Chapter Nine: First Date
"I think I have to fire Quinn from the group."
"What, why?" Olivia took another oatmeal cookie from the tray beside her and took a bite. It was late afternoon, and she and Alex were at the saloon getting manicures, pedicures and their hair done for their dates with Fitz and Patrick. They were currently getting their feet massaged, soaking in some warm water.
"She's been late to practice and shows, and sometimes she doesn't even show up. And when she does, she sounds horrible. Her voice and her playing is off. Plus she got mad at me the other day, because I told her the band was going in another direction. And because of that direction we didn't need her to play the guitar anymore. She blew up like I had kicked her out of the group."
"She'll get over it eventually."
"No she won't actually. When I first asked her to join the group, I knew she wasn't a right fit. But I liked her voice and she was pretty." Olivia rolled her eyes. "Quinn is more of a… I don't know, she just wants to play her guitar and rock out all night. That's actually what she told me once."
"That's not at all what Free spirits is. We're more R&B. I write songs that make you think, you know. Stuff that's relatable to everyone."
"And baby making songs."
"Exactly." Alex laughed. "And Quinn just doesn't fit into that, she never has. I was just distracted by her curves and pretty face."
"But you do other songs. You're not stuck in any category and you know why she's doing this. Why she's acting like this. It had nothing to do with music or even the band."
Alex sighed, sipping her champagne. "Yeah I know. And I don't want to talk about it."
"Can I ask you a question?" Liv asked, after both the masseuses had left for a moment. "Are you still attracted to women? I mean this is the longest you've been with a man in a long time."
"Of course I'm still attracted to women, I will always fine them beautiful and enticing. It's just like a man with a wondering eye. Doesn't mean I'm gonna act on it."
"No offense, but are you sure?"
"None taken and yes I am. I know in the past, I haven't been the best at dating. But this time is different, I really like Patty. Now I'm not saying we're gonna be together forever, but I'm sure gonna enjoy the ride."
"Are you ever gonna tell mom and dad?"
"Tell them what?"
"You know?" Olivia didn't want to say it out loud.
"About me being bi?" Olivia shook her head yes and Alex laughed. "Liv you're allowed to say the word hon, it's not a curse word. Mommy and daddy aren't going to ground you."
"Alright I get it. So are you?"
"I don't know. I mean I think dad will be weird at first maybe, and things between us will be wired for a while. But then he'll get over it, and eventually things will go back to the same."
"But momma."
"Exactly. Your mother will blow it all out of proportion, maybe even throw a bible and some holy water on me. Then she'll somehow make it about her. I love her, but she can be eccentric and just too much sometimes."
"So that's a no?"
"I'm not ready yet Liv. I'll tell them when I'm ready."
Olivia saw the look on Alex's face and decided to change the subject. "So do you know what you're going to sing for the central park thing?" Olivia asked.
The central park concert was supposed to be weeks ago, but it was postponed for whatever reasons, still unknown to them. Alex was just glad that whatever the problem was, didn't cause the show to be canceled. This was a great opportunity for herself and the others.
Alex groaned, and slammed her drink down on the table beside her. "That's another fucking thing."
Olivia sighed at Alex's language, before she asked. "Tell me what?"
"That stupid bitch, the one in charge of the admissions called me. She regretted to inform me, that there was a mix up, and Free Spirits will not be performing."
"What? Why not? I thought you got the letter in the mail."
"Yeah I know, but somehow our audition tapes got mixed up, and the other band they mixed us up with is performing. I wanted to choke her through that freaking phone."
"I'm sorry Lex. I know how important that show was for you."
Alex shrugged, "Its alright, I guess it just wasn't meant to be. I'm already looking for other shows to do, so it's okay."
Olivia was about to speak again, when the bell on the door rung and someone called her name. "Olivia?"
"Rodger what the hell are you doing here?" Alex asked, before Olivia had a chance to speak.
"Nice to see you too Alex."
"What are you doing here?" Olivia asked, before he and Alex got into an argument.
"I was just walking by, and I saw you two in the window. I thought I'd come in and say hello."
"Why?" Alex asked, her tone flooded with attitude.
"Because it's the polite thing to do Alexandra. And because Liv and I are still friends, I can talk to her. I haven't seen you in a while by the way."
"Yeah, I've just been real busy."
"Yeah, it's funny I came by a while ago and saw you at your door with some man. Now you're all over the papers with him." Rodger chuckled dryly.
"Stalk much?" Alex said under her breath to Olivia. Everything about Rodger was very off putting to her. The way he was standing, with his hands shoved in his pocket, and when they weren't, he was fidgeting very nervously. "Are you alright?" Alex asked, genuinely concerned.
"Yeah, it was nice seeing you Liv. But uh I should get going." Rodger walked off, nearly knocking over a masseuse on his way out.
"What the fuck was that? What's wrong with him?"
"I don't know. I hope he hasn't started back drinking again."
"What do you mean started back? He never stopped drinking to begin with. Besides Rodger nor his drinking is your problem."
X
"Olivia will you please sit still!"
"No, you're putting too much on."
"I am not, I barely have any on there. If you would just sit still I could finish."
"It's too red."
"It is not." Alex once again, swiped Olivia's lips with the matt red lipstick. They were in the bathroom, sitting in front of the mirror. Both had their hair in curlers, and their dresses were lying on Olivia's bed. Now Alex was trying to do Olivia's makeup, which was proving to be more difficult than it sounded. Olivia didn't wear makeup often, and when she did it was natural and light makeup. A little blush, mascara and maybe some nude or rose pink lipstick.
But Alex thought her makeup should be more dramatic tonight, and Olivia was definitely not use to wearing a bold red colored lipstick.
"Lex just don't put too much."
"I'm not cheeks. Relax, you're gonna be perfect."
Olivia sighed, "Maybe I should've curled my hair differently. Or straightened it." She self-consciously touched the curlers in her hair, before Alex smacked her hand away.
"No you should not have, it's gonna look great. And with your dress you need to have your hair up so you can see the design in the back."
"What design? It's backless." Initially Olivia was a little worried that her tattoo would show from the backless dress. But thankfully when she put it on, the back was just high enough to where her tattoo wouldn't show.
"Exactly, and it needs to be seen." Alex swiped Olivia's cheeks one last time, before stepping aside and letting Liv see herself in the mirror. "Perfect. Just don't go smooching on Fitz tonight and ruin my perfection." Olivia rolled her eyes and laughed, Alex was the one who needed to keep her lips under control and off of Patrick.
"Come on, let's get dressed. The guys should be here in ten minutes and we're not dressed."
"We're women Liv, we're never dressed on time."
X
"Fifty bucks says they're not ready yet." Patrick rang the doorbell.
"Of course they're not ready Pat, we're on time. If we were half an hour late they'd be ready, and yelling at us for being late."
Patrick rang the bell again, and moment later they heard Alex yell that the door was open. They both walked in, and Alex peeked her head out from around a wall upstairs.
"We'll be right down guys." And just as quickly as she came, she left.
Fitz and Patrick sat down on the couch, and watched TV for half an hour before Alex and Olivia came down the steps. But when they finally saw the girls, that extra half an hour wait was well worth it.
Alex came down first. She wore a black strapless, floor length dress. The sweetheart hem line and corset of the dress was sequined with diamonds, which faded away towards the end of the dress. The dress was tight, and flared out towards the bottom. She wore no jewelry, except for a pair of simple diamond studs in her ear. Simple black pumps, with a silver sequined clutch. And she wore her hair loosely curled and pinned to the side.
Next Olivia came down in an all black floor length gown just like Alex. Olivia's had long sleeved lace arms, with a blooming flower design. The hem line came up high on her neck, and snapped at the back of her neck. The body was a tight snug fit, until it flared out at her thighs creating a small train. The only jewelry she wore were, silver teardrop earrings. She wore a pair of black pumps and a red clutch. Her hair was curled and pinned up in a messy updo, with a few tendril hanging in her face.
"Wow." Patrick was the first one to speak, Fitz was still starring. "You two look amazing."
"Thank you. You look handsome yourself mister." Alex straightened Patrick's tie, then pulled her jacket on.
He took her hand, and as they were walking to the door he whispered in her ear, "I can't wait to get you out of this dress tonight." He thought he was low enough for only Alex to hear him, but everyone heard him.
"You look stunning in this dress Olivia."
"Thank you. You don't look so bad yourself." Fitz was dresses similarly to Patrick, they both had on black tuxedos and bowties.
They all piled into the limousine Fitz and Patrick rented. They had some champagne and joked around on the way to the party. When they got there, it looked like the red carpet at the Oscars. There was a red carpet surrounded by photographers and paparazzi trying to get a picture of all the guest. Olivia had no idea this fundraiser was this big, she had never even heard of it before.
"You okay?" Fitz asked, noticing Olivia was starting to fidget, the closer they got to the red carpet.
"Yeah, I'm good." Olivia smiled over at him for good measure, when the car finally came to a stop. A man in a black tux came over and opened the limo door. Since Alex and Patrick were closest, they went first. Right before Olivia and Fitz were getting out, Fitz reached out and closed the door.
"Fitz what are you doing?"
"Relax."
"What?"
"Relax." Fitz repeated. "It's just dinner. Forget about the cameras, forget about my family just relax."
"But what if they don't like me? I've never met your dad or your sister. Your dad's a former professional football player, he's won like four super bowls."
"Five actually."
"And you sister was on last month's Vanity Fair. I don't know what to say to them."
"Olivia they're just normal people."
"No they're not, they're far from normal. And what if I do something stupid in front of all those cameras?" Olivia ranted on for another minute, while Fitz just sat back in his seat. When he had finally had enough, he gripped her shoulders to get her attention and kissed her forehead.
"Relax." He repeated again.
"Okay."
Fitz got out first, and held his hand out for Olivia to take. As soon as they got out, they headed to the entrance, but not before they stopped for a few photos. Fitz put his hand around Liv's waist and she put hers on his chest. They posed for a few moments, while the photographers got their shots and the paparazzi shouted their questions, none of which got answered.
X
The party was in full swing, and everyone was enjoying themselves. The entire room and décor looked fancy and most of all expensive. Olivia had never been to a party like this before. The entire room was furnished in black and white. There was a giant dance floor, full of people dancing to the live band that was playing. Along the back walls were paintings hanging and on their stands. There were statues and sculptures. They were all so beautiful.
"Oh there they are!" Marilyn said excitedly, once she spotted Fitz and Patrick coming towards them. She also saw the women on their arms, and smiled. "Gerry they're here." Marilyn got Big Gerry's attention, and they both watched their sons walk over.
"That's who they're dating?" Gerry asked.
"Well Patty is dating, but Fitz says they're only friends. But I don't believe one word of that."
"Well I find it hard to believe that Patrick is only dating one woman right now, she must be some kind of woman. And Fitzgerald doesn't need to be dating right now anyhow with the problems he's got."
"Same thing I said to him."
"But on the other hand, I got to hand it to my boys. Damn do they know how to pick a woman."
"Not now Gerry." Marilyn said, right before Fitz and Patrick finally got to them. "Hello my boys." She gave each of them a hug, before they introduced Alex and Olivia.
"It's nice to meet you Alex, and lovely to see you again Olivia. You two look gorgeous."
"Likewise Mrs. Grant."
"Well I would have liked to introduce you to my daughter, but she seems to have disappeared."
"I'm right here mother." A woman, rather tall, came up to them. "I ran into an old ex, I had to hideout in the bathroom until he left."
Tabitha grant was a beauty. She inherited her father's height, just like her brothers, and her mother's jet black hair. Her skin was freshly tanned and with a few freckles on her shoulders. Olivia thought she looked like Fitz, the only difference was she had her mother's brown eyes. She had on an all white thin strap dress, with a plunging neckline and a band of diamond studs around her midsection.
"Hi, it's nice to finally meet you." Tabitha shook both Olivia and Alex's hand.
They all then took a seat at their designated table, sipping on champagne and eating appetizers.
X
"I'm so glad you two came! This is the most fun I have ever had at one of these parties!" Tabitha was now on her fifth drink of the night and it was showing. She, Alex and Olivia had hit it off quickly. And after their initial apprehension wore off, they started having a great time with Tabitha. They learned that she was a model, and inspiring fashion designer. Tabitha was a lot like her brother Patrick, she was free spirited, laid back and all around just liked to have a good time. Not that Fitz wasn't fun to be around either, he was just the more responsible one.
"I have to admit, I didn't think I would have this much fun either." Alex said. "Normally I'm uncomfortable being around this many rich people."
"I see why Patrick is with you. You two are so much alike. How long have you been dating?"
"That's a trick question. Because if you ask Patty, he'll tell you one number and I'll tell you another. It was just sex for me in the beginning, so I don't know."
"Alex!" Olivia was mortified. Only Alex would feel comfortable talking about sex with her boyfriend's sister.
Tabitha however only laughed, finding the whole conversation funny. "So what about you Liv? How long have you been dating my brother?"
"Oh, Fitz and I aren't dating."
"You sure? Because he's been undressing you all night long." Tabitha subtly nodded over to where her brothers where. And sure enough, while everyone else was engaged in the group conversation, Fitz was just starring over at Olivia. He had this look in his eye, a lustful, predatory glare. His jaw was clenched tight and the grip on his glass was getting tighter by the minute. His eyes met Olivia's from across the room, and they both held each other's gaze. Neither able to look away. It was like a magnet pulling them together.
"Damn Liv, put your tongue back in your mouth."
Olivia shot back to Alex and Tabitha. "What?" Liv had a deer in headlights look about her, and they only laughed.
"So Tabitha, how was Italy? What were you doing for four full months?"
"Ugh, getting deliciously tanned, eating fresh pasta and pizza every day. I swear I gained fifteen pounds, but then I worked it off by have copious amounts of sex. Italian men are so insatiable."
"Really?" Alex asked. "I have to get to Italy."
"The hell you are." Tabitha said, making everyone laugh. "Like Patrick would let you out of his sight. He's the most jealous man I have ever met, well besides Fitz. That boy does not like to share."
Olivia turned her attention away from the two women for a second, while they talked. She looked back in the direction Fitz was, because she wanted to see if he was still gawking at her. In all honesty, she hoped that he was. But much to her surprise and dissatisfaction, he wasn't. Some woman had joined the group he was in, and was talking his ear off. She could tell that Fitz was annoyed or didn't really care for the woman's company, but it still pissed her off to see some other woman hanging onto him. Especially one she knew was an old ex of his. She now recognized the woman as the same woman form Paris. Last time she had ran to the bathroom in near tears, but not this time. Without a word, she walked away from the girls, and over to where Fitz was.
"I've been here a full hour and you haven't danced with me yet." Tatiana said to Fitz.
"That's because he's here with me." Fitz back was turned towards her, so he didn't see her coming. But he definitely felt her presence, when she hooked her arms through his.
"Hello gorgeous." Fitz said. "Liv this is Tatiana an old friend of mine."
"Close friends." Tati said, winking at Fitz.
"Couldn't have been that close, he's never mentioned you once." Olivia smiled sweetly.
"I'm sorry who are you?"
"Olivia, Fitz's girlfriend." Olivia saw the shocked look on Fitz's face, and wanted to laugh right there.
"Fitz, I had no idea you were seeing anyone."
"I'm sure you didn't." Olivia said, "If you'll excuse us, Fitz here owns me a dance." Olivia grabbed Fitz hand and pulled him off to the dance floor, leaving Tatiana behind.
X
Fitz wrapped an arm around Olivia waist, his large hand spread possessively on her lower back, skimming his fingers over her bare skin. Olivia draped one arm over his shoulder, her fingers playing in his hair, while Fitz held the other firmly to his chest.
"So when exactly was I going to be informed that we were dating?" Fitz smirked.
"Shut up."
"I think I like jealous Liv."
"Please, I am not jealous. I don't get jealous over men." That was a complete lie. "So what'd she want anyway?"
Fitz shrugged, "To say hello. And to inform me she was one of the women for the charity auction thing."
Olivia scoffed and rolled her eyes, "I don't get that. It sounds like glorified prostitution to me."
Fitz chuckled, laughing at the displeasure on Olivia's face. "It's for charity Liv."
"Old men betting on a date with beautiful women does not sound like any charity to me."
"All the money made tonight goes towards several different charities. The art pieces donated, the money from that also goes to charity as well. It's all in fun really. Besides you're not really bidding on the person, you're bidding for the day. Such as one year, they had a really famous opera singer. And for a day, you got to visit the set where she sang, backstage access, you got to meet other opera singers and of course you got tickets to the show."
"Have you ever bid on one of someone."
"No, but Patrick has. One year he bid on a woman from some sports newscast, he was a fan. She took him to a Warriors game, and got him courtside seats. Then let him in the locker room after the game. And after, she introduced him to Steph curry and the rest of the team when she interviewed them. Another year, he bid on a man."
"A man?"
"Yeah, but not like that. Patrick is a big hockey fan, we both are, thanks to our dad. Anyway, the guy was a big shot hockey player, Pat just wanted to pick his brain all night. You should've seen how he was fangirling over the guy."
"How much did Pat pay?"
"I don't remember now. But it was a pretty penny."
"Would you ever?"
Fitz looked down at Olivia, staring intently into her eyes. "I don't need to pay for a date."
"I thought it wasn't a date." Olivia said smartly.
"I still wouldn't have to pay."
"Alright then Mr. Cocky. How do you get a date from a woman? Show me the magic."
Fitz laughed, twirling Olivia around before bring her back to him. His tone turned serious and seductive. "Well first, I would be holding you just like this, only closer."
Fitz brought her body closer to his, until she could go no further. He slid his hand further down her back, until it was resting on the top of her ass, while bending his head down to hers. Their lips just inches apart. Olivia's breathing was becoming irregular, all she wanted him to do was just close the short distance between their mouths.
"Then, after I have you near panting, because of my touch, I'll whisper to you 'Go on a date with me'. And because you're still lost in my touch, I'll kiss the corner of your mouth. Just like this."
This time when Fitz leaned in, he kissed he corner of her mouth and Olivia's legs almost gave in.
"Just close enough to weaken you knees, and leave you begging me to kiss you." The grip she had on his hair, was getting tighter and tighter. "And because you want nothing more than for me to kiss you, you'll simply say…"
"Yes." Olivia said in a breathless voice, finishing his sentence. She really didn't want nothing more than for him to kiss her right then and there. But instead, he pulled back. He raised a hand to her cheek, stroking it softly.
"And that Livvie, is how I got my first date with you."
X
"You have got some explaining to do missy." Alex walked into Olivia's room unannounced, while she was changing. They had long since got home from the fundraiser, and much to Olivia's surprise Alex opted to not go home with Patrick. She blamed it on being tired, but Olivia knew that was a lie. And she also knew Alex wouldn't talk about whatever was bothering her, until she was ready.
"Can you not knock?"
"Please Olivia, you don't have anything I haven't seen before." Alex plopped down on Olivia's bed, almost knocking Pongo off in the process. "Have you been on the TMZ website lately?"
"No why?" Olivia didn't watch TMZ, she thought it was nothing but false stories and gossip about celebrities, and she preferred to not read it since over half of the things they talked about was mostly speculation. It was, however, one of Alex's favorite shows. She found it hilarious. "You know I don't watch that show."
"Yeah, but maybe you should look at the website." Alex slid her tablet to the edge of the bed for Liv to pick up. "You are officially dating one of New York's most eligible bachelors. Well former bachelor."
Olivia stared at the screen dumbfounded. She scrolled through countless pictures of her and Fitz at the fundraiser tonight. Pictures of them on the red carpet, then several of them inside. Pictures of them with his family, talking to other guest, at their table eating dinner. Fitz feeding Olivia a piece of his desert. Olivia was just shocked, these photos were already online, and she had only gotten home maybe three hours ago.
"How are these already on the website?"
"I have no idea, but my ass looks amazing in those pictures."
Olivia rolled her eyes, and kept scrolling. Just then she came across the second set of pictures, with a new headline. Grant is officially off the market. The pictures were of the two of them on the dance floor. Fitz had his arms around Olivia, holding her close. Her fingers playing in his hair, him stroking her cheek. And the very last was a picture of Fitz kissing Olivia. From one picture, it looked as if he was innocently kissing her cheek. And from another it looked like he was kissing her lips.
"It's just a bunch of gossip." Olivia tossed the tablet back on the bed.
"Uh I don't think it's still called gossip if it's true. And when were you going to tell me Fitz kissed you again?"
"He didn't kiss me, it was the corner of my mouth. That's just a bad angle."
"Looks like a good angle to me." Alex teased. "Which by the way, I told you. I knew this friend bullshit wasn't going to last. And now he's asked you out."
"You know I didn't tell you that just so you could throw it back in my face later." Shortly after they had gotten home, Olivia informed Alex that Fitz had asked her out. At first, Olivia had thought Fitz was just doing a demonstration. She didn't think he was actually serious.
"Besides, I never said it was gonna be forever. Just for the moment it was the best thing to do. I didn't want to rush into things."
"Whatever Liv, have fun on your date, with you millionaire boy toy."
X
First Date…
After a week of judgy looks and stares from her coworkers. Cameras flashing in the bushes, just about every time she left her home. Several news articles about her and Fitz being engaged, already married, and two months pregnant. And her mother berating her for getting involved with her boss. Olivia was ready to cancel her date with Fitz all together. If it wasn't one person with an opinion of their relationship, it was another. They just couldn't catch a break. Was this what it's going to be like to date Fitz? To date someone constantly in the public eye?
Liv had been daydreaming so long, that she hadn't heard Alex come home. Liv was supposed to be getting dressed for Fitz to take her out tonight. He didn't tell her where he was taking her, he wanted it to be a surprise. All he told her, was to put on one of the dresses he sent to her for the gala. Olivia had already picked out a dress, and was getting ready. Then she made the mistake of looking online, and of course there were more reports of her and Fitz.
The majority of them, she had already seen before. She and Fitz were married, she was pregnant, they had been dating for years and so on. The new story was what upset her. There was a story that Olivia was just a nobody amateur artist, and she was using Fitz to advance her nonexistent career. That pissed Olivia off. She worked hard to get to where she was now. And though she isn't close to where she wants to be in her career, she wasn't using Fitz to get there.
Fitz had only given her a job. The rest was her talent alone. She got no special treatment, no favors, no recognition she didn't deserve. Her talent got her to where she is now, and she resented the implication that it was anything or anyone else.
"Liv what are you doing?"
Olivia jumped, form her spot on the bed, when Alex walked in her room. "I'm not going."
"What are you talking about? What's wrong?"
Liv gave Alex her tablet and let her read the story. "Do you see what they're saying about me? They're saying I'm a gold digger. That I'm only with Fitz so that he can advance my career. Do you know how hurtful that is? To work you ass off for something, and then just have all the credit given to someone else?"
"Liv they're just stories."
"It's still hurtful. Is this what it's always going to be like? Having absolutely no privacy? Since when did painter become this poplar anyway? Half of them don't even make good money, until after they're dead. It's not like Fitz is some Hollywood actor, he's boring. Why are they so interested in him?"
"Liv, Fitz is a public figure. He runs a multi-million dollar business, and he's only thirty years old. There not just interested in him, they're interested in his entire family. The other son works at one of the top advertisement firms in the city, the daughter's a supermodel, and the mother is a former supermodel. And let's not get started on his dad."
"Lex I get it."
"Do you? Because you're still sitting here mopping."
"Well excuse me Alexandra, its going to take me a while to get use to this. I mean four months ago, I was trying to sell my art in some dingy shop. Now, there's people following me with a camera. People commenting on me love life, and whether or not I'm pregnant. And there's a full bio on me on google. It's weird!"
"Oh stop being so dramatic. Do I need to slap some sense into you, because I clearly remember having this conversation before. And I thought we agreed, that you weren't going to let that stuff get to you."
"It's different now."
"It's really not."
"Why do you even care?"
"Because you are my sister and I want you to be happy, you big dummy."
"And how do you know being with Fitz will make me happy?"
"Well…" Alex pulled Olivia up from the bed. "I don't know, and neither do you." She pushed her to her closet, where her dress was. Her dress was a sleeveless, blue sequined dress. It had a sweetheart neckline and diamond studs around the bodice. The material was thin and floated around her body so smoothly. She rolled her hair in big curlers and wore minimal make up. "And you won't find out, unless you give it a try. Oh my God, I sound like some sappy soap opera, you see what you do to me?" That made Olivia smile and laugh, for the first time since reading that news article.
"Thanks Lex."
"Don't thank me yet. Thank me after you come home to tell me what an awesome night you had."
"Tell the truth, are you pushing me out the door, because you want me and Fitz together or because Patrick is coming over tonight."
"No, of course not." Alex tried to play the innocent, but Liv saw right through that. "Okay, maybe a little bit of both. He's working late tonight, but he's supposed to come by later. But I'm meeting Quinn at the bar in a little while."
Olivia's eyes grew wide. "Why?"
"Relax, it's not what you think. I'm firing her tonight, and I thought it would be best to be in a public place. Rather than alone here or at her apartment."
"So you thought a room with a bunch of alcohol would be better. You know how you get when you drink."
"Well, I've never fired anyone before. And I don't think I can do it sober."
"You're ridiculous."
X
Forty minutes later, Olivia and Fitz were in the back of Fitz's car, while Tom drove. Fitz had pick her up shortly before, and refused to tell her where they were going. All he would tell her was that they were going for dinner and a late show. If she had been with anyone else other than Fitz, dinner and a show would translate to her as some quick fast food restraint and a movie. But knowing she was with Fitz, and the fact that they were dressed for the Emmy red carpet, Olivia knew to expect so much more. She wished Fitz wouldn't feel the need to spend so much money on her. But that was just Fitz, and she knew she only felt uncomfortable with it, because she hadn't grown up around money at all. She wasn't use to it.
"So are you still not going to tell me where we're going?" Olivia asked.
"Fitz laughed, this was the fourth time Olivia had asked him where they were going. "Liv I told you, we're going to dinner."
"Yeah, but you won't tell me the name."
"You can read it yourself, since we're pulling up to the restaurant."
Suddenly, the car came to stop in front of a tall building. Olivia looked out her window, and couldn't count how many stories this restaurant was. She had never seen a restaurant like this up close before. Why was it so tall? How many levels did a restaurant need anyway?
Fitz had gotten out of the car, and was now opening her door and helping her out.
"Fitz, this place is beautiful, but I still don't know where we are."
"Well darling we ae at…" Fitz turned her towards the building's sign. "La Davide."
"Davide?"
"Yes. A friend of mine owns this place, it's a family business. I had him reserve their best table for us tonight."
Olivia looked up, and noticed people sitting at tables on the balconies. "Fitz what is it with you and heights?" She assumed those would be the best seats, overlooking the city and night sky.
Fitz only smiled, and placed her hand in the crook of his arm. As soon as they walked into the restaurant, a hostess greeted them. His name tag read, Taylor.
"Good evening Mr. Grant. Mr. Davide has reserved a table for you and your guest. Please follow me."
Oliva had barely listened to the man, she was too busy looking around the expansive room. It was beautiful, like something out of a designer magazine. The décor was silver and teal, the silverware on the tables were engraved with the restaurant logo. The chandeliers were what Olivia loved the most though. She was nervous about all the glass though. Olivia was sort of accident prone, and in five inch heels surrounded by glass. That was not a good combination for her.
"Right this way." Taylor pulled back a sheer curtain, and revealed a new room. This rom wasn't as crowed with people eating as the other dining room was. There was only six tables in this room, and they were spread a great deal apart. She noticed the glass windows and the manmade water fall and pond. From the window, you could see small and some large fish swimming in the pond. The soothing sound of the water was very calming. Not to mention breath taking. It was obvious why this was one of the best tables in the house. She did notice, though, that on the other tables, there was only candles. But on their table, was a small glass vase of short stem carnations.
"Carnations?"
"Yes. Are the okay?" Fitz asked, and Olivia was touched by the wariness in his voice.
"Their fine."
"Can I take your jacket ma'am?"
"Oh, yes please. Thank you." Before Taylor could even get a finger on Olivia's jacket, Fitz had swooped in and was already slipping it off her shoulders. He knew what was underneath her dress, and there was no way anyone, besides him, was getting anywhere near her.
Olivia didn't seem to notice Fitz's possessiveness, and sat in her seat that was so graciously pulled out for her.
"Would you like to look over the wine list sir?"
"No, that won't be necessary. Just bring us your best bottle of house red, and oysters for the table."
Taylor nodded, and scribbled something on his little notepad. "Very good sir."
Once Taylor had left, Olivia leaned in closer into the table, eyeballing Fitz. "Do people always just do as you say."
"Typically they do, and right away actually. But you, my darling, you don't seem to listen to a thing I say. You enjoy to defy me."
Olivia smirked, "well I do love to see you rattled from time to time. Not that I don't love the whole badass, take charge attitude that you are. It is refreshing to see you frazzled."
"No no, I occasionally become unnerved. But never frazzled."
"Is that so?"
"That is absolutely so."
"Your wine sir." Taylor came back to the table, carrying a bottle of wine. He poured a small amount in a glass for Fitz to taste, before he poured tem both a glass. "And your oysters. I'll give a moment to look over the menu."
At the mention of the menus, Olivia liked down at the incredibly decorated menu. She had no idea what most of the meals were, didn't even know what kind of meat it was.
"I don't understand anything on this menu." Olivia admitted. "I don't get it, is this even English?"
Fitz chuckled, this was refreshing to him. He'd never been with a woman like Olivia before. He hadn't dated in years, but the woman he chose to spend time with were a lot different. It was as if they were from two different worlds. The things Fitz had done and seen, Olivia had yet to experience. Generally two different people from different sides of the track didn't mix up well, but In this case, Fitz thought it was a very good thing.
"Of course it's English darling."
"What's a poulet tchoupitoulas? What is that, and I even saying that right?"
"You are, and it's a chicken dish. It's served with a bread pudding with onions, sweet corn, andouille sausage… it's really good."
"For what their pricing this at, it better be good."
"Don't worry about the price. Order whatever you want."
"Alright mister bigshot. I want the poulet- the chicken thingy."
"One chicken thingy coming up." Fitz signaled the waiter to come back. He ordered Olivia's meal, and ordered the braised lamb shank with blood orange relish for himself.
"So I take it the waterfall is what makes this space so spectacular." Olivia said, starring out to the breathtaking view.
"That it is. The owner built it himself. He and his father worked day after day perfecting it. They hand-picked every stone themselves." Fitz went on and on about the fountain and its history. And all Olivia could do was just star at him as he spoke so passionately about his friend.
"It's very refreshing to see this side of you. You don't show it often, and normally you only do, when we're alone. You don't let anyone else see this side of you."
"And what side might that be?"
"Just… a softer side. Around everyone else you're so hard and commanding… the boss."
"And?"
Olivia shrugged. "I don't know, I guess why?"
"Maybe I only want to show that side to you."
"Why?"
"Because I'm not sure you'd like my others." Fitz said honestly. "I'm not the best guy Olivia, but I'm not the worst either."
"Why do you think you're such a bad person?" Fitz didn't answer her. "Before, when you were telling me about the other women you'd dated. You said you weren't always a good man. And that you had hurt people before. Did you mean them?"
Fitz cleared his throat, to buy him time while he thought. He didn't want to have this conversation, especially not on a first date. This wasn't a first date topic. Him divulging in his past endeavors was not something that would grant him a second date.
"They weren't really relationships. They were just women, I would frequently have sex with. And when I needed a woman on my arm for a benefit gala, or a party. They were there a willing to be my dates. But I never had a desire to date any of them."
"Oh." Olivia was finding it really hard to look him in the face now.
"Liv." Fitz reached out and held her hand on the table, but she still wouldn't look at him. "Liv."
"I'm just… just trying to process all this." She finally looked him in the eye. "Is this… is that what we are?"
"What? Of course not Liv." Fitz assured her. He was a little upset that she even had to ask him that. "How could you ask me that?"
"I don't know, I'm just confused. After what you just told me, I think m allowed that."
"Liv, you are nothing like those women. Okay, wheat I feel for you I never felt for any of them. And I just met you, which is the scary thing. I told you I don't date, and that's because I'm not good at it. But I want to try for you. This is me trying. I'm not always going to get it right, but I'll ty for you."
"That girl from the gala the other night, Tatiana. You were dating her though right? Abby said she was your ex-girlfriend."
"Tati wasn't my girlfriend. Our… 'time' together just lasted longer than the others. Liv why are you asking me all this?"
"Because I'm just confused. You say you don't date, but yet here we are. What about me makes me special? I'm not famous, I don't have a lot of money. I'm not supermodel gorgeous and I certainly don't have the body for it. I mean I'm really a nobody, trying to fit into a somebody's world. It's weird and I feel out of place. Like I can't compete with the other women you've dated, and eventually you'll get tired of me-"
"Olivia stop rambling sweetheart. There's no one else to compete with."
"We're just too different Fitz."
"That doesn't matter to me, and it should matter to you either. You are to only woman I want, no one else matters to me. And I promise you I will never get tired of you."
"I don't want to get hurt Fitz." Olivia said weakly, looking down as she played with the linen on the table.
"I promise I will not hurt you Olivia." Fitz said sincerely, and he hoped like hell he would be able to stand by that promise.
X
Alex sat at the bar nursing her first and only long island ice tea, waiting for Quinn to show up at the bar. She didn't think it would be this hard to cut Quinn from the group. But she knew that wasn't what was causing her agitation. It hadn't occurred to her, until she got to the bar that night, that she wasn't just cutting Quinn out of the band. But she was cutting her out of her life. And no matter how detached Alex tried to be, or how emotionless she tried to perceive herself to the world. She couldn't deny that after months, Alex had developed feelings for Quinn. They weren't as strong as the feeling she felt for Patrick, but there were there. At least she tried to tell herself that. If she convinced herself that she didn't care that much, then it would make this entire conversation she was about to have a whole lot easier.
Quinn was the only person Alex felt she could truly be herself with. Quinn understood her, and accepted her for all that she was. It was cliché, but true. Quinn was the first person Alex actually opened up to and let them in. Not even Patrick knew her the way Quinn did.
She hoped that after tonight, she and Quinn could still be friends. She was okay with ending her sexual relationship with Quinn for Patrick. But she wasn't sure she was prepared to just write her out of her life for good.
Alex took another long sip of her drink, before a leather purple purse dropped down on the bar beside her.
"I'm late, but I'm here." Quinn said, as she straddle the bar stool. She quickly flagged down the bartender, and ordered a couple of shots. "So, what do you want?"
"Hello to you too Quinn."
Quinn sighed, "Sorry. Hello Alex, what do you want?"
"Straight to the point huh?"
"That's typically how I like my meetings to go. I mean, I could probably guess why you called me here. And that guess would be because you are kicking me out of the group." Quinn paused, for Alex reaction. Which was nothing but a head nod. "I figured as much, its fine I saw it coming. Which is why I have been searching for other bands. And I found a few who are interested so." Quinn downed one of the shots.
"It's nothing personal Quinn. I just don't think we're the right fit for you. Our styles are just too different."
"It's cool, I get it. I mean I only took the job in the first place, first because my previous band was awful. And also because I just wanted to get in your pants. Which I know is the only reason you hired me." Quinn smiled.
"That's not true." Alex lied, before laughing. "Okay, it's not entirely true. You do have a great voice. And it worked for a while."
"Hey, you don't see me complaining. I had my fun as well."
"Me too."
"So who is he?"
Alex looked up at her n confusion. "What?"
"I said who is he, or she. I know there's someone. You've been threatening to kick me out of the band for a while now. But we both know you haven't done it until no, because you like sleeping with me. But we haven't slept together in weeks, so I know you must've met someone. So who is he? Or she. I'm cool either way. Although, I would prefer to be replaced by a man, and not a woman. At least I know no other woman could compare to me." Quinn joked, and Alex laughed. She was grateful Quinn wasn't making this hard on her, she already felt bad.
"It's a guy. Patrick the guy from-"
"From the bar?" Alex nodded. "Well, I can't say that I'm surprised. I'm happy for you."
"You really mean that?"
Quinn shrugged, "Yeah. You know I care about you, and what we had was great and fun. But it's over now, and I just want you to be happy. I'll miss you though."
The single tear Alex had in her eye slipped through, as she grabbed Quinn's hand in hers, rubbing her thumb on the back of her hand. "I'll miss you too."
Alex shifted off her stool, and moved her hand to the back of Quinn's neck. She pulled Quinn close, until their lips connected. It was a goodbye kiss, is what she told herself, and she slipped her tongue into Quinn's mouth. She didn't care that she was in the middle of a bar, with plenty of eyes watching. This was probably the last time she would ever get to do this. And since she could have goodbye sex, she would settle for a goodbye kiss.
When Quinn's hand slid down Alex's back and cupped her jean clad ass, Alex pulled back. She didn't want them taking this too far.
"That was some goodbye kiss." Quinn joked, wiping the tears from Alex's face. They were leaning, forehead's touching, against each other laughing. They were brought out of their zone, when a man came up to them.
By his glassy eyes and his breath, Alex knew he was drunk. "That was so fucking hot. I will give you both fifty bucks, if you just do that again." The man held up a hundred dollar bill, but the girls just laughed at him.
"Go away you perv." Alex shooed the man away.
"You okay?"
Alex shook her head, still wiping her steady tears. "No, but I will be."
X
Later on that night, Fitz and Olivia were walking arm and arm through the streets. After dinner, Fitz took Olivia to see an opera show. Olivia was excited, she had mentioned to him before that she had always wanted to go to an opera show. She didn't think he remembered, but he had. Fitz had gotten them great seats on the balcony, and although she had had two glasses of wine at the restaurant, she indulged in the champagne provided at the theatre.
During the show, Olivia tried her best to keep up with it, but it was just so confusing. The music and singing was great. The dancing and the imagery of the entire production was eye catching, but Olivia just didn't understand a word they were saying. She would look to Fitz, and he seemed to be enjoying the show as if he knew what the actors were singing about. She felt bad because Fitz tried hard to make this night special for her, and she didn't even understand what the people were talking about.
When they got left the opera, Olivia suggested they walk around. Honestly, she needed to walk off her dinner and dessert. All the food she had eaten was making her feel sluggish and tired.
"You okay Liv?" Fitz asked. "You're a little quiet."
"I'm just enjoying the quiet. I don't really walk out during the day, too many people and it's always chaotic. But it's actually kind of peaceful out here."
"Yes it is." Fitz brought Olivia closer to him. He didn't really walk out at night often, and he was glad Olivia was with him right now. He didn't like the idea of her walking out by herself anytime, yet alone at night in New York. "Did you enjoy yourself tonight?"
Olivia smiled. "I really did, thank you Fitz. This was one of the best dates I've ever had."
"Well I aim to please darling. And now you can cross the opera of your bucket list. How was your first opera experience anyway?"
"Um." Olivia didn't want to tell him she didn't understand anything about the show, she felt that would be rude. "It was great, but it was just a little hard to keep up with. Well actually, that's a lie. I didn't understand a word of what was going on. The singing was great and all, but I had no idea what they were saying."
Fitz laughed, her honesty was refreshing and cute. "It's like that for most people on their first time. But even so, most people have different interpretations of every show. It means different things to different people."
"So what did it mean to you?"
"To me, I like to think it's about a family reconnecting after heartache." Fitz went on the detail every piece of the show they'd just seen. And once again, Olivia found herself hanging onto Fitz's every word. "It's very poetic really."
They walked for a little while longer, and Oliva spotted a couple getting out of a horse carriage ride. She wanted to get a ride too, and also rest her feet for a while. She was fine when they started out, but now her feet were starting to hurt in her five inch heels.
"Fitz let's go get a carriage ride, can we?" Olivia said excitedly. She looked adorable with her big eyes, slightly bouncing as she spoke. Fitz would deny her anything right now.
"Can we get on an open carriage, while a couple of horses pull us, probably shiting on the streets the entire way?" Fitz joked. "Of course we can."
Olivia smacked Fitz arm, before pulling him off towards the horse and carriage. Fitz paid the man for a full ride, and helped Olivia climb into the carriage. Olivia noticed how Fitz quickly helped her onto the carriage, before she man could. He had mentioned before, that he was a jealous man and he was showing it tonight. The entire night, he hadn't let Olivia out of his sight. And he always made sure he was touching some part of her body. Whether he was holding her hand, or he would put her hand on his arm, or wrap and arm around her waist. He just had to be touching her.
Olivia hadn't realized she was shaking a little, until Fitz wrapped a red blanket around the both of them. Then wrapped an arm around her shoulders and brought her closer to him. The temperatures were dropping, but it was still bearable. The carriage ride was mainly through the park, but some of it was on the streets. Olivia just lay her head on Fitz shoulder and relaxed. She was thankful that Alex talked her into still coming tonight, she hated that she even thought about not going. She would've never forgiven herself if she had passed up this night. After their semi awkward conversation at dinner, things went back to normal and Fitz and Liv enjoyed their dinner together.
Fitz would feed Olivia bites of his lamb dish, because she wasn't sure whether she like her own food or his better. They laughed and told each other stories about their childhood, typical first date topics. Fitz opened up to her in a whole another tonight, in a way she felt he didn't with most people.
She didn't realize she had been staring up at him, until he looked down at her. His bright blue eyes seemed to be glowing in the night light.
"Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?" Fitz asked, while gently rubbing the side of her face.
"You've told me about three times tonight actually." Olivia answered. "But I wouldn't mind hearing it again."
"You look absolutely radiant tonight Livvie." Olivia smiled, he had only called her Livvie four other times, and each time he did she just swooned. Was it weird that she was counting?
"Can I kiss you Livvie?"
Five "You don't have to ask anymore Fitz." Olivia whispered, before connecting her lips with his. Fitz wasted no time taking control of the kiss. He gripped her tighter around her shoulder, bring her closer, as if he was trying to mold her body into his. His other hand, possessively ran down from her face across her chest, down her side and to her thighs. He griped her thigh, making Olivia moan into his mouth. He pulled her leg, draping it over his own, while still devouring her mouth. Driving her more insane by the minute. This kiss was different from the other kisses they had shared, and they both felt it. It had the same intensity and passion, if not more, but it was different. It was if both their bodies knew their relationship had taking a turn for the better and they were no longer stuck in the friend zone.
X
There will be a three month time jump in the next chapter.
Catch You Later…