "Really? What friends would that be?"

"Oh, other club managers around the area. You know they like to keep tabs on their competition." He pushed off the bar stool with his foot and made his way closer to Connie.

She bounced her head amusingly "What else did they say about me?"

"That you are beautiful. Strong. And no nonsense person. That it would be a privilege to call you a friend. I'm Edward." he reached out a hand to greet her.

"And that's Connie." a feminine voice entered their conversation.

Edward turned to the female in a black skirt and red top. He appeared confused and looked at the Connie "So, you're not-"

"Olivia? No." Connie smiled coyly "Perhaps before you start flirting, find out if the target is actually who you're trying to target. Oh and a class in flirting couldn't hurt. Just a suggestion." she added sweetly before moving towards her post.

"Ouch." Edward shook his head in dismay "Is my face red?"

Olivia cocked her head to the left "Beet." she nodded to his drink "Want another shot? Then no one can tell if you're blushing or just drunk."

"Wow, kick him while he's down!"

"That's our motto." She grinned.

He bounced his head up and down "So it's not one of those establishments?"

"Oh? You mean the one where the customer is always right? And we have to giggle and thank men for trying to pick us up? No, that would be next door. Go have a look." Olivia quipped.

Edward laughed despite the fact that she was urging him to go elsewhere "I think I'll keep my business here if you don't mind. I like my daily dose of reality."

"Suit yourself. You're more than welcome to stay." Olivia plastered on a smile. He couldn't tell if she was being sincere "We don't say no to paying customers."

"Ah, but you have no problem kicking out drunks?" he challenged.

Olivia's lips curled upward "Unruly drunks get one warning. Violent drunks immediately get the boot. We are encouraged to discriminate. Because it's our job to keep other patrons safe. We want your time here to be fun. That's all."

"So that's the secret to the success? The no tolerance rule is real?" Edward asked curiously.

"The other managers told you that?" she asked and Edward nodded in response "Tell me, do you guys like to gossip during brunch having mimosas and finger sandwiches, too?"

"Nope, we prefer to do that over beer and a pizza." he retorted. Then he noticed she continued to linger near the bar "Please, don't let me keep you if you have to get back to work."

"This is my station." Olivia said. She glanced behind him and spotted other patrons hovering over the bar with drink orders "It's going to get swamped here in about 15 minutes. You might want to move to one of our tables." her eyes pointed up to the second floor.

He reached for his drink and nodded firmly "I will take your advice." Edward made his way up the stairs and settled himself onto a stool with a raised table. He had a perfect view of Olivia from above. He glanced around the nightclub, it was filling up quickly and the music playing was gradually getting louder.

By 9PM, the club was in full swing. The entry line was wrapped around the block, which wasn't unusual for a Saturday night. Edward continued to observe her from a distance. He admired the way she carried herself and how she managed to stay cool in front of drunks that could barely stand still. She had a smile that lit up her face, which rarely happened. He counted three times in the past hour. His drink was watered down from the melted ice but he continued to nurse it with a straw. Edward didn't expect her to look up and lock eyes with him. Her lips twitched into a smile when he nervously looked away.

Embarrassed that he was caught gawking, he decided to abandon the drink and made his way down the stairs where she stopped him with her words "If you like staring, it's much easier to do down here."

His cheeks blazed as he stammered "I'm...sorry...I really didn't mean... to...um...stare."

Olivia eyed him until he squirmed uncomfortably "You're clear to drive home, if you have a car. You're not drunk." she concluded with confidence.

Edward was taken aback "That's how you check people?"

"Ten years in this industry, I can pretty much point out who's going to end up shitfaced drunk and who's here to gawk at women dancing. You do not fall under either category."

His eyes smiled in response "So I know the chances of me crashing and burning is high but I will regret walking out of here and not asking you-"

"You want to ask me out for lunch or coffee." she said bluntly.

"Actually, I wanted to borrow your expertise. You see, I work with investors. Business investors who hire me to do research on a particular establishment. My recent client wants to find a club to invest in. And you know the town is chock full of them but to find a good one to put money into isn't as easy as one would think."

Olivia crossed her arms sternly "I see."

"And I would pay you for your time, of course." he added quickly.

"My fee is hefty." she teased openly.

He smiled "I value your opinion and I've asked around and everyone has told me the same thing. Talk to Olivia." Edward smiled awkwardly "Could you please not stare at me like that? It makes me very uncomfortable."

"I know." She retorted.

Edward looked away from the piercing eyes "Clearly, your answer is no...so, I'll just be on my way."

"I didn't say no." she arched her chin up "Tomorrow. Noon. Caprice."

"Really?" he didn't think it would be that easy.

"Did you want me to play hard to get?" she teased and a smile spread across her face "Good night, Edward."

"See you tomorrow." He grinned. She watched him disappear out the door. He was handsome. And at that moment appeared genuine.

"What's this? Does my ears deceive me?"

Olivia rolled her eyes as she spun around to face Joe "So?"

"Hah...I threaten to introduce you to someone and you go out there and nabbed yourself the first fish you see? I should threaten you more often." he laughed.

"You heard through the comps?" she asked shortly.

"Nah, I don't like listening in. Too much chatter and gossip." he wrinkled his nose "Actually, I am heeding on your advice and going to that event. I know it started an hour ago but like you said, live a little. And this is me, living."

"So you're going to make a late appearance and hope by the time you get there, the party will be ending so you don't actually have to mingle?" she read him like a book "Real classy, Joe."

His nose flared as he began exiting "Get out of my head, Liv."

The following morning, Olivia made her way into the busy city and found the small, quaint bistro. She approached the female behind the podium "Hi Miss, how many people in your party?"

Olivia spotted him in the patio talking to a patron at the next table "My party is here. Thank you." She made her way towards him and overheard the tail end of the conversation. A surprise smile appeared on her face. He was speaking in English with an American tourist.

Edward nodded politely as he turned his attention to her "Hey, you're here."

"American?" she tilted her head with a smile.

"Oh...you mean the tourist?" he questioned.

She shook her head "No, I mean you."

His brows lifted with amusement "I was born here. I was about 15 years old when my parents' decided to send me and my sister to school in the States. I went to NYU after High School for 4 years and came back here to find work. I guess I picked up the American accent. I thought about staying in New York but there is something about Hong Kong that draws me back."

Olivia smiled "And your sister?"

Edward's lips stiffened as he looked away briefly "She's happy...I guess."

"You guess?"

He quickly shifted his hands over the drink "Anyways, enough about me. I have to admit that you're the first date that has ever made it on time. You have a habit of being punctual?"

"This isn't a date." she pointed out.

"Sure it is. Two people at a restaurant together at the same time... sitting at the same table...kinda the definition of a date."

She nodded slowly "Okay. You got me."

"I ordered us drinks, hope you don't mind. The caprese salad here is one of the best that I've had. Oh and the cheesy potato hash is a must order. You should definitely try the crispy calamari."

Olivia placed the menu down "Anything else?"

He flashed a toothy grin "Yes, how do I order that beautiful smile to appear on your face? You know, the one that lights up the room?" He skimmed through the menu "Hmmm, must be a special. I can't find it on the menu?" his eyes danced towards her playfully.

"Connie owes you an apology. You've obviously mastered the art of flirting." her lips pressed into a smile.

"I'll get more comfortable as you get to know me. And if I cross the line-"

"I'll gladly put you in your place." she chimed.

Edward's face lit up "So this isn't a one-time thing?"

She hummed before answering "We'll see."

Their conversations were light hearted. He talked about his work and asked about her start in the industry. She gave him a summary in which he already knew from what the other club managers have told him. It was a tight knit community and they were a well respected group. She was on the top of the list for obvious reasons. He was hoping she would open up more.

They were halfway through the meal when she glanced up to see him staring intently at her "Careful Edward, stares like that earn you a restraining order."

His face flushed in embarrassment "I'm sorry. I don't mean to come off stalker like. It's just...well, I've heard so many stories about you that I feel like I know you."

She tilted her head "You just described the typical beginning of an obsession story."

He shook his head "Let me explain it differently. It's like meeting your idol and they turned out to be exactly how you imagined. And then some."

"Darling, you should find someone else to idolize." she quickly changed the subject "So, you wanted my expertise?"

"Right." he placed the fork down and pulled out a tablet from a case he carried "So my client is looking to invest in a bar or club. Is it safe to assume you know most of them in LGF?"

Olivia was thoughtful with her answer "Most I know of, but only a handful that I know personally."

"That's good enough for me. Let's just go down the list." he began swiping on the tablet "Deja Vu?"

"Classy. Expensive. They cater to a special group of people. It's limited."

He knew what she meant "So nose in the air types. Nah." he moved to the next one "Volar?"

Olivia smiled "Hip. Modern. The bartenders there have a knack for picking out pretty girls in the crowd. They tend to ignore everyone else."

"So needs work on customer service." he nodded "Play?"

"It's good if you like paying for straws and ice." her brows flicked up when he appeared confused "The owner is annoyingly cheap. He charges for everything."

"Absurd." his head shook in astonishment "Insomnia." Her head bounced up and down "Oh, a good one?" he continued "Zinc?" she shrugged in response "Club Qing?" she paused for a moment before nodding "Dragon?"

"They try too hard to be young. Big drug dealing scene there." she whispered.

Edward was curious "I thought all clubs have some sort of triad connection? At least that's the rumor. If you look at R&D, the maximum capacity is what-350 people? How does the staff keep an eye on everything that's going on? People slipping pills for cash under the table...that sort of thing happens, no?"

"That's what the door guard is for. He screens everyone that enters the club. Our strict no tolerance rule is highly implemented. If any staff allows that shit inside, they're fired on the spot."

"So it's a no bullshit type of place?" he grinned "Like you?"

Olivia chuckled "I know you'd like to believe I have a say in what goes on at R&D, but I assure you that Joe is in charge. If you wanted to meet with him, all you need to do is call. Although, getting through to Joe is another challenge."

"I see." Edward spotted the sudden coldness in her personality "What are you thinking?"

She didn't sugar coat it "That you want to be chummy with me to get to Joe. He's not looking for investors. So there could only be one reason."

"And that would be?" he crossed his arms and leaned back.

"A franchise." her lips tightened as she reached for the bag and grabbed her wallet. She pulled out a few bills and tossed it on the table "Lunch was delicious but the intent, on the other hand, was transparent."

"Do you always jump to conclusion? I never said I wanted to talk to Joe. You did." he said almost harshly "Maybe before you put words in my mouth-"

"Okay, so what do you want?" she leaned forward.

Edward's smile appeared genuine "To be your friend."

Her brows furrowed in suspicion "Did Joe put you up to this?"

He was suddenly amused "Wow, you are really insecure? Funny, no one mentioned that."

It was her turn to squirm "So all this...was not a motive?"

Edward shook his head "No. I genuinely want to get to know you better. Who knows, if it doesn't work out, I can always result to stalking? Since I clearly have tendencies."

Olivia's lips slowly curled into a smile "Obviously."

"Just give me a chance. That's all I ask." he said sincerely.

It wasn't like her to give in but Joe's words rang loud in her ear. He worried about her. He didn't want her to follow the path that he opted. At that moment, she let vulnerability creep in "Alright."

Chapter Two

For months, Edward courted Olivia with sincerity. He didn't throw money to impress her like the recent men in her life did. He planned picnics at the beach, surprised her with flowers at work and sent her funny jokes through text that often made her laugh out loud. Even Joe noticed a change in her. She was letting her guard down. There was a chance for her yet, he thought when he saw them together. Edward came by the club often, sometimes for just five minutes so he can see her.

Olivia had a hard time admitting that she liked him. He was different from the rest. He tried hard but in the right way that suit her personality. She had never come across anyone like him. But the thought of dropping the barrier completely scared her to the core. She had been burned before and refused to let it happen again. But during a monthly meeting with Joe, he found her distant and distracted "...and then we should have the watchers dress up in monkey costumes and dance on the stage next to the DJ."

"Sure, sounds great." Olivia answered dully.

Joe frowned "Liv, what's the matter? You're here but your mind is elsewhere. Is it Edward? Did he do something?"

She shook her head "Quite the opposite. It's been surreal. I'm actually happy, Joe."

"And that terrifies you." he said.

Olivia nodded "What if he turns out to be exactly like the others?"

"That's how insecurity wins. And it's also how you lose someone who has potential."

"I know." she groaned "It's too good. He's too perfect to be real." he let out a sigh at her words "I know! I have issues."

Joe appeared sympathetic "No one can blame you for it. After what you've been through. But Liv, we can't continue to live in the past. I want you to be happy. And it seems you are. So rather than fight it, let's embrace it?"

"I don't know if I can." she whispered honestly.

"You can. You just need to push those negative thoughts away when they creep up. Which by the look on your face is quite often?" He knew she was feeling conflicted "Let's talk business. Keep your mind off of it?"

"Sure." she agreed.

"I've been reading up on all the patron reviews. Most are just sour grapes cause they couldn't get into the club. But some had concerns about the steps entering the club, which could be a trip hazard. We should probably put lights-" he was interrupted with a text. Frowning, he skimmed through the message.

"Is it important?" Olivia asked.

He turned off his phone and placed it face down "No, just another request for a franchise. I'll have to think about it."

"Wait." She stopped him "I thought you were against franchises?"

Joe shook his head "No. Well, not the idea of it. With the right investor, I think it could happen. Granted I've been against it in the past but we've made a name for ourselves now. I'm getting more calls than ever about it. It's worth a little of my time."

Her face lit up "Good to know."

"Okay, now I know something's up. Spill it." he said sternly.

Olivia smiled "I don't want to sway you in any way but would you be open to meet with an investor?"

"I don't see any harm in a meeting?" he shrugged "Someone you know?"

"Actually, it's Edward's client. He wants to open a bar and club. I don't know much about him but like you said, no harm in a meeting?"

"Sure, set it up." he agreed with a nod.

After their meeting, Olivia couldn't wait to call Edward with the news. He picked up after the third ring and he sounded groggy "Oh. Did I disturb you?"

"Yeah, it's 2AM here." he covered a yawn.

"Dear. I forgot you were in L.A. I'll call back later-"

"It's alright. Jetlagged welcomed if it's for you. What is it?"

"You still have that client who wants to talk franchise?" she smiled when there was a gasp on the other line.

"Oh my God, you convinced Joe?" he asked in shock.

"No. Actually, he's been open to the idea. He just needed to find the right investor. He wants to meet up with your client. Is he still interested?"

"Hell yeah!" Edward cried in excitement "This is huge, Liv. If I land this deal, my reputation will take off in this industry."

"Hey, it's not a guarantee. Just a meeting." She reminded him. She didn't want him to be overly optimistic "He's free most days between noon and 5PM. Let me know what day."

"Definitely as soon as possible. I'll be back in Hong Kong in a few days."

"Okay. We'll touch base then." she hung up the call with a smile on her face.

Joe agreed to the meeting at 2PM on a Wednesday. The club wasn't open but he wanted to meet the investor there. The man was in his late forties and he had a firm handshake "Thank you for meeting with me, Joe."

"It's my pleasure, Louie." he pointed to an empty table and seat.

He looked around at the spacious club "I can see why it's the hit of the town. This place is huge with a touch of modern class."

"Thank you. It's constantly changing. Upgrades. Updates. Costly but the profits makes it all worth it." Joe was honest "So, tell me about your background."

The man was prepared "I didn't get into investing until my late thirties. I spent most of my life working three jobs to support my family. The jobs were usually in food establishments. I interned a few years with an interior design company. I met a lot of people. Connected with businessmen. They were always looking to make a quick buck and often asked me to invest but I didn't want to. If I were to put any of my hard earned money down, it has to be with something I believe in. I'm not a trust fund baby so I treat the dollar like it was a hundred."

"I agree. Money handed out means two things. You didn't earn it and you definitely don't deserve it. I believe in working hard. It builds character because if you don't make mistakes, you're doing it wrong. Running a bar and club has its ups and downs, as you can imagine. There is always another club trying to take your customers. Competition comes with the territory."

"Of course. But with the right rules and people running the club, it can be unstoppable. And that's what you've done with R&D. The reputation speaks for itself." Louie complimented.

Joe nodded proudly "It wasn't like this in the beginning. But I'd like to think I hired the right people to run the place. Honestly, I sit in an office and play games all night." he chuckled "Don't tell anyone."

"I wouldn't believe it if I saw it. A club doesn't run itself. It needs strong leadership." Louie said firmly "And that's you."

"I beg to differ." Joe laughed "But I enjoy the compliments very much. Especially when they are sincere. Tell me, how did you find Edward?"

"He was referred by a friend of mine." he answered.

"Who?" Joe asked casually.

Louie smiled "Carl Duran. He resides in the States now but he hired Edward to do research on a few apartment buildings in New York last month and it's going great."

"I've heard of him. He also owns a high rise here in Kowloon." Joe nodded briefly.

"I hate to push you for an answer but am I wasting my time here?" Louie asked frankly.

"I will draw up the contract with my lawyer and we can meet up by the end of next week to discuss. How's that?"

Louie laughed "That sounds perfect. Thank you!"

Joe watched as the male walked out of the club before turning towards the bar "What do you think?"

Olivia popped up from behind the bar as she nodded slowly "He sounds legit."

"So far so good." Joe agreed "Carl Duran is a big name. If he didn't know him, it would be stupid to throw it out there. I can call Carl and confirm."

"And you should." She agreed.

"Can you call Old Man Chu for a meeting? I hate calling that bastard. Talks my ear off."

Olivia rolled her eyes "Joe, he's your best friend. And he works for free. The least you can do is listen to his rambling."

"I've been doing that for the past 45 years! I deserve a break!" he scoffed while Olivia laughed before making the call to set up the meeting with Joe and Louie.

Outside, Louie was a block away from the club when Edward appeared in front of him "Jesus!" he clutched his chest.

"How did it go?" Edward glanced behind him as he led Louie to the nearest alley to talk privately.

"I said everything you told me to say. You really think he believes that I know Carl Duran?"

Edward snickered "No, probably not. And my guess is he'll call him to verify."

"Won't that blow our cover?" Louie asked.

"I've already taken care of that end." Edward assured him "So, did he say it's a done deal?"

"He said he'll have his lawyer draw out the contract and call me next week for a meeting." Louie frowned "What if it's a ridiculous amount of money? You bet there will be contingencies. Where's the red line?"

"There is none. We agree to anything and everything." Edward advised him carefully "Got it?"

"Yeah, whatever you say. It's your money." Louie shrugged. He wasn't sure why Edward reached out to him to pretend to be an investor "Aren't you dating the manager there? Why not tell her directly-"

"If I hired you to give me advice, I would expect advice." Edward scowled "Go."

A week later, they were meeting at the lawyer's office. Joe began the introductions when Louie arrived "This is William Chu. He's a long time friend of mine."

"Acquaintance is more like it." William sent his old friend a wink before shaking hands with Louie "It's nice to meet you Mr. Han."

"Please. Call me Louie." he turned to the empty seat on his left "Are we expecting another person?"

"Yes. And she's late." Joe glanced at his watch. Suddenly, the door of the office swung open "Speak of the devil. Louie, I'd like you to meet Olivia."

Louie appeared startled as he stood up "Hello. It's nice to meet you. Edward has told me briefly about you."

"Has he?" Olivia beamed "All good, I hope?"

"He couldn't stop gushing about you." Louie informed as he sat down "Shall we start?"

"I'll let William do the talking since he gets paid to talk." Joe threw his friend a quick nod.

"Paid is the operative word." he cleared his throat and passed the contract to each individual to review. Putting on his reading glasses, he began "There are a few items so we should start with the most obvious. The franchise fee is $50,000. and the name of the club must remain R&D Nightclub. The layout will be similar with a few upgrades approved by Joe. The location of the club must also be approved by Joe. Have you thought of where you would want the club?"

Louie nodded firmly "Los Angeles, California. In the heart of Beverly Hills, along Sunset Boulevard."

"That's some real estate." Joe arched his brow "Impressive."

"Alright, that's a yes." William continued "You will be responsible for all payments in regards to construction, liquor license fees, interior design, water/electric/gas bills, employees, bouncers ecetera. Pretty much anything to keep the club running."

"Of course." Louie agreed.

"Obviously the rules implemented at R&D in Lan Gwai Fong will be changed to accommodate to the patrons in Los Angeles. But it should still be similar. The original franchise shall reserve the right to make any future changes that will apply to ALL franchisees." William removed his glasses as he looked up at the group."What do you think so far, Louie?"

"It's not unreasonable. I can sign the contract as is." he pointed to the pen next to William's hand "Let's finalize this, shall we?"

"Actually, there is one more thing." Joe interrupted.

"What is it?" Louie asked in confusion. He was not expecting anything else on the contract.

William nodded "The contingency, which is the most important part." when he had Louie's attention, he explained "Olivia will be oversight. She will be present during the entire duration of the construction to make sure everything is carried out as outlined in the contract. As oversight, her expenses will be paid by Joe. But once the club officially opens, she will be the manager for one full year. Making sure everything is up to adequate standards accordingly. In a manager position, her salary will be paid by you. Once the year is completed and Olivia has confirmed to Joe, you are free to hire your own manager as you deem fit. And that completes our contract overview." the room fell silent after William finished.

Joe broke the ice "You have questions?"

"Are you sure it is wise to send Olivia for a year and half, respectfully? I thought she was important to you?" Louie asked carefully.

"She is extremely vital, which is the reason why I'm sending her. She is the next best thing to actually doing it myself. I trust no one else." Joe expected the man to back out "It may seem unreasonable and you don't have to agree."

"Joe already discussed this with me a few days ago. And we concluded that the club in LGF has a strong staff. One that could go on without me. Temporarily." Olivia added with a smile "Do you need time to think it over?"

Louie was pensive and his answer surprised them "Where do I sign?"

The formalities were out of the way as they bid farewell "I have started the process for a work visa. Should take a few weeks but we'll be in contact." Olivia shook his hand.

"Yes. I look forward to it. Thank you, Joe." the men exchanged handshakes.

"Take care." Joe watched as he marched out of the office. He turned to Olivia with a shocked expression "I swear to God he was going to decline. Did you see how pale his face got when William read the final contingency?"

"I understand the hesitation. It's like forcing a babysitter on you. He doesn't trust me. He doesn't even know me." Olivia rationalized.

"Trust is not given, it has to be earned." Joe said wisely "And I have no doubt that you could earn anyone's trust given the opportunity. Put that psychology degree to good use."

"Well, there's no turning back now." She said grimly.

He knew what she was thinking "Long distance relationships can work. As long as the two individuals are committed. Talk to him, I'm sure he'll understand."

Down the street from the office building, Louie waited for Edward to pick up the call "We need to talk. Now." he emphasized.

"Come to my place." Edward advised and hung up the call. Within twenty minutes, his doorbell rang. He opened the apartment door for Louie, who marched to the liquor drawer. He helped himself to a drink "By all means, make yourself at home." sarcasm dripped from every word.

Louie nodded to the contract he tossed on the counter "Read it."

Edward began skimming through each page "It looks good. Nothing out of the ordinary."

"Last page." Louie instructed.

He flipped through and began reading the contingency. With each line, his face tightened "Fuck!"

"Yeah, fuck is right. You're little girlfriend is going to be there. You told me this was going to be fast. In and out. Take the money and run. I did not sign up for a chaperone!"

Edward began pacing "Damn it! This changes everything."

"What are we going to do? The longer construction goes on, the more money we'll lose. I'm not giving up my share! You need to fix this." he poured another shot for himself "Well?!"

"I'm thinking!" Edward cried. Then his phone chimed, it was Olivia "She wants to see me."

"No doubt to break up with you." Louie snarled.

"Maybe not." he replied to her text "Come on, I've gotta head downtown."

Edward walked in the deli and found her at a booth "Hey." he greeted with a warm smile.

"I hope you weren't in the middle of something." She leaned up to kiss him.

Edward's hand grazed her cheek "Please, I'd drop a meeting with the Queen if you called."

She was used to the sweet talk "Have you talked to Louie?"

"Yeah, he just called me. So...a year and a half? Minimum?"

Olivia nodded "What do you think?"

"It would take more than an ocean to keep me away. I've got a few clients in California. I fly back at least once a month. We could make it work." he assured her "Unless you are not up for the challenge?"

"When Joe told me what he was planning, my first reaction was to say no. But R&D is his baby, he doesn't trust a stranger to do it justice, regardless how flashy the resume is. If this works out, it would be the first of many franchises. And I could be a part of something much bigger."

Edward reached across the table to clasp her hand in his "And that drive is exactly why I fell for you. It'll fly by like a blink of an eye."

He appeared confident but she noticed the hesitation in his voice "Is there something else?"

"Louie wasn't thrilled over the contingency. He felt blindsided." he explained.

"But yet he signed the contract?" She wondered out loud.

"Yes, because he sees potential in it. He's taking his anger out on me."

"What?" Olivia frowned "How?"

"Because we're dating...I guess it's his way of punishing me...he only paid half of the fee that I charged. He said I'd get the other half after the bar opens in LA."

She shook her head "He can't do that."

He sighed "Actually he can. We never signed a contract."

"Edward!" she gasped.

"I know, it's a rookie move. I thought I could trust him. He was referred by the Carl Duran. I didn't think-" he sat back in defeat "That's never going to happen again. That is if I haven't destroyed my reputation. If this doesn't go well, he will blab this to every business person he meets."

"Then we'll just have to make sure it's smooth sailing." Olivia said firmly "Hey, you'll get through this. I believe in you."

"Thank you, Liv. It means a lot." He smiled "And it's okay if you don't want to put a label on us. I'm just happy to be with you." his words dripped of sincerity.

"Thank you Edward, for understanding." She couldn't help but feel responsible. Guilt was written all over her face and it was exactly how he wanted her to feel.

Chapter Three

Three weeks later, she was packed and ready to embark on a new journey. Olivia managed to find a tenant to sublease her apartment while she was away. She made a stop at the club to say her goodbyes. She hugged Connie last "You be good. Joe and I both see a lot of potential in you. Don't let us down."

"I won't." She promised as she sniffed back the tears "Damn it, I said I wouldn't cry."

"She's not gone forever." Phil rolled his eyes.

"Says the guy that panicked when he heard the news." James added with a laugh "What did you say again?"

Lana quickly chimed in "I hate going on interviews!"

The group shared a laugh as Joe looked around at his team "Guys, this isn't goodbye. It's see you when you come back. And I don't intend on firing anyone...as long as you do your jobs." he raised his left brow at Phil.

"My taxi is waiting. I have to go." Olivia said. She suddenly felt nervous and Joe took notice.

"I'll walk you out." Joe motioned towards the exit "You'll do great. Just remember you didn't get here by being a pushover."

"Actually, I did." she reminded him.

"Well, that Liv no longer exists." he said firmly, trying to build up her confidence. The slump in her shoulders appeared "I know you've never traveled anywhere outside of Hong Kong. Think of it as a long vacation. You can do this."

"For you, I will." She gave him one last hug "Call me for anything."

"Same." he backed away as she opened the passenger door. She waved goodbye before the taxi drove away.

The airport was busy that Saturday night. She got there extra early, afraid she would somehow miss the flight. Olivia pulled out the tablet and read up on the city of Los Angeles.

The flight was gruelingly long. She was used to little sleep. Her schedule at the club trained her body well. Some days, she only needed four hours to function. She heard about the heat during the spring and summer in California. It was dry and hot unlike Hong Kong which was extremely humid.

She got off the plane feeling relieved to be standing up for a change. She couldn't rent a car due to the difference in driving lanes. Instead, she relied on a taxi to get to the hotel. It was an Extended Stay and it had a full kitchen. It would be temporary until she had a chance to find a more semi permanent home.

Olivia pushed the luggage through the door and made her way to the bed. She laid down tiredly. Then her phone chimed. She check the message 'Hey beautiful, did you land safely?'

His text brought a smile to her face 'Shouldn't you be sleeping?'

'So that's a yes?'

'Yes. :)'

'Okay. I'll see you in a week.'

'Can't wait. Good night.'

After a week, she was getting the hang of traveling around the busy city. The hotel was located in the city of Hollywood and luckily most food places were within walking distance. She felt at home with the noisy sounds of the city and she got acquainted with ordering a Lyft when she needed a ride out of the city. Although she had to limit it due to the cost of each ride. It was adding up. Fast.

She was meeting Edward that night for dinner. He had a few meetings he couldn't get out of. She looked forward to nightfall, when the temperature finally dropped to cool. They met at a place called The Hungry Cat. She spotted him in the back, halfway there, he too noticed her.

Smiling, he got up to greet her "Aren't you a sight for sore eyes?"

Their embrace was long, it felt good to be in his arms again and to smell the cologne she had grown accustomed to "How were the meetings?"

"Good. So far. Nothing is signed yet." he smiled sheepishly "How about you? I heard construction is starting soon."

"Tomorrow." She nodded "The city approved it. I didn't know it took months for approval. It's different from Hong Kong."

Edward nodded "Yeah, it's strict here. But can you blame them? Look at the foot traffic in this city alone. It's going to bring in a lot of people. Besides, the liquor license is going to take twice as long. It'll be a miracle to have it by the time the club is ready to open."

"Wow, it really is different. Hong Kong hands out liquor licenses like it's ice cream on a hot day." Olivia laughed.

"Yes, but Hong Kong is strict with drunks in public. People know that. Here...well, you'll see." he said candidly.

"I have a feeling we're going to have to make quite a few extra rules here." she reached for the menu.

Three months in and they were on schedule. The floors and tiles were installed that week. Plumbing and electrical were approved and cleared. The wine fridge and ice machines were locked in. The club boasted a 10,000 square feet facility. It was bigger than the one in LGF. Olivia marveled at the beautiful layout of the dance floor, which lit up in color when it sensed movement. The workers were busy putting in the dry wall that day. It was coming together smoothly.

The double glass entry doors were a nice touch. She liked being able to see the main parking lot. She was busy talking to the construction head when Edward walked in. She quickly excused herself. Edward nodded with approval when he took a closer look at the bar "It's pretty nice, huh?" Olivia asked.

"Nice? It's top of the line marble." he touched the counter "He's not stingy about spending, I'll tell you that."

"That's an understatement. He told me to choose the best textiles." she added "I can only imagine the loan amount."

"Hey, have you seen Louie today?" he asked out of the blue.

"He said he had a work trip. New York, I think." she recalled the odd and hasty call that morning "He said he'd be back in a few days."

"Really?" Edward frowned "He didn't tell me."

Olivia shrugged "Maybe it was a last minute plan?"

"Maybe?" he seemed unsure. Suddenly, he received a call. Edward answered "Hello? Yes, this is he." his face twisted uncomfortably as he turned to Olivia and covered the mouth piece "I have to take this." he quickly made his way outside to take the call privately.

She twisted her medium length hair into a bun and tied it with a rubber-band. She was ready to get her hands dirty. When she finished cleaning off the bar area, he returned looking obviously distraught "Edward? Are you alright?"

He shook his head solemnly "That was the bank. Chase. It's where Louie got the loan for the construction."

"And?" she pressed.

Edward looked up "He took out a two million dollar loan. He was supposed to start making the payments this month. He hasn't." she appeared confused "I tried calling him but the number has been disconnected."

"That's impossible, I just spoke to him this morning." Olivia pulled out the cell phone from her back pocket and found Louie's name. The automated voice came over the speaker, the phone had been disconnected "Bloody hell?"

"Apparently, it happens more often than not. According to the bank representative, fraud is the biggest scam they get hit with."

Her mind began searching for a solution "Couldn't they put out an arrest?"

"Unless he is already in another country." Edward ran his fingers through his hair in frustration.

"Wait...why did the bank call you?" it suddenly dawned on her ask.

His eyes glazed over as he snickered "The bastard put my name down as a backup. His credit was shot. He used my name to secure the loan. I had no idea."

"Oh my God...Edward, that's terrible." She made her way over to him as he pounded his fist on the counter "Hey, this isn't on you. He clearly had a motive to swindle the bank. And there was no way for you to know that."

"I should have done more research on him. Now I'm stuck with the bill. Oh and get this, he only paid the contractors 25%."

Olivia snapped her head over her shoulder and grabbed his arm "What? They are working for free right now? Edward, they're going to be furious."

He nodded "I know. I'll pay them whatever I have. But it's not enough to finish the job. I know that for a fact. And don't you dare offer to help. This isn't your problem."

"Maybe you don't have to?" she asked thoughtfully.

"What?" Edward questioned.

She smiled "Edward, what is your specialty? What are you great at?"

Slowly the grin appeared "Finding investors. You're right. I just need to find one. And fast." he nodded to the contractor "I'm gonna go to talk to him."

"Good luck." she watched as he made his way over and began explaining. She winced when a few curse words flew out of the head contractor's mouth. And then she watched as Edward managed to calm him down. The men left behind the unfinished work and Edward walked back to her with a glum expression "Yikes, that looked bad."

"At least he didn't punch me. I promised to pay him for all the work they have done up until this point. He wasn't happy about it but he understood."

Olivia reached out to cup his face in her hand "Hey, you can do this. I know you can. Let me know if you need anything from me. I have to call Joe, he'll need to know what's going on."

"Right." Edward smiled despite the situation "I'm not going to sleep until I find another investor." he vowed.

Later that evening after her conversation with Joe ended, she received a call from Edward "Please tell me it's good news."

"I'll be there in five." she waited impatiently for him to arrive. When the door knocked, he greeted her quickly and began talking "I made roughly fifty calls today. I called everyone I know in California."

"You got a referral?" she asked excitedly.

"No. Better. I got a meeting with Andrew Sutton!"

"Who?" she didn't recognize the name.

"He's this huge millionaire investor. He buys everything from restaurants to hotels to apartment buildings. He usually purchases the building only and turns a profit on tenants."

"Okay, it doesn't sound very promising. There already is a landlord." Olivia pointed out the obvious.

Edward nodded hastily "Yes. I know. I talked to his assistant, apparently he is quite fond of Hong Kong. His mother is a native. And he's been to R&D Nightclub in LGF."

"He has?" she didn't understand where the conversation was going "So he's willing to invest because his mother is Chinese and he went to the club once?"

"I told the assistant what happened and at first he started to blow me off until I said the manager of R&D was overlooking the project. And now Andrew wants to meet with you."

Olivia frowned "Me? Edward, this isn't my forte. I don't sell. I manage people."

"Then manage him. You don't have to sell, just convince him that it's a great investment." he noticed the reluctant expression on her face "Look, if he says yes, we can nip this problem in the bud."

"No pressure." she sighed "But if it means helping you. Of course I'll talk to him."

"Thank you!" he thrust his arms around her as she smiled "And in the meantime, I'll keep looking for a backup."

Olivia was happy to see his mood change for the better "So when's the meeting?"

"Tomorrow. 1PM. He wants to see the development at the club." he glanced at his phone "I've got more calls to make. I'll pick you up a little after noon tomorrow."

"Sure." She was already planning what to do that night, heavy research on Andrew Sutton.

As promised, the next day Edward arrived at her hotel room. He noticed she was carrying a brown bag in her hand "What's that?"

"Insurance." She smiled and got into the car.

They rode together to the club "From what I hear, he could be intimidating. But I know you have no problem handling unruly men."

Olivia smiled "My specialty."

"Anyways, he'll expect you to impress him. I heard he can be impatient so you can't pitch the deal like it's on a silver platter. It has to be real or he'll see right through the bullshit." he quickly paid the driver and together they entered the unfinished club.

"Then you can be blunt with him." she said easily.

"No. I can't be here." Edward informed "I wasn't invited. The assistant strictly said only you."

"Perfect." she breathed. When he appeared concern, she assured him "I'll be fine. I'll do my best. Promise."

Edward glanced at his watch "He is also very punctual, which means he'll be here any..." his eyes moved towards the parking lot "..minute." she turned in the direction of the lot "Maserati."

"Of course." Olivia let out an internal sigh. Her eyes moved down to the bag in her hand "Be a dear and put this on that shelf for me?" She pointed to the glass case above the main bar.

Edward nodded, when he climbed down from the counter, he hastily said "Good luck. I'll be back in an hour." he gave her quick peck on the cheek and made a dash towards the back exit.

Her brows knitted together when she saw the male struggling to close the winged door. He began strutting towards the entrance in an obnoxious glide. The sunglasses were wrapped around his chiseled features. His hair was perfectly combed. He was easily six feet tall. Fit. He could be mistaken for a model or actor. He was in his mid thirties, if she had to guess.

She smoothed out her dress before he walked through the door. He stopped in his tracks and lowered his head to get a better view of her "Hmm...You're not what I expected."

She made no attempt to greet him until he moved closer. He had ivory color skin. She had met many handsome men in her time and they all taught her one thing, they were trouble "Were you expecting a middle aged woman eager to be charmed, Mr. Sutton?" her English accent surprised him.

"Oh no. Mr. Sutton is my dad. I'm Andy." he brushed his hand in the air "And I never met a woman I couldn't charm. Is that a challenge?" her smile was neither inviting or confirming "And I like your accent." he added with a crooked smile.

Olivia's lips twitched "I believe you're the one with the accent."

"Technically, we're in America." he reached up a hand and peeled off the sunglasses. She noticed his beautiful hazel eyes. Olivia smiled at the comment but offered no retort "Well, come on then, let's not waste time. Sell it to me." The arrogance was oozing from every orifice of his being.

"I'm afraid you're mistaken, I don't sell." Olivia said firmly.

"Okay Olivia, then why the fuck am I standing here?" he finally peeked at the unfinished bar.

She took noticed that he used her name "Joe, the owner purchased the bar when it was dying. He brought in patrons by walking down the street and passing out flyers. One night during a full house, he turned on some music and a couple began dancing. It sparked an idea for a nightclub. Then the next door establishment closed down and-"

"And Joe decided to expand. And then another expansion until it was a 7500 square feet nightclub. Blah, blah, blah...Yeah, I read that." he rolled his hand in a circular motion "I'm interested in your story? "

Olivia took in a deep breath before answering "Ten years ago, a young college girl walked into the bar seeking employment as a waitress. She had no experience. It was her first job. Joe decided to give her a chance."

Andy arched a bored brow upwards "And she fell perfectly into the job and became a star employee? Am I right?"

"On the contrary. She was a mess at first. But after a few months, she managed to improve. She covered for the bartender some nights. Twenty patrons screaming orders at once would cause anyone to quit. Not her. One night, a fight broke out and the bouncer jumped in to stop it. Instead it turned into a bar brawl. One of the staff called the cops. But the girl? She hopped in the middle of a fight and managed to break one up. A fat lip and a three stitches later, she was positive it would be the end of her career. Instead, he promoted her to assistant manager, where she soon discovered that the manager was always missing. He spent most of his time flirting with patrons rather than working. Joe tested me. He wanted to see if I would tell on the manager."

"Did you?" Andy was intrigued.

"I'll tell you if you sign the contract?" she smiled coyly and he was smitten.

"I love a good cliffhanger. The day is still young, I haven't decided yet." He looked over the bars and nodded "It's high end. At least the last guy had good taste."

"I chose the tiles and every material used...so far." Olivia informed.

"And the alcohol?" he pointed to empty glass cases and his eyes spotted the paper bag "IF I was going to invest, I would want to choose all the booze. None of that cheap stuff from the supermarkets."

"Like imports from France, Spain, Italy, Mexico, Argentina?" she read his mind.

Andy nodded "Yeah. My poison of choice is Tequila."

It took her over an hour the night before to find the specific brand, clearly it was not a supermarket staple. She began climbing the counter top, heels in tow. She reached up and spotted his reflection in the glass case, he was staring attentively at her "How's the view?"

"Stunning." he cooed.

She reached for the bottle and turned to find him ready to assist her. He placed the bottle on the counter and lifted his hands onto her waist and guided her safely to the ground "Thank you."

"My pleasure." the smile he gave made her stomach turn. He forced his eyes away and nodded to the bottle of Tequila "Don Julio. I see you read up on me."

"Or I am a mind reader." she smiled in return.

"Too bad it's warm. I only drink cold Tequila." he shrugged. He saw her eyes move over to the ice machine "Over ice would be an insult to the most perfect liquor in the world." he cautioned.

"Let me show you a trick." Olivia found a roll of paper towels. She ripped out a large piece and ran it under the faucet. She wrapped it around the bottle and placed it in the ice machine "15 minutes and it should be cold enough to your liking."

"I'll be the judge of that." the cocky tone quickly returned. He began giving himself a tour "So, what makes R&D so special?" he reached one of the stairwell leading to the second floor.

"Special enough for you to want to invest." She said breezily.

"It's all about profits for me." he looked over his shoulder to find her following him.

"The club is separated into four main sections. Top right, top left, bottom right and bottom left. The crew dubbed the positions 'watcher'. Because that's what they do. They watch people. And there is one spot in the entire club that has a clear view of everything." Olivia stopped at the center and looked down. She lined her arms over the glass balcony.

Andy made his way over until he was standing next to her "What's your position called?"

"Eagle Eye." she replied and laughed when he rolled his eyes "I didn't name it."

"Okay, I like the layout. What else? There's gotta be more." he pushed.

Olivia turned her head to face him "We are a tight knit family. We respect the club. We respect the owner. We respect the job. And we don't allow drunks to dictate everyone else's experience. No tolerance is how our reputation grew. People felt safe to party and drink at their leisure. Anyone there to cause problems gets a one way ticket to the door. No exceptions."

"So you would throw out a paying customer if he or she got too drunk and disruptive? Gee, that's original." he rolled his eyes.

"I believe every club has the same rules. It's how it's implemented. Most owners open clubs and bars to make money however way possible. Joe didn't want the staff to feel like we had to cater to patrons. If they were nice, we'd comp their drinks. If they were assholes, we'd called Wayne...the bouncer." she titled her head "But it sounds like you don't like the way we operate? Perhaps R&D isn't suited for you, Andy?"

"Reverse psychology?" he smiled smugly "And just when you were starting to win me over."

"It's hard to tell." She retorted.

He crossed his arms in amusement "So, what's in it for you? The broken contract doesn't change your pay? You are not attached to the loan from the bank. Joe already got his franchise fee. I read the entire contract last night so I'd appreciate some honesty." his eyes tore into hers for answers.

She nodded slowly before coming clean "The previous investor had bad credit. He used a backup for the loan. My friend was named as backup and now the bank is after him. He didn't want any of this. He is the true victim."

"And there it is. That made it personal." he added.

"He's a good person. He didn't deserve to be used." she said earnestly.

"You know, he can counter the bank and claim he didn't agree to being backup. The bank won't be able to go after him if he didn't sign anything formal. The state of California is very pro-customer."

She appeared thoughtful "I'll be sure to bring that up to him. Being that we only have work visas, I'm not familiar with the protections. Regarding any changes to the contingency, I can discuss it with Joe?"

The smug expression on Andy's face returned "Oh no honey, that's the best part of the contract." he made his way over to a dusty bar stool and wiped it with his hand. He sat down and leaned his arm against the raised table "So, Olivia, how good of a friend is he? I mean, what would you do for him?"

She cocked her head up "What are you insinuating?"

"I'm not. I thought I was being perfectly clear." he shrugged "I mean I don't mind a little sucking up." he tilted his head with crooked smile.

She watched his demeanor with precision. Her eyes bounced to a hidden tag inside his khaki pant pocket "Like a job?"

Andy lifted his brows in amusement "Yes. So, don't blow it. Or in this case, do blow it."

"Very subtle." Olivia gingerly made her way to him, she made sure to keep her eyes on him. Tilting her head to the left, she leaned close enough to smell the cologne on his neck.

It took a long minute until he showed any sign of discomfort "What are you waiting for?" he asked and squirmed in his seat.

Clearing her throat, she straightened her back "Alright, I guess we're doing this." she moved her hands down to his leather brown belt and began unbuckling it "To be quite honest, I'm very disappointed. I was actually thinking that you would-" suddenly, he reached up both hands to stop her. His face turned solemn while Olivia's eyes bounced up and her lips slipped into a wide grin "-call off this test."

She backed away to give him space while he buckled the belt "What test?" he asked.

"This morality test. You wanted to see how far I'd go." she said with ease "Do you have your answer?"

He chuckled in response "What gave it away?"

Olivia tucked her chin with a smirk "Well for starters, you had no idea how to close your car door. First time driving a Maserati?"

Andy nodded in defeat "I rented it this morning. I drive a BMW."

She raise her brows "Hmm, I would have pegged you for a Tesla type."

"Really?" he began to ponder the idea.

"Second, when I climbed the counter to fetch the tequila, in the reflection I thought you were checking out my bum but a closer look showed that you were concerned. And then you came to my aid."

He laughed "Is it a crime to be chivalrous?"

Olivia smiled "There's more." she pointed to the price tag that was peeking out of his pocket "A man with your stature wouldn't be caught dead with returning a worn item of clothing, which is usually the reason why people still leave the tag on. Guilty." she pointed to herself.

"Hmm...my assistant forgot to take off the tag. And you're right, I would never return anything that I've worn. Plus he threw this look together. Polo shirt and khakis aren't really my thing." the smile was more genuine "What was the nail in the coffin?"

She bounced her head towards the stairs, indicating for him to follow her "Did you know there are over 100 articles about you on Google?"

"You Googled me?" He began laughing humorously "I've always been curious to know what is being said about me but then I remembered I don't give a shit. What's the verdict?"

She returned to the ice machine to check on the bottle of Tequila "You're a big charity donator. There weren't that many gossip stories about your love life. Single?" She reached for the bag and pulled out two plastic shot glasses "It's the best I could do last minute." She glanced up to see him smiling "The people that worked for you all had good things to say. And the tenants said you were kind. And you also grew up in a modest upbringing." She passed him one of the cups "Which means you were probably raised to work hard?"

Andy smiled and raised the cup to drink the tequila. He swirled his tongue in a circle and hummed "That's amazing. I've got to remember that trick." he noticed she was waiting for him to confirm "My father worked in construction all his life. During an overseas project in Hong Kong, he met my mom and they fell in love. She followed him back to the States. They got married and two years later had me. In his spare time, he ran a food pantry for the needy."

"That's very generous." she commented.

"One day, out of the blue, the landlord wanted to raise the rent by double. Inflation, apparently. He talked to my mom and they agreed to take money from their savings and invest in buying an actual warehouse. He got a good deal and the space was so large that he was able to rent out the other half and turn a profit after 3 years. It was the start of Sutton Investors, LLC. He always taught me that in order to get something, we always have to give first. Hence, the charities."

"And where are they now?" she admired the back story.

He appeared nonchalant "Probably sipping margaritas on a beach in Aruba. I don't know. They travel more than I do." he laughed "I took over the family business 10 years ago and I've gotta say, I have a knack for it."

She placed the empty cup down with a small smile "Humble, too. So Andy, do we have a deal? That is...if you're still interested?"

"I am. But I want my lawyer to draft up a new contract, which will require you to sign it. It shouldn't take more than a week. I'll have my assistant send you the office location to meet up. Where are you staying?"

"I just moved from Extended Stay to the Double Tree in Beverly Hills."

"You've been living in a hotel for the past 3 months?" he asked incredulously.

"Is that a problem?" She was almost offended by the tone in his voice.

"Not if you like it." He answered "I travel for business and hotels are like my second home, but it's never longer than two weeks at a time. I couldn't imagine 3 months."

Olivia shrugged "It's temporary. I didn't want to commit because I'll have to go home eventually. Although it would be nice if it felt more like home."

Andy understood "I see. Well, we'll be in touch."

Then she remembered something else "Andy, wait. There is a favor I'd like to ask."

He smiled "Already? Okay. Let's hear it."

"My friend used his savings to pay the contractors what was owed. They only got paid 25% of 50%-"

"I'll get a cashier's check for your friend. Just text me the amount." he handed her a business card.

"Thank you." she said warmly.

"You're welcome, Olivia. I hope your friend appreciates what you just did for him."

"Liv. My friends call me Liv. And he will be indebted to you." she assured him with a smile "I really appreciate your generosity."

Andy began leaving but made a quick U-turn to reach for the Don Julio bottle "I'm taking this." He paused at the door and turned to her "Out of curiosity, why did Joe name the club R&D?"

Olivia smiled before answering "Before Joe purchased the bar, he worked in Research and Development for a Pharmaceutical company. He loved the job but was itching for a change. He wanted to combine his first love with his new love."

"Interesting." he slid the sunglasses over his eyes "Good day."

Her smile softened when she watch him drive out of the lot. She began looking around for her cell phone when she heard a faint noise, it sounded like wind blowing. Curious, she began tracking the sound. She walked around the second bar and found a cell phone she didn't recognize, tucked away on a shelf. It was in call mode to a number she recognized. Edward's. She tapped the screen and navigated to the main screen. There was a generic background picture. No contacts. No special apps. She tapped the text message app and noticed there was only one responder. She opened the thread and read the contents. There were no names in any texts. The last message said to delete all records of conversations.

Then she navigated back to the screen and found the mail app. Opening it, she found a list of emailed messages. All appeared to be spam. She looked down further for folders and one caught her eye 'Project O'. She opened it and her eyes widened. There were emails from Louie to Edward. Each email outlined their plan to swindle money from the bank. And how he would use her as a front to get the investment.

She skimmed through most of the emails and caught a particular line that stung. He described her as a 'cold, boring, pretentious bitch'. Anger filled with shock as she placed the phone back where she found it. He was returning soon. Her heart was racing as she leaned against the counter of the bar. Again, she thought. Even when she thought she was being careful with her heart, it happened. Her ears arched when she heard the slamming of a car door.

She straightened her back and forced a smile when he walked through the door "Hey beautiful." his greetings would no longer make her stomach flutter.

"Hey." she smiled.

"So? Are you going to keep me in suspense?" He teased.

"He took the deal." She said with a nod.

"Really?" He reached out to hug her "I can't believe you did it! You are a Godsend!"

Olivia managed to push out a laugh "That's very sweet. Andy said he would have his assistant contact me for the contract signing. He's going to make a few changes. Also, I asked if he could pay you back for the money you paid the contractors."

"He agreed?" Edward was surprised "How did you manage to convince him of that?"

"I didn't. I just asked." she said simply "I'm starving, let's get a bite to eat."

"Oh...sure...um...I have to use the restroom. Why don't you wait for me outside? I'll be a minute." he assured her.

"Of course." She knew he was returning to retrieve the burner phone.

After lunch ended, he dropped her off at the hotel. When she closed the room door and dialed Joe's number. He picked up with a joyful greeting "Miss me already?"

"Joe." She couldn't fight back the tears and he could hear it in her voice.

"What happened? Liv? Why are you crying?" he sounded worried. She took control of her emotions and explained to him what she found. After she was finished, he snickered "Bastard."

"What do I do?" she asked "Besides wanting to slap him across the face."

"How did that meeting with the potential investor go?"

Olivia wiped away a tear "Good. He wants to sign a contract with me. And he agreed to give the money back to Edward for paying the contractors."

"Well, tell him not to give back that money." Joe instructed "He doesn't deserve any help."

She had another thought "I have a better idea."

"Whatever it is, give him hell." he wasn't against a punishment when the crime fit.

Chapter Four

It was one of the longest weeks of her life. Having to pretend to be with someone that despised her. By the third day, it became second nature. As they were having breakfast that morning, she wished for time to hurry so she could go to the meeting. Every time he turned his head, she would check the clock. Thirty minutes to go, she reminded herself as he rambled on.

"...so it'll be 5 weeks tops. And you know I'll miss you every day. I will be counting down the hours until I see your gorgeous face again."

Olivia smiled "I'll miss you, too."

"You have to get to that meeting soon, huh? Let's have dinner before I fly out tonight." he suggested.

"Sure." She began gathering her bag.

"Shoot, I forgot my wallet at the hotel." he dipped his hands into all the pockets of his pants to show her.

"It's okay, I can pay." she offered. She reached in her bag and pulled out a few twenties and handed it to him "For your ride back to the hotel."

"You're the best." he gushed "I have to go or I'll be late." He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek and headed towards the exit.

Her smile faded as she reached for a napkin and wiped the area that his lips touched. She ordered a Lyft off the app. Within minutes the driver appeared and drove her downtown to the fashion district where the office was located. She found the building and entered the elevator with the returning lunch crowd.

When the elevators stopped at the 8th floor, Olivia exited along with a few other individuals. She found the suite and pushed open the door. It was a fairly big office with windows all along the walls. The perfect view of the freeway, she thought.

Her eyes turned to the right where a male sat, in his hand was a compact mirror. He moved the mirror up to look at her through the reflection "You must be Olivia."

"Gilbert?" he was Andy's assistant, she recognized the voice.

He snapped the compact shut and stood up, shifted his weight on one leg and tucked his left hand under his right elbow "Aren't you a cute little thing?"

Olivia chuckled "Thanks?"

"Oh, it's a compliment, honey. Trust me." he motioned her towards him "Come on, they're expecting you." he strutted down the hall and stopped at the corner office. He knocked twice and opened the door. Inside was a large square glass table to the left and a small office desk and chair located against the wall to the right "Miss Olivia is here." Gilbert announced.

Andy rolled his tongue into the side of his cheek "Yeah, I have eyes."

"Hey, you said to be more professional!" Gilbert scoffed "Yeah, whatever. Have fun." he rolled his eyes and walked out with the door closing behind him.

Olivia's eyes darted in amusement "He's cheeky."

"A spoiled brat. But he's been working for me since he was 18 so I tolerate him at best." Andy motioned for her to sit down "This is Perry, my lawyer."

"Nice to meet you." she greeted respectfully.

"Likewise." He shook her hand firmly "Have a seat and we'll get started." She made herself comfortable as he passed her the new contract "There were only two changes to the contract. I removed the franchise fee portion and the other change is the contingency."

"Okay." She nodded while flipping through the pages "What are the changes?"

"The change is that while you are employed under Mr. Sutton, he will be responsible for your salary, boarding, utility bills and any other miscellaneous bills that may arise from your stay here." the lawyer concluded.

Olivia looked up in surprise. Andy smiled from her natural reaction "I don't like the idea of you staying in a hotel for over year. And it's clear you wouldn't take my offer so I decided to put it in the contract."

"That's very generous of you, Andy." she was moved.

"Oh, I have a feeling you'll be worth the cost." When the lawyer coughed loudly, Andy rolled his eyes "Perry would like me to revise my words. That sounded like I was buying you. I didn't mean it that way. Sorry."

She chuckled in amusement "I didn't take it that way."

"Alright, Miss Lee. If you have no further issues with the contract, please sign and date on the last page." Perry instructed.

Olivia reached for the ready pen and signed the contract "So, what's next?" She was ready to get right down to business.

"First, we get you out of that hotel." Andy began as he stood up "Then, we get construction started again. I'll get someone to check on the liquor license. I want to look into getting a state of the art alarm system or some sort of high tech system to prevent theft."

"I can look into that. I like researching." she added.

"I know." He sent a wink her way before waving to Perry "Later." he pointed her out of the office "Next we'll start interviewing people for positions. I haven't really decided how much staff to actually hire-"

"Ten cleaning staff. Four watchers. Four bartenders. Three bouncers. Two guards. Assistant Manager. And me."

Andy was impressed by her initiative "You've thought of everything?"

"It's my job. Besides, the club here is more spacious than the one in Hong Kong, so there needs to be more staff. We need to build a completely new team. I'd like to put out an ad for the positions no less than a month from now."

"I'll have Gil make some calls." he promised.

"I hear my name!" Gilbert peeked his head out from behind the pillar "Are you adding more to my already long list of duties?"

Andy laughed "Making calls is part of your job." he approached the desk and lifted his right hand facing his palm up. Gilbert appeared confused as he reached a hand up and placed it on top of Andy's "The check, Gil."

"Oh!" the young male giggled "I thought you wanted me to warm up your hand or something." he rummaged through the desk and pulled out the cashier's check "Okay, here it is." He placed it delicately on Andy's hand.

Olivia looked down as he passed the check to her "It's a cashier's check, which is basically cash. Your friend can go to his bank to deposit or cash the check as he pleases. If you lose it, I'm not signing another one."

"Thank you." she said graciously.

"Ready?" Andy asked. When she frowned, he said "Your apartment."

"Oh...you meant today? But I haven't packed my belongings yet."

"It's okay. You can move in any time. I just want to show you the place and give you the keys. Come. I don't have all day."

Gilbert chimed in "Actually, he does. I had to clear his schedule because someone was complaining-"

"Shut up, Gil." Andy teased as he opened the door for Olivia. He gave Gilbert a quick wink before walking out the door.

When they reached the front of the building, a black Landrover pulled up along the loading area "This is Harold." he knocked on the driver window and it slid down "This is Olivia. Recognize her face. She'll be the new manager at the nightclub I just bought."

"Yes, Sir. Miss Olivia." Harold was in his mid forties. With a stern face and tight lips, he looked more like a bodyguard than a driver.

"Hello Harold." she greeted politely.

They gathered into the backseat of the car as Andy directed "Sutton Towers, Beverly Hills."

"Of course." Harold pulled out onto the street and drove towards their destination.

"Got any plans tonight?" Andy asked.

"Besides packing? No." She quipped.

"So are you ever going to tell me more about this friend of yours?" he pried nosily.

"No." She replied.

"Ok. I see I have to earn the right to be nosy." he joked.

Olivia was suddenly guarded. He noticed her demeanor changed dramatically. The rest of the drive was filled with silence. The car pulled into the parking structure and stopped at the elevators.

It was a new building with eight stories and a gated entry. Each apartment had a balcony view of the city. She was distracted with her thoughts by the time they reached the 8th floor. He dug his hand in his pocket and pulled out a ring of keys for her "This is the key fob to get into the parking structure, this is the mail key and two apartment keys. It's fully furnished." He turned the key and opened the door.

She stepped in slowly and soaked in the layout of her new home. It was warm, inviting and exactly what she needed "It's perfect."

Andy grinned with pride "We own the building so technically I'm not paying rent for you."

"Technically, I should be paying you rent until the construction is completed. I'm not actually working yet." she pointed out.

"I can deduct it from your future paychecks if it makes you feel better." he was clearly joking. He decided to change the subject when she didn't react "Have you talked to your other boss? Joe?"

"Yes, I did. He would have liked for me to come home but seeing that a new investor stepped in, he agreed that I should be here." she followed him into the kitchen.

"I had Gil stock the pantry with essentials." he began opening the cupboards and pulled out a loaf of bread "He's vegan and gluten free. So his choices are...hmm... healthy. Taste like cardboard if you ask me." he wrinkled his nose and opened the fridge "Soy milk. Fake cheese. Fake butter. Black bean burger patties? I am so sorry." he shut the door while Olivia laughed.

Then she noticed he glanced at his watch "Don't let me keep you."

"I'm meeting a couple of friends for happy hour. You should come when you're done with what you're doing." he turned his head to emphasize "I'm not talking about packing either."

Olivia let out a quiet sigh "It's personal. But after today, I promise, you'll have my complete attention and dedication."

"Sounds serious? Do I need to be aware? You know...as a concern?" he asked carefully.

"No. I can handle it." she motioned him to the door.

"Okay. I'll call you a cab. I'll have them call your cell when the driver gets here. Don't worry about the payment." he lingered behind "Liv? Whatever it is, I hope you find the answer you were looking for."

She tilted her head with a small smile "I will. And thank you, again." After he left, she took a detailed tour around the one bedroom apartment. It was quaint and much bigger than her studio in Hong Kong.

Minutes later, she received a call from the cab company. Heading downstairs, she asked the driver to take her back to the hotel. She quickly threw everything into two luggages, checked out at the front desk and returned to the waiting cab. He drove her back to the apartment building. She rolled the two luggage into the suite and locked the door. Olivia returned to the cab and said "The Beverly Hilton, please."

The cab dropped her off in the front of the luxury hotel. Adjusting the bag around her shoulders, she marched into the building. She found the hotel room and knocked on the door. When it opened, it was clear Edward did not expect her to be there "Liv?"

"I have your check." She said before swiftly walking past him. She opened her bag and pulled out the cashier's check "It's a big one." She waved.

"You didn't have to come here just to give it to me. I would have picked it up later at dinner, silly." his eyes were glued to the check in her hand as he reached for it.

To his surprise, she whipped it away "This cold, boring, pretentious bitch won't be having dinner with you ever again." His face paled over "Just the color I was waiting for." She taunted coldly "I found the burner phone and the emails. You know, if you're going to listen in on a conversation, it's best to put it on mute. The sound of the car driving in the background gave it away."

He laughed nervously "What burner phone? Emails? I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Alright, let's play." She leaned all her weight to the left "Explain to me how you and Louie didn't concoct a plan to use me as bait for this investment scam? And that preposterous story about how Louie used your name as backup. You were hoping I was naive enough not to look into that, huh? Well, did you know without a person's signature and being present at the loan signing, it wouldn't be official? So there was no way Louie could have used your name without your knowledge or consent."

"Well...that's because he tricked me." he tried to convince her "I didn't know what I was signing. Please Liv, you have to believe me."

Her eyes hardened as she reached for the room phone "Yes, this is Room 350, can you send up maid service? I have trash I need to throw away. Thank you."

"Liv, come on! You know me! I would never trick you." Edward said with conviction.

"Or so I thought." she said icily. When there was a knock on the door, she inched closer to open it "Did you know a cashier's check is the same as cash? Andy informed me that anyone can deposit it." She opened the door and greeted the maid "Hello...Adriana." She read the maid's name tag "This gentlemen here has generously decided to leave you a tip."

"No!" Edward cried.

The maid was confused as she looked at the amount on the check "Oh wow...no, mam...I...I cannot accept that. It's too much."

Olivia raised her brows "Oh, she doesn't want it?" she lifted her shoulders "I guess it's trash then." she proceed to rip the check into pieces.

"What the hell are you doing? Are you insane?" Edward lunged towards her as she backed away.

"Would you be a doll and toss this rubbish in the bin?" she handed the shredded papers to the maid. Her eyes moved up to Edward "Lose my number. And I advise you to leave the States soon because I've already reported you to the bureau." she didn't but wanted to discourage him from ever returning.

"You crazy bitch!" he spat angrily.

"And don't you forget it, darling." she backed away and made her way to the elevator. She released the air in her lungs when the door closed. Her eyes squeezed painfully as she leaned against the rail. When she opened her eyes, the tears stung. She wanted to remember that moment.

The cab was still waiting for her as she got in and returned to her new apartment. A place she knew he wouldn't be able to find. She reached for her phone and sent a text to Andy 'Problem fixed. Please don't release my new address to anyone. Thank you.'

She was surprised to hear a chime a minute later, it was Andy 'Good. Will do. You're welcome.'

Olivia looked up with a smile on her face. She stared at the high rise buildings that floated through the city. It didn't occur to her how much it resembled Hong Kong. She vowed to make the best of it for as long as she was living there.

Within days, she found a hiking trail along the Hollywood Hills, she made it a weekly routine to jog. It was packed with people but she didn't mind. With the construction underway, she had a lot of time on her hands. Frankly, she was really looking forward to working again. During the final month, they were dedicating their time to interview the future staff.

On the day of the interviews, Olivia wore a professional A-line skirt and blouse. When she reached the office floor, she was surprised to find a large group of men and women loitering outside the office doors. She frowned in confusion and squeezed her way through the door "Hello! There's a line!" someone shouted from behind her.

She ignored the outburst and spotted Gilbert looking flustered and overwhelmed. He was trying to explain the situation to a group of people hovering over the desk "Look, I don't know when it will be your turn! Give me some space!"

"But I have another interview in 20 minutes." A girl groaned.

"Then go!" Gilbert blurted. Abruptly his eyes lit up "Oh Lord Jesus Hail Mary, you're here!" he slipped out of the seat and hurried to Olivia's side "Yeah, this is Andy's doing. Let me write the ad, Gil. It'll be fun, Gil. Apparently he only left a time and location on the ad!"

"Oh wow! This is some turnout?!" Andy's voice spoke up as the two turned to him. In one hand was a coffee cup and with his free hand, pulled off the sunglasses "Isn't this great?!" he proclaimed.

"Are you serious?" Gilbert asked "How are we going to interview all of them at once?"

"Why not?" he chuckled.

"God save me." Gilbert begged and Olivia laughed in response "Well I'm glad this tickles your fancy!"

She let out a sigh "Alright, boys. Stand back." she clapped her hands to gather the group's attention "Hello everyone! My name is Olivia. I am the hiring manager for the new club R&D. The positions we need are cleaning staff, bouncers, guards and an assistant manager. If you do not have any background with those types of positions, please leave now." She waited as a few people got up and left.

"She's good." Gil whispered with a wide grin as he turned to Andy rolling his eyes.

"Now, anyone that did not come prepared with a resume need to leave also." her eyes landed on a few girls in their early twenties. They left the office with sullen expressions "Experience in food establishments are not required, but it is helpful. If you are not confident with people skills, I'd advise you to exit the building now." Slowly the crowd diminished by nearly half.

"Um...Liv, if you kick everyone out, how do you expect us to hire a new team?" Andy whispered to her.

"I don't recall anyone asking you to be here." she retorted curtly.

Gilbert sputtered into laughter while Andy's face turned crimson "Oh my God, can we keep her forever? Pretty please?"

Olivia grinned from the comment "Please bring your resumes up here." she said to the crowd. A young famle stood up as she began collecting the resumes from the group to quicken the process. She handed the stack to Olivia "You're first." she smiled and pointed her to the conference room. She turned to Gilbert and said "When I give you the signal, send the next person in."

"Yes, Mam." he happily returned to his desk.

Olivia made her way into the room and turned to find Andy close on her heels. He casually took a seat and she lifted a brow. He reluctantly gave up his seat and took the one further in. Olivia smiled and turned to the blond "So, you are..."

"Jessica." The young and vibrant girl answered. The sun kissed hair framed her young face.

"Thank you for taking the initiative to collect the resumes. It shows you have leadership skills." Olivia began. She glanced down at the resume "You have worked at food establishments? Waitress?"

"Yes, I worked at Bazaar." she informed.

"Three years." Olivia looked up and nodded "Worst customer story. Go." Jessica instantly had one in mind but hesitated to share it "Don't think about it, just tell the first one that pops into your head."

"Okay. Well, there was this man that was dining with his wife or girlfriend. He sent the soup back three times cause it wasn't hot enough. I tried to explain that it was a Gazpacho, which is an Italian cold soup. He wouldn't listen and threw a fit. By the fourth time, the kitchen just threw it into the microwave for 3 minutes on high. Well, it burned the roof of his mouth and he threatened to sue. Luckily we had cameras to prove that I did warn him that it was hot and he wasn't listening. The judge threw out the case."

"And how do you feel about the whole encounter?" Olivia asked.

Jessica was reluctant at first but decided to be honest "He deserved it."

"Wow." Andy raised his brows and made a face.

Olivia on the other hand smiled "Thank you Jessica, you may go now. We'll call you with the results. Next!" she called towards the door.

"Thank you." Jessica said meekly as she got up and left the room.

"That's a no." Andy shook his head and made a face.

"Really? I liked her. A lot." Olivia reached for a highlighter and marked the girl's resume.

In walked a bulky man with tattoos up and down his arms "I'm Jeff." his voice was deep and he looked serious.

It took her few seconds to find the resume "Says here you were a bouncer at Highland? Why did you leave?" Olivia asked.

"They wanted someone younger and more hip looking." he answered respectfully.

"How do you feel about drunks?"

"Some people get violent when they drink. It's not something we can change. But it is something we can control. I say kick them out. Put them on a black list. Prevents future disturbances." Jeff replied.

Andy nodded thoughtfully "Black list. Okay. I like that."

"Thank you, Jeff. We'll be in touch. Next!" she made a quick note on his resume.

Gilbert sent in the next applicant, another young girl, who appeared shy and timid as she sat down "Hi." it was barely audible "I'm Carrie."

"Hi Carrie." Andy smiled warmly "Has anyone ever told you that you have the most beautiful blue eyes?"

"Really?" she looked up as her face brightened.

Olivia turned to him with crossed arms while he ignored the look she gave him "They are as blue as the ocean. I've never seen anyone with such blue pigmentation." he continued to flirt until the girl was completely flustered. He glanced at the resume and continued "I see you're going to UCLA? Do you have a boyfriend?" She shook her head "Are all the boys blind in that college?"

She giggled like a schoolgirl with a crush "I don't think so, Mr. Sutton."

"You know me? Please call me Andy." he flashed her another grin.

Olivia had enough. She turned to the young girl "Darling, you're too young to work at the club. You must be 21. Maybe in a year? Thank you for coming in."

"Oh...I'm turning 21 in two months." She corrected.

Before Andy had a chance to chime in, Olivia added "We'll be in touch." when the girl left, she turned to him incredulously "What in the bloody hell was that?!"

"What?" he asked coyly.

"Andy, I'm going to ask you to leave if you can't refrain from flirting with the girls." she warned.

He stifled a laugh "What's with the girlfriend tone?"

She wasn't amused "That was the manager tone."

"Look, the girl is young and obviously very innocent. She's pretty too, which means she'll be getting tons of attention from men. Wanted and unwanted. She's gotta learn to take it with stride and that shyness...hmm...it's a magnet for predators."

Olivia understood where he was going "So she learns to distinguish the unwanted advances from any man? She was very taken by you. And you do realize that your flirting only gave her the wrong impression?"

"Perhaps, but she has to be able to weed out the real intentions from the flirtatious ones that aren't looking for anything more than a one a night stand. Ten bucks says she has never been on a date."

Olivia narrowed her eyes "How many women have you led to believe that you are interested? How many have you bedded just because you could? How many have you not called back after a one night romp in bed?" Before he had a chance to answer, she snickered "Spare me the good guy role, Andy."

He was more amused than ever "You have me all figured out, huh? My, I didn't know a little flirting could ruffle your feathers like that." She rolled her eyes away as he laughed "Okay, I won't flirt anymore. Do you count?"

She let out a sigh and rubbed her temples "Next!"

An African American male walked into the room and squealed at the top of his lungs which startled Andy and Olivia "Oh my God! Andrew Sutton! I can't believe that you're here in person!" the male slid into the chair as he began gushing "My, can I say that you are even more handsome in person, like...way better than those pictures in the magazine-"

"NEXT!" Andy called. He heard a shrill laughter coming from Gilbert's station "That's not funny!"

The male sitting before them began laughing "I'm so sorry but your assistant said you would get a kick out of it."

Olivia couldn't hide the grin on her face "Your name, please."

"Adam West." he answered. When Andy looked up curiously, he added "Yeah, I know. I get that look a lot."

She turned to Andy, who began explaining sarcastically "Except Liv won't get it. You see, she is from Hong Kong so she probably has no idea who Adam-"

"The original Batman." she answered curtly "Adam. It says here that you minor in Psychology? Social or interpersonal?"

"Both." he answered with a curious smile "You, too?"

"Yes." She had a good vibe from him "Thank you for your time, we'll be in touch. Next!" she turned to Andy who had a look of surprise "He's a definite yes."

"You barely asked him anything!" he pointed out.

"His resume speaks for itself." She replied.

They both looked up when a figure stood by the door "Next!" the two called out in unison. The guy had piercings and tattoos all over his body. And the expression on his face gave them chills.

"Oh hell...excuse me." a female voice said as she walked into the room "I think he walked into the wrong interview." She joked. She had ebony colored skin and a brilliant smile.

"Name?" Olivia asked.

"Tisha." the female replied brightly.

Olivia smiled "You heard of the phrase 'the customer is always right'?" the female nodded "Thoughts?"

"Depends. Right to order whatever they want to eat or drink. Asking for recommendations? Girl, I didn't know you were vegan or I wouldn't have suggested the lamb chops!"

"Preach, girl. Vegans are insufferable!" Andy agreed.

"I heard that!" Gilbert cried.

"I have a question." Andy leaned over the table "Have you been in any violent confrontations with patrons?"

"Oh no. I would never strike someone out of the blue." Tisha shook her head vehemently.

Olivia raised her brows "What if he was a drunk coming at you?"

Tisha snapped her neck and raised her brow "Oh, that bitch is going down. I believe in giving people the same treatment they give us. We're here to serve not slave."

"You go girl." Andy nodded.

The bold female turned to Olivia and asked "Who's this? Why does he sound like he just tried to swallow an urban dictionary?"

Olivia stifled a laugh "This is Andy Sutton, the owner of the new nightclub R&D." she emphasized.

Tisha's smile appeared as she waved a hand towards Andy "Oh, in that case, go on with your bad self, girl."

"Thank you, Tisha. We'll be in contact." Olivia smiled and turned to Andy when she left the room.

"She scares me." Andy whispered.

"Really? I love her." she proclaimed.

"Seriously, are you just choosing people that I don't like on purpose?" he asked with irritation.

"Andy, we want a strong team. Not a complicit team. The whole 'Yes Mam, Yes Sir' thing...it doesn't work. Trust me. People take advantage of kindness. Do you know why people continue to flock to R&D even though we have a strong reputation of kicking out patrons?"

"Because people like to be man handled?" he snickered sarcastically.

She replied exasperatedly "Because it shows respect. It is earned-"

"Not given. Yeah, I know. You say that a lot." he pointed out.

After another hour, they interviewed twenty five more individuals. When the last person left the office, Gilbert threw his hands in the air "Halleluiah!"

"I think we should interview more. You know? So we can have more choices." Andy offered.

"I hate you." Gilbert sputtered.

"Don't you want us to find the best team?" Andy taunted.

"I think we have our team." Olivia placed the eight resumes on the desk "Jessica, David, Tisha and Adam will be watchers. Along with Jeff, Ezra and Lou as the bouncers. Tom, assistant manager. They all have one thing in common."

"You like them?" Andy asked snidely.

"No, they have all taken some sort of martial arts or physical training class. It's a good skill to have, trust me."

Gilbert peered over her shoulder nosily "I remember Tisha. I liked her. She was sassy!"

"Are you sure, Liv? We still have three weeks to go before grand opening. I mean we can interview 35 a day, 5 days a week...we can find even more fitting candidates."

"I can't...I can't even right now." Gilbert shook his head as he walked away in distraught.

Olivia shook her head "Don't tease him. I'll make the formal calls in a few days. Gilbert, can you take the no's?" she heard a muffled 'yes' from down the hall "We have the cleaning staff. And you said you would handle the bartenders?"

Andy nodded "Yeah. Also, I was thinking of getting the main staff together before the club opens. You know, bonding time. And now that I think about it, I kind like that the team is multi racial. Like me."

"I'm open to it." She agreed.

"Okay. I'll have Gil get on top of that." He began checking his phone for emails that he missed "Would you like to increase your sexual stamina...wouldn't you like to know." he mumbled to himself. He clicked the next email and his brows furrowed "What the hell...Liv, do you know what Abode is?"

"Yes." she replied.

"Well, I just got an invoice. The amount is the same as a two month car payment for my beamer." he turned the phone to show her.

She laughed in response "You asked me to get the best security technology in the industry. I shopped around and talked to the top three. Abode had the best prices and the best theft deterrent system."

"It better be with this price." Andy whistled.

"I promise you won't be disappointed." Olivia was confident.

"Famous last words." He placed the phone back into his pocket "Well, it's been fun kids but I have things to do, people to mingle with, planes to catch. Oh, I'll be out of the country for a week. But I should be back for the final touches and I'll let you know what day we can all get together."

"Sounds good." she nodded.

Chapter Five

Andy settled on a meeting location at a local yoga studio that he rented for two hours. He sent Olivia the location and she in turn texted the main staff to meet up. Polite and cordial handshakes were exchanged around the room. Andy raised his hands to get their attention "Alright everyone. Let's all sit down in a circle."

The group obediently followed. Olivia took the seat to his right and Gilbert was on his left "And by the end of the two hours, we'll all be BFF's." Gilbert cracked.

"Let's do a little background intro. As you may already know, I am Andy Sutton, the real estate mogul that you have probably googled. I am the only child to my parents'...that I know of."

Olivia had a distant look on her face when Andy nudged her to begin. She forced a smile "Olivia Lee, born and raised in Hong Kong. My family bounced around a lot, I've lived in nearly every city in Hong Kong. This is my first trip abroad."

"How do you like it so far?" Jessica asked.

"It's alright. I'm getting more familiar with the freeways and streets."

"Does Hong Kong have a lot of traffic, too?" Adam was curious "I've always wanted to visit but you know, I don't speak the language so I imagine it would be hard to communicate with the locals."

Olivia smiled "Hong Kong is a big tourist attraction. Most locals learn English as their second language. Tourism is a staple of economics there."

"I heard it's been called the shopping capital of the world." Adam commented "And your English?"

Olivia smiled "I watched a lot of TV shows and movies growing up. And yes, traffic is just as bad."

"My turn!" Gilbert raised his hand "Gilbert Carrey, I have two amazing parents' that support me in everything that I do. And at 16, I was dying to find a job. Two years later, I responded to an assistant ad for this guy." he pointed at Andy "And the rest is history."

"Tisha, you go next." Andy instructed.

The usually outspoken female was suddenly shy "I grew up in the projects of New York. My mom worked a lot...I barely saw her. My dad was always found drunk somewhere in a strip joint. I practically raised my three siblings. When they were old enough to take care of themselves, I moved to Los Angeles to start over."

"Wow, that's admirable." Andy smiled, he was coming around to her "Jessica?"

"Me?" her cheeks began to flush "No judgment, guys. I came to California from Oklahoma. My parents had eight other kids to take care of, so they didn't mind me leaving. I had dreams of becoming an actor. Until I realized being blond hair, blue eyed meant competing for the same roles that a hundred other girls wanted. People like me are a dime a dozen here. I worked in restaurants for flexibility and auditions were brutal. I've kinda given up the idea of being the next Reese Witherspoon."

"Girl, you're way prettier." Tisha commented.

"Thanks." Jessica smiled.

David volunteered to be next "I was an Army brat. My family bounced around from country to country. My dad was stationed in Japan for a few years but don't ask me to say anything in Japanese, I never learned any of it." he laughed "My mom is a homemaker, she does everything for me. So I vowed to take care of them one day."

"I made the same vow." Andy smiled.

When all eyes turned to Adam, he said "Only child. My parents' struggled with fertility. It wasn't very popular in the 90's but they took out all their savings to do one IVF procedure and got me. My mom calls me her miracle baby." he smiled "I graduated High School at 16 and got my BA degree in Psychology after 4 years at USC. Working on my Masters currently. I don't think I want to sit around and listen to people talk about their problems. So I'm searching for a purpose."

Andy was intrigued "So does that mean you'll be quitting when you find something better?"

"No, Sir." Adam answered solemnly "I am committed. This is the first job that I'm actually excited about."

"Because I'd hate to keep you from something better." the comment threw everyone off guard "First and foremost, take care of yourself. Do not hold yourself back from something that could potentially make you happy. A happy employee is a happy establishment." Andy concluded with a smile.

"I taught him that." Gilbert took the credit as the group laughed.

Andy moved the intro along "Tom, how about you?"

Olivia remembered he was a man of little words "Mother, father and sister." he answered.

Everyone waited for more information but he was done "Can you give us something else?" Andy pressed.

"Marine." he replied simply.

"Okay." Andy threw Olivia a look as he continued down the line "Jeff?"

"I have a wife and two kids; 5 and 3. The loves of my life. I would do anything for them." he smiled warmly.

Andy nodded with admiration "Ezra?"

The Indonesian male looked up solemnly "In the 70's, my parents' fled Indonesia to escape religious persecution. My sister and I were disguised to keep the militia from taking us. They collected children and forced them into sex slavery. Women in general were tortured, raped and eventually killed when captured. A lot of my aunts didn't make it out of there. We were the lucky ones."

"Jesus Christ." Tisha breathed.

The group was silent because no one knew how to respond "I don't take life for granted because tomorrow is not promised." Ezra added.

"And we should all live that way. Not to mention be grateful for the freedom." Lou nodded as he reached out to give Ezra a squeeze on the shoulder.

"Agreed." Andy said solemnly.

Lou continued "I was more fortunate. I grew up in the east coast. People didn't care about racial lines or religious scrutiny. It's a big reason why I moved to Los Angeles. Living in a remote Missouri town for a year opened my eyes. There are some very closed minded people out there. I am grateful for diversity." he looked around the group with pride "I am single and ready to mingle."

"And that's why Olivia and I decided to hire all of you. We are from different nationalities coming together for a purpose." Andy began "I want us to be a family. A strong team that works together and has each other's backs. Research shows that Mondays and Tuesdays are slow days for bars and clubs. So that will be your days off. The club opens at 6PM through 2AM. Let's rely on a clear and open line of communication. I know this is a new team so we'll have to learn to familiarize with each other. I'm sure we'll have changes to rules in the first month and if you have an ideas or thoughts, please come to me or Liv. I travel a lot for business so when I'm gone, Liv is in charge."

"Anyone dying for a group hug?" Gilbert asked while the group smiled in response "Just me?"

The team had another meeting a week before the grand opening to review the rules and regulations. Grand opening was on a Friday night. Thirty minutes before the doors opened, Olivia passed the high tech comps to the staff "We're all on the same channel so you might get a lot of cross over activities. Bartenders, you guys can turn it on mute if it gets too noisy."

"Cool." David muttered as he examined the comps.

Olivia nodded "Guaranteed, we'll get quite a few drunken disturbances. Word travels fast so hopefully the amount of situations will decrease as the night progresses. Last call is at 1AM, which the DJ will announce."

"You think we'll get to kick people out today?" David asked.

"Sounds like we have a bet brewing?" Tisha chimed in as she placed her comps into her left ear.

"I'm down. What's the wager?" Adam asked.

"Bragging rights!" Jessica offered. She turned to Olivia "So, you're the expert, what do you think?"

"First night. 20 minutes...30 tops." she answered after a moment.

"No way!" Lou shook his head "I've worked at bars and it takes longer than that to get a drink. I say one hour. No offense." he quickly added.

The bets began circling as the group disbursed to their posts. Tisha was getting acquainted with the top left station "What if no one shows up?" she wondered out loud.

"Um...Tish...look outside." Jeff said, he was stationed at the entrance. They were setting up the area to screen individuals with a metal detector.

Tisha peered out of the reflective coated window from her station "Oh holy shitballs! It's wrapped around the block!"

"Nice!" Adam cheered.

"Anyone have a code word to summon a bouncer?" Jessica asked sheepishly.

Olivia smiled "The team in Hong Kong used to call out the word help. It was effective."

"Well since we're all new and probably don't know each other's voices yet-"

"Tisha." Adam cut in.

"Show off." a male voice snickered.

"David." Adam smiled from his station "Anyone else?"

"Do me!"

"Jess." he laughed "Give me a hard one!"

"Ahem!"

Adam hummed through the comps "Okay, that's a challenge. Let me think...Tom! It has to be Tom. He's got a tough voice."

"It wasn't me." Tom's voice spoke up.

"Not so cocky now, are we?" Tisha taunted playfully.

"It's your boss." Andy said sternly "You know, the owner?"

"Oh, hey boss. We were just getting acquainted with these cool new headsets." Adam informed.

"Yeah, I see." he returned the comps to Olivia "Liv, you were going to show me the goodies?"

"What? I didn't know we could sign up to see Liv's goodies?" David joked. When there was no response, he added "Too soon?"

"Maybe keep the sexual jokes in your head until we know you're not a crazy perv?" Adam suggested jokingly.

"Well, there's always a perv in the group." Tisha teased "Guess we found ours?"

"Guys, doors open in 15, keep your eyes peeled. I'm logging off for now." Olivia turned off the comps when she reached the long hallway. She turned to Andy "This is the inventory room." she pointed to the high tech key pad entry "Fingerprint detection." She pressed a few buttons and motioned for his hand. She placed his thumb over the screen as it scanned and the light turned green.

"Fancy." He commented "Who else has access?"

She opened the door so he could inspect the room. Rows and rows of alcohol lined along the metal shelves. The most expensive bottles required a ladder to retrieve "The bartenders have access during business hours only. And you and I have full access. We are the only two that can add a user." She pointed to the tablet built into the wall by the door "Every time someone removes a liquor bottle, they have to log it in. That way we can keep track."

He smiled with appreciation "I like. What's next?"

"The office." She pointed him to the room adjacent to the liquor room "We are the only two with access-"

"Wait. You need to add Gilbert or he'll throw a fit. He's gonna handle accounting. Did you know he has a CPA degree?" she shook her head "Yeah, he got it when he realized I was bad at the books."

"I'll add him the next time he makes a visit." She continued "Like the other keypad, it keeps a log of who enters the room. The maximum log it can hold is twenty." she had him scan his fingerprint and opened the door.

"Glad I'm not claustrophobic." It was a windowless room with a desk, swivel chair and computer.

Olivia smiled from the comment "This will be used for privacy and keeping track of logs. You can view the entire club from our cameras." She moved the mouse and clicked on the camera icon to show him "It can also be remotely viewed as long as there is internet."

"Cool." he was impressed.

She placed her hand out and he surrendered the unlocked phone "With the app, you can log in at any time to view the club."

"That's very detailed." he marveled.

"The only rooms without cameras are the bathrooms and this office for obvious reasons." she passed him the cell phone "Any questions?"

"Nope, that was very thorough. It's opening time." he bounced his head towards the door "Shall we?"

Olivia nodded as she placed the comps back in and returned to the floor. The music was blaring and people began entering the club. Her eyes caught sight on a male, early thirties. He did not give anyone eye contact and marched straight to the bar "Hey guys, I'm back. How's the wager going? Who has the longest time?"

"Me." Jessica offered "I think opening night, at a new club, people are less likely to cause trouble. I say 3 hours."

"We said she was being naive." Tisha added.

"Well, I have faith in humanity." Jessica defended herself.

"Faith does not stop people from doing stupid things." Olivia said wisely. She turned to Adam's station "Adam. Check out suit guy. Thirties. At the bar. What do you think?"

It took a moment for him to reply "He seems unhappy? No eye contact. No smile. Just drinking. Bad combo."

"Maybe he just likes to drink alone?" Tisha didn't see an issue "I drink alone at home all the time."

"At home, in the safety and privacy of your own place." Adam corrected "Unless he can't go home to drink? Personal issues?"

"Possibly." Olivia agreed "Keep a lookout for him."

"Oh damn. Bachelorette party coming through. Those always end up in a rowdy mess." Tisha said. Nearly thirty minutes into opening, the club was halfway full and there were no disruptions "Hey Liv, your time's coming up." Tisha reminded the group "Wanna change it?"

"Never." she smiled when she spotted the male in the suit stumbling from the bar stool. The lone drinker waved at the bartender "Cut him off, Cole." she instructed. She saw the bartender shake his head at the patron, who proceeded to climb over the bar and grab the bottle himself.

"I'm on it." Adam said as he quickly intervened and assessed the situation.

The team observed as Adam was forced to escort the male out of the facility "Oh wow...you called it." Tisha spoke up "Bravo."

"It was a lucky guess." Olivia smiled. She was being modest "But I would like to reserve those bragging rights for a rainy day."

Her expression changed when she noticed a male patron talking to Sam, the second bartender at the main bar. He looked up at her for help. When she moved closer, he asked her "Know anyone that speaks French?"

Olivia turned to the patron and asked "Puis-je vous aider?"

The look of relief came over his face "Oui. Je souhaite commander un vodka et tonique."

Olivia "Oui monsieur." She turned to Sam "He wants a vodka and tonic."

"Well, why didn't he say so.'' Sam smiled "You speak French?" he looked at her oddly.

"Um...how?" Tisha asked through the comps "That was crazy cool!"

"Isn't that like the sexiest language in the world?" Jessica chimed in "Ugh, I'm so jealous. You have a British accent and you can speak French? Say something else, Liv!"

"Retourne travailler." Olivia spoke skillfully.

"Ooh, what does that mean?" Jessica asked.

"Get back to work." she scolded playfully. She turned to the French businessman and smiled "Je vous remercie."

"Merci." the man was finally able to enjoy a drink.

Olivia returned to her station near the dance floor, it was getting crowded and the people seem to be enjoying the flashing lights from the glass floor. Another hour flew by and she noticed Tom's eyes were scanning the crowd. They stopped on a particular male dancing near a crowd by the bar. She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to find Andy with a drink in his hand. He motioned for her to cut off the comps and she did with one switch of a button "Yes?"

"Tell me again, why you wanted to hire Tom? He hasn't opened up and he's got a personality of a brick." he observed.

"He's a Marine. Trained for tactical combat. He's in fight mode." she explained. She turned back to Tom and saw him reach under the arm of the obviously drunk male, who was beginning to push people out of the way obnoxiously. He was leading him towards the exit "Wait for it."

Andy followed her gaze. And over the sound of the pounding music, they could hear his booming voice say "COMING THROUGH. HE'S GONNA BLOW!" the crowd that heard erupted with laughter.

"Wooh! GO TOM!" Tisha pumped her fist in the air from the second floor.

Olivia turned up at Andy, who was shaking his head "He's humiliating the patron."

She disagreed "No. He's setting a harsh example to prevent others from doing the same. It's a warning." she said wisely. Andy appeared thoughtful while Olivia grinned "You have a lot to learn, little grasshopper."

"Apparently." He turned and nodded to a crowd at the door "My friends are here. You can go back to doing what you're doing. Great job, by the way." he gave her a wink before walking away. The rest of the night continued with little issues. People learned quickly that the staff was not messing around. By the time last call was made, there were only a total of six incidents.

After the first opening week, Andy wanted to have a meeting with Olivia to get her thoughts. They met up at a bistro in downtown LA, owned by a friend of his "Can you block the patio for me, Beau?" Andy asked.

"Sure thing." Beau nodded as he waved to the head waiter "Take care of Andy for me. He needs privacy. Don't seat any other guests in the patio."

"Yes, Sir." the waiter nodded as he hurried to clear the patio and set up a table for two.

"Thanks man." Andy smiled.

"Hey, if wasn't for you, I wouldn't have all this." Beau always wanted to open his own restaurant. He lacked the means to open one so Andy decided to buy the commercial building and rent it to his friend. It was something he often did for people in his circle and only for the ones that he trusted "Who are you meeting today?"

"I just bought a franchise nightclub. It's on Sunset. The name's R&D."

Beau raised his brows "I overheard from a few customers that it's quite a buzz."

"Yeah. We're one week in. I'm meeting my manager here." he advised.

His eyes moved over Andy's shoulder when he noticed a female in a floral dress walk in "Please tell me that's her?"

Andy turned and waved to Olivia "Yeah. Want me to introduce?"

"Does bacon come from pigs?" he couldn't take his eyes off her.

"That's a yes." Andy laughed and turned when she moved closer "Hey, meet my friend, Beau. He is the owner and head chef of this restaurant. This is Olivia."

"Bistro." Beau corrected "There's a difference. Hi Olivia."

"Hello Beau. And what difference would that be?" she asked with raised brows.

"A bistro is smaller, quaint, personable." he decided.

"Oh? Like a cafe? Canteen? Diner?" she smiled.

Beau's smile turned awkward "Well...yeah...but a bistro is classier? I guess?"

"Like the fine dining of Denny's." Olivia smirked.

"Stop, Liv. He's a good friend. You're making him fluster." Andy chuckled "Sorry, Beau, she eats nails for breakfast."

"And men's egos." She added jokingly.

"It's a delicacy, I hear." Beau chimed in with a laugh "You guys have the patio. Let me know if you need anything. I already chose the brunch dishes for you." she opened her mouth but he quickly added "Unless you have something specific in mind?"

"You catch on fast." She teased "I'm sure the meal will be wonderful." she turned to Andy as they made their way towards the patio seating area. Spring was around the corner and the days were getting warmer.

"He's attractive, don't you think?" Andy asked casually.

Olivia sipped her drink "No comment."

"Hey, I've been meaning to ask you...about that friend of yours. What happened? I noticed the cashier's check was never cashed or deposited."

She avoided his gaze and shrugged "I don't know."

He leaned over the table "Let me take a swing at it. You had a huge fight and forgot to give him the check. Months later, you found it in your purse so you just threw it out?"

A small smile escaped her lips "Sure."

"Liv. Come on. You can confide in me. I'm not just a boss, I can be a friend too." he urged "Also, you know, I have a lot of single friends-"

"Thank you, Andy, for caring. But I do not need a boyfriend right now." she said pointedly.

"Well, what if you're passing up on the right guy because you have closed yourself off? What if Mr. Perfect was right in front of your face?" her brows furrowed and her chin tilted to the left "It was a figure of speech. I wasn't talking about me." he added with a sigh.

"Again, I am not looking for a relationship right now."

He dismissed her with a roll of the eyes "Liv, besides the fact that you have this cold demeanor...sometimes. And the quick summary about your life, I honestly don't know much about you. If we're going to work together, you gotta give me more."

Olivia straightened her back and crossed her arms over the table "Andy, why did you agree to the deal? Why did you agree to meet with me?"

"Because I've been to R&D in Hong Kong and its reputation around town told me I'd be stupid to pass up the opportunity for a franchise. Despite the instant loss, I believe in its potential here in LA. And although you are not the owner, you practically run the club, which honestly to me is completely foreign. There's a reason why the line stretched around the block on opening night."

"So you believed in my reputation as a manager." she began and he nodded in agreement "And as a manager, my personal life will not and cannot effect the job. It's irrelevant. And as for our friendship, it is what it is. We get along. Isn't that enough?"

He knew pushing her would only cause her to shut down. But he wanted to remind her "Do you remember our first meeting as a team?" She nodded "We all shared something personal. And yeah, everyone has a back story, it's how we empathize with each other. People think opening up is a sign of vulnerability, allowing someone to use it as a weapon. But I think showing your weaknesses to others is a strength. You control the information and they are not allowed to use it against you in the future."

"You should be a motivational speaker." She smiled while he let out a sigh "Let's talk about the first week." she steered the conversation away.

"I heard some people complain about the line and the thorough search at the door. I don't disagree with that but maybe there's a more efficient way to speed up that process?"

"We can screen those in line before the club opens. Put a wrist band on the ones that were screened so Jeff, Ezra or Lou can just let them in when it's time? We could have a waiting area outside?" she offered.

"Yeah. Those are all good suggestions. We'll try that out next week." he agreed "Also, I was approached by a few club promoters."

"Me too." she admitted.

Andy frowned "Do we need them?"

"They do the advertising for us. I know of a few clubs in Hong Kong that rely heavily on promoters to bring in customers. Some promoters use that as leverage to charge a higher fee because they hold customer's names and numbers in their hands. Not to mention the promoters have a lot of sway to recommend which club is a hit that week or month."

"I don't like being reliant on just one way to get our names out. Couldn't we put up flyers around town or online ads? Seems the first week had an impressive turnout." Andy wasn't sure if that was the norm.

"New club. Everyone is curious to experience it. The first months are crucial. We have to be consistent and change things when necessary. Let's wait on the promoter thing and do the flyers and social media ads first. Perhaps we can give a discount on drinks for Wednesdays and Thursdays?"

Andy agreed "Okay. You're the expert here."

They paused long enough to enjoy the meal that was served "How's the food?" Beau appeared from the patio door.

"Absolutely delicious." Olivia said sincerely.

"Whew." he pretended to wipe the sweat from his forehead.

Olivia shifted out of the seat "Excuse me, I have to use the lady's room." she smiled when Beau held the door open for her.

Andy waited until Olivia was gone "So? What do you think?"

"She's a knockout. But she has a...strong personality." he chose his words carefully.

Andy knew who he was comparing her to "Janet was different. She was controlling and manipulative. She made you feel small. I don't know Olivia personally but from what I can tell, she is not that type of person." he said thoughtfully.

"I'm not in any rush to settle down." Beau shrugged.

Andy nodded warily "Okay. But I think you're missing out. Chances don't always show up at your doorstep."

"And you?" Beau crossed his arms with a smile "Aren't you missing out? You're always setting people up but what about you?"

"You know why." he said solemnly.

Beau instantly felt guilty for reminding his friend "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to dredge up old memories for you." he turned to find Olivia returning "Lunch is on the house, don't even think about paying." he warned Andy.

"I wasn't gonna pay." Andy said with a straight face.

"Good." Beau smiled "It was nice meeting you, Olivia."

"Likewise." She shook his hand firmly.

When Beau left, Andy pulled out his wallet and snuck a hundred dollar bill under a dish. She smiled and he looked up at her "Shhh."

"My lips are sealed." She zipped her lips with her fingers.

"Hey, what do you think about doing a monthly bonding activity with the team?" he suggested.

She nodded "I agree that's something to explore."

"Did your team do that in Hong Kong?" he asked nosily.

Olivia chuckled "No! We ignored each other in the streets."

"Really?" He frowned and noticed her secret smile "I'm gonna learn to read you one day."

"And by the time you do, I'll be back in Hong Kong." she teased. He reached for the door and opened it for her "So I will see you on Wednesday?"

"Oh. No. Actually I'll be in Hawaii for a few days. I'll be back next Monday. Hold down the fort while I'm gone."

Chapter Six

Olivia was getting ready for work when she received a text on her phone. It was Andy. He sent her two fabric swatches and asked 'Which one do you like?' One was white with red hibiscus flowers and the other was black with purple plumeria flowers.

She responded with 'White & red. Why?' He didn't respond after that. Shrugging, she changed into a dress for work.

As expected, the second week was busy. The hype was still apparent. The week rolled by with minimal occurrences. It was smooth, which was a good sign.

She knew Andy was flying in that Monday morning. Olivia had just finished her morning jog when her phone chimed 'Hey, can you come by? I wanna show you something. Nothing dirty. I promise.'

Smiling, she replied 'You see one, you've seen them all. What time? Address, please.'

'Trust me, mine isn't the same...nevermind, it's getting dirty. 30 minutes. Harold will come pick you up.'

Olivia tossed the phone on her bed and took a shower. She had enough time to dry her medium length hair. She decided to grow it out after arriving in LA months ago. Making her way down to the parking lot, she spotted the Landrover and Harold nodded once. She got in the car and he drove towards the hills. They came upon a hidden property amongst the rows of expensive homes. He drove past the automated gates and stopped at the roundabout driveway. A fountain was propped up in the middle of the property, which added a classy touch.

The home was two stories high and probably thirty times the size of her tiny apartment in Hong Kong. She exited the car and soaked it in for a moment. It was magnificent "Miss Olivia? Did you need something else?" Harold noticed she was rooted in place.

"No. Thank you, Harold." she walked over to the double glass doors and hit the doorbell. After a moment, it swung open "Gil?"

"Hey Liv. What are you doing at my house?" he asked with confusion.

She was puzzled "This is your house?"

"Practically. I am here all the freaking time." he scowled and moved aside to let her in "The master is upstairs. He said to send you up."

Olivia was barely listening as she circled the entry way with marble tiles, mahogany wood floors and gold crusted frames of art paintings she would never understand. She was admiring the craftsmanship of the decor table when she heard a female voice saying "Que esta haciendo?"

Gilbert turned to the head maid "First time here. New girl. It's cute how awestruck they get, huh? Never gets old."

Olivia was amused by his comment "You speak Spanish?" she was about to tell him that she did too when she heard another voice.

"Que esta diciendo?" the second maid asked the elder woman.

"No lo se." she shrugged while throwing Gilbert a bright smile.

Olivia tried not to burst into giggles when she heard the next line "Lastima que sea gay. Es muy guapo."

"I like her, too." Gilbert pretended to understand as he threw the women a thumbs up sign.

"Where's his room?" Olivia stifled a smile.

Gilbert pointed to the left "Down the hall, main stairwell to the left. You can't miss it. Two huge obnoxious doors."

"Noted." Olivia passed the maids and threw them a wink.

She made her way up to the second floor and found the double doors. She knocked and after a moment tried the door knob. The bedroom was lavish to say the least. The Cal King bed on the left had a grand headboard that reached the ceiling. To the right was a privacy nook with a desk and computer. And directly across from the entrance were two French doors leading to the open balcony.

She could hear the water running, he was in the shower. The master bathroom was on the left side of the bed. Olivia was admiring the view of the pool below when she heard a door open. She turned to find Andy emerging with a towel wrapped around his waist. A smaller towel was wrapped around his neck and his hair was dripping wet "Oh hey, you're here." he greeted nonchalantly.

"Ran out of clothes?" she asked.

"Never seen a half naked man?" He asked casually while drying his hair with the hand towel.

"I've seen plenty, just not my boss's."

Andy chuckled "Guess it's your lucky day." he made his way over to his desk and opened a drawer. He handed her a brown paper bag "I didn't have time to wrap it."

Olivia smiled curiously as she opened the bag and pulled out a floral print dress in her size. It was white with red hibiscus flowers. A grin stretched across her face "That's what the swatches were for?"

"Personally, I liked the black and purple one."

"I actually liked both but you made me choose...so...I picked one." she admired the pretty dress and how soft the material felt in her hand.

"That's why I got you both. And I threw in a pookha shell bracelet." he revealed the second brown bag and tossed it towards her.

Olivia laughed and caught the bag mid air "Thank you. You have a habit of buying gifts for your employees?"

"Nope. You're the first." he grinned. Combing his fingers through his hair, he made his way over to where she stood.

She folded the dresses into the bag and turned to him "You wanted to show me something?"

A spark of menace danced across his face "Right! So you see, I've been working out a lot lately and I can't tell if it's actually made a difference. Now I need your honest opinion. How do my abs look?" he asked solemnly.

Her brow arched up, nose flared and she refused to look anywhere but his eyes "I haven't a clue. I never saw the before so I can't give you my opinion on the after."

"Well, just give me your thoughts. Please, Liv? My abs are down there." Andy pointed his eyes downward.

She crossed her arms sternly "And my patience is wearing thin."

"Come on, Liv. Honest opinion." he urged. Without warning, he reached out and grabbed her hand "Can you at least feel them?"

She twisted out of his grip and whipped her hand away. He instantly broke into laugher while she remain still "Are you finished?"

He had to wipe the tears from his eyes "You should see the look of horror on your face when I grabbed your hand." he mocked.

"I imagine it's the same look of horror on your face when I file a sexual harassment complaint to the EEOC bureau." The comment caught him off guard "Oh? Not so funny anymore?"

Andy cleared his throat and straightened his back "God, you're no fun to mess with." he made his way to the closet and picked out clothes to change into "You must be a hoot in bed."

"Dialing the EEOC now!" She threatened.

He appeared from the closet fully dressed "Better?" bowing at the waist as he presented himself.

"Much." she manage let a smile creep out.

"So the restaurant deal in Hawaii is set. Construction starts in a week or two. But I wanted to pick your designer brain on tiles for the floor and eat in dining area." He moved to the computer and began logging in. He opened an email and clicked on the pictures to show her.

She looked at the choices thoughtfully "What look are you going for?"

"I don't know...inviting? Something that screams hungry so people order more food? And maybe they'll stay and order more food cause it's so good. That would be ideal."

Olivia shook her head "That's not...even...what?"

They both looked up after hearing a shrill laughter coming from the entryway, it was Gilbert "Oh, finally, someone knows my pain." he sighed dreamily.

"Except, I get to leave after 11 months and 2 weeks."

Andy appeared hurt "You have a countdown? Maybe I should cut you loose since you're so miserable here?"

"Right, if not for that pesky contract." Olivia punched a fist in the air.

Gilbert bounced towards her and wrapped his arms around her in delight "Please never leave me."

She laughed "No doubt, I will miss you the most."

"You act like you're leaving tomorrow." Andy was happy they got along "Now can we get back to more urgent matters?"

"Ugh, I hate choosing tiles stuff. I'm gonna go pick up some lunch. You stayin', Liv?"

"No." she replied while Andy answered with a "Yes."

Gilbert began backing away towards the door "Um...it appears you two need to work on your mind reading?"

"Stay for lunch." Andy urged and she reluctantly nodded "You have plans tomorrow night?" he asked.

Olivia titled her head and said "I was thinking of going down to Santa Monica pier. I heard from a few locals that it is a must visit for a tourist like me."

"You can see the pier any day. There's plenty of time." he brushed it off.

"What's happening tomorrow, I'm afraid to ask." Olivia reluctantly said.

"You're going to be my plus one for dinner and a show. It's a luau theme party that my friend is hosting at the Hilton. So pick one of the dresses I got you. You'll fit right in."

"Andy-"

"It'll be fun! I promise. What do you have to lose?"

"My sanity?" She suddenly heard Joe's voice in her head urging her to go. She rubbed her temples "I know I'm going to regret this. Fine, I'll go. Text me the location and time."

"I'll do better. Harold and I will pick you up. The party starts at 6PM so we'll be at the apartment by 5:30." he was satisfied with her reluctant answer "Okay, back to the tiles."

"What's the look you're going for?" She asked again. When he began repeating the same jibberish description, she covered his mouth with her hand "Stop. That's not a design look. I need words like...modern, contemporary, industrial, chic, mixed modern-"

He snapped his fingers at the last one and she released his mouth from her hand "That one."

"Now we're getting somewhere." she pointed to the cream opaque tiles and the textured brown tiles for the ground "Backdrop, floors and that for accents." She pointed to the iridescent colored tiles.

"You don't think those colors are too neutral?" he observed carefully.

Olivia shrugged "I've never been to Hawaii but I heard that the islanders are laid back. They want to feel invited not bombarded in obnoxious design-"

"Wait, wait...let me type that down." He replied to the email and began mumbling "...bombarded in obnoxious design..." he looked up at her "Okay, what's next?"

"That's it. That's all I got." She tilted her head "I don't get it. Why get involved in another business you know nothing about?"

He turned up to her and answered "My father felt turning profits from rents was the safe way to earn money. I guess I have a different view. True, I don't know much about running a club or restaurant. But I know the right kind of people who will do a hell of a better job that I could ever imagine. And I'd like to think I'm a pretty good people reader."

"Really?" she crossed her arms "Please, enlighten me."

"For instance I can tell that you have some choice words for me but you're holding your tongue because despite the fact that you can be direct with your words, you were taught to respect your boss." his lips curled into a smile when she rolled her eyes away "Would you like to counter?"

"I'd rather not." she offered nothing else.

The following night, Olivia was busy getting ready when her phone chimed 'Which one did you decide on wearing?'

'White and red' She responded to Andy's text.

She had another ten minutes, which gave her enough time to lightly curl her hair. She parted her mane down the center and tucked her long bangs behind her right ear.

Olivia spotted the car when she walked out of the elevator. Swiftly, Harold emerged from the driver side and opened the door for her "You look lovely, Miss Olivia." he complimented.

"Thank you, Harold."

She noticed Andy was wearing a red floral Hawaiian shirt "Harold, that's my line." he scolded "Now whatever I say as a compliment will only be second best."

"I apologize, Sir." she could see Harold's smile through the rear view mirror.

The car began to pull out of the lot "I'm not a fan of over the top compliments." Olivia said.

"Are you nervous?" Andy found her fidgeting with the pookha shell bracelet "Don't be, everyone there is either a good friend or a close acquaintance. It's not your snobby LA people, I don't do well with those types. There's going to be Hawaiian style buffet, fire performer and Polynesian dancers. You'll be transported to the islands."

"Where else have you visited?" she was fascinated with his life style.

"France. Italy. New York. Shanghai. Taiwan." he tapped his chin "I feel most at home when I'm in Hong Kong though. Strange thing is, I've only been there three times. The city is small but dense and there are so many things to do. Maybe it being my mom's birth country makes me feel comfortable?"

"Could be a natural connection? Have you been to Ireland? Maybe it would feel the same being that your father is Irish?" she noticed the car was slowing down.

"My dad wasn't born there so he never really considered it home. Though, I really should visit it one day. I hear it's beautiful." he turned when Harold opened the door. He got out of the car and lent her a hand.

There were dozens of guests dressed in bright floral printed clothing and all headed in the same direction "Text me when you're ready to leave. I'll be close by." Harold said.

"Will do." Andy returned his attention to Olivia "Ready?"

She exhaled "Sure." she began walking when he suddenly cleared his throat. Olivia turned to find him with his elbow propped up. Smiling, she linked her hand through his arm. He led her through the double glass doors and they moved to the herd on the left. She could hear the beating of drums and a female singing an island native tune.

They stopped at the entrance table to sign in "Thank you, Mr. Sutton. You can pick a lei for yourself and your beautiful date can choose a flower for her hair." the young girl dressed in traditional island costume pointed to the table on her left.

Andy picked a white lei for himself and Olivia opted for a red flower "Allow me?" he moved towards her left side when she shook her head and reached for the flower "You have a preference?" he asked.

"Left means you're married or in a serious relationship. Right is for singles." she explained.

"You made that up!" Andy accused.

"Actually, Sir, your date is correct." A male dressed in a traditional wrap and shell necklace informed them.

Olivia smiled teasingly "What do you Americans call that? Right...mansplaining." she adjusted the flower behind her right ear "Do less of that." she whispered and gave him a wink. Making her way into the event room, she stopped at the entrance to take in the scene. The decor was festive and she felt transported to the island of Hawaii.

Possibly two hundred people were expected to show. She was beaming when he caught up to her "You like?"

"I've never been to anything like this." she was practically gushing and it made him smile.

"The food will be out for an hour and a half and then the show will start. Why don't you start getting some food? I have to go say hi to a few people. It's open seating so just pick any table. I'll find you."

"Okay." she never liked to be the center of attention at any party but she also felt confident enough to be alone. It came with the job as a manager of a busy nightclub. She followed the guide of a few people that began picking up glass plates and forming a line at the buffet table. There were assortments of foods to choose like Kahlua pork, coleslaw, rice, potato salad, fruits and many other dishes she wasn't familiar with.

"Have you had a masubi?" a male voice to her left asked.

Olivia looked up to find a man with sun kissed skin, brown hair and brown eyes "I'm not sure that I have." she replied.

He pointed to the rectangular shaped food with rice on the bottom, spam and scrambled egg wrapped in a strip of seaweed. The male used tongs to pick up one for himself and placed one on her plate "It's delicious, trust me."

"I'll take your word for it." She smiled.

"Oh and try the coconut lime shrimp. Pineapple salsa is refreshing over grilled bass. Oh and Hawaiian sweet buns are a staple." he began piling on her plate and she was clearly amused "I'm sorry. I get very excited about food. I'm a food critic. The name's Finn."

"Olivia." She used a free hand to shake his "Tell me, how does one become a food critic?"

"Besides eating a lot?" he joked as they moved down the line to add more items to their plates "You have to have a special pallet. The average human tongue can taste sweet, sour, salty, spicy and bitter. But food critics are known to have a 6th taste bud called kokumi, which in turns makes them special. It uniquely identifies another flavor in food that most people don't realize exist."

She was somewhat intrigued "That's fascinating."

"Pineapple and mango sangria?" he pointed to the drink table where a waiter was pouring freshly blended drinks.

"Sure." Olivia nodded. Her eyes bounced around the room but she couldn't spot Andy anywhere.

"Come on, let's find a good seat in the front." Finn urged as he juggled a plate and two drinks "I used to be a waiter, if you were wondering how I'm doing this." he joked.

She let out a forced laugh "You read my mind."

They took two seats at a nearly empty table. There were only two Japanese females that sat on her right. Finn noticed she was looking around "Are you here with someone?"

"My boss actually." she shrugged "Maybe he's still mingling with people."

"Who is he? Maybe I know him?" Finn asked as he began eating.

"Andy Sutton." she replied.

Finn quickly swallowed the food "You work for Andy? Where?"

"The new nightclub on Sunset. R&D." she picked up the masubi and took a bite.

"I've heard of it. What do you do there?"

"Manager." She said shortly. And then she heard the two women speaking in Japanese and her ears zoned into the conversation.

"Atarashi on'na." one girl said.

"Kare no setsuritsu-bi no hitotsudenakaerba naranai."

The female with shoulder length hair pouted "Watashi wa tsugi no rain ni iru to omotta?"

"Tabun kahojo w tasuke ga hitsuyona nodeshou ka?"

"Ai...tabun." the conversation ended as the females turned to Olivia and smiled sweetly.

She felt sick to her stomach. Her appetite vanished as she turned to Finn "Pardon me, I have to use the restroom, I'll be back in a jiff."

"Alright. But if you take too long, I might move on to your plate." he pointed to her barely touched plate of food.

Olivia smiled awkwardly as she made a dash towards the exit. She made no eye contact and focused on the double glass doors. Andy was talking to a group of friends when he saw her storming out in a hurry "Excuse me." he quickly rushed after her "Liv! Hey LIV! Wait up!" he called when she made it onto the sidewalk "Where are you going?"

She turned to him, unable to contain her frustration "I thought I was clear that I did not want to be set up!"

"What? I...I didn't set you up." he said weakly. He wondered how she found out.

She cocked her head to the side "Andy, liars don't do well in my book."

"He's a nice guy. Give him a chance and you'll -"

"You're not listening!" She interrupted "I can't-not right now, I have to go."

"Liv!" he called after her. He turned back to the hotel when the group called for him to return to the party "Yeah! I'm coming!" he cried. He marched back in to talk to his friend. It took him a minute to find him at a table with one empty seat to his right "Finn."

"Hey, Andy. Sorry man, I know you told me to save you a seat-"

"Why did you tell her that I was setting you two up?" he cut in.

"What?" Finn appeared confused "I didn't tell her anything. We had a good vibe. She's in the bathroom right now, she should be back soon."

Andy groaned and ran his hand over his forehead. At the corner of his eyes, he saw the two females waving for him to come closer. He leaned down and they spoke in low voices "Finn, meet my friends, Ina and Kiki."

The conversations between the three began when Finn moved over a seat. Andy looked around the room and it only took a minute for him to decide to go look for her. He called Harold, who appeared with the car in less than five minutes "Take me to Liv's apartment."

Harold knew better than to question him. Instead he focused on driving there as quickly as possible. The car barely stopped when Andy pushed the door open and ran towards the elevators. When he reached her apartment, he knocked on the door urgently "Mr. Sutton?" one of the tenants asked when she realized who he was.

Andy turned to the voice "Hi, Mrs. Akagi. Have you seen Olivia?"

"No. I've been trying to clean up the apartment all day. She hasn't returned yet." she informed him "Maybe she went out for a walk? It's a nice evening."

And then it dawned on him, she had mentioned Santa Monica pier. He hurried back to the elevators and instructed Harold to drive to the beach. It took another forty minutes until they arrived at the parking lot.

Andy searched the entire pier for her but to no avail. When he was ready to give up, he moved towards the wooden rail to rest his lungs. His eyes trailed along the beach and stopped at one of the pillars holding up the pier. He found her sitting against the pillar. Andy made his way down to the beach and stopped a few feet behind her. She didn't need to look up to know that it was him. Sighing he took a seat on the sand next to her "I'm sorry."

Her eyes were distant as she began speaking "I was 14 when I experienced my first encounter with a boy. Not just any ordinary boy, he was the most popular jock in school. For weeks, he went out of his way to greet me in the hallways. I felt special. When he asked me to the school dance by way of balloons and a message, I couldn't say no."

"Big spender." Andy commented.

A small smile appeared on her lips "We got to the school dance and while he fetched us drinks, I noticed something peculiar with the couples arriving. All the upperclassmen had dates in the class below them. I felt sick so I went to the bathroom. And on one of the stalls was my answer. A tally for a contest for who brought the ugliest girl in school. Five rows down was his name and next to it was mine. I snuck out the back entrance."

"What happened after?" he asked.

"The silver lining, my family moved around a lot. Before I had a chance to pick up the shattered pieces of my heart, we were off to a new city. I graduated and left for college where I met a young man in my Calculus class who wore me down asking for a date. We split all the bills. One day, he turned to me point blank and asked if I wanted to have sex. I wanted the virginity out of the way so I agreed."

"How was it?"

"Painful and fast." she chuckled at the expression he made.

"With the right person, it should have been pleasant... although not the first time." Andy frowned "Was it that bad?"

Olivia shrugged lightly "It definitely wasn't pleasant. Anyways, I think he was confused about his sexuality. I found him in bed with his roommate a month later."

"No!" Andy gasped in disbelief.

Her brows furrowed "Or perhaps sleeping with me was so bad that he-"

"Liv, don't go down that rabbit hole." he cautioned "You'll spiral, trust me, I know."

She understood what he meant "Either way, I'm glad he figured it out. I decided to find a job to pay for my college. I wandered into R&D one day. Feeling crappy about yourself was probably not a confidence booster for a job interview. I was shy...timid and had no idea what I said to Joe. He told me after the reason why he hired me. He said he felt sorry me, I was so pathetic that he couldn't say no. He took a chance on me."

Andy nodded "And what about that friend?"

She knew Andy deserved to know what happened to his money "The friend showed up at the club one night looking for me. He was awkward and uncomfortable but I found it endearing. He was a researcher for investors and needed my expertise...or so he says. He did everything right when it came to me. Three months in and I began to doubt myself because I feared I was falling for him."

"Why fear?" Andy asked.

"Joe wasn't married and he led an emotionally lonely life. He worked all the time. He didn't want me to go down the same path as him so he often encouraged me to follow my heart, which at that time believed the friend was too good to be true."

"What did he do?" he asked solemnly.

"After our meeting that day. I found a burner phone and emails between him and the investor that signed the contract for the R&D franchise. Apparently, they were using me a front to appear interested in investing as a franchisee."

"Why?" Andy questioned quietly.

"They had plans to swindle the bank out of the loan. He lied and said that he was the victim. I knew it would be at least a week before I was collecting the check from you so I pretended everything was fine. He didn't suspect anything."

He recalled that day "That's why you were distracted that day?"

She nodded "I apologize for using your generosity. I never intended on giving him the cashier's check. That day, I found him in his hotel room and came clean about what I discovered. He tried to deny it. I ripped the check in front of his face and had the maid throw it away. I didn't care anymore."

"Wow." his brows knitted thoughtfully "That wasn't what I expected."

"Thankfully, we never got physical in the relationship. Maybe deep down I never truly trusted him?" Olivia turned to him "Are you upset with me?"

"Of course not." He replaced the solemn expression with one of worry "I'm just sad that you had to go through all that. I promise, not all men are like that."

"Just the ones I happen to meet?" She joked with a laugh. Her hair swung back and forth as she shook her head "There really is no one to blame for my bad luck. And honestly, the wounds diminish within time. I tell myself that these are life lessons and I can only grow stronger from them."

Andy smiled "That's a positive way of thinking." Getting up, he pointed a palm at her "Come on."

"Where to?" She gladly accepted the help and brushed the sand off the back of her dress.

"I know you barely had any food. Let's go to Third Street Promenade. It's walkable distance." he pointed behind her.

"Sure." Together, they walked along the sidewalks and Andy introduced her to a waffle sandwich shop called Bruxie. As they walked, she was enjoying the entertainment from the freestyle street performers.

"Dessert?" He asked after she had finished the waffle sandwich.

"I am stuffed." She proclaimed with a hand on her stomach "What did you have in mind?"

He beamed from the question "There's this really small vendor that makes the best churros."

"What is that?" She shook her head "I've never heard of it?"

"It's a Mexican snack. Deep fried dough, rolled in cinnamon sugar. It's amazing." he got up and looked around to identify their location "This way." he pointed to a cart with a long line "We'll order one of each and you can try it." Thirty minutes flew by as they reached the front of the line "Hi!" he greeted the elder Mexican couple.

"Hola!" the female replied brightly.

"That means hello in Spanish." Andy explained to Olivia while she smiled "Can I get one churro with the stuffed cream and one with stuffed chocolate? And one of those! Is that new?" he pointed to the one that appeared to have been wrapped around a banana.

"Que? Quires uno de cada uno?" the woman asked.

"Crap..." he turned to Olivia "I'm gonna find someone that speaks Spanish. I'll be right back." he quickly hurried off.

Olivia turned to the owner "Hola, Senora. Podemos conseguir uno de cada uno de los churros rellenos?"

"Si. Por supuesto. Voy a cocinar algunos frescos para usted. Tadara unos minutos." the woman began squeezing out the batter into the fryer.

"Tome su tiempo." Olivia smiled.

"Y te acosan las personas que te esperan?" the woman asked with a laugh "Tu espanol es realmente bueno."

"Gracias. No puedo usarlo a menudo. Es probablemente incorrecto?"

"No, es bueno!" the woman insisted. By the time she completed the order, Andy had returned "Ahi tienes uno de cada."

"Okay, I found someone." He pointed to male on his left.

"It's okay, she got our order. One of each of the stuffed churros." Olivia pointed to the bag the woman was prepping.

"Oh...okay...well...thanks anyways." he turned to the guy with a friendly smile, he shrugged lightly and bid them good night.

Andy turned to Olivia "How did she understand you and not me?"

Olivia took the bag while Andy paid "Because I speak Spanish?" she said with a shrug.

He laughed "Or maybe women just understand women better? Maybe it's some kind of innate language you ladies have?" He led her to an empty bench as she examined their choices "Which one do you want to try first?" as he finished the question, she bit into one "I guess the chocolate?"

She closed her eyes and moaned "Oh my God." she pushed the food to the left side of her mouth "This is amazing."

"It's fresh." he also took a bite and nodded in agreement "Delish."

Next they tried the one with banana inside, it was coated with caramel "This is better than the first." She pointed.

He agreed after swallowing the bite "Did you taste the Mexican caramel? There's a name for it, I can't remember."

"Dulce de leche." she answered as she reached for the third churro.

"Right, it was on the menu." he turned to her oddly "Did you hear someone order it? That sounded perfect." she shrugged while enjoying the cream stuffed churro "You can mimic anything you hear?"

"Stop talking or I'm going to finish this." she said with a mouthful.

Andy chuckled as he took a bite of the churro in her hand "Mmm...that's a good one."

Suddenly, they heard cheering to their left. They turned to find a new street performer had taken up space along the street.

A guy was spreading out different sized buckets facing down on the ground and another was pulling out a folded wooden floor. A total of six guys were present. One cranked up the music and began drumming the buckets with sticks and the other five were dancing street hip hop.

Olivia stood up to get a better view "They're extremely talented." she said after observing the crafty sequences.

"These dancers show up every week. I heard they've performed at many B-boy competitions. They even auditioned for a dance reality show." Andy informed as he too was entranced in their dance.

"They are amazing." Olivia gushed. Then she had a thought "How do you feel about hiring performers for the club? Saturday nights only. Something special...like them?"

"I'm open to it. You think they'll want to do it? I hear dance crew fees are pretty hefty."

After the performance was finished, Olivia approached the male on the drums. They spoke for ten minutes and finalized the details "Here is my contact info." The leader of the group was named Juan.

"I will send you a formal contract and we can start whenever you're ready." Olivia smiled broadly. They said their goodbyes and split up "If this works out, I'm sure we can find other acts for the other Saturdays."

"It's a great idea and I think it'll attract a whole different group of patrons." he agreed "We can probably help out unknown groups or individuals to get their names out there. Maybe they'll get more gigs?"

Olivia nodded thoughtfully "I agree." Just then a chime came through, it was a text from Joe. She read the message with a broadened smile.

"Who's that?" Andy asked nosily "That's quite a smile?"

"It's Joe. He's just wishing me a happy birthday." she answered casually.

Andy whipped his head to the right "It's your birthday? Why didn't you say anything?"

Olivia shrugged carelessly "It's just another day. Honestly, I don't understand why people celebrate it."

"How could you say that?" he quickly glanced around "Wait here." he instructed and rushed off to the nearest bakery. Minutes later he returned with a red velvet cupcake and a lit candle on top. Andy sang his rendition of 'Happy Birthday' while Olivia appeared embarrassed.

After he finished, she smiled shyly "Thank you."

"Make a wish." he encouraged. Nodding, she closed her eyes and then opened them to blow out the candle. Andy handed her the cupcake "It would have been an actual cake if you gave me a heads up."

Olivia chuckled "The more reason not to tell you. I don't like being fussed over." she used her finger to taste the cream cheese frosting.

"I know it's not polite to ask but how old did you turn?"

"Thirty." she replied.

"That's a big one." he shook his head in surprise "I threw the biggest Dirty Thirty party for myself a few years back. I always assumed it was a big deal for women?"

She laughed "Not this one, apparently. What is so fascinating about a birthday?"

"Another year that you're alive? It's the decade that you come into your own. Where you don't give a flying fuck about what people think of you. It's the decade where you make the friends for life. I think it's the most important decade."

"Wow, that's a load of crock." she laughed.

Andy appeared sincere as he asked "So you normally don't celebrate your birthday? No party? What about doing something special?"

Olivia's smile was thoughtful "Once."

"Really? What?"

"Dinner and a show." she answered cryptically. When he frowned, she added "And I got a cupcake with a candle. Not to mention my boss singing to me. That's a first."

Andy was pleasantly shocked "This is the first year you celebrated?"

She shrugged her shoulders lightly "Yes. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to get back to life before the fuss." she began walking back to the pier.

Chapter Seven

After opening up to Andy on the beach, Olivia felt a burden lift from her shoulders. They worked closer together on ideas and projects they wanted to try out. The first month had a lot of trial and errors and by the second month, there was a rhythm to the team's communication. They began to pick up each other's code words. The females had grown closer and the men were fiercely protective of them. The bouncers stepped in when things got too hairy.

At the end of the second month, Andy decided to begin the team bonding exercise. He allowed Olivia the first choice of activity. Since it was a Monday, Olivia opted to go hiking at the Hollywood Hills and then have breakfast at her favorite placed called The Trails Cafe. The group vetoed at her request to meet at 7AM but they agreed to 9:30AM.

A quarter way up the trail, the complaints began "How long until we reach the top?" Tisha groaned.

"It's only been 15 minutes, my guess is another 30?" Jeff offered.

"Is it always this hot?" Jessica lowered the visor to cover her face even more.

Olivia shook her head "It would have been cooler at 7AM but I was vetoed." She continued to lead the pack "Come along, the sun gets hotter after 10!"

"Jesus Christ!" Tisha cried out "I'm sweating in places I haven't seen for a decade."

Adam laughed in amusement "I can see."

"Hey, keep your eyes to yourself! You wanna join the perv group with Dave?" Tisha snapped.

"Dude, there's a group?" David asked incredulously "You said it was a joke, Lou!"

"That's what Jeff told me." Lou grinned.

As the group bantered about the issue, Olivia noticed in the back of the pack where Gilbert was holding a bright blue umbrella over his head and a fan in his other hand "Stop trying to steal my shade!" he cried when Andy tried to sneak under the umbrella "I asked if you needed it earlier and you said no. You snooze, you lose!"

"Well, I changed my mind." there were beads of sweat on his forehead. He turned to find Olivia walking towards them "Hey, how much longer?"

"Really? You, too? I thought you worked out?" she lamented.

"So you did see my abs!" Andy declared as she rolled her eyes away "I work out, in a gym, with air conditioning. I turn into a lobster if I am out here too long."

Olivia laughed "It's called a tan."

"Liv, I have to pee. Where's the bathroom?" Gilbert asked with a pout.

"You should have gone before we left the house." She used the motherly tone as he stomped his foot in defiance "There is one at the top of the hill. Can you make it?"

"I finished my ice coffee in one gulp...so...I'm guessing a hard no." he looked around the dry land "What do I do?"

"Just go in one of those bushes." Andy pointed behind him.

"By myself? What if I get attacked by a mountain lion? And don't lie, there are mountain lions here! I saw it on the news the other day!"

"Can you take him?" Liv asked with a sigh "I have to care for the other children." she pointed her thumb to the grumbling group a few feet away.

Andy shook his head and retorted "Fine, but we're not having any more kids!" Olivia chuckled as she watched him usher Gilbert towards the bushes.

"Guys! Gil had to relieve himself, so Andy is escorting him to the bushes. We can take 5."

"Oh thank God!" Ezra gasped as he found a boulder to sit on.

"You broke Ezra." Tisha arched her brows up "And he's the strongest one out of all of us."

"And you are the most dramatic out of all of us." Adam added with a laugh "It's not that bad."

"Tell me Adam, what does Liv's ass taste like?" Tisha cracked.

"Behave." Olivia warned with a crooked smile. She then noticed Jeff waving her towards him "Yes?"

"You go jogging by yourself?" he had a look of concern.

Olivia nodded "Yes, why do you ask?"

"Did you hear about the young female jogger that was attacked last month? It was in the early morning around 6:30AM."

"No, I didn't hear." She shrugged "I'm usually hyper aware of my surroundings. I'm sure I'll be fine."

"Liv, the world is a scary place. There are psychos lurking around, you never know when you'll encounter one. Promise me, you will bring a bottle of mace with you. Just for protection."

She smiled "I promise. Thank you for caring."

Jeff nodded "Gives me practice with my little girl. She is 5 going on 20...I'm thinking of putting her in a self defense class. Or maybe a chastity belt." he cracked while she laughed.

"You're a great father. And I'm sure she will learn how to take care of herself." She turned her attention down the hill and noticed a couple arguing over a map. The male pointed up the hill while the female pointed to another path on the left.

"$10 says he'll be too macho to ask us for help." Jessica too noticed them.

"Their foreigners." Lou noticed.

"Italian." Tom spoke up.

Tisha was startled "Jesus! When did you get here, Tom?"

"I've been here the whole time?" He frowned strangely.

Olivia walked towards the couple and overheard the dialogue "E cosi!" the female argued.

"No, e cosi!" the man pointed to the map "Il segno hollywood e a nord ovest."

"In realta e nord est." Olivia spoke up. She smiled at the couple "Ti sei perso?"

"Si, stiamo cercando di arrivare el segno di Hollywood." the female replied eagerly.

"Salite su quel sentiero per circa due miglia, seguite la prova a sinistra e passate a un altro miglio. Non puoi mancare." Olivia replied.

"Grazie!" the couple exclaimed happily as they went on their way.

When she began walking back, she paused to find the group staring back at her in awe "How many languages do you speak?" Adam asked in astonishment.

"A few." She replied humbly.

"I can barely speak English good." Tisha said with a laugh.

"Well." Tom corrected.

"See?" She pointed.

Olivia felt uncomfortable being put on the spot "Guys it's not a big deal. Many people speak multiple languages." she said lightly.

"Um...no, they don't." Jessica corrected "Not the way you can speak them. If I closed my eyes, I would have guessed you were Italian."

"You guys hungry for Italian?" Andy caught the last word from Jessica "I know this great gelato place in Hollywood. We should go there."

"Sounds like a plan!" Tisha exclaimed excitedly "Come on!"

"After, the hike." Andy said pointedly causing Tisha to turn her heels and march up the hill.

"Next one, I choose!" she declared "And it will not be exercise of any form!"

"Yay!" Gilbert cheered as they slipped in a high five.

Olivia shook her head "Alright...I get it, you guys didn't want to hike."

"It's not about the hike, Liv. Isn't the purpose of this exercise to bond us closer? Maybe you took the word exercise too literal?" Andy asked logically.

"Okay, so what do you suggest will bond us together?" she crossed her arms sternly.

"Booze always gets people to loosen up. How about we go to a bar tonight? Filifera, it's a rooftop bar with a pool." Andy asked.

"Technically, it's still Liv's choice right?" Adam asked. He turned to her with bright eyes.

She smiled in defeat "Fine. Let's go there tonight."

"Yes!" Tisha pumped her fist in the air "Now come on! Let's finish this trail!"

"We found her motivation?" Andy nudged Olivia as they laughed together. They followed the group up the trail.

Later that night, the individuals were picked up by a limo that Andy rented for the outing. He had the driver pick up each individual at their homes. Tisha was the last to enter the limo "Wow, travelling in style. I like this, boss." she admired.

"I just don't want to be responsible if you guys get shit-face drunk and can't drive home." Andy joked before looking around proudly "You kids clean up nice."

"We do, don't we?" Gilbert beamed. He pulled out his cell phone and put it in camera mode "Group selfie!" He announced as the group groaned "Shut up and smile!" he barked. Laughter broke out as they tried to squeeze into the shot, which was mostly Gilbert's face "Ew...no, I look fat. Someone else do it. Dave, you have long arms." he passed the camera to him and inched his way between the women.

When they reached the rooftop bar, Andy slipped a bill to the waiter who led them to a private area. There was a charcuterie board and other appetizers set up for them. They even had a personal bartender who took everyone's orders.

"Okay, worst date ever. Go!" Tisha began as she pointed to Andy.

He took a moment to recall "High School, movie theatre, it was my first date without a chaperone. I was nervous. I tried to make the first move and our braces crashed together...she didn't see it coming. We both had to get it fixed the next day." He turned to Gilbert.

"I went to a middle school dance with this girl that my mom set up for me." he grimaced and shivered "Yeah."

"Yikes." Tisha made a face "Mine was 3 years ago. Speed dating. I said yes to one out of ten guys and he said yes to me. We went to dinner and apparently he was lactose intolerant. I ordered the cheese plate and he didn't want to appear like he wasn't enjoying the meal so he ate half of it. He spent the rest of the night in the bathroom. We didn't even get dessert!" she pouted.

Adam offered to go next "I'm not sure if it's really bad since I've only been on like three dates? School took a lot of my time. Anyways, there was this girl in my Psychology class, she sat a few seats to my left and was always staring at me. After class one day, she asked me out. She chose the restaurant but didn't tell me the right location. Apparently it was a chain and we went to two different locations in the same city. By the time we realized that we were not stood up by each other, the night was over. We never talked about it again nor did she ask me out again."

Jessica burst into giggles "That's not even a date!"

"Alright giggles, what's yours?" Adam asked.

She pursed her lips up "Hmm...I plead the fifth."

"No, this is bonding time. You have to share." Andy pressed.

Jessica frowned "Okay...fine...about 8 months ago. I went on a blind date. My friend said she found me the perfect guy. We met at the restaurant and he seemed nice...ish. Then we had a drink. Before I knew it he got so drunk that he didn't recognize me when he came out of the bathroom. He went to every table with a blond girl and asked if they were Jessica. I was mortified. I was going to come get him until he tapped the shoulder of a guy with long blond hair. He got punched. I debated on leaving him-"

"Jess! That's horrible!" Tisha exclaimed.

"But I didn't!" Jessica emphasized "I apologized to the guy and had to walk my date out and ordered him an Uber and I paid for the fee! Apparently, he threw up in the car and now I have a 1/2 star review as a passenger." The group sputtered with laughter "Do you know how hard it is to get a ride with 1/2 star rating?!" she cried.

David volunteered to be next "Technically, I don't have a bad date story cause I've actually never been on a date."

Tisha pouted "Aww...hard to date when you belong to a perv group?"

He shook his head solemnly "No. After my mom passed away, I couldn't find another woman that would love me as much as she did."

"Oh shit...I'm sorry." Tisha covered her mouth in shock.

Lou frowned "Didn't you just talk to your mom yesterday? I heard you over the phone?"

A slow smile crept on his face and David felt a cheese splat against his cheek. Tisha picked up another piece to throw it at him when Andy stopped her "Hey! Don't waste food." He shook his head sternly before turning to the male on his left "How about you Jeff?"

"I don't remember any other dates since my wife and I met. And we don't have any bad dates. Just good ones." he smiled contently.

"Awww..." Gilbert gushed "That's really sickening sweet." the group laughed as he turned to his right "How about you, Liv?"

She was quiet when all eyes fell on her "Oh, our drinks are here!" Andy exclaimed as he pointed to the waiter carrying a tray "Let's have a toast." he smiled when Olivia thanked him with her eyes "To bonding time."

"To bonding time." The group repeated.

Throughout the night, the food continued to come and the drinks began to pile up. Gilbert barely finished one drink when Olivia noticed he was not drinking "Not good?" She asked.

"No...I don't really drink...anymore." he added with uncertainty. When she gazed at him strangely, he added "Long story."

She looked up to find the rest of the guys hanging by the pool and talking. And the girls were flirting with a group of men near a gazebo.

Olivia made her way to the concrete ledge and cradled the glass of wine in her hand. The sun was finally setting "Okay, truthfully, how many languages?" Adam asked as he appeared on her left.

Olivia smiled "Fluently, three. Conversational, four."

"So a total of seven?" he asked as she nodded. He let out a whistle "What made you want to learn?"

"Well, Cantonese and Mandarin were mandatory living in Hong Kong. English was a no brainer in school. The other four I learned on my own while I was working at R&D in Hong Kong. The nightclub is located in a huge tourist attraction area and we had a lot of foreigners coming through. One night, a Japanese businessman walked in and tried to order a drink. No one spoke any Japanese and he ended up leaving."

"That sucks." Adam commented.

"And so I began with Japanese." She smiled "Then came French, Spanish and Italian is similar to Spanish so that was easy to pick up. I am not fluent by any means, I just wanted to learn enough to talk to customers."

He smiled with admiration "You've inspired me, Liv. I'm going to pick a foreign language to learn it in the next year. What do you suggest?"

"Anything that motivates you to learn." She said wisely "You're smart, I'm sure you'll pick up anything you put your mind to. And practice makes perfect."

"To be honest, I have a fear of failing." he admitted "It's the fear that has stopped me from trying new things in the past. Some, I've regretted."

Olivia turned to him solemnly "Failure leads to success. You ask any successful business person if they gave up after trying one or two times and they'll tell you no. And if you didn't give it a true shot, then you should have nothing to fear. You have potential, Adam. Just stay on track."

He understood the meaning "Thanks, Liv." His eyes moved behind her shoulders "Hey boss."

"Hey." Andy greeted "The guys are asking about you." he pointed to the group near the pool. When Adam disappeared, he turned to Olivia with a tilted grin "You're welcome."

She smiled and returned her attention to the bustling city below "I wasn't sure which story to tell. The ugly contest, the sexually confused college boyfriend or maybe the fraud? Thank you. I just don't want people to feel sorry for me or give me the same sympathetic look that you're giving me right now." she glanced up and took a swig of her red wine.

He quickly relaxed his face "It's not that I pity you...it's just that...I'm surprised at how well you have handled it. Honestly, if I were in your shoes, I would be jaded by all men. And don't even talk to me about trust."

"If I did that, I would be closing myself to meeting the men that would turn out to be the greatest assets in my life. To becoming my family away from home." she pointed her chin to the group of men by the pool.

"Really?" he asked with smile.

"That group of guys are the reason why I still have faith in men. Although, David is still a work in progress." she let out a throaty laugh when Andy distinctively cleared his throat "And that means you too, Andy. You need not apologize on behalf of the men that hurt me, responsibility is solely on the individuals not the entire gender."

"Anyways, I feel involved now that I know the story." he said with a distant look in his eyes.

"Speaking of story, what's yours? Is it also lack of trust in women that made you choose the single path? And don't say women are not interested, I've seen otherwise." she pointed out.

"Oh no, I get hit on...a lot." he widened his eyes "That's not the issue."

Olivia shrugged "So, what's the issue?"

He let out a sigh and leaned against the rail "I have loved before. Whole heartedly...but...things happen. Right now, I am finally picking up the pieces."

"Hmm...the debonair Andy Sutton scorned by a woman?" she shook her head "Well, if it's any consolation to you, I couldn't tell that you were picking up any pieces. You hide it well."

"I try." He smirked "It can only get better because the worst already happened." he noticed she was staring intently at him "Don't try, you won't be able to read it out of me."

She chuckled "Psychologically curious, that's what my professor used to say about me."

"Do you think if you had learned to read people better that you could avoid all the heartache?" the question he asked had floated in her mind before. And her answer had always been the same.

"No." Olivia shook her head lightly "Some things are unavoidable. I was naive and I gave everyone the benefit of the doubt...I still do. That's innate. I cannot change that, so in hind sight, I would like to think knowledge would have helped, however, I feel the inevitable would happen eventually."

"I see." he said softly.

She decided to change the subject "Hey, how's the restoration going?"

"Oh, right, I forgot to tell you. I have to go back to Hawaii this week. They're finishing up soon and I have to be there for oversight. So you are in charge of R&D."

She smiled with a nod. Then her eyes moved past his shoulders as she arched her neck to the right "Oh dear...I think that's our cue to leave?" He turned to find David trying to dive into the pool with his clothes on while the rest of the guys tried to talk him down.

"Oh boy." Andy muttered as they approached the group "We're leaving." Andy advised the manager. He slipped him a tip and turned to the group "Come on, kids."

Andy had been gone for nearly a week and every so often he'd text her with pictures of the progress. At times, he wanted to check in on the nightclub. That Sunday was especially rough. There were bodily fluid issues that night and most of the team stayed back to help clean up.

Olivia returned home around 5AM and went straight to bed. She even skipped her weekly hike to get some extra shut eye. Deep asleep, she heard a faint chime in the distance. It was a text from Andy, he was back and wanted her opinion again. He was sending Harold at noon, which only gave her fifteen minutes to get ready "Really?" she said to the phone in annoyance.

Rolling out of bed, she managed to run a cold shower to wake up her body. Hastily, she blew dry her thick mane. She was still groggy when Harold arrived in the parking structure. Covering a yawn with one hand, she greeted him with a forced smile "The more comfortable he gets, the less time he'll give you." Harold said as he merged into traffic.

She snickered "Cute. So he gives you 5 minutes?"

He laughed "Sometimes less." When they pulled into the driveway of the home, he opened the door for her and informed "Mr. Sutton is by the pool. He's got a few friends over."

"Oh. Thanks for the heads up." Olivia walked towards the back gate, it was unlocked. When she moved closer, she heard quite a few voices talking and laughing. There were at least a dozen people dressed in swim trunks and bathing suits, yet none were swimming in the beautiful salt water pool except for Andy.

She was greeted by a male in his late twenties "Hey, you must be Olivia. I'm Ryan."

Hesitantly, she shook his outstretched hand "Hello."

"Andy has been telling us about you. Will you be staying for our meet up?" the friendly stranger asked casually.

"Meet up?" she felt her face flush over. Was it another ploy to get her a date?

Ryan nodded "Yeah, Andy has one every month. It's an elite group of people that he invites. He has quite the record of success. Two marriages and three serious relationships. We hang out, have drinks and discuss things."

Her eyes moved towards the pool and saw that he was still swimming laps "What things?"

"Likes. Dislikes. It can get a little personal. Sexual desires. Turn ons. Turn offs. Those kinds of things." Ryan smiled warmly "I would love to learn yours."

"Good luck with that." she snickered before walking around the male. Andy was out of the pool and mingling with a group of women, who appeared more interested in him then the other men.

She cleared her throat loudly to get his attention "Oh. Ladies, excuse me but business awaits." he sighed dramatically and turned his attention to Olivia, who was clearly annoyed "Your sunny disposition is intoxicating." he reached for a towel and began drying off his body.

"Andy, it's my day off and you've summoned me here to help you with the restaurant but you failed to tell me about you're little cupid project. And I don't appreciate you telling strangers about me." she crossed her arms sternly.

He scoffed "I only mentioned you were coming over to help with a project. I told them you managed the club that I bought. That's all. Could I help it if you ooze sex appeal and attract every man that you meet?"

She was taken aback "I don't ooze."

"You're oozing right now." he nodded to the khaki shorts, floral top and sandals that she put together.

Olivia rubbed the bridge of her nose "I'm seriously not in the mood, Andy. Can we get on with this?"

He nodded while wrapping the towel around his waist. She followed him into the house. He greeted the chef and the head maid, who were deep in conversation "Hey guys. You know Olivia?"

"Yes, of course. Miss Olivia." the chef greeted brightly.

"I'm going to wash up real quick. Give me a few minutes. You can come up whenever you want, but I know how uncomfortable you are with nudity." Andy couldn't help but add. Olivia let out short sigh when he disappeared up the stairs. She began picking at the fruit platter on the island. It was a beautiful layout the chef had prepared. And then she heard the conversation continue.

Maria's mother was sick and the doctors don't think she will make it to the end of the week. She had already taken two trips to Mexico that year and felt guilty asking for more time off. The chef was sympathetic but offered no advice. Olivia hesitated for a second before saying "Si necesitas regresar solo pregunale."

The chef appeared surprised while Maria explained in her native tongue "No queiro interrumpir mi trabajo."

"El entedera." Olivia insisted "Solo pregunta."

"So the rumors were true!" Gilbert gasped when he overheard the conversation.

She spun around and found him with his mouth agape "Rumors?"

"Yeah, Tisha told me that you spoke many languages but I laughed and said she was crazy."

Olivia chuckled "Then you owe her an apology."

"Um...yeah." he agreed "You're not here for the meet up, are you?" he picked at a strawberry and popped it in his mouth.

"No." she shook her head "I'll see you in a bit." she made her way towards Andy's room. When she reached the entrance, he was just getting out of the shower. He emerged with only a pair of shorts and a towel around his bare neck "You know, for a wealthy guy, you do lack a lot of wardrobe."

He looked up with a grin and saw that she was crossing her arms awkwardly by the door, she had not entered the room completely "Do I make you nervous, Liv?"

"What?" She quickly denied it "No, of course not."

A mischievous smile slipped onto his face as he stepped towards her "I know you're not interested in dating anyone. But if I had to choose again, I would have a few special requirements for the guy."

She shifted the weight and asked "Like what?"

"Well, he has to be established, that's for sure. And someone a little older than you because younger guys can be immature in comparison. Someone in his mid to late thirties is ideal."

"Sounds like someone I know." she answered "Anything else?"

He tapped his chin playfully while she arched a brow upwards "He should definitely be generous. Charitable. I think your ideal guy makes you fluster when he walks into the room. A good sense of humor is always a plus." Andy moved even closer until she was pinned against the door "How's he sounding so far?"

"Perfect." she whispered.

Andy smiled "Anything else you would add?"

She tucked her chin shyly and her eyes slowly moved up "Yes." She wrapped her hands over the ends of the towel around his neck and pulled him closer to her face "He's gotta have rock solid abs."

Their faces were a mere inch away from touching when Andy pulled away abruptly "Wait." he looked away with guilt "I'm sorry, I meant it as a joke. I wasn't trying to-"

"Turn me on?" she asked with rolled eyes "Don't flatter yourself. It didn't work the first time, it's not going to work the second."

He turned to her in surprise "You were messing with me?"

"No, you were trying to mess with me." she corrected "Now come along, I don't have all day."

"You have plans?" he asked while making his way over to the computer on his desk.

"I'm not required to share personal plans with my boss." she chuckled.

"I'm a friend on your off days." he corrected "And friends share personal things with other friends. Kinda how friendship works." he opened the pictures for her to view "Thoughts?"

Olivia turned her attention to the computer. She focused on the pictures of every angle and came to the conclusion "Bullocks! It's too neutral. The iridescent tiles doesn't pop enough."

"So what's the fix?" He asked.

"Get a darker tile or brighter accent tile or paint the wall. What's more cost effective?" she turned to him.

"Paint." They both said at the same time.

Olivia smiled "Alright, my work here is done. I have a couple of minutes to spare, would you like another go at it?"

"No thanks. I think my testing days are over." he surrendered.

"Good. Now, please refrain from calling me for the rest of the day as well as tomorrow. Good bye." she began walking out and suddenly remembered "Oh, Maria wants to you ask you something urgent."

"She barely speaks any English, how did you understand her?"

"She's a woman." Olivia smiled "I would advise to say yes." Andy appeared confused "Haven't you learn to take my word?"

"Okay." he agreed "Have fun with your plans." she rolled her eyes playfully and left the room.

After she was gone, a small faint smile appeared on his lips. He hadn't noticed Gilbert walking in "Uh oh, I know that look."

"What look?" Andy asked.

"I haven't seen it in about 5 years but I recognize it. My advice? Tell her the truth about you know who before it gets too deep." Gilbert warned.

Andy rolled his eyes "I didn't ask for your advice. And I don't need to tell her anything because nothing is happening. Besides, he won't be coming back here."

"Tell me, what's it like living in denial-land? Hah, do they serve tequila there?"

Andy decided to change the subject "Can you call Maria in here? Please."

Chapter Eight

The third month was rocky. The lines began to grow shorter and the patrons were ordering less alcohol after learning the no tolerance rule. But that Saturday would be the start of the Q-Crew dance group performance. The team had their comps on and ready for the crowd they were expecting to arrive.

"Alright guys, the dance crew is coming at 9:30 and their set is approximately 30 minutes long. We have to clear the floor for them by 9:15 so I need all hands on deck." Olivia instructed "Doors open in 5."

"Let the games begin!" David announced with a joyous laugh "I've always wanted to say that."

All eyes turned to the front door when Andy walked in. He peeled off his sunglasses and threw Olivia a smile. He glanced up at each watcher station and nodded to them "Bossman is here today. Hmm...does he look more tanned to you than usual?" Tisha observed.

"Hawaii has been good to him. What a tall drink of water he is." Jessica cooed.

"You know I prefer girls but I would have to agree with you on this. He sure is a fine piece of ass." David chimed in.

Andy stopped to talk to a few usual patrons that had entered the bar. Tisha leaned over the railing from the second floor "I'd tap that ass."

"Tish!" Adam cried while the team muffled their laughter "He's still your boss."

"Mmm...yes he is." Tisha purred.

"I'm logging off, this conversation is making me uncomfortable." Jeff said with a laugh.

"Oh please, like you guys don't do that to women." Tisha rolled her eyes "We have been objectified for centuries!"

"Yeah!" Jessica added "It's time to turn the tables."

They could hear Ezra's bouncy laugh "I actually don't mind it."

"Any attention is good attention, right?" Lou cracked.

Tisha stood back and glanced towards the dance floor "Hmm...we haven't heard from Liv. What do you think?"

Olivia smiled up at Tisha "No comment."

"Oh please, you have plenty." David argued "Come on, give us sassy Liv. I know she's in there. I mean you see Andy more than any of us, you have no opinions or dirty thoughts about him? Ever?"

"This is a no judgment zone, you can say anything." Tisha pressed.

"You guys do realize that Andy has a comp, too?" Olivia's lips curled into a smile "He could be listening to everything right now."

"Shit! I thought he doesn't use it?" Tisha cried "Okay boss, I was clearly kidding."

"Me too. Please don't fire me. I need the job!" Jessica wailed.

David quickly added "And I was not trying to disrespect you...Sir."

"Guys, he doesn't have the comps in." Adam hissed "I can see his ear from here."

"Thank God!" Tisha gasped "That wasn't nice, Liv!"

She giggled in response "And for the record, I do have a lot of opinions of Andy, I prefer not to share them with a group that can use it against me."

"We would never!" Tisha argued.

"Well, it would definitely change my opinion of you."Adam argued.

"Really?" Jessica asked.

Adam continued "Sure, if the opinion is of malicious intent, I would lose all respect for Olivia as a matter of fact. But if it's just a personal opinion about someone's outside appearance...I mean everyone judges a book by its cover."

"I'm not biting, Adam." Olivia smiled.

"Damn it!" Tisha cursed "Nice try, Adam."

"Not that I'm not enjoying this conversation but has anyone decided what our next bonding experience will be?" Jeff asked "I need to plan ahead...you know, family and all."

"My turn! It's my turn to choose. I claimed it!" Tisha exclaimed.

"Alright, what did you have in mind?" Olivia asked.

"Does it have to be in LA?" she questioned.

Olivia squinted her eyes "I can see the gleam in your eyes, Tish. Spit it out."

"Vegas." She said with a widened grin.

"Oooh, that would be fun!" David agreed.

"I've never been." Jessica added.

"Me too." Olivia smiled "Let's run it by the boss later."

To their utter surprise, Andy answered through the comps "No need, I approve. I'll have Gil set up the dates we have available for the end of the month. Everyone clear your calendars. Oh and girls, thank you for the compliments. I had no idea you felt that way about me. And Dave, you're not my type. Liv, I'm going to get you so drunk that you will confess everything you have ever thought about me. Well, let's have a good night, everyone!"

The silence that followed was thicker than fog "Um...what now?" Jessica asked finally.

"I knew Adam was lying!" David cried.

Adam quickly defended himself "Hey, I can only see one side of his head. I made a bad call."

"Alright, back to work!" Olivia ordered when she noticed the crowd pouring in.

After a hour and a half, the club was in full swing. They reached their maximum capacity by the first hour. Olivia made her way around the club and by the time she returned to her station next to the second bar, she heard Adam's warning "Liv, incoming."

She felt a quick tap on her shoulder as she turned. A man in his late twenties smiled back at her "Hi there."

"Hello." Olivia greeted.

"So I noticed you've been staring at me all night."

She raised her brows in amusement "Oh, have I?"

"Yes. The name's Trevor. And I am also a mind reader." He flirted openly.

"Oh brother!" Tisha groaned "One of those."

Olivia smiled "Are you now? I suppose you want to tell me what I'm thinking?"

"You're thinking how are you going to get me to buy you a drink. Then how you will casually suggest that we go back to my apartment and have mind blowing sex. And it will be so good that you would offer to make me breakfast in the morning."

"Jesus Christ." Adam chimed in "Someone take him out of his misery."

"I'll go." Lou offered.

Olivia raised a closed fist, a sign she was going to handle the situation "What's in your drink?"

Trevor appeared confused "This? I'm not sure. I asked the bartender to make me the strongest drink he can. I can hold my liquor pretty well." he boasted.

She flicked a finger indicating for him to give her the drink. She lifted it under her nose and took a sniff "Hmm...an ounce of arrogance, three ounces of over confidence and a splash of delusional." the male smiled in response "Now run along and find a girl who will buy that line. Because right now, I'm very busy not having sex with you."

"Ouch. That's gonna leave a mark." David cracked.

He didn't appear to be embarrassed by her comment "Oh come on, you know you liked the line. Your lips were dying to kiss me."

"Oh you mean these?" She pointed to her lips "The ones that can summon a bouncer in less than 5 seconds? That one?"

"You work here?" he looked disappointed.

"Yes." she spotted Andy a few feet away as he too listened in on the conversation "Now off you go."

He shrugged "It was worth a shot."

"A valiant effort indeed." She said cheerily while he walked away. Olivia turned to Andy and tilted her head "I saw you dying to swoop in and rescue me."

He laughed and got up from the barstool "I did. But I fought the urge because you clearly had it under control."

Olivia smirked "Ten years in the industry, trust me, I've heard every pick up line that has ever been used. I could probably write a book."

"I'll buy it!" Dave chimed through the comps while Olivia suppressed a smile.

"I'm sure you can." Andy nodded.

"The first time I was hit on at the club, I got flustered and actually felt a little special because a guy was flirting with me. Until I said no thanks and he moved on quicker than I could remember his name. My skin grew thicker and eventually I knew how to handle every type of pick up artist. The cocky ones usually don't give up that easily."

"But I have a feeling you have no problem handling them?" he asked with a grin.

"What fun would it be to let them walk away unscathed?"

Andy laughed in response "I know, I learned my lesson."

Olivia's eyes moved up to Jessica's station when she heard the familiar male voice through the comps "Hi there, I noticed you have been staring at me all night."

"You have got to be kidding me!" Jessica cried in annoyance.

The bus Gilbert rented for Las Vegas could fit a football team, so for the group of eleven, it felt spacious. They quickly made themselves comfortable for the five hour drive. Harold was in the driver seat because Andy didn't trust anyone else to man the wheel.

"What's Vegas like?" Jessica asked eagerly "I hear it's called sin city for a reason. Is it true that prostitutes just hang out in the street looking for customers?"

Tisha bounced from her seat and turned to the row behind her "It's legal there, but they don't hang out on the streets. They have workers passing out flyers and then the handler takes you to choose the girl."

"I took a flyer during my first trip there and slipped it in my pocket. I forgot I had it and when my mom found it...boy..." David sputtered "...I was grounded."

"How old were you?" Tisha arched her neck.

"We all know why Dave doesn't have a girlfriend." Gilbert hissed loudly.

"I am waiting for the right girl!" David argued "My mom says I deserve the best and sometimes it takes longer."

Tisha spat with laughter "Oh my God...I can't even."

"What? What's wrong with being a momma's boy?" David asked, his voice strained to reach the front of the bus.

"Nothing if you don't want to get laid!" Andy teased openly.

"The right kind of girl will not mind." David said weakly when the group shook their heads in disbelief.

Andy got up on his knees and leaned over the seat "Researching again? It's not gonna help, those sites are designed for tourists. It's not going to show you raw Vegas."

Olivia looked up "And what do you know about Vegas?"

"Buffets, shows, shopping, clubs, gambling, it's the entertainment capital of the world. More money has been poured into that little city than any given city in the U.S." Andy smiled "It can be overwhelming at first glance but if you know the right casinos to go to, you'll have an amazing time. Luckily, you have the perfect guide."

"You?" She asked with a snarky tone.

"No, Gil." he turned to the male in the row behind her.

"I had a short stint as a tour guide in Vegas a few years back when I took a necessary break from assisting...there are parts that look like a normal town in California, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference if not for the sweltering heat...it's 114 degrees by the way but it's gonna feel like 130. God, I don't miss that. Worst job ever!"

"Really?" Jessica asked.

He groaned "People asking questions and making the bus stop to take pictures. And don't ask me if any celebrities live there, I didn't do that kind of tour!" he added to the group huddling around him as they began asking questions.

"He's a joy to be around." Olivia noticed the annoyance in Gil's voice "Is it Vegas or trips in general?"

Andy laughed "A little of bit of both. He gets claustrophobic in crowded areas and he doesn't really drink, so it's not an ideal trip."

"He did mention that he wasn't much of a drinker... should I ask?"

"No." Andy shook his head "Don't ask."

"Dually noted." She nodded and returned to her tablet.

"Liv, stop reading that junk." he said.

She closed the tablet and turned to him "What's on your mind?"

"So, I had them change the paint color of the walls. You have to see this." he pulled the picture on his phone to show her "It changed the whole look. Don't you think?"

She nodded in agreement "It's coming together. When's opening day?"

"They're saying a few weeks. Maybe less."

Olivia smiled, he was clearly very excited "You are proud of this project, aren't you?"

"Yes. I've never been involved in something like this before. From beginning to end. It's invigorating. And having my mind, heart and soul involved, it makes the project like..."

"Like it's your baby." she finished "Now you know how Joe feels."

"I guess I finally understand why it becomes addicting. The job. The travel. The people you end up helping. I'd like to think creating jobs is the end goal." he smiled contently "That's what my father worked so hard to accomplish."

Olivia smiled "You don't talk about them much?"

"No, they prefer to travel the world. Eat amazing food. Drinking wine by the barrel. I just deposit the check and they live the life. They've worked hard all their lives, it's my turn to return the favor." he smiled "And how are your parents'?"

Her smile diminished as she answered "They're good."

"Hey guys, can we take a potty break?" Jeff asked.

"Potty?" David couldn't hold in his amusement "Who uses the word potty?"

"I've got a 3 year old, so yeah, potty." Jeff narrowed his eyes with a threatening tone.

The smirk fell off Dave's face "Potty, it is. Actually, I have to go, too."

Andy turned to their driver "Two miles until the next exit." Harold informed.

It was 3PM by the time they reached Caesar's Palace Hotel where they were staying. They had only a few minutes to drop off their personal items in their hotel rooms and headed back to the casino. Olivia marveled at the intricate designs of the hotel and casino. The buildings were grand and people poured through the doors at an alarming rate. She wondered how each hotel were able to hold that many people.

"Must be an event or something?" Tisha observed.

"Yeah, UFC fight." Lou pointed to a poster to their left "We should probably avoid the Mirage."

Andy clapped his hands to get their attention "Okay, kids. Let's meet at Trevi Italian Restaurant at 7PM. That's our reservation for dinner. Look for a map if you get lost or just ask someone. Oh and you all get $100 to gamble." he tossed each a gambling chip "Have fun and don't get kicked out." he winked and smiled "I'll be at the high roller's blackjack table if you need me...but don't. Good luck!"

With that, the group began to disperse until Olivia was standing by herself "So much for group bonding." she grumbled. Examining the chip in her hand, she shrugged and decided to explore on her own.

Olivia decided to avoid the gambling area. She walked past a bar, buffet, theatre and made her way through the slot machines. She stopped at a pretzel shop and order one. She found an empty bench and sat down to enjoy her snack. When she looked up to her left, she noticed it was leading to a shopping center. Rows of designer stores sat waiting for customers.

After she finished the pretzel, she decided to window shop at the Forum Shops. The two-story shopping area was considerably crowded. She was halfway through the shops when she decided to enter a store called Balenciaga. Olivia admired the clothing but she chose not to touch anything, afraid she would ruin them with her fingerprints. Her ears then caught a woman speaking Japanese.

"Watashi wa chisai saizu ga hitsuyodesu. Seemaa?" the female tourist was trying desperately to communicate with the saleswoman.

Flustered, the female lost her patience with the customer "Again, Mam, I don't know what you're saying. I don't speak Chinese."

"Actually, it's Japanese." Olivia spoke up "And she's asking for a small in that dress."

"Oh." The saleswoman was grateful for an interpreter "Are you Japanese?"

"No, Chinese." Olivia smiled when a confused look grazed the saleswoman's face.

"Fascinating right? A Chinese person speaking another language? I mean what is this world coming to?" A slurred voice spoke up from behind her. Olivia turned to find Gilbert holding onto a long green cylinder tube with a ball at the end.

The salesgirl looked embarrassed from the snarky comment "I will get the size you want, please stay here." she spoke to the woman slowly.

"Speaking slower doesn't make her understand it." Gilbert scoffed as he began laughing uncontrollably.

"Kanojo wa anata ga hitsuyō to suru saizu o shutoku shimasu. Koko ni ite kudasai." Olivia said to the Japanese woman.

"Arigatogozamaishita." the woman smiled gratefully.

"What did you say?" Gilbert frowned as he motioned at the woman.

Olivia quickly intervened and linked his arm through hers "Next you'll start a fight with a mannequin."

"I did and I won!" he declared.

She stopped him when they were outside "I thought you didn't drink?"

"I don't." He could barely stand straight as he gulped more of the liquid in the giant container.

Olivia grabbed it from his hand and smelled it "Gil, this is a pina colada."

"Virgin." He added.

"No, it's got Rum in it. I can smell it." she sighed "You drank this entire cup in the last hour?"

Gilbert chuckled "No, more like 30 minutes. It's really yummy."

"I know. Rum can be masked unlike the other hard liquors." She rubbed the bridge of her nose and when she looked up she found him stumbling towards another store. Olivia managed to get to him before he caused anymore trouble "Come along, let's find Andy."

"Andy! I love Andy..." he chuckled deliriously "But not in that way-you know-because...you know?"

"Yes, I know." Olivia was practically supporting his weight with her body as they moved through the shops.

"Hey, how many languages do you speak?" before she had a chance to answer, he blurted "Twenty?!" Gilbert widened his eyes and gasp "That's amazing."

"Gil, I didn't say twenty." she turned to him with a shake of the head.

"So it is twenty? You just said twenty!" He exclaimed loudly.

"No! I didn't-" She let out a sigh and then answered "I know seven."

"That's a lot." Gilbert nodded convincingly "That's more than twenty...for sure."

She chuckled in amusement "You're even funnier when you're drunk."

"Yeah and sexier." His words slurred together "Be careful, don't bring me back to your hotel room or we're going to have sex. True story. Shhh...don't tell anyone. She was a girl." he began cackling hysterically.

"Wow." Olivia breathed "Now I know why Andy said not to ask."

"Andy...poor Andy...you know if you met him like...a year ago...it would be so different. He was not like this. Fun. Smiley. Joking. I was beginning to miss that Andy. I didn't think he'd ever make a comeback."

"From what?" She frowned in confusion.

"You know...his fiancé." he rolled his eyes "Come on, Liv, pay attention!"

"I must have missed that part." She said slowly.

"Well, you'd fall into a depression too if you just proposed to the love of your life and she ends up dying that same day. Ugh...I never cried so much in my life!"

Olivia felt the chills run up and down her arms "You were there?"

"Yeah, me and everyone close to Andy. He threw a huge party and rented a yacht...I think we were all traumatize...but nothing compared to what Andy went through." he looked around as if to whisper a secret "His parents' tried everything. Shrinks. Life coaches. Help groups...you name it."

"How did she die?" Olivia asked.

Gilbert's eyes glazed over "You know...I was bullied a lot in school. Kids are so cruel...there was this bully that used steal my lunch money every single day for a month."

"So you didn't have any lunch for a full month?" when they reached the slot machines, she looked around for the high rollers area.

"I came home every day and raided the fridge and pantry!" he chuckled "I inhaled anything I could find."

"Didn't your parents' realize something was wrong?" she spotted the high rollers area and began leading Gilbert towards it.

"My mom knew...she was waiting for me to tell her. But after a month...she got tired of waiting. So she marched down to my school and talked to the Principal. It was lunch time so I was in the cafeteria sitting alone at a table...not eating...the bully walked by and taunted me. My mom gave him an earful...I mean, it was bad...I felt sorry for him!" He laughed amusingly "You should have seen his face. I think he was holding back tears."

"Did he stop after that?"

Gilbert nodded "Yeah. But there was a new bully up in my face. Eventually, my mom just home schooled me...she got certified as a teacher and decided to keep me home where I was safe."

"And you turned out-"

"Amazing!" he twirled in place and attempted to bow at the crowd behind them.

Olivia stood near the entry of the high rollers tables and flagged down Andy, who was in the middle of a game. His eyes bounced up and then he saw Gilbert, deliriously drunk and Olivia begging for help with her eyes. He folded the hand and excused himself.

"He's wasted." she pointed.

"Is it the pina colada?" he asked. When she nodded, he let out a sigh "That's his kryptonite. Come on, let's go get him some caffeine." Andy reached for Gilbert's arm and Olivia took his other arm. They found the closest coffee shop and ordered an espresso shot for him. Andy fed him the drink in small increments.

"You've done this before?" Olivia observed carefully.

He laughed "Yeah and I'm not proud of it." When Gilbert finished the drink, Andy lowered his head onto the table "Give him 5 minutes." He looked at her curiously "What?"

"Nothing." She answered quickly and turned away.

Then it hit him "He told you, didn't he?" Andy's hand covered his face in dismay.

"He didn't mean to, I'm sure-"

"So you know why he doesn't drink anymore?" he shook his head.

Olivia appeared confused "Oh...you mean about him sleeping with a girl?"

"Yeah, what else would I mean?" he smiled awkwardly "Did he say something else?"

"No." She pressed her lips tightly together "When did this happen?"

"Two years ago in New York, he came along to one of my business trips. We were hanging out at the hotel bar. It was a random girl that came up to talk to him. I guess they hit it off and after a few drinks, he was practically dancing on the bar. I figured he was just having a good time so I didn't really pay attention. After 15 minutes, I looked up and he had disappeared. I thought maybe he went back to his room to rest. The next morning, I came knocking on the door and a girl opened it. She was topless."

"Good Lord." she suppressed a smile.

"In his defense, she did have a pixie cut. I tried hard not to laugh. I had to break the news to the girl and she left instantly. I debated not to tell him what had happened but my conscience wouldn't let me." he laughed "The look on his face was priceless. From that day on, he stopped drinking. I think it haunts him when he does."

Olivia frowned "So this was a fluke?"

"Most likely. He would never choose to drink. They probably missed the virgin part of the order." he realized she was still holding onto the chip "You didn't gamble?"

She smiled "Not my thing." she pushed the chip across the table towards him "Why don't you go and have some fun. I'll watch him. He's much easier to handle when he's not walking."

Andy glanced at his watch "We've got about an hour, are you sure?"

"Of course." She insisted "Go."

He got up from the seat and began walking away. He stopped and backtracked to her "Black or red?"

She was puzzled by the question but decided to answer "Red." Andy nodded and continued on his way. She turned her attention to Gilbert, who was coming to "Welcome back to civilization."

"I need to pee." he moaned. Olivia laughed as she reached for his arm and helped him up. She stood outside the men's restroom and waited. Gilbert appeared minutes later looking refreshed "Nothing a little water can't fix. Too bad I don't have any gel though, my hair's a mess!"

Olivia turned her head slightly "The caffeine shot kicked in?"

"Oh yeah, I'll be talking about a hundred miles a minute." he grinned wildly "So, what did you do?"

"Besides escorting you all over the casino? Not much." she began walking towards the slot machine area.

"Hey Liv...when I was drunk? I didn't...you know? Did I?" he lifted his hand to his mouth "I don't remember much of it."

"You mean us sleeping together? Oh, it happened." she clicked her tongue playfully "You were absolutely brilliant."

"NO! I would remember that." he snorted.

"Like the first time in New York?" she asked. His jaw dropped while she laughed "You told me the short version, Andy filled in the holes."

"That nosy bitch!" he cursed "And I wasn't talking about that. I meant the other thing."

"What other thing?" She asked innocently.

Gilbert narrowed his eyes "You know?"

"I'm not Andy. You can't talk code to me. I haven't a clue what you're talking about." she teased.

"Dear God, how much did I say?!" he moaned.

Olivia remained calm as she answered "Enough for me to know why Andy is still single."

"He's going to kill me." Gilbert ran his fingers through his hair "He made me vow to never repeat that story to anyone that doesn't know it. And of course it's the first thing I blab when I'm drunk! Okay, Liv, this is what's going to happen. You are gonna forget everything I ever said-"

"Gil, I'm not going to repeat it to anyone. Not even Andy." she promised.

Slowly, his head bounced up and down "Okay...thank you." he let out a sigh and began walking.

"How did she die?" Olivia asked.

"Liv, you just said-"

"You've already told me most of the story, what's the harm in telling me the rest?" she asked calmly "It would discourage you from repeating it again. Keeping secrets is bad for the soul."

Gilbert made a face "You're good." He groaned "Fine. I'll tell you. So after Andy proposed to Lawny and she said yes. People were drinking, eating and mingling. The sun was setting and some people decided to go for a swim. Lawny was a great swimmer so no one thought to check on her. Her bathing suit got tangled on the boat's propeller."

"Dear God." Olivia gasped.

Gilbert lifted a finger "Um...not quite. The boat wasn't moving so it wasn't a gruesome death but she did drown that night. By the time everyone realized she was gone, an hour had gone by. When they pulled her body up, Andy went into shock. He fainted and they took him to the hospital. He was hysterical when he finally woke. They had to sedate him. And then he was on suicide watch for the next 6 months. I've never met a depressed person before. It was pretty heartbreaking to watch when it's someone you know and love."

"I can only imagine." her heart felt heavy "How did he come out of it?"

"His mom. She suggested they travel. Far away from California. She knew he could never forget the events of that night, but she wanted to use some sort of distraction. They went to Hong Kong. He seemed to like it. A lot. It's the only place he visited annually with his parents'. Strange thing is that Lawny is also from Hong Kong but they never actually travelled back together. After the second trip, he seemed to have made some sort of a breakthrough. No one wanted to ask him why or how because that would trigger the memories. So we all just took it in stride. Slowly, we started to see him come around. This is the Andy that we all knew. Before the tragic accident."

"And what's the reason behind his cupid persona?" she started to see the pieces fall into place.

Gilbert laughed "That was his mom too. I guess she started to set him up on random dates. He would go on most of those dates and get to the know the women. Then he would set them up with one of his friends. He realized it was something he actually enjoyed doing. Bringing love together even if it wasn't for him, he wanted to help others. He had a knack for it." he noticed a peculiar smile on her face "Oh no, did he try to set you up?"

She nodded "He did, after I specifically told him that I was not interested in dating any man at the moment."

"Yeah, he doesn't listen well. Especially when his wheels are turning. He meant well, I assure you."

Olivia nodded "I know. We talked it through."

Gilbert cocked his head to the side with a menacing grin "He's fond of you. I can tell. He usually doesn't offer to set people up, they usually come to him with the request."

"Or he's deflecting. Looking to bring people together so he doesn't have to think about his own unknown future."

"Ah...damn, girl." Gilbert chuckled "You have him figured out."

She grinned "Hardly."

Gilbert crossed his arms "So now you know. It'll be hard not to feel sorry for him."

"The only way for him to move forward is to not look back. I understand. Don't treat him any different." she concluded.

"Yes. Exactly." He clapped his hands "Crap it's time for dinner!"

"We have 10 minutes." Olivia laughed as she followed him.

"It's on the other side of the casino!" he began weaving through the crowd as she quickly followed his trail. They were the last two to arrive. The group was in high spirits as they exchanged stories of their winnings and a few lost their entire funding from Andy.

He noticed she was especially quiet during dinner "Are you regretting not gambling because you couldn't join in on the conversation?"

Olivia looked up, she was lost in her thoughts "What?"

"Okay, I was going to give it to you later, but here." he slipped his hand in his pocket and pulled out a wad of folded bills. They were all hundreds.

"What's this?" She was even more confused.

Andy laughed "Since you didn't want to gamble, I did it on your behalf."

"How?" she shook her head as she counted the bills, there was $800 in her hands.

"When I asked you black or red. You said red." he explained "I played Roulette. I bet the money chip on red and it doubled and then it doubled again. I figured you weren't the risky type so I just played it a few times. And that's your winnings."

Olivia was flabbergasted "That's it? Seems too easy to win?"

"Gambling is a game of luck and a bit of strategy. I chose the table with the least amount of red numbers that were hit. Just had a hunch." he shrugged and sipped his drink.

"I have a feeling you would not take the money back if I offered?"

He smiled "You're learning well, little grasshopper."

After dinner, the group saw a midnight revue show that had the most votes. They had a good night's rest and woke up for brunch the next day before heading back home. They all agreed it was a great trip and a likely repeated bonding experience in the future.

Chapter Nine

Months zoomed by like a blink of an eye. Olivia couldn't believe the nightclub had reached its ten month mark. As she was getting ready for another work day, she felt a pang of sadness. She would be leaving in two months. After having built such a strong foundation of trust and friendships, she didn't want to leave. Smoothing out the black dress she opted for the night, she told herself the leave was inevitable and that the day was bound to arrive.

Andy often sent Harold to pick her up for work. Usually just a few times a week but the last month, he was there every work day at 6:30PM to take her to the club. Andy opted to drive his own car. He travelled a few times a month and didn't need to worry because the nightclub ran like a well oiled machine.

Olivia got out of the elevator and spotted the car as usual "Good evening, Harold." She greeted with her usual smile. When she entered the car, she was surprised to find Andy there "Oh, what are you doing here?"

"I think you're getting a little too comfortable. You do realize this is my car? And that's my driver?" Andy's eyes bounced towards Harold.

She laughed "You know what I meant."

"I just flew in from New York so I don't feel like driving to work." he said casually while checking the emails on his phone.

"How was it?" she asked.

"Oh the usual, blah blah blah, please invest in our business...kiss my ass and then I sign some papers."

She turned to him with a toothy grin "So it takes flattery for you to agree and sign papers? Darn, I should have just complimented you at the beginning. We could have saved some time."

His smile widened as he looked up from his phone "It wouldn't have worked, you know. I had every intention in making you work for the investment."

"As I recalled, I didn't work that hard." she pointed out.

"Hey, what are you doing Saturday?"

"Saturday?" she frowned "You mean the busiest night of the week for the club? Oh I don't know, maybe paint my nails and do some online shopping?" she said sarcastically.

"Take the night off." He said casually "You're entitled to a vacation day, you haven't really taken one since the club opened."

"No, my boss is a stickler for days off. He wouldn't approve it." she joked.

He snickered "Hmm, he sounds like a dick. You should quit."

"I would but I'm obligated by a contract." she made a face "Ok, I'll bite, what's going on Saturday?"

"Black tie benefit for CHOC, it's a great cause. I just need a date. Interested?" he asked.

"Depends, does my dick of a boss want to give me the night off?" she smiled after he rolled his eyes "That's a yes?"

"Of course." he then asked "You do have something appropriate to wear, right?"

"A dress, yes, I've got plenty." She said lightly.

"Like that dress?" he pointed to the halter top black dress she was wearing.

Olivia looked down at her dress "What's wrong with this?"

"Liv, you do know what black tie means, right?" when she shook her head, he sighed "I'll take care of it."

She didn't fight him on it since they arrived at the club. Wednesdays nights were calmer and the patrons were less likely to get hammered. But it never stopped the men from hitting on unsuspected women. Her eyes moved around the club and then it stopped on a familiar male walking towards her with two drinks in his hands.

He was fairly tall, dark hair, tanned and he smiled directly at her "Hi." She smiled in response "Are you here alone?"

Olivia nodded "Yes."

"Well then this is for you." he handed her one of the drinks.

"Oh Liv, please don't drink that." Adam cautioned.

She lifted the drink to her eye level and examined it "The ice is melted. How long have you been holding this?"

The guy smiled "The ice melted because I've been looking for the right girl to give it to."

"Nice recovery." Olivia smiled.

"What's your name?" He asked while sipping his drink.

"Guess." she said coyly.

"You want me to guess your name?" he asked.

She nodded "Well, since it took you this long to find me, you must have had an inkling of what my name would be?"

He smiled "Okay. I'll guess. You look like a... Samantha?"

"No." she shook her head.

"Um...Amanda?" he tried and again she shook her head "Courtney?"

"Close." She pointed her finger.

"Really?" He asked excitedly.

"No." she answered without missing a beat.

"Liv, you are having way too much fun." Jessica shook her head and lamented "Why don't men ever try that line on me?"

"Okay, I give up. What is it?" the guy asked.

"Clearly, your bad at this game." she began walking and curved her finger indicating for him to follow her "What is this, by the way?" she raised the untouched drink in her hand.

"It's a white russian." he replied in confusion when she led him to the busy bar.

Olivia caught Carlos's eye and waved him over "Can you dump this and get this gentleman anything he orders next. He'll let you know when he's ready."

"Of course." the bartender looked at the male and nodded firmly.

Olivia turned the patron with a smile "When you find a girl who's interested, bring her here and Carlos will get her anything she orders."

The guy appeared embarrassed "Is it safe to assume you work here?"

"I am the club manager." she smiled "And my name is Olivia."

"Thank you." he lowered his head and walked away.

"That was very generous of you." Andy spoke up.

Olivia turned to the voice with a smile "Well, he tried. And I'm in a fairly good mood tonight. Plus he's a usual customer, comes in about once a week."

Andy crossed his arms "And you realize I will have to deduct that drink from your pay? We don't give free drinks around here."

"Uh oh." Tisha cracked "Someone's in trouble."

"Oh? Like when you sent a round of shots to that bachelorette party two weeks ago?" she asked casually.

"That was different." he rolled his eyes "I knew they would buy more drinks after."

"So, now you can read the future?" she raised her brows "How convenient? Hah...I do feel a cold coming up." she forced out a couple of coughs "It may just last through to Sunday morning."

He nodded in defeat "Alright...alright...you win. Give as many drinks as you'd like."

"Yay!" Tisha and Dave cheered through the comps.

Olivia stifled a laugh and Andy quickly leaned into her comps "That doesn't apply to any of you guys. Just Liv." he said clearly.

"Stingy." Tisha grumbled.

Andy narrowed his eyes when Olivia bit her lip "What did Tisha say? I know she said something, she always has something to say."

"Liv, don't you dare tell him!" Tisha cried.

"Sorry, secrets stay within the staff only...boss." She added with a sly smile. She began walking away to make her rounds leaving Andy with a curious expression.

Olivia woke up the next day to the sound of a text from Andy: I got you covered. Have fun today. Oh and a piece of advice, don't fight it.

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously, what was he talking about? She got out of the shower and changed when the doorbell rang. She wasn't expecting any guests or packages. When she opened the door, she found Gilbert on the other side "Good morning, sweetie. Ready for a fun filled day?"

"Gil? What are you doing here?" She quickly secured her hair back in a bun.

"Andy sent me. We are going to go shopping." he grinned with glee "Now chop chop! We have plenty of places to visit. Rodeo Drive gets crowded at this time."

Olivia watched Gilbert strut towards the elevator "Shopping?" then suddenly it dawned on her "Oh, you mean the black tie event? I already have a dress, Gil." she waved him back.

He flicked a brow up "Really? Okay, let's see it." he marched past her and into the bedroom. He opened the closet and pushed aside dress after dress "Where?"

"That one." She pointed to the long black dress she had bought for a special occasion.

"Oh no...no, no, no..." he said as he backed away from the closet "This is a fancy smancy event with press and very important people. And black tie doesn't mean you have to wear black although most women choose that color." Olivia was puzzled by the meaning as he sighed with a roll of the eyes "Honey, you need a ball gown."

"Okay...and how much do those run?" she asked.

"Don't worry about the price. Andy is covering everything. He's gonna regret saying that." he chuckled in amusement "Now come along, we're wasting time! His credit card is not gonna charge itself!"

She shrugged and followed him out of the building. Harold was their driver for the day. Traffic was expectedly bad heading out to Beverly Hills. And to find a parking spot would be like winning the lottery. After circling twice, Gilbert was feeling agitated "Perhaps we could walk?" Olivia offered.

"Looks like we don't have a choice." he groaned as Harold pulled into a loading zone "I will text you when we're done. Give us about 5 to 6 hours?"

Olivia laughed awkwardly "Did I just hear you say 5 to 6 hours?" she closed the door behind her and watch painfully as Harold drove away.

"Yes! We're trying to find the perfect ball gown, not some thrift store discounted dress!" he snapped. He adjusted his sunglasses and walked towards the crowd heading to Rodeo Drive.

She rubbed her forehead "Why me?"

When they reached the first store, Gilbert walked in with an aura of importance "Can I help you?" the salesgirl was quick to ask.

"Ball gowns." he said as she directed him to the back of the store. Olivia didn't get a chance to look as he raised a hand for her stand back. He flipped through each dress and made a face "No. Come on."

"Wait. There were so many choices!" Olivia argued as she quickly followed him "I could have tried on a few?"

Gilbert chuckled amusingly "Oh that's adorbs, Liv. You think you get to choose? I tell you which ones to try on. I know what Andy is wearing so I need to find the perfect pairing." he walked into the next store and before she even had the chance to look at the accessories, he grabbed her by the elbow and guided her out "Ugh, they only have mother of the groom type of dresses."

"What's wrong with that?" She asked.

"Honey, that question doesn't even warrant a snarky remark." He scoffed.

After they walked in and out of a dozen stores, she was growing weary "Gil, can we please-"

"Shh!" he hushed "Holy mother of Streisand, I found it!" he pointed to a dress on the rack of ball gowns. She peeked over his shoulder to look, it was a very pretty dress from her angle. He turned and looked at Olivia up and down "What are you? A 4? 6?"

"I'm a 5." she replied.

"That's not a size." he said dryly.

"Well it is in Hong Kong." she retorted.

Gilbert snapped his head back and forth "When did we fly to Hong Kong? Yeah, I didn't think so." He spun around to find a salesperson "Hello! Anyone interested in making a sale today?!" he barked with annoyance.

A young female with dark brown hair appeared from the dressing room "Yes, Sir? Can I assist you?"

"Me? Do I look like I can fit into this dress? It's not even my color. No. Help her. She needs to try this on. Now." he placed the dress over Olivia's shoulder and shoved her towards the dressing room.

She gave him a glare and recalled Andy advising her not to fight it. Sighing, she followed the salesgirl into the room "Sorry, he can be a little pushy."

"I've experienced much worse." She smiled gently "Let me know if you need any help." she quickly closed the velvet curtain to give Olivia some privacy.

She barely zipped up the dress when his shrill voice bellowed over the dressing room "Any day now!"

He was getting on her last nerve as she whipped the curtain to the side "Gil, I swear if you yell at me again-"

"Oh. My. God." he gasped with a hand over his mouth.

"You look beautiful, Miss." The salesgirl beamed "And you are a 6." she confirmed "That is a one of a kind from our designer Salvatore Cavalli."

Olivia turned to the three way mirror, the cherry red gown was beautiful. Ridges ran from the waist and over the bosom in a criss-cross design. A three inch draped around both arms gave it an ethereal feel and it showed off her shoulders. Layers of red chiffon flowed to the ground from the waist. She looked like a statuesque. It was exquisite. A slow smile spread across her face "This is gorgeous." she spotted the price tag on the side.

"Don't!" Gilbert snapped as he whipped it from her hand "Trust me. You don't want to see it, Liv."

"Why not?!" She asked incredulously.

"You're not paying for it, so why do you need to see it? Andy had special instructions." he said with a lifted chin. In one swift motion, he yanked off the tag and gave it to the salesgirl "We'll take this." he reached in his pocket and pulled out a black credit card.

"It's a little long." Olivia pointed out.

"Because you're in flats." he retorted.

"Yes. I'm wearing these to the event. The dress is long, no one will be able to see my feet anyways." she said while he gaped at her in horror "Or better yet, I should buy a pair of foam platform flip flops. I saw a pair at the flea market with a 3 inch heel, which is perfect for this dress, don't you think?"

Gilbert's lips trembled and his finger wagged back and forth. He lifted a palm to cover his mouth and made a hurling motion "God, I just threw up in my mouth."

She could no longer contain her amusement as she burst into giggles "I'm kidding, Gil!" gathering the layers of chiffon, she lifted it to walk back into the dressing room. After she changed, the salesgirl wrapped the dress in a plastic cover to protect it from getting damaged.

"Thank you." She handed the receipt to Gilbert "The dress will be delivered to the address you provided."

"I can't even take it home?" Olivia asked in confusion.

"No, I don't trust anyone with it. It's going to be in my care until the event. Ok, we're getting shoes next."

"Fun." Olivia let out a sigh. As she expected, they went to three different stores and she tried on at least three dozen pair of shoes.

"Hmm...no." Gilbert shook his head at the nude pumps she had on "Too plain."

Olivia looked down at the disheveled ground filled with shoes, even the salesman was growing weary "Gil, pick one! Any one! I don't even care. I can't try on anymore shoes. I'm done!"

A smile snuck on his face as he looked down and picked up a pair of open toed, cherry red heels with straps running crisscross along the main part of the shoes "This one, please."

"That's the first one I tried on." she narrowed her eyes "You knew you were going to pick those."

He shrugged smugly "I did. But wasn't that fun to try on all those shoes?"

Olivia clenched her teeth and rubbed her temples "Are we finished now?"

Gilbert crossed his arms "Almost, one last place. You'll like it."

"I highly doubt it." she sneered as she walked out while he made the payment for the shoes.

Minutes later, they entered a fancy nail salon with rows of massage chairs on the left and right sides of the walls "Pedicures and manicures." Gilbert said to the girl behind the front desk "Two." he lifted his fingers to show her. When he turned to Olivia, he grinned "Don't tell Andy."

"It'll be our little secret." Olivia smiled. Soon they were being pampered with a spa like treatment on their hands and feet "You were right, I do like this."

"I knew you would." he leaned over and glanced at the females who were talking to each other and laughing "Hey, is Vietnamese one of the twenty languages you speak?"

"No." She laughed "And it's seven."

"Damn, I've always wondered what they are saying about me." he whispered "How long until you pick up a language? Like a week? A month?"

Olivia was amused "A little longer than that."

The day of the event soon arrived. Olivia knew Andy would be meeting her at the event since he had an important meeting that he couldn't get out of. She was combing her hair when she heard the doorbell ring. She knew it had to be Gilbert with the dress.

"Hey, I was starting to-" she began only to be cut off.

"No, no time for small talk. We only have a little over an hour." Gilbert draped the bag over his shoulder and turned to the two females "Come on in."

Olivia was surprised "Hi Miss Lee, we'll be doing your makeup and hair for tonight." one of the women advised.

"Oh, that's not necessary. I was going to do it-" she began to decline when Gilbert cleared his throat loudly "I mean...thank you." Olivia said with a plastered smile.

"Good girl." Gilbert walked into the bedroom and placed the dress on her bed. And then he made himself comfortable on the living room couch to watch the news.

The women began setting up their tools on the kitchen table and a large table mirror sat in the center. She watched as the makeup artist pulled out brushes of all shapes and sizes. She curled Olivia's hair into ringlets and her long bangs were parted deep on the left side and curled inwards. The remaining strands on the left side was pinned up behind her ear. Her makeup was flawless and colors they used emphasized the roundness of her eyes. Her cheeks were dusted with pink blush and her lips were painted red in the same shade as the dress. After an hour, she was ready to change into the dress. She thanked the females as they packed their tools.

Olivia had to admit, she felt like a princess as she slipped into the dress and heels. The dress barely touched the ground and the layers of chiffon made a swishing sound when she walked out.

Gilbert was engaged in the news program he was watching "All ready?" he did a double take and then let out a whistle "Um...wow."

"It only took an army." Olivia joked as she turned to the ladies, who were beaming with pride at the results.

"Damn, if I wasn't gay, I'd fall for you." Gilbert teased.

Olivia answered with a deadpan face "Wait, you're gay?"

He widened his eyes and she chuckled "Okay, you almost got me." he could barely take his eyes off her "He's going to flip out." Gilbert grinned. He turned to the women "Thank you ladies. You are magicians." he quickly paid and tipped them for the service. After they left, he turned to Olivia, who was glowing as she smiled back at him "Come on, let's go before you turn me straight." She giggled at the comment "Oh wait!" he slipped his hand in his pocket "I almost forgot." he opened the box and showed her a drop diamond pendant necklace "Andy chose this himself and he said you can borrow it for the night." he helped her put the necklace on.

She touched the pendant with a smile "It's lovely."

A limo was rented for the evening and she would be riding by herself to the event. She felt like a ball of nerves. When they got closer to the Montage Beverly Hills Hotel where the event was taking place, she felt the sweat creep on her forehead. There were photographers, press and tons of people walking on the red carpet. The line of limos inched closer and closer as the guests exited the car one by one making a grand entrance.

Andy was standing near the front of the entrance as he waited for the white limo he rented for Olivia to appear. He reached for the phone after hearing a chime, it was Gilbert 'She's all set, don't forget to breath. :)'

What an odd comment, he thought as he put away his phone and looked up. He spotted the limo and straightened his tux jacket. He touched the cherry red wide tie around his neck. Andy was suddenly nervous. He had been to a dozen black tie events and usually had a date, which was often a friend. The anxiousness felt foreign to him.

The limo stopped and Olivia waited for the door to open as she gathered the dress and stepped out. She thanked the driver and dropped the layers of chiffon skirt as she turned to flashing lights. It was hard to make out any faces. She assumed Andy was waiting inside the banquet room.

His heart skipped a beat as he watched her emerged from the car. She was beautiful. He could only stare in admiration as she stepped onto the red carpet with ease and smiling as though she had done it a hundred times. Then he managed to find his footing and stepped towards her "Liv."

She looked up at the familiar voice and let out a sigh of relief "Andy. I thought I had to make the trek on my own."

Naturally, he reached for her hand and linked it through his bent elbow "You are quite the vision tonight."

Olivia smiled shyly "Thanks to some very talented ladies and Gil's eye for fashion."

"You always look beautiful, they just help emphasize it." He pulled her hand up to his lips and kissed it. She tilted her head with a small smile as they walked through the double doors leading to the ballroom "Okay, so there's going to be lots of mingling. And we may get separated. If you see me scratching my left jaw, come save me."

"Deal." She looked around at the lavish ballroom with crystal chandeliers that decorated the ceilings. She spotted the crafts table as well as the dance floor. And on the left, against the wall were long tables with packets of paper lined in uniform "What is that?"

"Silent auction. Companies offer items so donors can bid on them. All proceeds go to CHOC. I usually get one or two items. Depends on what it is." he spotted a waiter holding a tray of champagne flutes. He waved him over and grabbed two glasses "Here, hold this. You don't have to drink it. It'll keep the servers from asking if you want a drink."

"Alright." Olivia smiled and turned to the crafts table "Mind if I?"

"You're hungry?"

She smiled "I'm starving. I could eat ten banana stuffed churros."

Andy laughed and nodded "Go do some damage."

Olivia made it halfway towards the craft table when she heard someone call out a name "Hey! Tony!" She turned to find a male approaching Andy. They began talking and laughing like old friends. She brushed it away and marched to the finger food platter. She placed the champagne glass down and picked up a plate. Choosing one of each and then she continued onto the cheese plate.

"A girl after my own heart." an elder male voice spoke up. She turned with a surprised look "You must try the fig compote with the brie. It's divine." he kissed his fingers.

She smiled "I'm trying to pace myself here. The goal is to try one of everything."

"Well, you have no competition." he pointed to the crowd behind them "The women don't eat until the last minute. They need to fit into their dresses." he whispered with a wink.

Olivia laughed "I'm actually sewn into this dress."

He chuckled "I'm Augustine Moreau."

She shook his ready hand firmly "Olivia Lee."

"It's a pleasure. Are you here with a date?" he asked while looking around.

"Yes. And you?" she asked politely.

"Cheri! Te viola." A female in her late forties appeared on his right "Je te cherchais." she kissed him on the cheek adoringly.

"J'avais faim. Et j'ai rencontre cette belle femme ici." he replied with a smile "Elle n'a pas peur de manger."

Olivia's lips pressed into a smile as she responded "Je devais faire de la place pour monter dans cette robe. Alors maintenant, je dois le remplir."

"Oh, vous parlez francais?" Augustine asked.

"Ous, tres peu." she said shyly.

His wife answered gleefully "C'est bien. Maintenant, j'ai quelqu'un avec qui parler."

Olivia laughed "Ce serait avec plaisir. J'ai besoin de pratiquer mon français."

"Vous le parlez parfaitement!"

Augustine's eyes moved behind her shoulder "Ah, is this your date?"

Olivia turned and found Andy staring at them curiously "Mr. Moreau, it's nice to see you again. Mrs. Moreau." he nodded politely.

"Andrew, how are you? And your parents'?"

He smiled "They're busy enjoying retirement, as they should. I see you've met Olivia?"

"She has been absolutely lovely. And she has kept my wife company. It's hard to find a person that speaks French around here." Augustine gushed.

"It was my pleasure." Olivia nodded firmly.

"Well, we have to go make our rounds. We'll see you later?" Augustine said as he took his wife's hand.

"Merci." the woman smiled at the two.

"Prego." Olivia replied.

"And what other tricks do you have up your sleeve?" Andy asked with crossed arms "You never told me you speak French?"

She grinned "You never asked."

The bells began to ring in his head as he remembered the situations they encountered in the past year "What other languages do you speak? And I'm not counting Chinese or English."

Olivia suppressed a smile "Four."

"Obviously French." He traced his thoughts "Spanish?" she nodded "That's how you were able to order the churros and you talked Maria into asking me for time off. Sneaky." he tapped his chin playfully "Japanese?" again she nodded "You overheard Ina and Kiki talking about how I set people up on dates? I asked my friend Finn and he swore he didn't say anything to you. The girls have the tendency to gossip. It was a mystery to me."

"Until now." She teased.

"What's the fourth one?" he asked with curiosity.

She answered in perfect accent "Parlo anche un po 'di Italiano."

"Italian?" he was astounded by her "Incredible. How is it that I have never heard you speak these languages?"

"I don't know. I've used them countless times." she smiled "The team knows."

"Hmph...maybe I should pay more attention to you?" he smiled warmly. Olivia felt her stomach turn. It was new. She had not experienced it since Edward. They were butterflies "Do you know who Augustine is?"

"No." She shook her head and finished the last piece of food on her plate "Should I?"

"He's the President of CHOC."

She nearly spit out her food "The President?"

Andy laughed "He liked you. And he's not exactly the friendliest person. He used to ignore me when I came to these events with my parents'. Once I took over the business, he started to acknowledge me. Now, we're the best of friends."

"So you earned his respect?" she cocked her head teasingly.

"Yeah." he chuckled "You could say that." The sound of music began to play through the speakers and she felt him tug her hand towards the dance floor "Do you know the language of dance?"

"Like the four languages, I know enough to get by." she slipped into hold with him as they began swaying to the music. Soon other couples began to enter the dance floor and it was completely full within minutes.

"Copycats." Andy sneered playfully. He turned towards the silent auction "Come on, I need your expertise again." She laughed when he led her to the tables "Hmm...mostly trips to beach resorts. Eh, I can go any time."

"Andy, it's about the donation not the destination."

"You're right." he grumbled and put his name on a trip for the Caribbean. She glanced around his arm as he wrote in a price "Cheap?"

"Generous." she corrected.

They moved down the line and came across one for a yacht by the name of Jolie. She noticed his smile had faded and before they could move on, a voice interrupted them "Andy? Hey! How are you?"

"Hi Jerry." he smiled in return "How was Rome?"

"Great. You remember? I only mentioned it once." he turned to Olivia with a smile "Hi."

"Hello." She greeted politely.

"Are you going to bid on this?" Jerry picked up the photo of the large yacht "It's a beauty."

"No. It's not for me." Andy replied and lifted a hand to rub his face.

"But it's for charity-"

Olivia quickly chimed in "Mr. Moreau is flagging us down. Excuse us, Jerry." she reached for Andy's hand and led him across the room.

"You didn't have to do that." Andy stopped her halfway.

She turned to him "You touched your jaw so I thought you wanted to be saved? My mistake."

"I did?" he muttered.

"Drink? I'm a little parched." she smiled. Flagging down a server, she reached for the drinks and handed him one "Thank you. For letting me feel like a princess for a night."

He clinked her glass cup with his "Thank you, for letting me be the envy of all men tonight." Her smile slipped away and he was instantly concerned "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." she sipped her drink and diverted her eyes.

"Hey, whatever it is, you can tell me." he assured.

She swallowed the drink and answered "He used to say stuff like that to me all the time. At first, I found it sweet and then I guess I got used to it. After I realized he was a fraud, it annoyed me. So when I hear compliments that remind me of him, I just...you know?" she shrugged with a forced smile on her lips.

"I get it. It's a reminder. A wound that still stings. I will refrain from complimenting you for the remainder of the night." He smiled mischievously "I mean, that's just an awful color on you. In the words of Gil...it washes you out- damn it-no, I can't do it." She began to chuckle "It doesn't feel right." he shook his head.

For the rest of the night, they danced to a few more songs and mingled with other donors. Andy took the chance to show off Olivia's multilingual skills. Most reacted the same way, pleasantly surprised and in awe. After the auction was completed, the people began to disperse. The drive back was quieter than usual. She stole glances his way when he was looking out the window "Oh, I should probably give this back to you. Gil said that it was only a loaner." she reached for the clasp behind her neck.

"It's not. I bought it for you." He insisted.

"I can't accept this. And the dress, too. When will I get to wear it again? This is beyond generous, Andy. I really shouldn't."

"What am I going to do with a ball gown and diamond necklace? I mean, I can try to squeeze in there but my incredible abs would rip it to shreds." he joked.

She smiled "Okay, you talked me into it."

Andy looked down at his phone "It's only 10:30, you have some time? I wanna run some ideas past you for the club."

"Sure." She nodded.

Harold took a detour to the home. When they reached his bedroom, Andy turned on the computer "Oh, I also want you to look at this hotel in New York that I just invested in. Let me know what you think." He took off his jacket and tossed it on the desk.

"My opinion is irrelevant, you already have a stake in it." she said casually and approached the French doors leading to the balcony. She opened them and stepped outside. She had never seen the view of the city at night. The lights lit up the entire sky.

"So I think our plan for a dress up night worked pretty well last month. Maybe we can do a costume contest for October this year? Oh and maybe a Lady's Night?" when she didn't answer, he looked up to find her on the balcony. He paused for a moment to take in the view. She was exquisitely beautiful under the moonlight. His heart skipped another beat when she turned with a mesmerizing smile.

"Sorry, I wasn't listening." She motioned him over as he got up to join her on the balcony "Does this view remind you of Hong Kong?"

"Why do you think I bought this house?" He grinned while taking it in "I overpaid for it but this view? It never gets old."

She turned to find him staring at her "A part of me is completely home sick but with two months left on the contract, I'm starting to feel like-"

"Like you'll miss LA." he finished.

Olivia nodded, she turned back to the view and closed her eyes "It's helped me from not missing home too much." when she opened her eyes, he was staring intently at her "What?"

"You are so beautiful." it was a mere whisper. He moved closer until they shared the same space. She didn't back away when he reached out to touch her cheek.

"Are you drunk?" she smiled softly.

"No. Are you?" he leaned down and slowly kissed her. Without warning, she pulled away and hurried into the bedroom "Wait, Liv!" his words stopped her "I got caught up in the moment...I'm so sorry. I should have asked first."

Slowly, she turned to him "Ask me."

He was taken aback. Gingerly, he approached her until they were inches apart "May I?"

Olivia didn't answer, instead she leaned up and kissed him. He returned the kiss and his hand moved up to cradle her soft face. Ever so gently, he brushed the curls to the right side of her shoulder and his lips trailed along the side of her cheek to her bare neck and then shoulder. Shivers ran up and down her back when his fingers moved to the zipper. She slipped out of the dress to begin unbuttoning his shirt. He removed his undershirt and her hands covered his chest and moved down to the ridges of his abs. Her fingers covered the belt as she unbuckled it with ease.

Their eyes locked as they inched their way back to the bed. She sat down on the edge of the bed and he removed her shoes. He began kissing her legs, knees, thighs, stomach, breast and finally her lips. Each kiss felt like fire against her skin. She felt him unhook her strapless bra.

Slowly, he moved her down onto the bed with a kiss and when he felt her relax. He moved his way down between her legs. She had never felt that kind of pleasure. No man had attempted otherwise. Her breathing quickened when she came close to orgasm and then he stopped. He began leaving a trail of kisses over her body and they shared a mutual smile. His lips found hers again and his hand moved over every inch of her body. She wasn't sure how long the foreplay lasted and she lost track of time. When he was ready to get a condom, she stopped him with her hands "No need. I'm on the pill." he raised his brows "I have horrid cramps during my cycle so my doctor prescribed a low dose birth control for relief...unless you think we need to..."

"No." he shook his head solemnly.

"And now I've ruined the moment." she sighed.

He laughed gently and pressed his lips against hers. Minutes after, they were both ready. Andy pushed against her gently as they swayed in unison. She allowed herself to embrace the moment. Her moans were soft as he wrapped his fingers over hers and moved her arms over her head. She had not experienced an orgasm with her other partners and it was apparent that she had just had her first. Their breathing was still heavy after he came. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him gently on the cheek "Thank you."

He smiled as he pulled away and laid next to her on his back "One point for man?"

Olivia chuckled "More like 100."

"Redemption!" he cracked as they both laughed "See Liv, that's what sex is supposed to feel like."

"I've been missing out." she joked.

"No, the men before me missed out." he corrected.

"I'm sure the women you've been with appreciate it too." She smiled.

Andy appeared puzzled "What women?" he propped his elbow up "Have you seen me with a woman? Actually I haven't had sex in over 5 years." and then it occurred to her, he hadn't been with another woman since his fiancé's death.

"Oh?" she wasn't sure what else to say.

"Lawny's death was tragic and I fell into a deep depression. I couldn't think of being with another woman for years. And then it just became the norm. I had no desire for sex. I even saw a shrink for that but seems no medicine could undo the lack of desire and I wasn't about to pop Viagra pills just to get a hard on."

Olivia was surprised at the cavalier way he spoke about his fiancé's death. Then it dawned on her "You know that I knew?"

"From the way you reacted to the silent auction of the yacht? Yeah, I took a wild guess." he leaned down to kiss her forehead "Thank you for that. And I'm gonna have a talk with Gil tomorrow."

"He didn't mean to spill the beans." she said quickly.

"Gil told you?" he asked in surprise.

Olivia winced painfully "Shit!"

He laughed in amusement "I know he did. Who else could have told you? When did he tell you?"

"The time in Vegas where he got drunk." she smiled meekly "Sorry, I promised him that I would not bring it up to you or rat him out...there goes that."

"It's okay. I'm glad you know. I would have told you eventually." a look of hesitation crossed his face "There is something else I need to tell you...but I'm not sure how."

"A secret?" she asked while gathering herself off the bed.

"Yeah, sort of." he frowned as she climbed off the bed and began collecting her garments and putting them back on.

"You know everyone has secrets, Andy. Even me. Some things are not meant to be told. Whatever it is, it could wait for tomorrow. I think I should go." she zipped up the dress.

"Liv, don't go. Stay. Don't worry about the walk of shame." he sat up.

"The what?" She turned to him oddly.

"Oh, it's a slang term-nevermind, just stay." he pleaded.

"No, I shouldn't. Besides, if I stayed, I would have to wear the same dress and then walk by all your employees in the morning and they would definitely judge-Oh, I get it." She shook her head "You are still my boss. And...um...I don't think-"

"Technically, I'm not. I didn't actually hire you. You were part of the contract-"

She interrupted "Right, the contract."

"You have two months left." he reminded her.

"And I'll be in Hong Kong and you'll be here. We probably won't see each other again." she rambled while looking around for her shoes "And it's probably for the best because you know...we just...um...where are my shoes?" Andy rolled over to his right and picked up her shoes "Thank you." She said while putting them on "It has been a wonderful night and experience. And...um...I'll see you at work. Good night." with that, she hastily walked out of the room.

When she was gone, he dropped his face into his hands with frustration. He couldn't find the nerve to tell her the truth. The lie had gone on way too long.

Chapter Ten

After the night they shared, Olivia purposefully avoided Andy. She made excuses when he wanted to meet with her to get opinions about his other projects. She only agreed to meetings about the nightclub but preferred to do it in an area where they were not alone. A month passed from their avoidance dance when he finally lost his patience. It was a Sunday night, fifteen minutes to opening when he arrived to find the team discussing the plan for the night "We underestimated the crowd last week and I made the mistake of letting one of the bartenders off. We were lucky Tom stepped up to help but tonight, we're going to have all hands on deck." Olivia advised.

"Hey boss." Tisha greeted when she spotted Andy walking towards them.

Olivia turned and nodded briefly towards him. She opened her mouth to continue when Andy interrupted "Sorry guys, I need to talk to Liv. Alone. Can you come to the office?"

"I was in the middle of-"

"Now." he cut in.

The team exchanged glances, there was definite tension. Tom eventually spoke up "It's okay Liv, I'll finish up. Go."

She nodded "Thank you." she turned to Andy, who was already walking towards the office. When the door closed behind her, she glared at him "Please do not disrespect me that way again in the front of the team."

"I'm sorry." he said with frustration "But I don't know what else to do to get you to talk to me. You've been avoiding me since that night we shared-"

"I'm not avoiding you. I just want to forget that night." she replied hastily "In reflecting, I feel it was very inappropriate."

The comment stung as he frowned "You regret it?"

"No-yes...I don't know." She avoided eye contact with him and added "We were two very lonely people that had consensual sex. That's all."

Andy shook his head "You don't truly believe that, do you?"

"I do." She found the courage to look at him square in the eyes "Now if you don't mind, I have a club to run." Olivia couldn't leave the room fast enough. She was never good with confrontations. In fact she ran from it most of her life. Until Edward. But this was different.

When the club opened, she was still distracted by her thoughts "Liv! Hello Liv!" Jessica called her over and over through the comps.

"Yes?" Olivia answered.

"What's wrong? We've been calling you." Adam spoke up.

"Distracted. Sorry. What is it?" she looked over at his station.

"Jess has to use the bathroom, I'm going to cover her. Can you cover my spot? Just for a few minutes." He assured her.

Olivia nodded "Of course." they switched positions and she made her way towards the main bar, where the crowd of people hovered over the counter to scream out their orders "Javier, take control." she ordered.

"Okay guys! Stop screaming your orders. Ladies first!" the Latin male instructed and proceeded to take the order from the closest female.

"Good." Olivia nodded. Then her eyes spotted a male who was clearly annoyed as he cursed out loud.

"What the fuck is that? I've been standing here for 10 minutes and you take the girls' orders first? What happen to equality?!" he cried.

She approached him and tapped his shoulder "What did you want to order?"

He was ready to lash out when he turned and a slow smile spread across his face "Oh...it's okay, I can wait. It's no big deal." he flashed her a brilliant smile "Are you here alone?"

Olivia didn't have the patience for flirting that night. She looked him up and down "Khaki's, polo shirt, bleach dyed hair...Corona?" she lifted a brow.

"Yeah, I like Corona. With a lime." he added haughtily "And you?" he looked her up and down with distaste.

"I prefer whiskey. You know, a real drink." she sneered with a sweet smile.

"Oh damn, he's gonna get it!" Tisha exclaimed with excitement.

The arrogant male lifted his chin "Well, good luck getting that drink. They have horrible service here." He vented.

Olivia rolled her eyes and spoke through the comps "Sam, get me a Corona with a wedge of lime." she turned to the second bartender as he quickly nodded her way. He opened the bottle with precision and placed a lime neatly halfway through the mouth of the bottle. He slid it towards her as she picked it up "Thanks." She winked and returned it to the customer "$5. You're welcome."

"Are you a server?" The guy asked snidely as he paid for the drink. Olivia returned to the bar to hand Sam the bill "I would like to talk to the Manager."

"Okay, seriously, can I throw him out now?" Jeff asked "I hate douches."

Olivia raised a closed fist "You're in luck. I am the manager." she replied.

"Well, I'd like to put in a formal complaint." he squeezed the lime into the beer and tossed the peel over his shoulder.

Her eyes moved to the lime wedge on the ground and back to him "You can write a complaint and put it in the suggestion box by the door. Or you can go on Yelp and write a scathing review about your experience here. Give us a 0 star rating. Management doesn't give a fuck."

"That's what you think. Customers read that stuff." he sneered.

"Pick that up." she pointed her chin towards the lime wedge.

He was taken aback "What? Why should I?"

"This is not your home and I'm not your mother, I do not pick up after you. Pick. That. Up." She repeated it with emphasis.

"Un-fucking-believable." He cursed. She continued to stare him down until he reluctantly turned and picked up the wedge. She lifted a palm up and he placed it on her hand with annoyance "Satisfied?"

"Almost." She pulled out her phone and lifted a few inches from his face to snap a photo "He's all yours, Jeff." she said through the comps.

"What?" The guy frowned and seconds later, he was being escorted out of the club "What the hell? I didn't do anything!" He cried "I'm going to tell everyone I know not to come here!"

Jeff yanked him roughly "Great, you'll be doing us a favor. Tell all your douchie friends not to come here."

"Boy did he pick the wrong club to bully." David cracked with a laugh.

"What? What did I miss?" Jessica asked when she returned to her station.

"Oh the usual, the Queen dragged his ass down." Tisha snickered.

"It was a little harsh, Liv. Even for you." Adam noticed she was especially impatient.

"Whatever, he deserved it." Tisha snickered.

In truth, Adam was right. Olivia prided herself on being able to read body language and handle unruly patrons with patience. But that night, she was on the war path.

Andy was reading the business section of the newspaper one morning when the chef placed a plate in front of him "Thank you." He smiled and dug into the scrambled eggs.

Gilbert bounced into the room and ordered sweetly "Can I get poached eggs with sausage, Antonio? Gracias."

"Si, of course." the private chef nodded as he began making Gilbert's meal.

"So...what's going on with you?" he turned to Andy. He heard from Tisha about the tension brewing.

"Same old, same old." Andy answered.

Gilbert reached for the TV control "Uh huh...don't think I didn't notice that you and Liv have been at odds since the night of the benefit. What happened that night?"

"None of your business." he said curtly.

He began flipping through the channels until he reached the local news "Not like you guys slept together or something..." his eyes moved over to Andy, who cleared his throat "O. M. G. Is that why she's avoiding you? She hasn't been over here in weeks!"

Andy's eyes focused on the television as the reporter talked. He was standing near the Hollywood sign "And 15 feet away is where she was attacked. The cause of death is a blunt force to the skull. It was obvious the female couldn't fight off her attacker..."

Gilbert hummed with interest before asking "Is she the first girl you've slept with since...you know-"

"Shhh!" Andy hushed as he snatched the control from Gilbert's hand and turned up the volume.

"The victim appeared to be dressed in jogging gear. Her ID shows she was 30 years old and a foreigner. The coroner has just arrived to evaluate..."

His heart sank "No." Andy whispered.

Gilbert appeared confused "What is it? Why do you look so pale?"

Andy hopped off the stool and hurried towards the garage as he grabbed the key fob hanging on a hook by the door. He jumped into the new Tesla and took off when the garage door opened. He knew Olivia had a habit of jogging in the Hollywood hills every Monday morning. The description of the victim fit her. His heart thumped out of his chest by the time he reached the parking lot at the bottom of the trail. Police swarmed the trails, they had already apprehended the suspect, who was in the patrol car.

The area was bordered with police tape. He could see the coroner hovering over the victim's body "No..." He shook his head "Officer!" Andy flagged down a male in uniform "Please! I think I know her. Can you let me through?"

"Sorry, I can't do that. This is a crime scene." he replied.

"Yes, I know! But I just want to make sure it's not my friend. Can you just let me look at the face?" Andy pleaded.

"The face is badly bruised, I don't think she'll be recognizable. Does your friend have any birthmarks? Tattoos? Moles? Anything?"

Andy ran his fingers through his hair "I don't know...I don't think so...please...can you just let me look? Please!" he begged.

"Andy?"

Her voice sent a sigh of relief from his mouth. He turned and sped towards her "Liv!" He wrapped his arms around her body "Thank God." he breathed.

He was trembling as she patted his back "You thought that was me?" he pulled away and nodded "She took the difficult trail, apparently the guy was waiting for someone to run by. I don't normally take that trail. And I also carry this with me." She showed him the necklace with a long cylinder object at the end "Mace. Jeff made me carry this after he learned that I was jogging alone. I've never had to use it."

Andy's heartbeat finally calmed down when he looked at her "Gil turned on the news and I saw the report. I know you like to jog here on Mondays so I assumed-and the description..." he pointed to the victim "Guess I panicked?"

She smiled "I'm safe. You don't have to worry about me."

"But I do." he added "Liv, I know you've been dreading this talk but I have to say it. Whether you want to hear it or not."

Pensively, she began to nod her head. She reached for his hand and led him to a more remote area to talk "I called Joe last night."

"And?" he knew Joe had a huge influence on her decisions.

Olivia smiled "His words? I'm being an idiot."

Andy chuckled "I like him. We would probably hit it off."

"You would." Olivia agreed "He's right though, I am running way again. I have a hard time facing my feelings. Because the last time I felt that way, I ended up with someone like...you know...But...with you it's different. All of it. And the more I came to realize that, the more frightened I felt. I guess I was scared of history repeating itself."

"I didn't think I would ever feel this way again. I've met dozens of women. I'm afraid of the future because I can't control it. I don't know when it happened but I know how I feel about you. And for once, I'm willing to relinquish the control. For you. So? What do you think we should do about these pesky feelings?"

She knew where he was going "Because Hong Kong is inevitable. I am going back. It's my home. I have a responsibility to Joe, to R&D, to the team...I cannot abandon them."

Andy nodded "I know."

"And I already know the long distance thing-" she shook her head "It's not gonna work. I know myself. I would not be able to commit to that type of relationship. Not because I would be unfaithful but because I want that person to be physically there."

"And I can't be." he sighed and looked up to the sky with a chuckle "There's no compromise?"

"I don't see how we can unless one of us relocates. It's probably for the best." She smiled sadly "I'm pretty broken."

"We're both a little broken." he corrected. He pulled her into his arms "Whatever time we have left, let's just enjoy the moment?" he felt her nodded into his chest "Liv, remember that secret I had to tell you?"

"Yes?" She looked up.

"Hey guys, we're clearing the area. Please vacate the hill." the officer announced.

"It appears your news has to wait...again." She smiled. Together, they walked hand in hand down the hill "I need to go home and shower. But how about a late lunch?"

"Yeah. That sounds great." he looked down at his phone when it chimed "Probably Gil. I ran out of the house in a panic, he's probably worried..." his brows furrowed when he read the message.

"Is he being dramatic again? Just tell him I'm alive. Or better yet, tell him it was me. Let him sweat a little." She turned up to find Andy still fixated on the screen of his phone "Too mean?"

"It's not Gil." he said "Just a meeting I have to handle."

The end of the week came fast and Olivia tried hard not to focus on the little time she had left with Andy. They went on dates and spent as much time as possible. The team was relieved that they were finally back to normal. That Friday, she was getting ready for work when he called her. She picked up with a smile "I'm going to see you in a little bit, whatever it is, it can wait."

He laughed on the other line "Actually, I was just calling to tell you I am giving you the night off."

"What? Why?"

"Well, you rarely take days off and you know in California, I can be sued as an Employer for not allowing employees to take adequate vacation time."

Olivia smiled and retorted "I would never sue you for that."

He chuckled "I made an appointment for you to go to the Peninsula Spa. I want you to get pampered and just relax for the night." he insisted.

"Peninsula? Fancy." she smiled.

"Harold is on his way. Actually, he might already be there. You know how he drives."

"Okay. Thank you. That's very thoughtful of you." she said sincerely.

"Cause I'm always thinking of you." Andy added "See you tomorrow."

"Bye." she hung up the phone and got ready. When she entered the car, she realized it was Friday and she was looking forward to picking up her paycheck "Harold, do you mind swinging by the club real quick? I'll only be a minute."

"Of course." he answered and made a left turn at the next light. He dropped her off in the front of the building.

"You know what Harold, you should get the night off, too. I'll just order a Lyft." she advised.

"No, I can't. I promised Mr. Sutton that I would take you to the spa."

"Your kid's first school performance only happens once. You should go." She noticed the surprise look on his face "I eavesdrop...a lot." she winked and closed the door.

"Thank you!" Harold called out to her. He had only mentioned it once to Andy, she must have overheard the conversation.

She was greeted by Adam after walking into the club "Hey Liv. What you doing here? Andy texted us that he gave you the night off."

"He did, I'm just here to pick up my paycheck. I'll be out of your hair in no time." She jogged towards into the office.

When she was out of sight, Andy entered the building with a male that Adam didn't recognize "Hey boss."

"Hi Adam. I'm going to be in a short meeting, don't let anyone disturb us in the office." he nodded at the male to his right "Come."

Adam frowned "Okay, but Liv-"

"Liv is off today. Didn't you get my text?" Andy motioned for the male to follow him to the office.

Olivia rummaged through the file drawer until she found the envelope of paychecks. She quickly found hers and placed it on the table to return the envelope back to its home. She reached for the check and slid on the chair as the paper fell from her hand. It dropped under the desk and she bent down to reach for it. Then she heard the door of the office open.

"You have balls to come back here." Andy snarled as the door slammed shut behind him.

Olivia was ready to announced herself until she heard the other voice that made her stomach drop "I wouldn't have come back if I didn't run out of money. That last deal didn't go through." Edward complained "The money you gave back to me for the contractors only lasted so long."

"Because you 'lost' the cashier's check?" Andy asked sarcastically "You forgot a tiny detail."

Edward arched his brow in annoyance "I'm guessing the bitch told you she tore it up in front of my face?"

"Don't call her that!" Andy barked.

"Woh...what the hell? Why are you defending her?!" Edward exclaimed and then a leer crossed his lips "Oh... you fucked her." Andy glared at him in disgust "Tell me, what's she like in bed? That bitch never let me past first base."

Andy lunged towards him and pushed him against the wall "You don't get to talk about her like that." Edward snickered as he roughly pushed Andy off "You think I'm stupid, don't you? Liv told me about your plan with Louie. You guys cheated the bank and took off. You forgot to tell me that little part when you called begging for a favor."

"Hey, it wasn't all my idea." he argued "Besides, it worked out. I told you about her and now you got the club. And it's a hit, I heard. So, you clearly have the money to lend me."

"The hell I do." Andy was tired of the handouts. It was always the same story. Edward needed money for his consulting firm "You're not getting a single dime from me anymore."

Edward was close to groveling "Come on, Andy. Just one last time. For Lawny. We almost became brothers, do you think about that?"

Andy was fuming "You don't have any right to bring her up. You know damn well Lawny would be extremely disappointed in the choices you've made. And she would definitely disagree to me lending you more money. You don't deserve to be her brother. I'm done, Edward. Get out. And if you have the galls to show up here again, I will have you barred from ever entering the States."

Olivia exhaled the breath she was holding in her chest when the door closed. She was barely breathing and she felt lightheaded while leaning on the desk.

At the main entrance, Andy watched as Edward disappeared out of the club. He felt the weight lift off his shoulders, he finally found the courage to say no to Edward "Hey boss." Adam greeted, he noticed Andy looked upset "You okay? That looked intense?"

"I'm fine." Andy sighed "You have something to tell me?"

"Yeah, I was going to ask if you saw Liv?" Adam frowned when Andy's face fell "You didn't?"

"When?" he turned towards the office.

"Minutes before you came in with that guy. There's no way you could have missed her unless she went through the back..." he didn't have a chance to finish the sentence.

Andy hurried towards the office key pad and checked the login, she was the last person before him "No, no, no..." he muttered before racing towards the back door exit. He found her a few feet away completely shaken with her hand over her forehead "Liv?"

She slowly turned to face him. The look she gave him would stay with him for a long time. It was pain, anger and disappointment. She shook her head slowly "You lied." she said through clenched teeth.

"I'm so sorry, I know I should have told you sooner but I didn't think it was a big deal. And I honestly didn't know what he did to you-"

"Oh but you did!" She cried "I told you on the beach in Santa Monica months ago. You had all that time and you chose not to say a single word. How do you explain that?!"

Andy ran his fingers through his hair in frustration "I know and I'm sorry. I didn't think he would come back-"

"And I was leaving anyways? Right? What I don't know won't hurt me...guess you were wrong. Just like I was wrong about my feelings for you." she spat harshly and backed away slowly. Hot tears slipped down her face as she pointed a finger at him warningly "Don't follow me."

"Liv!" he took a few steps forward and paused. He owed her the space she wanted. He managed to find his way back into the club. He sat at the end of the bar for an hour before Adam approached him.

His brows knitted with concern "Andy, what happened with Liv?"

"Nothing." Andy mumbled without looking up.

"She just sent us a goodbye text." Andy shot up from his seat while Adam turned his cell phone over to show him "I have a feeling the rest got the same text. If you need to talk to Liv, we can handle the club." he offered.

"Thanks." Andy nodded blankly. He drove to the apartment building and found her apartment. He knocked on the door. There was no answer "Liv! Please open the door!" he called. When there was no answer, he rushed downstairs to find the manager "I need the keys to 8A now." It took a moment for the manager to search for the right keys. When he handed them over, Andy hurried back to her apartment. When he opened the door to the apartment, he knew she was gone. He walked into her bedroom and all the belongings were missing. She left one single note on the dresser that read 'You lied to me'. The words pierced him like a knife through the heart.

Andy returned home feeling devastated. His shoulders slumped as he walked into the living room where Gilbert was sitting with a laptop as he worked on the books for the month. He glanced up from the screen "Hey. You're early?"

Andy slumped onto the couch next to him and slowly curled into the fetal position with his head resting on Gilbert's thigh "I fucked up."

"Oh no...what did you do?" Gilbert saved the work and closed the laptop "Is it Liv?"

"I met with Edward earlier and she overheard the whole thing. She knows everything."

Gilbert winced "Ouch. Yeah, that'll sting."

"She's gone. Her apartment is empty." he lamented "And I can't get a hold of her." Andy moaned painfully "How the hell did I let it go this far?"

Gilbert shrugged "Well, let's recap, shall we? You refused to take my advice on telling her the truth about Edward. I always said he was a sneaky, conniving little bitch but since he was Lawny's brother, you asked me to keep those comments to myself. But now? She heard it from the ass's mouth so there is really no way to bandage the hurt. Which leads you curled up in a fetal position on my lap. Hmm...did I miss anything?"

"Shit, shit, shit!" Andy sat up and dropped his face into his hands "What the hell am I going to do?" he turned to Gilbert "All the pain the men in her past had caused and I was the fucking cherry on top."

Gilbert sighed "There could be another person that could help?"

"Who?" he was desperate.

"Who does she respect? Who does she go to for advice? Who would be able to convince her-"

"Joe!" Andy cried out happily "You're right!"

"I was actually talking about me...but who's this Joe?" Gilbert asked in confusion. He watched as Andy pulled out his phone and searched for the phone number of the R&D Nightclub in Hong Kong. He didn't hesitate to call and after a few rings, a male voice picked up.

Chapter Eleven

Olivia rolled the two large luggage into her apartment. She had subleased the place for seventeen months. She didn't expect to be back early. Sighing, she looked around at the familiar furniture.

She took a long shower and changed her clothes. Olivia arrived at the nightclub with the doors having been opened for one hour. The team wasn't expecting her. She kept her head low and marched towards the office. She knocked twice and opened the door "Liv." Joe greeted.

Her brows furrowed in surprise. Joe was thin. His complexion was pale and his head was completely bald "Joe?" she didn't know what to make of his appearance.

"Sit down." he instructed. She couldn't take her eyes off him. He had aged a decade "I didn't want to tell you over the phone during our conversations but...it's cancer. Started off as a tumor in my kidney. They removed the bad one and now the cancer has spread everywhere. They gave me 6 months, but I think it'll be sooner. I found out two months ago. Treatment didn't work."

"You should have told me! I would have come back!" She cried angrily.

Joe felt the tears stinging his eyes as he got up to embrace her "I'm so sorry. I guess I was selfish. I wanted to keep this to myself. I didn't want you to worry about me. And I know if I told you, you would have taken the first flight back home. And I can't have my best employee breaking a contract."

"Who cares about the stupid contract?!" she cried.

"I do. And you do." he sighed "Without your work ethics, you wouldn't be the Liv that I rely on."

She looked at him tearfully "I guess you're wondering why I came back early?"

"He called me." Joe informed.

"What? When?" She was shocked to hear. She knew Andy would find out eventually that she was gone but she didn't think he would call Joe.

"This morning. He told me everything...even about the loss of his fiancé."

Again it surprised her "Trying to earn sympathy points?"

"No. He was earnest. And remorseful. He thinks he screwed up the biggest chance of his life." he paused to give her a moment "Did he?"

Olivia shook her head "I don't want to talk about him."

"Then we have a dilemma because I can't talk about me anymore." his eyes urged her to open up.

"What did he say?" she asked softly.

Joe smiled and the skin around his eyes wrinkled "Yes, Edward gave him feedback about you when you first met. But that was Edward's opinion. Through the months, Andy had made his own conclusion. And the result is that he fell head over heels for you. And from the look on your face, it was mutual?"

She rejected the words "No."

"And yet you decided to come home early? Instead of facing him like you faced Edward? What makes Andy so different?"

"There is no difference." she argued.

"Really? This I've got to hear." he sarcastically crossed his arms and leaned over the desk.

"Who side are you on?"

Joe laughed for the first time in months "I'm on the side that makes you happy. And from what I could tell, it's Andy."

She arched her brows up "You thought Edward was perfect for me."

He shrugged lightly "But that was fake Edward. Real Edward would never have gotten my approval. But Andy...well, I may not know him but I know enough of him through you."

"What?" she was confused by the comment.

"Did you know every time you called, you always had a story about Andy? After the third story, I knew you were attracted to him. And after the tenth story, I was sure you two were destined to be together. You're in love and you refuse to admit it."

"That's absurd." she scoffed but internally, she tried to recall the conversations with Joe. He was right, she did talk about Andy a lot.

"Then why are you running, Liv?"

She knew he had a point "I'm not. I'm moving on."

"Liar." He said calmly "Liv. Look at me." she looked up slowly "You are the closest to a daughter that I have ever had. And it pains me to see you like this. So yeah, he lied about Edward. But he was also lied to. I believed him when he said he didn't know what Edward had done to you. And yes, you told him about it but you think if he had confessed the truth at that moment that you two would be at this pivotal point? If anything, you should thank Edward, he introduced you to Andy, a man that clearly loves you for you."

"Even if you are right, I don't know if I can forgive him at the moment."

Joe reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze "Don't dwell on it too long. You will lose sight of something much more important than your anger. Now then, no more tears. I get enough of that from those monkeys out there." his eyes pointed to the club.

She managed to smile "Okay. No more tears. What do you need me to do?"

"I need you to be happy. Find solace in work, the orphanage or whatever that keeps you going. Do not feel sorry for me or for yourself. I've lived a good life. It may be short but God damn it, I lived it the best to my ability. And that's all we can ask for." he made peace with the inevitable.

Olivia nodded "I will do my best not to let you down."

"You can never let me down." he whispered before pulling her into another embrace.

She threw her heart and soul into the club, doing Joe's work as well as her duties as a manager. Connie was promoted to assistant manager. Though they were happy to have Olivia back, there was a looming cloud of sadness that seemed to surround them but they didn't allow it to get in the way of the work. The club was bustling as usual on a Friday night.

For the last month, Olivia had hired a night nurse to take care of Joe. She gave the nurse her cell phone number in case of an emergency. It was close to 10PM when she received the text 'It's time.'

Her heart sank, the day she dreaded had arrived. She quickly found Connie to tell her the news before taking a taxi to Joe's home. He lived on the outskirts of the city, away from the bustling sounds of transportation. She had the keys to the front door as she let herself in. The nurse was expecting her and she waved her towards the upstairs bedroom. Her eyes moved to a half open bottle of Don Julio on his nightstand. Olivia hurried to his side as she clutched his hand "I'm here, Joe."

His eyes were closed but she felt his hand trying to squeeze hers "Liv..." he whispered breathlessly.

Tearfully, she said the words she knew he wanted to hear "I promise to find happiness and I'll try new things. I'll be fine, Joe. You can go." A smile planted on his lips before he let his last breath go "Joe?" her voice trembled. When his hand went limp, she knew at that moment that he was gone. She sobbed painfully into his hand.

The night nurse too sniffed back the tears as she witnessed the death. She made a call and the ambulance arrived to take his body. It was procedure. They would move the body to a mortuary, where he will await his final destination.

The day of Joe's funeral was gloomy and cold. The R&D team sat in the front row while members of the orphanage and other friends came to show their final respects. Olivia reached out to Joe's extended family in Canada but none were able to make it. She didn't expect them to come. After the sermon was read from the pastor, the guests lined up to toss a flower over the casket.

Olivia watched as they lowered him into the ground. She had run out of tears. Her heart felt heavy but she was content. She had plenty of time to say goodbye to him. He was in a better place, one where pain was obsolete. She looked above the horizon, the plot was chosen by Joe. He liked the view apparently. She continued to stand there even after everyone had left.

"I'm sorry for your loss."

She recognized the voice "Thank you."

"He was quite incredible. Sarcastic as hell. But he had so much wisdom to offer." Andy sighed.

Olivia looked up to her right where he stopped "How do you know?" he had described Joe perfectly.

He smiled shortly and explained "We've been in contact. I called him again the week after you left to ask him for his opinion."

"Opinion about me?" she asked.

Andy nodded "He told me to give you some space. And that you would eventually come around or he would knock the sense back into you."

Olivia smiled "Sounds like him."

"Then we got to talking and I realized I enjoyed our conversations. He was full of advice and we shared stories about you." Andy smiled "He had a lot and I couldn't get enough. It was clear that he loved you like a daughter. He was over protective and warned me a few times that if I ever hurt you again, he'd come back and haunt me."

"Did he say anything else?" she asked carefully.

"Like what?" Andy titled his head "He didn't talk about personal things. Mostly about situations that happened with you in the past 10 years. Was there something you didn't want him to tell me?"

She shook her head slowly "No." Joe would never betray her by telling him her most personal secret "How did you know about his funeral?"

"I had a friend that had Stage 4 Lymphoma and he was around Joe's age. When the cancer spread, it wasn't long before he passed. From what Joe told me, the cancer was already spreading. I decided to come and thank him in person. Luckily, I got to shake his hand and talk to him a few days before he passed. I asked the home nurse to text me when it happened."

"You brought the Don Julio." she recalled the bottle next to Joe's bedside.

"We had a couple of drinks." he smiled and remembered the conversation they had "He also said that if I honestly cared for you, I should fight for you. Is there any chance that you could find a way to forgive me? Or am I wasting your time?" Andy asked straightforwardly.

Olivia had already thought of her answer and she was ready to tell him when her phone rang "Excuse me." She turned away to pick up the call "Hi William...yes, I'm still here...did you leave something behind?" her brows knitted together "Right now?...Sure, I'll see you a bit." she turned to Andy "I'm sorry, I have an urgent matter."

"Can I swing by the club to see you?"

"Tomorrow night." She replied "It's our reopening."

"I can't tomorrow." he smiled shortly "Sunday?"

She nodded and quickly left the cemetery. Olivia took a taxi to William's office. He was on the phone when she arrived. He waved her inside and hastily hung up the call "Liv." he let out a sigh and smiled "I thought I would be the first to kick the bucket but well, as you know Joseph likes to be the first to do everything."

She knew their friendship was different than any other, they tormented each other with words and often laughed about it in the end. She had grown used to the dialogue "I know you miss him. I do, too."

"Don't get weepy on me." William took in a deep breath "Okay. So I called you here on official business." he slid the manila folder in front of her "As you know, Joseph didn't have any kids and he was never close to his family. He made a will 10 years ago and there was no beneficiary. He didn't want to leave it to family members that he didn't know. A little over a year ago, he calls me up to tell me that he has decided on a beneficiary." her eyes filled up with tears when he said the next words "It's you, Olivia."

She was moved "I can't believe it."

William's eyes glossed over "So now I will read to you his final letter: Seriously, you can't be that surprised." Olivia chuckled "I thought about it long and hard. Is blood thicker than water? Yes. But eventhough we don't share the same DNA, we are still family. I do not trust anyone to make the decisions that you will have to make when it comes to R&D, my one and only love. Liv, you'll know what to do because you always do. I'm leaving everything to you. It's your burden now. I look forward to watching you not screw it up from above...or below, depends on who you ask. Remember to love yourself and let people in already. You don't want to end up a lonely sap like me. Love, Joe."

"Always a way with words." She shook her head.

The lawyer nodded "So...you are now the owner of the 3000 square feet home, two cars-"

"He had cars?" Olivia frowned "He never drove them?"

"No, he just liked owning them." William smiled with a shaking head "The R&D Nightclub will also belong to you." he pointed to the dotted line of the last page "Sign there and date." she reached for a pen and signed it. He closed the folder and removed the reading glasses "Joe also mentioned that he wants you to know you are not obligated to live in the house or drive the cars. You do what you want with them."

"You mean I can sell it?" Olivia asked.

William smiled "He didn't want to put that in writing but he made sure I told you. I'm assuming you know why?"

After a long moment, she smiled "Yes...I do." When she left the office, she received a call "Hello?"

"Hi Liv. It's Emma. Sorry, I couldn't make it Joe's funeral today. Someone had to stay in the office. Also, Matt and Ava sends their regards. They've been on holiday and are coming back tonight."

"It's okay, he wasn't big on attention anyways." Liv smiled as she walked towards the nearest subway station.

"True, 15 years of monthly donations and he barely made it to one donor's benefit event. And he came late!" Emma laughed at the recollection "Anyways, you know our annual party is tomorrow. Can we count on you to come? Maybe on Joe's behalf?"

"I can't, Emma. The club is reopening since Joe's death. It's been 3 days. The employees need to know their jobs are secured. I have to be there. We're expecting a crowd."

"Darn." Emma pouted "I was hoping you'd come. Tony is going to be here again. I think his parents' are coming, too. And I believe he is still single."

"Emma, give it up!" Olivia shook her head in dismay "I'm not looking."

"But you haven't even met him. He is really, really charming. Oh, and you've already met his mom!" Emma remembered the day clearly "Two years ago, you were in the infant room and you talked to an elder lady, Mrs. Chin."

She vaguely remember "That's his mom?"

"Yes, she is a very sweet lady so obviously she didn't raise a prick."

"Emma!" Olivia laughed "Alright, I'll see if I can leave a little early. I might get there late."

"Okay. Hey, it's a formal event so you know...dress up?"

"Alright." Olivia headed downtown to the shopping center and decided look for a dress. She window shopped until she found a store with the most choices. Flipping through the rack, she settled on a one shoulder sapphire blue dress with sewn in sequins that trailed from the bosom to the bodice. There was a high slit along the right thigh and the skirt cascaded to the ground. She could almost hear Gilbert's squeal of delight in her ears. She purchased the dress in her size and left the mall.

As expected, the reopening of the club brought in quite the crowd. They were already understaffed with Phil out on vacation. An hour into opening, Olivia was sure she wouldn't be able to make it to the event in time. She kept her eyes peeled for disturbances and then felt a tap on her shoulder "Hello Miss, can you help me?"

Her eyes sparkled with delight at the African American male speaking in Cantonese "Yes, what can I do for you?" she replied in her native tongue.

"I'm looking to order a special drink. What do you recommend?"

"What do you like?" She played along.

"Any special Martini on the menu?" Adam asked after a moment.

"We don't have a menu. You can order anything the bartender can make. Or you can attempt to make it yourself." she laughed and reached out to give him a hug "Adam, what are you doing here? And when did you pick up Cantonese?"

He laughed while pulling away "Pick up? Yeah, you probably pick up languages. I had to bust my ass to find a school that even offered Cantonese. It was very intimidating to sit in a classroom with 5 year olds, by the way."

Olivia admired his conviction "Well, it paid off. That was pretty good."

"Ten months...so yeah, I got more where that came from. I've been practicing with the locals." he boasted with genuine pride.

She wrinkled her brows curiously "You've been here? By yourself?"

Adam smiled "No. With Andy. He said he had to fly out to Hong Kong and I asked if I could tag along so here I am."

"He left you to roam the city on your own?" She asked.

"Yes and no. He showed me the subway system and how to flag a taxi. And then I explored the cities on my own. This place is incredible! I mean, my adrenaline kicked in the moment I walked into Time Square. It looks like New York, but cleaner."

"I found Los Angeles very similar, too." she smiled and glanced at the clock on the wall, the event had already began.

Adam looked around curiously "This is cool. It looks like the one in LA. A little smaller."

"Speaking of which, how's it running?"

He shrugged "Okay I guess. I mean you know we all get along. The new manager, well, he's no Olivia...let's just say that."

She smiled "It takes time to warm up to someone new. I'm sure you guys will bond in no time."

"Yeah, maybe." the sparkle in his eye returned "Betcha I can spot the watchers." he turned up to the second story and pointed to a female in a peach dress "Her."

Olivia nodded "That's Connie."

"Him." Adam pointed to a male near the main bar "He's got my position." he turned to the opposite side and pointed to another female "And...her. In a red top and black slacks."

She was impressed "James and Lana. Not bad."

"I can't find the fourth one though." he arched his neck to search the last position.

"That's because Phil is on holiday." Olivia again glanced at the clock.

"You have to leave?" he asked.

She shook her head "It's nothing. Just an event."

"If you don't mind, I can take over for you?" Adam offered "It would give me a chance to really test out my Cantonese."

"I can't ask you to do that. This is your vacation." she shook her head.

"Liv, I've literally been walking for 5 days straight, I could take a break." he assured her "Go."

She took his offer "Thank you, Adam." she turned on her comps and announced "Hey guys, I have to leave but Adam will be taking over. He works at R&D in California. His Cantonese is new, so talk slow and help him out."

"He is cute from where I'm standing." Connie commented with a smile.

"Behave." Olivia warned. She passed him the comps and leaned in to whisper "Watch out for Connie, she's a firecracker."

"Great, you got a Tisha here, too." Adam cracked a forceful smile.

Olivia rushed home to change and do her makeup. She didn't have a team of experts but managed to curl her hair in large waves. She emphasized her eyes with liner and chose a softer pink shade for her lips. She grabbed a silver clutch and headed towards the event.

She signed in at the front desk and made her way into the room. Most of the guests were already inside the ballroom when she arrived. The owner of the orphanage was on stage finishing a speech. She slid into an empty seat at the nearest table while the food was being served.

"Liv!" Emma hissed "You made it!" she admired her dress "You look great!"

"Thanks. I got someone to cover for me." Olivia smiled and turned her attention to the speech.

After dessert was served, the owner once again approached the stage "Hi everyone, just a quick reminder not to leave yet, we are going to clear the way for a dance floor after dessert. I expect everyone to dance." he scolded sternly while the crowd chuckled.

Olivia was enjoying the cake when Emma shoved her arm "There! He's right there!" Olivia turned to her with a look of disdain "Sorry."

Reaching for a napkin, she wiped the cake frosting from her elbow "Emma, you are too young to be playing matchmaker."

"Oh! Look, his mom is sitting at the owner's table." she pointed out "Go talk to her!" she shoved her roughly.

Olivia sighed "I didn't come here to bombard people who's just trying to enjoy a night."

"Fine, then I'll go and tell her all about you and then I'm going to go over to Tony-" Emma began to get up when Olivia grabbed her by the shoulder and pushed her down onto the seat.

"Alright, cupid, you win. I will go over and say hi." she gave in to the demand.

"Ask him to dance!" Emma shouted.

Olivia's nose flared "I'm going to talk to Mrs. Chin." suddenly, she felt nervous when she reached the table. She nodded to the owners as they left to mingle with other guests "Hi there. Mrs. Chin?"

The elder female turned in surprise "Hello?"

Olivia felt embarrassed when it appeared she didn't recognize her "I'm sorry, you probably don't remember me?"

"You're the lovely lady I met at the orphanage two years ago. You were a natural with the babies. Although, I never did catch your name?"

She smiled shyly "Olivia."

"Olivia?" the woman appeared puzzled before muttering "How strange?"

"My name is strange?" she asked.

"No, of course not." the woman shook her head "It's nothing. How are you, dear?"

Olivia smiled at the warmness the woman exuded, she reached out to touch Olivia's hand and motioned her to sit "I'm good. I've been working overseas for the past year and a half so it's nice to be home."

"Oh? You travel for work? So does my son. What kind of business?"

"Management." Olivia replied.

The woman began looking around "You should meet him. He's around here somewhere."

"Oh no, I don't want to intrude-"

The woman laughed "Nonsense. I'm always telling Tony to make new friends. Come." she boldly pulled Olivia to her feet "He's been here so many times now that he doesn't really need a tour guide anymore. Don't worry, I won't force you to take him around town. He's been here for nearly a week." Olivia furrowed her brows curiously from the comment. She followed the woman to a table filled with people, most appeared to be around her age. They were talking and laughing like old friends. The woman placed her hand on the shoulder of the male that was facing his back to Olivia "Tony, I want to introduce you to someone."

Olivia tilted her head as the male stood up, his eyes smiled back when he reached out and took her hand in his "It's a pleasure." she said with a crooked smile.

"This is Olivia." Mrs. Chin said before sending him a wink "Isn't it a huge coincidence that her name is also Olivia?"

Andy's smile grew wider when he turned to his mother "Ma, this is the Olivia."

She looked pleasantly surprised "What? The one you can't stop talking about? That Olivia?"

"Way to blow my cover, Ma." he teased.

Olivia's lips curled up "Is that so...Tony?"

He raised his brows and dropped his chin "Right... about that..."

"That I can explain." His mother interrupted "When Tony was born, I wanted to name him Anthony...Tony for short. But his father wanted to name him Andrew after his father. So we compromised and named him..."

"Andrew Anthony Sutton." he finished.

Olivia nodded slowly "I see. And what about you, Mrs. Sutton? Why do you go by Mrs. Chin?"

"Chin is my maiden surname. I changed my last name to Sutton after I married Charles. When we returned to Hong Kong, we wanted to look for a charity to donate. You'd be surprised how many questions the government asks when you have a last name like Sutton. So we decided to use my surname to relieve the trouble of forms and questions. Tony signs his name Anthony Chin when he does charity work in Hong Kong. Less hassle." she smiled at the two of them "Which reminds me, I need to find my other half. I will give you two some space to talk." She whispered to her son before leaving "Ask her to dance."

"Interesting." Olivia crossed her arms and cocked her head to the side "Anything else you might be hiding? A love child? A third identity?"

He laughed "No, none of those." he crossed his arms to mimic her stance "So my turn. What are you doing here?"

"Joe was a monthly donator. I give annually but prefer to give my time as a volunteer at the orphanage. I do it on my spare time. I ran into your mom two years ago."

"Ah, you were the girl she met at the orphanage and couldn't stop raving about. And how she had potential. I was used to it. She said that about almost every girl she met." he laughed.

Olivia smiled "And Emma was trying to set me up with you two years ago, too." When Andy looked confused, she explained "Emma is the orphanage's receptionist. She was raving about this single, rich and handsome donor named Tony and tried to get me to come to the event. She talked me into coming this year. By the way, did Adam know?"

"No." he shook his head "Wait, how do you know Adam is here?"

"He dropped by R&D earlier and offered to help me out so I could come here." she shook her head in awe "Seems Joe was wrong."

Andy smiled "Wrong? How so?"

"He said I had Edward to thank for meeting you but apparently, the universe gave us two more chances. We just didn't take them."

"My mom and Emma." He nodded in agreement "So it was inevitable that our paths would have crossed eventually?"

Olivia's heart fluttered at the way he stared at her "Let's take a walk." she reached for his hand. On the way, she grabbed her clutch at the table as they walked towards the exit. She spotted Emma giving her a thumbs up sign.

They made their way to the empty garden of the hotel. She found a bench and sat down. His arm naturally draped around her shoulders "Blue is a good color on you. But I'm a little partial to cherry red." the hint was meant to be obvious.

"Is that so?" She teased.

He recognized the pensive expression on her face "Ask me anything. I'm an open book." he said honestly.

She turned to him squarely "Edward."

He was expecting it. Andy let out a short sigh "He's Lawny's older brother. I met him after she and I got together in college. When I first met him, I thought he was very charming and personable. And when he learned about my family's business, he asked me to invest in his projects. It was always just a loan but he never paid back a dime."

She wasn't surprised "Why didn't you pursue him to pay you back?"

Andy was embarrassed "I really, really liked Lawny and I didn't want to do anything to jeopardize our relationship. I knew I wanted to marry her one day and Edward would be my brother in law. So I told myself we were practically family...I let him take advantage of me. After Lawny died and I fell into the rut, Edward would show up to check on me but in truth he just wanted me to continue to lend him money. I guess in a way, I felt guilty for her death and so I gave him the money he needed."

Olivia shook her head in disagreement "You were not responsible."

"I know...but I think it eased my soul to do that for him. If Lawny knew, she would have given him an earful. She had a nickname for her brother, she called him the 'moocher'." He shook his head with a short laugh.

"Fitting." Olivia agreed.

Andy turned his head towards her "During my second trip to Hong Kong with my parents, I met up with Edward and he told me about this amazing club that everyone flocks to. I decided to see for myself. I was in line for about an hour but when I got in, I really liked what I saw. He knew I was interested so he waited for the right moment to sell it to me. He said the investor fell out of the contract and that the franchise fee was paid so all I had to do was continue with the investment. And then he told me that the manager was overseeing the project which made it more appealing."

"What did he tell you about me?" she asked curiously.

"He said you were tough as nails and would not be easily charmed. I needed a challenge at that moment, something to direct my energy into. So I took the bait. When I met you, I had every intention of signing on but I wanted to see what I was up against."

She laughed easily "Did I disappoint?'

Andy chuckled "Yes. I wanted to dislike you but you made it impossible." he tilted his head with a grin "Honestly, I didn't think I'd ever be ready to love again. Gil advised me to tell you about Edward but I figured he wasn't going to show his face again. And if he did, you may have already gone back to Hong Kong. No harm no foul, right?"

"Little did you know..."

"Which leads me to my question. What about us?" he asked solemnly.

"I didn't get a chance to answer you at Joe's funeral. I was running away from you...from the idea of us. I was scared. But now I feel no shame in saying that I like you, a lot. Love seemed farfetched, like an unreachable goal. Joe made me realize that running away was not the answer and that I should face the truth. I decided to leave it up to fate and then you showed up."

He smiled softly "And you are worth the wait. I wasn't going to give up, just so you know."

"I know." she smiled.

"What was that important thing you had to do yesterday? That call you took seemed serious?" Andy recalled.

"It was William. Joe's lawyer friend. He left a will. I was the beneficiary." she explained.

"Wow." Andy was surprised "For everything?"

"Everything." She nodded.

"What are you planning to do?" he reached for her hand as they stood up from the bench.

Olivia smiled secretively "I have an idea."

"Care to share?" he wrapped his arms around her waist to bring her closer.

"Sure. Although it depends on how you perform tonight." She smiled seductively.

Andy looked around casually "They're not gonna miss us, right?" He grabbed her hand and led her towards the exit.

They flagged down a taxi and made their way to his hotel suite, which was closer than her apartment. They could not take off each other's clothes fast enough. The passionate kisses turned to urgency as they took turns to pleasure each other. They moved into different positions until the right one gave them what they both needed. She collapse over his body breathlessly. He pushed the strands of hair away from her face and asked "So? Did that do it? Have I earned the right to know? Round two?"

She laughed from the string of questions "I should offer up more secrets if that's what you do to get them."

"That's easy, just make it up." He suggested.

Olivia slid beside him on the bed and he covered their bodies with the sheets "I'm planning on selling the house and cars. Proceeds will go to the orphanage. I know Matt and Ava were trying to expand but they needed a large sum of money to do that. I think they'll agree to the idea."

He was amazed by her decision "You are incredible." he kissed her tenderly on the lips.

She smiled "It wasn't mine to begin with. And I know Joe trusted me to make the right decision. I don't think I could have kept the home and cars with a clear conscience."

Andy understood what she meant "And the club?"

"That was probably the most important thing to Joe and I know if I sold it, the employee's jobs would be in jeopardy. There is no guarantee that the next owner would keep everyone on board. Plus I need the job."

"So now we each own an R&D Nightclub?" he smiled.

Olivia's eyes sparkled mischievously "Actually, I am technically your boss. You are just a franchisee. So you take orders from me."

"Yes, boss." he growled as she giggled.

The meeting with Matt and Ava concluded with a handshake "Liv, this is amazing what you are offering."

She smiled "I'm happy to do it. Joe would have approved."

"Yes, he would." Ava agreed "Do you mind if we dedicate the new addition by calling it the Joseph Hu Wing?"

Olivia raised her brows in surprise "That would be wonderful. Thank you, Ava." she gushed.

"Thank you." Matt corrected.

She walked out of the meeting feeling light on her feet. She was meeting Andy for lunch and he was bringing Adam. Taking the subway to Time Square, she found the popular cafe along the main street. Walking in, she scanned the room until she found them "Sorry, I'm late."

"Liv, how did it go?" Adam got up to greet her with a hug.

She turned to kiss Andy on the lips and sat down on the seat next to him "They were happy. And the new wing will be dedicated to Joe."

"That's great!" Andy smiled. He turned to Adam and gave him a nod.

"So, since you're the boss now...I wanna run something by you?" Adam began gingerly.

"I'm all ears." She sipped her water.

"I had a blast that night working at R&D. And Connie isn't so bad." he couldn't hide the grin "I really like Hong Kong. And I have always wanted to live in another country...you know...for a short time...so I was thinking-"

"You want to move to Hong Kong and work at R&D here?" Olivia asked in surprise.

"Is that out of the question?" Adam asked unsurely.

She let out a breath "Of course not! I would love to have you join the team. Although, we are full...I guess I can give up Eagle Eye to Connie and you can take her place?"

"So I get to report to Connie?" Adam's eyes smiled questioningly.

Olivia laughed "Okay, what happened that night?"

"Oh no, I can't tell you that. You're the boss now, so all watcher secrets will stay a secret." Adam sat back with a playful smile "So? When do you think I can start?"

"Ask your other boss." she bounced her eyes at Andy.

"Anytime." Andy shrugged "It's your life."

"So I guess we go home and figure it out?" Adam asked eagerly.

Andy shook his head "Actually, I have to fly out tonight. New York." he turned to Olivia, who appeared melancholy "I will come back as soon as I can."

She smiled in response "It's alright. You do what you need to. I know it can be exhausting flying out to Hong Kong. We'll play it by ear."

"Deal." he agreed.

It took nearly four months for the construction to be completed. The grand opening of the special wing was an occasion to remember. Olivia had the honor of cutting the red ribbon alongside Matt and Ava. They smiled for the cameras and in unison cut the ribbon separated by large bows. The small crowd cheered happily as the wing officially opened.

Matt raised a hand to quiet the crowd "It is my honor and pleasure to present to you the Joseph Hu Wing. I'd like to personally thank Mr. Tony Chin for donating the plaque, which will be displayed on the wall of the wing." he pointed to the beautiful marble plaque hanging on the wall "I'd like to also thank Miss Olivia Lee for her generous donation, without it, the wing would not exist. And the additional children that we will be able to accommodate will be grateful, too. Many of you don't know this but Olivia grew up in this orphanage. She was a quiet child and although it pained me that no family saw just how special she was to adopt her, I know it never discouraged her from growing into the kind, strong and amazing woman that she is. Thank you."

Olivia was moved by his kind words "I couldn't imagine Joe wanting to use the money in any other way." she assured him. She turned to the crowd "Thank you everyone, for coming."

"There are snacks and drinks in the main hall." Ava pointed.

Once the crowd began to disperse, she froze in place when she spotted him within the crowd. Their gaze locked across the room and he met her halfway "I thought you couldn't make it?"

Andy shrugged "I moved some things around." he noticed she appeared uncomfortable "So...orphan?"

Olivia nodded hesitantly "A woman found me on the side of the dumpster. I was days old. That woman took me home, cared and fed me for two years. She didn't notify the authorities and then one day someone noticed and they called the police. The woman had a mental disorder so she wasn't qualified to adopt me. The police took me to the orphanage. I had a hard time connecting with people. When I turned 8, they decided to try me out with the foster care program in hopes that a family would want to adopt me after caring for me. But it was never in the cards for me." she felt his hand reach up and grazed her cheek "I've made peace with it. I refused to let that scar me. That being abandoned would not define me."

"So that's the secret you've been hanging on to?"

"I guess I didn't want any pity from people. Or perhaps I was a little ashamed of my past or lack thereof. I know you would never judge me for it. And I would have told you...one day." he reached for her hand as she squeezed it lovingly.

"You know you don't have to tell me anything you don't want me to know." he assured her.

Olivia smiled "How long are you staying?" After they mutually agreed to the long distance relationship, she knew seeing him would be scarce. He had a business to run and so did she. She lost track of the time when she did not get to see him. Counting the days only caused her aching heart to miss him more. Instead she looked forward to the days he traveled to Hong Kong.

"A few hours." He said with a small smile.

"You want a tour of the new wing?" she asked.

Andy shook his head "Maybe another time...I have a surprise for you." taking her hand, he led her out of the orphanage. They shared a cab to Jardine city and stopped at The Legend, one of Hong Kong's most prized high rise apartment building.

She got out of the taxi and marveled at the fifty story skyline "Don't tell me you purchased this building?"

"Not exactly. Come on." He said excitedly. Taking the elevator, it stopped at the 38th floor. He stood in front of the apartment on his right and used the key to enter. The mahogany wood floors were beautiful against the white walls. The ceiling to floor windows brightened the entire space and the balcony was extravagant "It's not furnished, yet. I kinda need help in that department."

Olivia appeared solemn as she looked around the lavish apartment "It's nice."

"It's ours." he said "I just bought it. Since I left Hong Kong 4 months ago, I kept thinking about how much I missed you and how I wanted nothing more than to see you every day. Granted, you'll probably get sick of me but I figured if we want this to go somewhere, someone has to take the first step."

She turned to him "You're moving to Hong Kong?"

"Yeah. I worked it out with the crew. They got R&D covered and my other projects are running smoothly. They'll call me if there is an emergency. I'm just a flight away." it was then that he finally noticed the lack of enthusiasm in her voice "Liv? What's wrong? You don't like the idea?"

She reached inside her bag and pulled out the cell phone. Skimming through the emails, she quickly found it and handed it to him "Read that."

Andy wasn't sure how to react. He took her phone and read the email. Slowly, a smile spread across his face "You put a down payment on an LA apartment?"

Olivia bounced her head up and down and the smile finally appeared "I talked to Connie and she thinks R&D can run without me here. I can work remotely on the books, I don't have to be here physically. Plus with Adam working here, I feel more secure about leaving."

He was touched by the surprise decision. Andy moved closer until he could plant a long kiss on her lips "I love you."

She smiled and whispered in return "I love you, too."

"Oh please, get a room." Gilbert's sarcastic tone interrupted their tender moment.

"Gil?" Olivia's face beamed as she moved in for a long hug "God, I've missed you."

"Oh sweetie, the feeling's mutual." He stepped back and observed her outfit "I hear Hong Kong's fashion rivals LA...now I believe it."

"I can always rely on you for the truth." she grinned.

"So, what do you think? I searched for hours to find this apartment. You better say you love it!" he threatened with a pointed finger.

Olivia laughed as she turned to Andy "I love it. Guess we had the same idea?"

"What?" Gilbert was confused.

"Olivia was thinking of moving to LA for me. She put a down payment on an apartment." Andy informed.

"Oh, most deposits are non refundable. I'm sure Andy can make a phone call." Gilbert waved his hand nonchalantly "I'd rather you stay here. Gives me a chance to travel with Andy." he winked playfully "Also, I noticed a lot of cute boys around, maybe I'll give you guys some space. Is there like a...you know..."

"Gay bar?" Olivia asked "Yes. Lan Kwai Fong city. FLM, Time Bar, New Wally just to name a few."

Gilbert grinned "I'm gonna go check it out. You guys don't need me, right? Okay, bye. Have fun, kids!"

She grinned as she watched Gilbert bounce out the door. Olivia turned to find Andy staring back at her with a smile "The view is magnificent, don't you agree?"

"Yes." he smiled when she slid her arms around his waist "You sure about this? Because this contract has no end date."

She laughed "Vous devriez lire l'éventualité?"

Andy glanced at his watch and sighed "I have about 30 minutes...so I'll do my best." he began to lead her into the bedroom.

Olivia tossed her head back in amusement as she yanked him back by the hand "No, I asked if you read the contingency."

"Oh honey, that's the best part." he leaned down and planted a long passionate kiss on her lips.

THE END

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