Olivia sighed as she finished Gregory's signature. A half hour of practice before Carol gave her the paperwork had made it into a reasonable facsimile. Thankfully, no one had bothered her much. Gregory's office was his sanctuary. She made a show of reading over the papers before signing them, Gregory would, of course.

Carol stacked them up and nodded to her. "Have fun with Mrs. Richards up the shore today. It's really sweet of you to take her out. All the secretaries thank so."

She laughed slightly and have to remember to sound as masculine as possible. "I've been so busy lately. I didn't have enough time for her." She smiled and tried and crossed her arms the way Gregory had demonstrated. "I just have the one errand, and then I'll be unreachable all day. I'll be in Monday of course."

"Of course." Carol echoed with a knowing smile. "We'll see you then."

Olivia latched the briefcase and tucked everything away in the top drawer of Gregory's desk for Monday. She grinned and wondered if it would be Gregory by Monday. How much time would it take to teach her how to be a proper businessman? "Have a lovely weekend."

Carol winked. "When the boss is away..."

Was she flirting with her? Olivia wasn't really sure. She smiled and tried not to look embarrassed. Carol was rather attractive in a professional way. "Perhaps I should just send all of you home so you can't get into any trouble."

"Paid vacation?" She raised an eyebrow. "You must be planning to have a good time with Mrs. Richards."

"We just need a little time without the kids." Olivia held open the door for Carol as she prepared to lock up Gregory's office. "You know how it is."

--------------

"You just have to hold still, I'll be done in a couple minutes." Bette promised as she started on Gregory's makeup. "Unless you'd rather do it yourself."

Gregory shook his head quickly. "I have no idea how all of this-" He pointed along the line of products Bette had pulled from Olivia's drawer. "Works. Can't I just skip it?"

Bette handed him the moisturizer and looked him over thoughtfully. "You could, but you'll need sunglasses and a hat."

He sighed and turned back towards his reflection in the mirror. "But I look fine." He reached for the hairbrush and smoothed his hair straight down his shoulders. "Great even."

Bursting into giggles, Bette leaned back in her chair and sighed melodramatically. "You are such a man! Take a shower and brush your hair and you think you're ready to go."

Gregory pouted, something he never could have gotten away with before. "Fine. If you think I need make up and you're willing to do it for me..."

"That's a good girl." Bette patted his head and turned him towards her. "Close your eyes."

Gregory obeyed and leaned closer to Bette as she started the alien process of make up. "Why does she do this every day? I thought she- I- looked just fine as I was."

"Of course you would." Bette chastised him as she opened his eyes for eyeliner. "Look up. You're still looking at yourself like a man. Olivia looks beautiful to you because you're used to her. You love her, she's your wife." She grabbed his lips lightly and pursed hers into an 'O'. "Go like this."

Gregory cocked his head in surprise but obeyed as she stained his lips. "So I need to see her the same way I see myself."

"She is you at the moment." Bette added the finishing touches and sat back contentedly. "Don't you want to look sexy for her?"

Gregory turned in the chair and looked himself over in the mirror. "I don't think Olivia really cares-" He paused and smiled at his own reflection. "She did say she liked me."

Bette cracked up, covering her mouth as she struggled to put Olivia's make-up away without dropping any of it. "She does?"

He whirled around and retreated towards the closet. "She does." The defensive tone in his voice drew up Bette's eyebrows as she turned to help him with clothes.

"Do you want her?"

Gregory stopped paging through Olivia's clothes and turned back to Bette. She thought she could see the gears turning in his mind but he favored her with an honest answer. "I'm not sure."

Bette patted his shoulder, forgetting that the gesture would probably do little to calm him. "It's all right. Let's find something to wear."

"I look nice in black." He offered playfully and Bette nodded in agreement.

"I'll find you something easy." She pulled out a matching bra and panties, socks, black pants and a dark green blouse. "Bet you never put one of these before." She reached for his robe and Gregory pulled back. "What is it?"

"You don't have to help me get dressed." Gregory held the belt tight. "I think I can do it."

"Greggie, sweetheart," Bette reached around his hands to undo the belt on his silken robe. "You don't have anything I haven't seen before."

He sighed and relaxed his arms with a sheepish sigh. "Everything wasn't mine when you saw it."

"I don't think Olivia will mind." Bette held up the bra. "Now, I chose one without wires so you wouldn't have that to deal with on your first day. We'll save that shock for later. Now turn around-"

----------------------------

Olivia leaned back against the wall of the grotto and waited. Cole should know better than to keep Gregory waiting. She glanced down at the heavy silver watch on her wrist and tapped her fingers on the rock behind her.

"I'm here." Cole began with great frustration. Olivia took pleasure in that, imagining how different his tone would be in a moment. "What do you want?"

"You out of Sunset Beach." Olivia responded simply. "Alone, immediately and never to return."

Cole raised his eyebrows and advanced on her. "No. Now, I'm afraid that's out of the question."

"How did I know you were going to say that?" Olivia tucked her hands in her pockets and left the wall. Cole closed the distance between them and Olivia felt her heart quicken. Not in attraction, as it had been that lonely night through her drunken haze. This was jealousy, the thrill of competition and lust for blood.

"Maybe we're more alike then you'd care to admit." Cole offered with the same cold arrogance.

Shaking her head as she studied the youth in his face, Olivia returned his frigid smile. "We certainly have a great deal in common."

"Are you going to get to a point-"

"My wife, for example." The thought dropped from her lips and shattered in Cole's ears. "But you thought I'd never find out, didn't you, my dear boy?" She circled him as he stiffened in the center of the grotto. "Olivia wouldn't dare tell her jealous husband that she'd strayed with her daughter's boyfriend. The same charming young man who stole my precious Caitlin's virginity?" She leaned in close to Cole's ear, "And I am so, very jealous."

Cole straightened, readying to stand his ground. "What do you-"

"Do you know what it's like to know someone else has touched the women you love? To taste someone else on her lips?" Opening her lips in a menacing smile, she shook her head again. "You wouldn't, would you? You've never given a damn for any woman, save my daughter, and Caitlin only has eyes for you, doesn't she?" She touched Cole's shoulder and ehld on as he tried to jerk away. "At least, until now."

Drawing on her astonishing strength of adrenaline, she whirled him around, startling him as much as herself. "How's she going to feel when she knows you used those pretty lips to caress her mother's neck?" She dropped her voice to a growl, wickedly enjoying the growing white in his eyes. "Do you think she'll forgive you when her mother sobs out her guilty confession? Do you think your dear Caitlin will be able to love you when she knows you seduced her mother?"

Cole lashed out, striking her hard across the jaw.

Olivia blinked and wiped blood from her mouth. She'd never been hit before, but her body reacted for her. Her right hand balled into a fist but she shook it off. It wouldn't do to show up at home covered in bruises and bloody cuts. "Get out of town, now, and you'll never have to see Caitlin's face when Olivia explains how she was the other woman my daughter's been so concerned about."