Note: I will post pictures on Twitter again. I suck at describing jewelry in English so I refer you to Twitter for the full effect of Olivia's dinner outfit! Think Mariska at the 2010 Oscars.
And ... here we go ... }:-)

...

15. Betrayal

The sun gains in strength over the course of the morning, and after a light lunch, most of the guests venture outside again. Some have even decided to go for a swim and Olivia laughs at Blake's antics when he splashes around like a kid, and literally pulls Lindsey's leg, making the girl shriek and sputter, but she can tell that Lindsey loves her boyfriend's playfulness.

They are seated at the pool, enjoying the first cocktails of the day in the sun, and Gene nudges Olivia.

"You sure you don't want to jump in with them?" he asks her and then looks at her body suggestively.

Olivia laughs.

"Maybe later," she tells him, "but only if you go in too."

"Deal."

They sit together in comfortable silence and after a while, Gene asks her,

"Olivia, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"You're an only child, correct?"

"I am."

"I just realized when you were talking to Frank last night, that I really don't know anything about you."

Olivia shrugs. She isn't sure where this is going but she doesn't really like to talk about herself.

"There's not a lot to know," she states neutrally.

"Are your parents still alive?"

Olivia takes another sip of her cocktail, emptying her glass and Gene signals one of the waiters to bring them a new round.

"No," Olivia replies. "They're not. I don't have any family. That's pretty sad, right?"

"I'm sorry, Olivia. That has to be hard."

She wiggles her head and tells him,

"I have my team at SVU. We're like a family in a way."

"Hmm."

Gene absorbs the new information and Olivia watches him, hoping he won't ask her anything else about her background.

"So no aunts or uncles? Cousins? Grandparents? Anything?"

"Not that I know of. The only grandmother I've ever known died when I was four years old."

"And your parents?"

There is no way around it now and so she tells him,

"My mother died a couple of years ago and I never knew my father."

"I'm sorry. It must have been hard on your mother, having to raise you by herself," Gene sympathizes. "She never found someone to share her life with again?"

Gene probably thinks her father died before she was born or aware of him and she doesn't feel like correcting him. For all she knows, the scumbag may still be out there somewhere but that's not something to discuss at a party. So she simply tells him,

"No. It was just her and me until she died. And now it's just me."

Gene reaches for her hand and squeezes it. She knows he means well but she'd rather not have this conversation with him at all.

"Well, she did an amazing job, I can tell you that," Gene says warmly.

Olivia knows it's supposed to be a sweet compliment but she wonders if she hasn't become who she is despite her mother, rather than because of her. And she has issues. Several of them, and she doesn't want to burden Gene with those. He wants an uncomplicated life and she will not complicate it in any way. It works like this, just sleeping together and nothing else. That way, nobody gets hurt.

A little while later, Frank walks up to them in his swim trunks, a beach towel draped over his shoulder, and Gene watches Olivia as she takes in his bronzed brother from head to toe. He knows his brother looks good and he's usually very proud of him, but right now he doesn't like it one bit that Olivia is focusing on him.

Frank tosses his towel at Gene, who is caught by surprise and doesn't catch it. Olivia laughs when the towel hits his face and Gene mutters that it's not funny, but she pushes him against the shoulder playfully and tells him to lighten up.

"You are coming in the water too, right Olivia?" Frank asks her while Gene drapes the towel over a chair.

She looks at him then and Gene forces a smile.

"You wanna go get our swimwear?" he suggests.

Olivia is looking at Frank again, who is getting ready to make a huge splash and then nods.

"Alright. I'm in."

They manage to get changed in Gene's room without falling into bed again, Olivia saying it would be way too obvious if they took too long. Gene can't help wondering how eager she is to get back to the pool and to his brother. Normally, he'd be very happy that everyone is getting along, and he should be grateful that his family is making Olivia feel so welcome. But he senses something different with Olivia. Something he thought he'd never feel again. She's not just one of several people he sees anymore and he had not expected that at all. But he knows it will never work. They hardly even know each other when it comes down to it and it looks like Olivia isn't eager at all to share more of herself with him. What they have is sex, and that's it. As agreed. Gene has an idea what is happening to him and it needs to stop. Still, he tries to enjoy himself and he definitely loves being in the water with Olivia, who has put on a red bikini that makes his mouth water.

Later on, when they're all in their robes and drying up in the sun, he just listens to the others as they chat, grinning inwardly when Lindsey seems to only want to talk fashion and makeup with Olivia, and skin care products that are amazing, especially after a swim. He knows it's not really her thing. He may not know a lot of facts about her life, but he thinks he does know what kind of person she is. He can hear in her voice when she's being polite and slightly distant and when she's being genuinely interested. Like when Frank tells her about his volunteer work in one of the shelters they are fundraising for this weekend. She's genuinely interested in that. He should prepare himself for the inevitable, he tells himself. Olivia isn't going to stay in this arrangement forever, so maybe he should just rip off the band aid and let her go. She deserves something real. She deserves more than he can give her. Maybe she deserves a guy like Frank.

When more day guests come pouring in, all the swimmers decide to change again and they go up to their rooms. Olivia has noticed that Gene is quiet and once they get to his room, she asks him if everything is okay.

"Yeah. Sure. Why wouldn't it be?" he says without looking at her, and now she knows that there is something off with him.

"Gene."

She grabs his hand and makes him turn to face her. Gene looks down at her face and then her body, wrapped in a white fluffy robe. He pulls the sash of the robe, making it fall open to reveal her red bikini. He reaches inside the robe and rubs her hips with his hands before moving them up her torso until he's cupping her breasts. She can't stop her body from responding to his touch but she still wants to know what's up with Gene. He doesn't tell her anything though, silencing her with a scorching kiss before pulling her towards the bed.

She doesn't refuse him. He probably needs to get something out of his system and if this is his way of doing that, it's fine with her. They don't speak and Gene has put a condom on even before they're really warmed up. It's very different from the night before, when he'd felt so incredibly close. This time, it's just sex, nothing more. And yet it moves her in a way because she can see something in Gene's features that makes her wonder if this will be the last time they have sex together. That thought makes a lump form in her throat and she closes her eyes while she rides him, hoping he won't notice the ache feels in her chest suddenly. She had always known that they would split up one day, she just hadn't expected it to be so soon. She can't believe it yet but just in case, she pours out all that she has just one more time, committing every sound he makes and every tingling sensation he causes in her body to memory. Especially the way he whispers her name. Oh … Oh … Oh - livia.

They lie in bed together for about fifteen minutes afterwards, both silent and caught up in their own thoughts, Gene's arm draped loosely around her shoulders. Olivia doesn't want to ask Gene again if he's alright. When they get up, they each take a quick shower separately and then get dressed for dinner. Olivia knows she had promised Gene she'd wear one of the dresses he had picked out for her, and maybe that will put him in a better mood. She chooses a classical black strapless gown that spills down to her ankles, with a split on the right side that allows her to still show off a lot of leg. She won't need a bra underneath this dress because the top feels like it has a built-in push up effect, giving her an impressive cleavage. Her own black high heels go perfectly with this dress and she pins her hair up in a loose bun. She's just about done and admiring herself in the mirror in the walk-in closet when Gene comes in.

He likes what he sees, that much is obvious and he kisses her bare shoulder when he stands behind her and looks in the mirror as well.

"You need jewelry with that," he tells her, and Olivia lets him choose a few items from the box. He puts a silver necklace around her neck that seemed huge when it was still in the box, but she has to admit it looks great on her bronzed skin and not too big at all.

"So glamorous," she muses, touching the intricate, sparkling necklace that looks like something royalty might wear.

Then Gene puts several silver bracelets around her right wrist, and while she thinks that's a bit much at first, she has to admit it looks very classy.

"You have such perfect skin," Gene mumbles, kissing her hand after attaching the last bracelet.

"Are you feeling better?" Olivia asks, in a final attempt to reach her lover on some level.

Gene doesn't really know what to tell her. He is trying very hard not to let Olivia in any further and to prepare himself for the inevitable, but she isn't making it easy for him. He knows her concern is genuine and it seems he can't hide from her very well. Maybe he shouldn't fight it so hard …

"Yeah," he finally tells her. "Thanks, baby. Now let's go and see who else finally decided to show up here to donate and have some fun."

…

The party is in full swing after dinner, and torches have been lit around the garden as it gradually gets darker outside. Gene can't keep his eyes off of Olivia. He's always found her incredibly beautiful but tonight, she is carrying herself with such dignity that he simply can't look away. She seems to glow in the evening light and although many women try to talk to him and he manages to stay polite, he only has eyes for her. She smiles as she chats with the other dinner guests, and again, he can tell when she's genuinely interested in what people say or not. He sees her brush off an older gentleman, a business associate of his father, but she talks with another lady for quite some time. It's one of the managers of the shelters they are raising funds for. She has such a big heart for people in need and he loves to watch her like this. To see her be in her element, even if the surroundings aren't what she's used to. But she's dealing with people and that's really her thing, regardless of their background or standing in society. Many people here could learn a lot from her. It saddens him to know that he can't give her what she deserves. Not that she's asking him to give her anything, but still. He finds himself wishing that she wasn't so alone.

Meanwhile, he is waiting for a friend who is supposed to meet him at the outdoor bar and he is subjected to listening to a bunch of Alpha males in their forties who find it necessary to make crude comments about other people's bodies and clothes. He's even heard one of them salivating over Olivia, even though he knows the man is married with kids. Gene is about to make a comment of his own about these men's attitude towards women, when he hears one of them say,

"Well, whaddayaknow. Look what the cat dragged in."

Gene turns to see who is coming down the marble steps and his stomach drops.

"Barbara fucking Connors," another man says.

"Fucking's right," a third one chuckles and the first one chimes in again.

"Yeah, she used to fuck anything with a dick back in the day."

"Looks like maybe she still does," adds number two, referring to the young man on Barbara's arm.

Only then do the men realize that Gene is standing just three feet away from them and the group falls silent. Barbara Connors and Gene Butler are the worst kept secret on Long Island. Everybody over thirty knows their history, including Anne Butler, who steps in front of the woman at once.

"I don't recall inviting you, Barbara," Anne tells the woman sharply, completely ignoring her companion.

Hank Butler joins his wife at the bottom of the steps and Gene can see that Barbara is turning on her charms instantly. Anything with a dick indeed. It still makes him sick to know that this woman slept with his father before sleeping with him. Granted, the two encounters had been decades apart but still. He never wanted to think about his father that way and this woman basically turned his entire world upside down. The memories keep him rooted in place and he doesn't see Olivia approach him until she puts a hand on his arm.

"Gene?"

…

Olivia had sensed some uproar around her and after looking around, she had seen Gene standing there, pale and rigid, staring at the newly arrived couple his parents are talking to. She walks up to Gene, who seems to be deep in thought. He startles when she says his name and touches his arm, and she quickly retracts her hand.

"Who are they?" Olivia asks him and he finally looks at her.

"Nobody," he says quickly; too quickly.

He steps away from Olivia and walks off and she wonders if she should follow him or not. Before she can decide one way or the other, Blake pops up next to her.

"Just let him go, Olivia."

"What's going on?" she asks Gene's youngest brother, but Blake shakes his head.

"It's not my story to tell. But I think Gene needs to be alone for a little while. He'll come back when he's ready. Come on, have a drink with us?"

Olivia forces a smile and walks with Blake to join him and Lindsey and a couple of their friends for another drink.

After about fifteen minutes, Gene still hasn't returned to the party. A friend who was supposed to meet him at the bar, has already arrived and asks Blake if he knows where his brother is.

"I'm sure he'll be here shortly," is all Blake tells the man, but by now, Olivia isn't so sure. She excuses herself and decides to go look for him, taking a glass of wine with her.

…

Gene's heart is pounding in his chest. He hadn't expected to have such a strong reaction to seeing Barbara again. It's been twenty years. He should be over it by now. He knows he's over Barbara but somehow, he isn't over the way she hurt him back then. It still affects his choices today and that's pretty sad when you think about it. He is incapable of trusting someone completely. He trust people up to a point, like he does in his real estate dealings, but that's business. He trusts the women he sleeps with up to a point as well, or he wouldn't be able to have sex with them at all. But he hasn't been able to trust anyone with his heart ever since Barbara Connors pulled the rug out from under his feet.

He sighs and shakes his head, trying to shake the memories out of his head. He's wandered off, circling the entire house, and now he is walking past the guest quarters. He doesn't really know where he's going, he just knows he can't be around Barbara and whoever she's screwing today. When the woman started sleeping with him, he'd felt like a real man, but within a few short months, she had reduced him to a mere shadow of the boy that'd he'd actually been back then. She had been his first and she had taught him a lot about sex; a whole lot. Vaginal, oral, anal, all of it. But she'd also taught him never to open his heart for a woman again when she rejected his love for her and pulverized his heart.

Maybe things would have gone differently if he'd lost his virginity to a girl his own age at the time. Maybe he had made too big of a deal out of it but it had meant so much to him to give himself to Barbara; to have this stunning, sensual, sexy woman of the world be his first. She'd been 43 at the time and he'd been 17. She had chosen him over her husband so that had to mean she loved him too, and he saw himself walking her down the isle already. The betrayal couldn't have been more enormous and his young, immature heart hadn't been able to process it. He had been so naive and she had laughed at him. Called him a silly boy and had left him for her next young lover.

He still hasn't processed it now, twenty years later. He is still incapable of truly connecting to another person, no matter how much love he knows he has to give. He had thought briefly that maybe, just maybe it might be different with Olivia but she's as sealed-off as he is. It wouldn't work and as wonderful a person she is, all she wants is his body. She doesn't want him. She's just looking for sex with him like all the others. Like Barbara. Like Haviland and Natalie.

And Naomi.

"Gene? Is that you?"

"Naomi?"

The woman giggles as she walks up to him, her arms stretched out, ready to hug him.

He knows perfectly well that her name isn't Naomi but Jasmyn, but he always calls her that because she looks almost exactly like the famous model Naomi Campbell. Her white cocktail dress is in stark contrast with her dark skin and she looks stunning in the moonlight.

They embrace and Gene sinks into her. It feels good to hold someone now that he's feeling so vulnerable, and he knows that Jasmyn doesn't want anything from him, except hopefully his body. And he wants nothing else from her. There are no lies, there is no deceit in just wanting each other's bodies as long as both of them know it.

"How have you been, Gene? I haven't seen you in over a year!" Jasmyn exclaims, creating some distance between them to look at his face.

"I'm good, I'm good," he assures her. "Just looking for some company as always."

He grins at her and rubs her back, then lets his hand slide down to her hips. He waits for her reaction and when Jasmyn pushes her hips against his, he knows he has permission to squeeze her ass.

He hasn't had sex with Jasmyn so far. Previous times they've met, she always had a boyfriend and he's glad she doesn't seem to be a cheater. But the way she is pressing herself up against him now, tells him she must be single again. And possibly a little intoxicated.

"Naomi, Naomi," he mumbles. "It sure is good to see you again."

Maybe this is what he needs to get himself back in line, he thinks. He needs to get back to his old ways and fast. No more dwelling on the past and no obsessing over Olivia. Women come and go but sex is forever.

Jasmyn is teasing him, stringing him along while she tries to make her way to the party. But that's not where Gene wants to go. He'd rather go up to Jasmyn's room and avoid all the stares he is no doubt going to get, whether Barbara is still there or not. He chases Jasmyn down and they run around like kids until he finally catches her at the fountain in front of the house, pinning her against it.

"What now, oh strong man?" Jasmyn pants huskily, pushing her chest out and pretending to try and break free, but Gene has a firm hold of her wrists, pinning them above her head against the massive concrete of the fountain. Her dark breasts are inviting and he dips down to kiss the tops of her breasts before finding her soft lips with his own and kissing her deeply.

…

Meanwhile, Olivia has been roaming the house, looking for Gene. When she doesn't find him downstairs and the help tells her they haven't seen him, she decides to go up to his room. As soon as she unlocks the door and enters, she knows he's not there. She doesn't turn on the lights but walks out onto the balcony instead, wine glass in hand. His room has a great view of the front of the house and the moon is just coming up, bathing the fountain and the gardens in a beautiful glow. Then she hears voices. Panting. Moaning. There's a couple getting busy out there, she realizes. She sets her glass on the edge of the balcony and leans over to take a peek. And then she hears it.

"Oh yeah, Gene. Yeah. Oh baby, just like that!"

…

Dun dun

…

A/N: Please don't hate me.