Love and Art

by Starfish81

Fitz is a big time art Rep & owner of Grant Art inc. He's the big shot that everyone wants to know. Olivia is a young and hopeful artist hoping to branch out her art beyond her friends shop. What happens when Olivia meets with Fitz for a job at his company? How will Fitz deal with his obligation to his company, while dealing with new and growing Feelings for the newest staff member

21. Chapter Twenty-One: Earn Me

Chapter Twenty-One: Welcome to Wonderland

Fitz smoothed the collar of his white dress shirt once again. He was standing in front of the full length mirror in his room making sure every part of his appearance was right. Tonight was the opening of Olivia's gallery, and the entire Grant family came down to support Olivia. Although this was a public event, everyone had been personally invited by Olivia, except for Fitz and Patrick. Olivia hadn't invited Patrick, because Alex would be in the same room and she didn't invite Fitz for obvious reasons. But not having an invitation didn't stop Fitz nor Patrick from inviting themselves on the road trip.

They'd rented rooms at a bed and breakfast in town instead of staying at a hotel. Gerry and Marilyn were treating this as a little getaway vacation for themselves. Marilyn couldn't remember the last time she and her husband were on vacation together. Gerry may have been retired, but he still worked like he wasn't.

After neatly tucking his tie into his grey suit vest, Fitz put on his suit jacket. He checked himself once again, making sure every hair was in place. Fitz wasn't a vain man, but he did like to look his best whenever he went out. When he was finally satisfied with his appearance, Fitz grabbed the gift he got Olivia for her big night and tucked it into his inside pocket. When he checked his watch, he realized it was twenty minutes past nine. They were late. And if there was one thing Fitz hated, it was being late. He didn't even have to wait if he didn't want too, but his parents were already gone, so that meant Tabi and Patrick had to ride in Fitz's car.

Fitz left his room and walked the short distance across the hall to the room his brother was staying in. He knocked, but didn't get an answer. "Patrick, let's go. We're already late." No one answered, but the door the room Tabitha was in opened and Patrick popped his head out.

"Hey I'm ready. Tabitha's the one taking forever."

Fitz sighed, and waked into his sister's room. He got aggravated, when he found Tabitha sitting on her bed half-dressed and on the phone. "Tabitha really? Get off the phone now, we have to go."

Tabitha put her finger up silencing Fitz. That was another thing Fitz hated. When Tabitha finally hung up, she went back to the bathroom to finish getting ready.

"I was talking to the sitter."

"Tabitha, Hellen was our babysitter when we were kids. She watched all three of us at the same time. She knows what she's doing, I'm pretty sure she can handle one baby for the night. And you're acting as if she and Theo aren't right next door to you." Hellen, the babysitter, was staying in the room across from Tabitha and had taken Theo to her room so Tabitha could get ready.

"I can't help it I'm a mother now. When you have your kids you're gonna be the same way."

"Don't put that on me please."

"What? I thought you liked kids."

"I didn't say I didn't." Fitz spoke aggravatingly. "Just, can you please get ready."

"Alright Jesus, calm down. You know Olivia will still be there even if we're late."

X

The gallery doors were opened wide and a small crowd of local news reporters were taking pictures of the people arriving. Olivia's publicist, Elizabeth North, had made sure to contact all the reporters on her contact list, to make sure this even was on every news cycle. She even had a New York Times reporter and a few major magazine representatives to show up. In addition to the reporters, she even managed to get some big names in the art industry to come out. The more publication this gallery got the better.

Liz was making her way around the gallery, making sure everything was in working order and making sure the guest were all enjoying themselves. She was just walking past the door, when she spotted Fitzgerald Grant walking in. She'd seen his mother and father walk in earlier, but she had no idea Fitz Grant would be making an appearance. After getting over her initial shock, Liz dashed off to where Olivia was making small talk with a couple about one of Olivia's paintings.

Liz waited until Olivia was done talking, before she pulled her away.

"What has you so excited?" Olivia asked, noting Elizabeth's wide smile and dancing eyes. Liz was not only Olivia's publicist, but she was also her manager and sometimes her personal assistant. She wore many hats. Olivia was glad she came across Liz when she was looking for someone to help her organize her life and get things in order. Olivia would be a little bit lost without Liz.

Liz pulled Olivia in Fitz's direction, but stop short of actually going to him. "Guess who's here." Before Olivia could guess, Liz told her. "Fitz Grant." Liz spoke excitedly.

Olivia's face went blank and her head shot to where Liz was pointing. There in the flesh was Fitz looking very handsome in his grey suit, taking a glass of champagne from a waiter walking around. "What is he doing here?"

"What do you mean? Why don't you look happy? Do you even know who that is? Fitzgerald Grant the third, the entrepreneur and millionaire. He's the guy whose gonna put this place on the map and you need to go make nice with him, because I also hear he's generous with his donations. And being that Wonderland just opened, you can use all-"

"No." Olivia quickly cut her off. "No, I'm not taking any of his money."

"What are you crazy? Who turns down free money?"

"Do you not know about our history?"

"History? You have history with Fitzgerald Grant?"

"He's my ex-boyfriend."

"And I'm just now hearing about this?!"

"Well I thought you ate, slept and breathed all things Olivia Pope. Isn't that what you told me."

"I do, but this never came up in. Holy crap, you dated Fitz Grant? You better have had a good reason for given that up."

"Trust me it was." Olivia said, as she watched Fitz go around the room. She guessed he was probably looking for her amongst the gathering of people. Olivia had been both elated and saddened, when Gerry and Marilyn had shown up with no Fitz. She knew, in the back of her mind, that by inviting Gerry, Marilyn and Tabitha to her gallery opening, that there was a chance of Fitz's showing up as well. And when he didn't come in with his parents, she breathed a sigh of relief. But now, seeing him and Patrick walking around her gallery, her anxiety was once again forming. "I'll be back." Olivia walked away from Liz, subconsciously keeping her eye on Fitz. He still hadn't noticed she was watching him.

Olivia found Alex and pulled her away. "Fitz is here."

"What?"

"Fitz is here." Olivia repeated and discretely nodded her head in Fitz's direction.

"So what?" Alex said. "Don't stand here and act like you didn't think about Fitz showing up here when you invited his family. You knew there was a possibility he'd come and you were looking forward to it. Honestly Olivia I don't get you right now. I'm mean you say you're over him and you don't want him back, but you're clearly lying?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Liv honestly, it's getting annoying. You say you don't want to hear his name again, yet you're the one bringing him up most of the time in conversation. And you literally got drunk off your ass, because you saw Fitz with another woman. I'm just saying, make up your mind do you want him or not. Stop with the mind games."

Olivia knew Alex was right, but she didn't want to admit it. In fact, she'd never admit it. "Gee thanks sis. Oh and by the way, Patrick's here." Olivia walked off, before Alex could say anything. But Liv did see Alex's face fall, before she walked off.

Not wanting Fitz to put a damper on her mood, Olivia put a smile on her face and went to mingle around the room. The first person she ran into was Tabitha.

"Olivia!" Tabitha gave Liv a big hug. "Oh my God, you look amazing." Olivia felt amazing. She was wearing an all-white, sleeveless jumpsuit with crisscross straps in the back. Olivia was at first worried about wearing a jumpsuit, but this one was elegant and the way the legs flared out, made it look like Olivia was wearing a dress when she was standing still. "And this place! Liv OMG you have come up in the world! I'm so happy for you."

"Thank you. It really means a lot to me that you guys came."

"Oh you know I wouldn't miss being here. You have successfully infiltrated the Grant's heart, which is not something easy to do by the way." Tabitha smiled. "I swear my mom would adopt you if she could." Olivia laughed. "Listen, um…"

"I know, I already saw him." Olivia cut her off.

"I'm sorry Liv. He and Patrick just kind of invited themselves."

"It's okay. I knew it was a possibility when I invited you and you're parents."

"Really? And you still invited us."

"Don't go overthinking things okay, I just wanted you and Marilyn to come."

"Mhm. Okay. Speaking of my mother, I need to go find her."

"Last time I saw her, she and Gerry were by the erotica exhibit."

"Of course they were."

"Yeah, Marilyn was really admiring a penis sculpture."

"Okay, eww."

X

By now, Fitz has been at the party for well over an hour now and he had yet to talk to Olivia. He knew she knew he was there. He'd seen her watching him for quite some time, before she got caught up with a group of people and her attention turned to her conversation. He also knew Alex knew Patrick was here as well. Patrick had gotten up the nerve, after three glasses of champagne, to go talk to Alex. Alex, not wanting to make a scene at her sister galley opening, calmly and quietly told him to get sick and die quick, before walking away to peruse the rest of the artwork. Patrick had gone to Fitz complaining about the entire ordeal, before leaving to 'find a bar and a real drink'.

Now Olivia had been missing from the party for about fifteen minutes. Fitz had gotten caught up talking to a couple, that he didn't notice that Olivia had slipped away somewhere. Last he saw her, she was talking to his sister, so he made his way to Tabitha. Before he even got his first word out, Tabitha told him 'She went down that hallway'. She pointed over towards a hall that was blocked off by a red velour rope. The kind of rope that would be on a red carpet.

Fitz made his way towards the rope, picking up two champagne glasses from a tray on his way. He unhooked the rope and walked down the hallway. This may have been an invasion of privacy, and Olivia was more than likely not going to be happy to see him, but Fitz quite frankly didn't care. The short hallway led to a flight of stairs that Fitz figured Olivia had gone up. When he made it to the top, there were two big glass sliding doors that were already opened. They opened up to a wide open area, it had a New York loft feel. Exposed brick and pipes, it was very artsy. Fitz knew this must have been Olivia's office. There was a large wood on the far wall, already littered with papers and stacks of folders. There was a dresser wardrobe to the right of the desk and a wall of TV's to the left. Fitz knew those were there because Olivia liked to watch the news while she worked, she said it was relaxing to have that in the background. There was a cream colored couch and matching chairs in front of the desk. Paintings hung on the walls and a long wooden table sat in the middle of the open area surrounded by rolling chairs. That must be the conference table Fitz thought. Taking a good look at things, the entire office area just screamed Olivia. The only thing that looked out of place was the purple orchid behind Olivia's desk. Unless it was fake, then it would make sense. Olivia loved nature, but couldn't keep a flower alive to save her life.

"Are you just going to stand there?"

Fitz had been so caught up in checking out the office, that he hadn't noticed Olivia standing by the one of the three large windows on the wall. She was standing with her back towards him, watching the view. It wasn't nearly as spectacular as the view from Fitz's office, but it was okay.

Fitz couldn't help but smile at how majestic and beautiful she look right now. The glow from the moonlight was shining through the window and making her skin glow like never before.

"You know the rope was there for a reason. The guests aren't supposed to be up here." Olivia was reprimanding Fitz, but she had a gentleness in her voice.

"Sorry."

Olivia pointed to the champagne flutes in Fitz's hand. "Are one of those for me?"

"Yes." Fitz walked to the window to stand beside her. He gave her one of the glasses, and she thanked him. Fitz didn't think she'd be the calm around him. He honestly thought she'd be pissed that he was even here tonight. But as long she was acting as if it didn't bother her, Fitz could play along.

"So, any reason why you're up here and not downstairs enjoying your party?"

"I was down there for two hours 'enjoying' it. It was getting a little crowded and I was tired of people pulling me in every other direction wanting my attention. I just wanted a few minutes of quiet by myself. My manager is probably going crazy looking for me down there."

"The tall blonde with the mullet like hair?"

Olivia laughed a little in her glass before responding. "Yes. And if she head you call her hair a mullet, she'd knee you where'd it hurt."

"I'm pretty sure I could take her." Fitz looked back out the window. "Nice view."

"Yeah. Nowhere near as nice as yours, but its okay. I get a good view of the sun setting from here. And sometimes I like to just look down at the people walking on the streets. It's like watching live TV just watching everyone go about their day. Kids on their bikes and shop keepers opening their doors. It's very calming."

"It's a great office too. It screams you."

Olivia smiled. "Yeah. Having a big open space like this all to yourself has its perks."

"So what's the meaning behind the name? Wonderland?" Fitz asked.

"Well, this place is one of my biggest dreams. I've wanted this ever since I was a little girl and my dad took me to my first art show. It was for some street artist in a warehouse building, but still. I loved everything about it. The art, the people, the appreciation. All those people came just to see his paintings. I wanted that for myself one day, I wanted to feel the same thing that man felt. I wanted his pride. And until a few years ago, my dream of having my own gallery was stuck in wonderland with all my other pipe dreams. I never thought I would come true. And now that it's finally happened, I still feel like I'm in wonderland and all of my wildest dreams are coming true." Olivia smiled. "And I don't know, I guess… maybe one day a little girl like me will come in here and realize her dream as well."

They stood in silence for a while, Fitz was just admiring Olivia. The poise and hopefulness in the way she spoke was a breath of fresh air. "I'm proud of you Olivia. You've made a name for yourself, you have your own business. Two. You did everything you said you were gonna do and more and you did it all on your own. I just wish I could've been by your side to see it all."

"You could have been." Olivia answered, not knowing what else to say.

"I know and it hurts. It's becoming one of my biggest regrets."

"What's your first?" Olivia asked in a voice she barely recognized. It was an almost whisper.

"Not meeting you sooner."

Olivia was acutely aware of Fitz closing the short distance between the two of them, and she didn't move and inch. She was waiting for the inevitable touch of his skin anywhere on her. She was having flashbacks from their time together at that charity auction. She was hoping this ending had a different outcome than the last.

"I've missed you Livvie."

"Are you still married?" Olivia hadn't been looking up at Fitz, but she looked up at him this time when she asked. "Are you?"

"No." Fitz answered honestly. "I tried to tell you, but you were gone."

"What made her finally signed?"

"Money."

"How much?" Olivia didn't know why she asked, or why she cared.

"More than she deserved."

Olivia turned away from him and back to the window, as if she was processing the information. Hearing that Fitz was divorced, which she already knew, from his own mouth was like a breath of fresh air. But Olivia didn't know what to do with that. Just because he was divorced now, did that mean they could just go back to the way things were? Olivia would actually love for that to happen, but she wasn't the forgive and forget type of person. She may forgive, but she never forgot and that tended to be a problem in relationships.

"Did you drive here?" Olivia asked out the blue.

"Uh yes."

"Do you want to get out of here?" Olivia didn't know where she was going with this. All she knew was that she wanted to get leave, and since she didn't drive her car here tonight, Fitz was her best chance at making her escape.

"Um sure." It didn't take Fitz long to agree.

"Great." Olivia walked away, leaving her glass on the window sill, knowing Fitz would follow behind her. Which he did, almost immediately. When they got down the stairs, instead of going out the way they came in, Olivia opened a door that Fitz hadn't noticed before.

"I don't want to go back through the crowd." Olivia explained. "The gallery doesn't have a back door, but the studio does." Olivia opened the door, and they walked through leading them to the studio beside Olivia's art gallery. He didn't get much time to look around, because Olivia walked ahead of him to the back door.

"Where'd you park?" Olivia asked Fitz, once they were outside. He told her he'd parked on the other side of the street. Trying not to get noticed by anyone, Olivia and Fitz walked across the street to Fitz all black BMW.

"No Tom?" Olivia asked, when they reached his car and Fitz opened the passenger door for her.

"No, not this trip." Fitz shut her door, when she was inside and slowly walked to the driver side. He sent a quick text to Tabitha to tell her he was leaving and she'd have to ride back with their parents. She sent him a text back pretty quickly, but Fitz didn't read it. He knew she was probably just wanting to know where and why he was leaving. Fitz put his phone on silent and put it back in his pocket.

When he got inside his car, he noticed Olivia looked a bit uneasy. Different from the woman a few moments ago inside the gallery. "So where are we going?" Fitz asked. This was Olivia spontaneous rendezvous, Fitz didn't know where they were going.

"I have no idea. I just wanted to get out of there." Olivia admitted.

"Okay. Well what is there to do around here?"

Olivia thought for a moment. "Um, not much at this hour. Everything is closed. Can we just ride around?"

"Sure." Fitz would agree to anything at this point, as long as Olivia wanted to spend more time with him, he was game.

After about only ten minutes of riding around in relative silence, Olivia thought about going to the beach. Not to swim, but just to sit by the water. She'd done a few times before. During the day the beaches were filled with kids and people enjoying themselves. But at night, it was peaceful and quite. No one to bother you, no Frisbee to dodge. You could just watch the waves.

In no time, Olivia and Fitz were sitting on the beach in the sand, far enough from the water so they wouldn't get wet. Olivia sat next to Fitz with his suit jacket on, leaving him in his dress shirt and vest. He had noticed Olivia shivering a few times, and gave her his jacket to put on. Fitz had sat down first, so Olivia made it a point to sit a little further away from him. You know, just so she there wouldn't be any accidental bumping into one another. All touching needed to be kept at a halt.

Neither of them had said much. Olivia did ask Fitz how his business had been. She made sure to ask how business had been, instead of casting a wider net and asking about his life. She didn't want to know how he'd been since they broke up. She didn't want to know if he had been miserable, although he'd already told her he had been. Nor did she want to know about him potentially moving on from her.

After the silence became a little deafening, Fitz remembered he hadn't given Olivia her gift yet. "I almost forgot Olivia. I got you something for your big night."

"You didn't have to give me anything. No one else did."

"I know, but I wanted to. Look in the pocket on my jacket." Fitz instructed, and Olivia did so.

She pulled a long slender box out his pocket. At first Olivia thought it was some more jewelry, but when she opened it, she was pleasantly surprised. "Wow." She whispered more to herself. Inside was two shiny golden letter openers, both identical. The ends were carved out in the shape of leaves in intricate detail. Olivia ran her fingers over the smooth gold in admiration. She took one out the box and smiled at the name engraved on the side. Bambi.
"My dad got me the same thing when I first started my business." Fitz explained. "He said it was for good luck. That every letter you open would be filled with good news and never bad. I got you two so you can keep one at your office and one at home."

Fitz was still as sweet as ever. He may act all hard on the outside, but Olivia knew if you squeezed him he was a big feathered pillow. Olivia was expecting just another piece of jewelry, that she was sure would have been beautiful. But then he gives her something so much better. Something with more meaning behind it. More personal.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. I told you I was proud of you, I meant it."

"Fitz." Olivia whispered, getting his attention. "I missed you too." Olivia admitted out of nowhere, she didn't even know she was going to say that. And she certainly didn't expect to find herself in Fitz's lap two seconds later. Yet there she was straddling his lap, arms wrapped tight around his neck, legs bent at the knees on either side one him.

Fitz had responded almost immediately. His initial shock quickly wore off, and Fitz held onto Olivia just as tightly as she held him. He was surprised by her aggressive kiss let her take the lead for a moment, before he had to show her who was really in charge. He let go of her waist and told hold of her face, controlling the kiss. It felt so good to finally have her back in his arms after such a long time. She felt just the way he remembered. Her lips were still so soft and plump against his. Her curves felt the same way under his touch. She tasted the same, her moans still had the same effect. Fitz knew he had to stop himself, this wasn't how he imagined their night back together would be. But before Fitz came to his senses, Olivia got there first.

"Wait, stop." Olivia pushed off him, and scrambled to her feet. She held her hand of her mouth in shock, she still couldn't believe she'd done that. "I'm sorry."

"What are you sorry for?" Fitz stood up too, at the same time Olivia backed away from him. "Liv."

"I'm sorry, I should go."

"Liv wait." She tried to pass by him, but Fitz caught her arm. "Will you stop?"

"No, I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry."

"And can you also stop apologizing. You didn't do anything wrong Olivia."

"I'm not just going to fall back into bed with you Fitz because you said something nice and I felt some type of way."

Fitz smirked. "I never said you had too. All I wanted was a few dates to try and win your heart back."

"I need to go home." Olivia picked up her gift box from the ground. "Thank you for this really." Olivia turned away from him and began walking.

"Olivia wait, what do you think you're doing? You don't actually think I'm going to let you walk home do you?"

"Fitz I'll be fine. I walk home all the time."

"I don't care, you're not doing it now." Bossy Fitz was showing his face again and Olivia panties got wetter. "Get in the car."

"Fitz really I… I can't be that close to you right now."

Fitz would have laughed at her, had she not been so serious. "Fine. Then take my car." Fitz held his keys up to her.

"What?"

"Take my car and I'll walk. My hotel is a lot closer than your house, I'll be back in no time."

"No."

"Well it's either that or I drive you home myself. Pick one, because you're not walking anywhere."

Olivia stood there with her arms folded like a pouting child. She was challenging him, but she knew she'd never win in a game of stubborn against Fitz. "Fine." Olivia gave up, Fitz thought for a moment that she had agreed to let him take her home. But then she swiped his keys from his hand. "Have a nice walk." Olivia smirked at him before walking away towards his car.

X

It took Olivia all of ten minutes after she got home for her to realize that this was not where she wanted to be. The moment she shared with Fitz at the beach was still fresh on her mind. Her skin was still buzzing just from being in his arms. There was no way she could just lay in her bed and pretend that none of that happen. Nor could she pretend that she didn't want more. After cursing herself out for leaving Fitz on the beach, Olivia was heading back outside her home and into Fitz's car. She already knew where they were staying, because Tabitha had mentioned it to her earlier at the gallery, and even told her their room numbers without Olivia even asking. Maybe she had some kind of premonition about how tonight would end.

The streets were mostly clear at this time of night, so Olivia was bypassing most of the traffic signs and lights. When she got the B&B, Olivia parked the car and walked up to the front door. Knowing it wasn't locked, Olivia walked right in. Olivia shew the innkeeper of this particular B&B asked guest to please be quiet if they came in late so she tried to stay as quiet as possible out of respect. She also just didn't want anyone to see her sneaking to someone's room. Luckily, there weren't many people awake, just an older gentleman in the living room. But he was more concerned with his book than Olivia.

Not wasting any time, Olivia walked up the stairs and headed straight for Fitz's door. She gather her composure, before she swiftly knocked on his door. He didn't answer right away, but she wasn't going to be deterred. She knocked again, this time just a hair louder.

Fitz was in the shower, when he heard someone knocking on his door. He was pissed at first, because he was in the middle of something and not talking about his shower. He hadn't masturbated in years, because he never had too. Before, if and when he wanted some female company, he had plenty of numbers he could call. But now, there was only one number he wanted to call and it was no longer in service. Groaning, Fitz shut off the water in the shower and got out. He didn't bother drying off or putting on clothes, he just wrapped a towel around his waist and went to answer the door.

Fitz wasn't expecting to see Olivia standing on the other side of his door, still dressed in her same outfit from earlier. He didn't think he ever got the chance to tell her how stunning she looked tonight. "Hi."

"Hi." Olivia was caught off guard, she was expecting to see a half-naked and wet Fitz on the other side of the door, but she was pleased.

"I was just thinking about you." Fitz admitted. Olivia hadn't moved since he opened the door, but Fitz knew, just as Olivia knew exactly why she was there. "Come here." Fitz commanded two little word, and Olivia was back in his arms for the second time that night.

Olivia wasted no time literally jumping into Fitz's arms. Her legs were wrapped tight around Fitz's waist faster than they could blink. It felt so good to be wrapped in his big strong arms again. Plenty of times during the night, had Olivia thought about Fitz and having him be in her bed. Wondering what he was doing and if he was thinking about her just as much as she thought of him. And by the feel of his erection pressing into her belly, he in fact missed her just as much.

Fitz walked them to his bed, the covers a mess from him laying down for a few minutes before he decided to take a shower. Fitz dropped Olivia on the bed. She tried to kick him for being so rough, but he caught both her ankles and opened her legs. She couldn't even pretend that she didn't like it when he was a little rough.

He leaned down between her legs and kissed her lips tenderly. He left her panting for more, when he rose up pulling her in an upright position with him. As he stood between her open legs, Fitz reached for the buttons on both sides of her jumpsuit. He slowly undid each one, watching as the fabric covering her breast slowly fell away. And just as he remembered his Livvie from before, she quickly reached her hand up to cover her exposed skin. Seeing Olivia do that, gave Fitz a little hope that maybe she hadn't been with anyone else since their separation. He hand been with anyone since, but he wasn't innocent when he met Olivia either. Fitz liked the idea of knowing that he was the only man to have ever been intimate with Olivia, and he hoped that was still the case.

Fitz gently pushed on Olivia's shoulders to lay her flat on her back. She'd taken her hair down from the intricate bun she'd had it in before, now her wavy hair spread across his sheets in a halo on top her head. Fitz pulled the Olivia's jumpsuit down her hips and past her thighs. He purposely left her heels on her feet and maneuvered the jumpsuit past her feet.

Now Fitz could only stand over Olivia, clad in only a pair of cheeky white lace panties and heels. He may not have been a God, but he was certainly a luck son of a bitch, and he knew it. He dropped to his knees in front of her, and Olivia's stomach tightened in excitement because she knew what was coming next. She involuntarily spread her legs and didn't object when Fitz hung her right leg over his shoulder. He kissed her calf muscle, licking his way to her inner thigh. He remembered back to the first time he's done this and the colorful bite marks he'd left on her thighs.

"Baby." Olivia breathy sighs filled the room. Fitz normally didn't like being called baby or any variation of baby, but he'd let it go if it was Olivia's voice calling him baby. It was something about her voice that drove him wild. The way his name sounded coming from her lips in the heat of passion was like no other.

When Fitz had gotten his fill of her, making sure not to take her over the edge he lifted up, pulling his towel off at the same time, and kissed her lips harder this time. Letting her taste herself. Fitz ran his hands over Olivia's legs and ankles, loving the feeling of her heels poking and digging into his cheeks and back. He'd left her heels on for a reason.

Fitz was more than surprised when Olivia hooked her legs onto him and used her strength too roll them over. Olivia didn't normally take control during their love making, because she didn't like to. She felt embarrassed, not knowing just what to do.

"What do I do now?" Olivia asked innocently, sitting on top of Fitz with her hands on either side of his head holding herself up.

Fitz smirked up at her, making her heart throb even more. "Don't act like you don't know."

Olivia mirrored his playful expression. "I don't know." They had a similar encounter earlier on in their relationship.

Fitz gripped Olivia hips and with her help, lifted her up and over his erection. "Ride me baby."

And that she did. It wasn't pretty or perfect, but Olivia rode him in the only way she knew how. She wasn't some expert lover that knew all the tricks and moves to make his eyes roll up. She was just Olivia and lucky for them both, that was all Fitz needed. Olivia's pace was slow at times and fast at others, but the intensity never left for either of them. The passion was still there and it was coming in waves.

Fitz's hands never left Olivia's hips, except to pull her down towards him for a kiss. And after a while, Olivia gave up on trying to hold herself up and just dropped her head to rest down beside Fitz's. Her breast flush against his chest and her hips still working hard to bring them both to ecstasy.

And when she finally did, it was explosive. More explosive than Olivia ever remembered. Maybe it was the time apart, but whatever it was, Olivia was glad to have it back and didn't want to let it go. It was the kind of climax that stole your breath, your ability to speak or even cry out. This was the kind of climax that brought you to tears. All Olivia could manage was to hold onto Fitz's hair in one hand and the sheets in the other with her head buried in his neck. Waiting for their ecstasy.

Olivia knew this night was not going to make up for all the hurt she still felt, and she also knew in hindsight, that this probably wasn't a good idea. But right now, she couldn't bring herself to care about any of that right now. The only thought on her mind was round two.

Fitz's legs were still hanging over the bed, since they were laying sideways. And it seemed like Olivia wasn't making any plans to move anytime soon. So he grabbed the throw blanket off the foot of the bed and draped the blanket over Olivia's body. He kissed the top on the head and held her body tight, hoping he would never have to let go of her again.

X

The next morning Olivia woke up on her side, facing the window. The birds chirping outside on the windowsill was a peaceful alarm clock. Unlike Fitz's body heat he was giving off and his snoring in her ear. Olivia wanted to be annoyed, but she couldn't. She didn't realize she could miss someone's body heat and snoring. The clock on the nightstand read 3:20 exactly, so it wasn't exactly time to wake up, but Olivia was wide awake now.

So turned over to face Fitz. He was spooning her from behind, his left arm was underneath her body holding her waist and his right arm was thrown over her body, cupping her breast in his large hands. His mouth was slightly hanging open his morning breath was blowing in her face. Once again, Olivia wanted to be annoyed but she wasn't. So Mr. Perfect has morning breath, and pretty bad morning breath, who knew.

Deciding that she didn't want to go through the awkward morning after exchange, Olivia slowly unwrapped Fitz's arms from her body. Fitz didn't even flinch as she got out of the bed. She quickly found her clothes and got dressed at the foot of the bed. Fitz still wasn't awake, as she put on her shoes and crept out the door.

Olivia was halfway down the hall, when she noticed a man walking in her direction. She groaned, when he looked up and smirked when he realized who she was.

"Well well well. Looks like I'm not the only one doing the walk of shame this early morning." Patrick smirked at Olivia, who rolled her eyes at him.

"I'm not ashamed of anything Patrick. I didn't sleep with some two dollar hooker last night, like I'm sure you did."

Patrick chuckled. "Hey, she wasn't a hooker. But married she was, that's the only reason I'm out this early. What are you sneaking out for?"

"Mind your business Patrick." Olivia pushed passed him and kept walking down the hall. When she got outside, she remembered that she had drove Fitz car back last night. She could have called a cab, but she wanted to walk home. Her home wasn't too far away, and a walk would be good right now.

Olivia couldn't believe what she did last night. She'd had sex with Fitz, after swearing to herself, that that would never happen again. And not only that, but she was the aggressor. She'd gone to him, went to his hotel room and basically jumped him. But as angry as she was with herself, she didn't feel any regret about what happen. Last night was fun, last night was good, it was damn good. After their first time, Fitz went back to his old ways and took control of things. He had her toes curling and lips screaming, before Olivia finally gave into her exhaustion and fell asleep in his arms.

But what did any of it mean? Was it just sex or did it mean more? Did it mean more for him? Olivia was honestly confused. She had no idea where their relationship stood right now, and last night would only blur those lines even more. Olivia needed time to think. She needed to think about her options and what she wanted. She already knew what she wanted, but she didn't know if she could have it. What she wanted, was to be with Fitz again. She knew that for sure and everyone knew it.

But Olivia didn't know if she had it in her. Getting back together with Fitz would mean she'd had to forgive and forget. She have to learn to trust him again and that was easier said than done. And what if she couldn't fully forgive and forget? Olivia forgave Fitz a long time ago, because she knew she couldn't move on, while still holding onto that hurt and pain. But she knew she hadn't forgotten, and didn't know if she ever could. Olivia didn't want a relationship where there was no trust. Every minute wondering what he was doing and who he was doing it with. Always being suspicious every time he went out the door. That wasn't a way to live. It wouldn't be right to her or him.

When Olivia walked up her driveway a short while later, the light in her living was on and shining through the curtains. She knew someone was awake. She used her key to unlock the door and almost instantly, Pongo and Dipstick were by her feet jumping on her.

"Hi babies. Did you miss momma? Where you waiting for me to come home?"

"Yeah, we all were."

"Jesus!" Olivia jumped back, holding a hand to her chest. She didn't notice her father in her kitchen when she walked in. "Jesus Christ daddy, you scared the daylight out of me." Eli was walking back to the living room with a bottled water and one of Olivia's chewy granola bars. "What are you doing up this early?

"You know baby girl, I was just about to ask you the same thing." Eli sat on the couch and pat the seat next to him. "I was shocked when I learned you'd left your own gallery opening early, without even telling anyone you were leaving. And I was even more shocked when we got home and you were nowhere to be found. Then you weren't answering any of my calls, or your mother's or your sisters."

"I had my ringer off." Olivia explained.

"I'm more interested in you telling me where you've been and with whom you've been with."

"Daddy. Come on."

"Don't come on me."

"Daddy I'm a grown woman, I no longer have a curfew."

"Don't catch an attitude with me young lady."

"I'm not, I'm just saying. I can come home whenever I want, last time I checked this was my house."

"Watch it Olivia." Eli warned, like he was going to put her on punishment. "You were with that boy weren't you."

Olivia rolled her eyes. Eli was making it sound like Olivia was a teenager again and skipped curfew with her boyfriend. "So what if I was? And he's a man daddy, not a boy."

"A man my ass. What kind of man is he? Stringing you along, all the while he has a wife he's never mentioned."

"You know what daddy, I remember what happened, I don't need you to remind me of it every chance you get. Jesus, I swear sometimes you act as if you were the one dating him, like you were the one he wronged."

"You are my child Olivia, so he basically did."

"Do you hear yourself daddy? This is not about you. Stop worrying about everything that goes on in my life."

"It's my job to worry about you Olivia. Whether you like it or not your business is my business, no matter how old you get it's still my job to worry for you and your sister. To worry about all the stupid things the two of you do."

"I am not stupid."

"No? Because these are not the actions of a smart woman. That boy showed you who he was underneath his façade-"

"Stop it." Olivia couldn't believe what she was hearing right now.

"He played you like a fiddle and here you are crawling back to him the first chance you get."

"Stop it!" Olivia yelled, standing up from the couch. Olivia had never once raised her voice to her father. "I am not stupid! You do not get to dictate my life anymore, I'm not a child. I make my own decisions whether you like them or not. And so what if I'm being stupid? So what if I want him back, so what? That's my decision, not yours. It's my life not yours!"

"What is going on out here?" Dianna came out of the downstairs guest room she and Eli were staying in, but neither of them acknowledged her presence. She had been sound asleep, when she heard yelling. She shocked to hear it was Olivia's voice, and even more shocked when she heard her husband's voice. Olivia never raised her voice like this, and she most certainly didn't speak to her father this way.

"I am so sick of everyone treating me like a child. Everyone tries to run my life for me, but I do not need anyone's help! Neither does Alex, we are not twelve anymore. We've been on our own for six years and we are fine."

"This is what you call fine? Huh? Partying and drinking to the point where you can't even bath yourself? Your sister sleeping with a different man every night and you sleeping with a married man?"

"Eli!" Dianna stood in shock with her hand covering her mouth. She couldn't believe what he'd just said and neither could Olivia.

"Wow, nice dad. Real nice." Olivia walked away and up the stairs to her room all the while Eli is yelling her name.

"Olivia you get back here right ow! Olivia!" He heard her stomping up the stairs, before her door slammed shut behind her.

"Eli what the hell was that? How could you say that to her?"

"She's turning into her sister."

"There is nothing wrong with either of my girls. You just need to finally except the fact that they are not girls anymore Elijah. They're young women, and just like any other woman their age, they're going to make mistakes, it's natural. They just need to learn from them. But we do not need to judge them for it either. You can't keep treating them like children, you're going to run them off one of these days."

"I'm their father, I know what's best for them."

"No you don't. Only they know what's best for them. You can't control them anymore."

"The hell I can't. And I'll be damned if that boy thinks he can just walk back into her life like nothing happened."

"Are you not listening to a word I've said?" Dianna didn't even wait for a response, she just turned and went back to her room, shutting the door behind her. Eli knew he was sleeping on the couch tonight.

X

Fitz knew Olivia was gone the next morning, when he didn't smell her familiar citrus scent. He couldn't say he was shocked, he kind of expected it. But that didn't mean he was any less angry at her for sneaking out of his room like he was some stranger from a one-night stand.

But quite honestly, he was still reeling from last night to be angry at her right now. It wasn't the best sex they'd had together, but it might have been a close second. Fitz hoped the reason Olivia snuck out wasn't because she was regretting anything, because he didn't regret a thing. But he also didn't know if what happened last night meant they were back together or not.

After showering and getting dressed, Fitz headed downstairs for breakfast. He planned on going to see Olivia today, but he was going to give her a little time before he just popped up. When he got downstairs, he found his family sitting at one of the big dining room tables, eating with some of the others guest that were staying at the B&B. That was one thing Fitz didn't appreciate about staying at a B&B dinning with strangers. But he was in such a good mood this morning that he wasn't going to complain too much about it.

"Good morning son." Gerry greeted him, as he sat down at the table.

"Good morning everyone."

"Well someone is in a good mood this morning." Gerry commented, noting the glowing smile on his son's face. Patrick smiled, knowing the reason behind his brother's good mood.

"It's a beautiful morning. How could I not be in a good mood? I'm going to go get a cup of coffee. Can I get anyone anything while I'm up?"

"Your mother wanted one of those blueberry muffins and I'd like a refill on my coffee."

"Coming right up."

"I'll help you with that." Patrick hoped up and followed behind Fitz.

"I think I can manage coffee and a muffin by myself Patrick."

"So the sunny sky is the reason for your good mood huh?" Patrick smirked. "I know for a fact that's not true."

"Patrick what the hell are you talking about now?"

"I saw your little playdate sneaking around last night."

"What?" Fitz stopped pouring the coffee into the mug.

"Yeah, she was walk-of-shaming it out your room this morning around three."

"And you just let her go?"

"Hey man what was I supposed to do? Lock her in a closet for you?

"Whatever." Fitz went back to his task of pouring the coffee.

"So. Does this mean you two are a thing again?"

"I don't know. It's complicated."

"Well how complicated can it be? She slept with you for a reason last night. Obviously she isn't over you."

"Thank for the advice little brother, but I think I've got a handle on my own love life alright."

Patrick held his hands up. "My bad."

X

It was around eight thirty in the morning, when Olivia got up from bed. She'd set her alarm for eight, but shut it off for another half hour of sleep when it went off. Today was supposed to be a good day, she was supposed to be in a good mood, but that was all ruined thanks to her father and their argument earlier that morning. Today the gallery was officially opening. That was why she'd set her alarm for eight, so she could have two hours to get ready before she had to be at the gallery. It didn't open until ten and closing time was at eight.

Olivia was excited about today, but she wished her spirits were as high as they were before her fight with her dad. She was kind of glad now, that they were going back home in a few hours. At first, Olivia was sad that her parents couldn't stay for a few more days, her mother had court and her father had a late class to teach. Olivia was now grateful for it.

After showering, Olivia lathered her body in her favorite body butter and put on a robe to head downstairs. She could smell food cooking and coffee and wanted to gag. Her mother had made Olivia stop in town to get buy a brand new coffee maker and coffee, because she knew Olivia wouldn't either at her home. Dianna couldn't start her day without a cup of coffee.

Olivia found her mother standing by the counter watching the coffee drip into the pot. She was still in her peach fuzzy robe and her silk bonnet was still on her head.

"Good morning." Olivia spoke as she walked in the kitchen. She headed for the fridge and took out a Yoplait yogurt and grabbed a big glass jar off the counter, that's where she kept her granola.

"Morning baby." Dianna eyed her daughter as she sat on a stool at the island, eating her version of a breakfast. "Is that all you're having for breakfast?"

"Yeah." Olivia answered and scooped a spoonful of the granola out the jar and sprinkled it on top of her strawberry yogurt.

"Honey that's not breakfast. You need some real food this morning, you've got a big day today. I'm making banana pancakes."

Olivia laughed. "Mom I'm not starting my first day of kindergarten, I'll be fine."

Dianna sighed. She had just given Eli a speech about not babying the girls and now here she was. "Fine, if you say so. I guess there's just more for your sister."

"Well I like the sound of that." Alex came into the kitchen showered and dressed for the day. "Good morning everyone." Alex was in a chipper mood. Which was shocking, considering she'd heard what her father said about her earlier. She, just as Dianna, had been woken up by loud voices. But instead of going to the living room, she stood at the top of the stairs listening to their argument. All of what her father said about her was the truth, but she never wanted to hear her father talking about her that way. She felt like he was judging her.

She'd went back to her room, when she heard Olivia coming up the steps. But with her door cracked open, she could faintly hear her father say that Olivia was 'turning into her sister' as if that was a bad thing. Alex knew Olivia was the good child and had even felt at times that her father preferred Olivia her herself, but she'd never felt that way as much as she had last night. She'd spent the entire night staring up at the ceiling replaying what her father said, until her eyes closed from exhaustion. When she woke up a few hours later, she expected to be in a terrible mood. But much to her delight, she was in an okay mood. She was great, but she was okay.

"What has you in such a good mood?" Dianna asked.

"I have no idea." Alex set down beside Olivia on the other stool at the island. Dianna gave her a plate of pancakes.

"Where's dad?" Olivia asked.

"He's still sleeping." Dianna answered. She could feel a shift in the energy in the room. "So honey, are you excited about today?" She wanted to change the subject.

"Yeah. I'm not expecting anything big though, I don't want to keep my expectations up too high. I figure a few customers will be fine. Especially if they all buy something and they're not just window shopping."

"Don't worry honey, it'll be better than anything you could've expected."

"Thanks mom."

Just then, Olivia's two dogs came charging into the kitchen, tails wagging. Pongo accidentally smacked her thick tail against Dianna's leg and she acted as if someone stabbed her.

"Jesus Olivia I don't see how you can tolerate having them in your kitchen." Dianna complained.

"Momma seriously, I've watched you cook with Oliver in your arms." Alex said.

"That's different, Oliver is a small little thing. These dogs are big as a moose."

"Stop being dramatic." Olivia said. "They just need to be taken out." Olivia got up and put her empty yogurt cup in the trash and put the granola jar back in its' spot on the counter. She made kissy noises, and Pongo and Dipstick followed her to the mudroom, that led to the back door and patio.

"Olivia don't go out there like that." Dianna scolded. "You're robe is too short and you don't have on anybody's shoes."

"I'm just going out on the patio mom its fine." Olivia's mother gave her a look, and Olivia compromised by grabbing a blanket off the bench and wrapping it around her shoulders. "Come on Pongo, Dipstick let's go buddy."

A few minutes after Olivia shut the back door, the doorbell rang. Alex was still eating, so Dianna went to answer it. Before she got to the door, she took off her bonnet and fluffed her curls, and made sure her robe was closed completely. She opened the door and saw Fitz standing on the other side. She could tell he was caught off guard by her presence, but he quickly recovered.

"Hello Mrs. Pope. It's been a while."

"That it has Fitzgerald." Dianna didn't know how she would react, when she saw Fitzgerald Grant again. She had heard he was at the gallery party last night and it must have been the good lord himself who kept him away from her and Eli the entire night.

"I was hoping to speak to Olivia, is she home?" Fitz asked, Dianna was still standing in the doorway and was making no attempt to move so he could enter.

"She is, but I would like to have a chat with you before I tell her you're here."

"Of course." Fitz answered, although Dianna never really asked. Dianna made a point to shut the front door, so Fitz would get the message clear that he wasn't welcomed inside the house yet. And also, she didn't want to risk Eli seeing him. Dianna sat down on one of the wicker sofas, moving the pillows so Fitz could sit down beside her.

"Look I'm not gonna beat around the bush here alright. We both know what happened between you and Olivia and I'm not here to bust your balls about it, I'm sure my daughter and her sister have already done enough of that. And when my husband finally has his chance, I'm sure he'll do the same. So I'm not gonna do any of that. I just want to know what happens now."

"What happens now?"

"What are your plans with my daughter Fitzgerald? I am no fool, I know she was with you last night until early this morning. No am I naïve, I know what the two of you were doing. So my question is, what happens now? Are you and my daughter a couple again? Does this mean you no longer have a wife you failed to mention earlier? Are you sorry for how you treated my daughter? How can she ever trust you again? How can I as her mother ever trust you with my daughter again?"

Those were a lot of questions she shot off at him at once. Fitz only got about a few of them. "Well first Mrs. Pope, I do want to answer no, No, I'm not married. I've been divorced for over a year now-"

"Well it took you long enough. Why couldn't you just do that in the first place instead of trying to juggle two women at a time."

"Ma'am believe me I tried. But I want to be clear, that I wasn't juggling two women. Olivia was the only woman I was with while we were together. Even before I met Olivia, I hadn't spoken directly to my ex-wife in years. And yes, I am sorry. I fully accept my wrong in everything and I regret it. I was sick about it for months, on top of Olivia seemingly disappearing. It ate me up just thinking about how much I hurt her and all the things Olivia must have thought of me, and knowing I couldn't explain myself to her." Fitz spoke honestly and openly, a rare thing he did with people outside his family.

"I never had any intentions of lying to Olivia or even getting involved with her in the first place. I knew what my situation was, and I didn't want to involve Olivia in that. But as time passed and I got to know your daughter more, I realized that staying away from her was easier said than done and damn near impossible. Excuse my language. And after we were together, I didn't want to lose her. So I thought I could take care of my problems, without her ever having to find out. But I was wrong and my past eventually caught up with me."

"You know Fitz this is all nice to hear, but you still haven't answered my question. What happens now?"

Fitz sighed. "Honestly, I have no idea. Obviously, I hoped that this weekend would lead to Olivia and I being together again, but it's really up to her. And I know it's going to take some time for me to gain back her trust in me, but I'm willing to work and wait as long as it takes."

"You really care for my daughter?"

Fitz smiled. "I love your daughter."

Neither of them noticed Olivia standing by the door listening to the tail end of their conversation, until she opened the door on them.

"What's going on out here?"

"We were just having a chat Livia. Nothing to worry about." Dianna got up from the sofa. "Olivia hurry and get inside honey, you're practically naked out here."

Olivia rolled her eyes at her mother again, before turning to Fitz after Dianna closed the front door. "What are you doing here?"

"I don't like waking up in bed alone. Particularly when I went to sleep with a beautiful woman in my arms."

Olivia tried to stop her smiling, and ended up biting on her bottom to keep her laughter in. "It's not funny."

"I'm sorry."

"For?"

"Sneaking out on you." Olivia answered with a smirk on her face. "So you came here to scold me?"

"No. I just missed you. I was thinking maybe we could spend some time together today. Maybe you could show me around. I've lived in New York my entire life, but I've never been here before."

"I would love to." Olivia really would have loved to show Fitz around today, and it shocked her. "But I have to be at work in a little under an hour."

Fitz completely forgot about Olivia's gallery officially opening today, and he felt bad for forgetting. "Oh right, I forgot somehow. Well uh…"

"You know, I'm supposed to have dinner with your family tonight. Maybe we could do something afterwards."

"Yeah?" Fitz was shocked Olivia was so willing to spend time with him. Fitz came here fully prepared to twist her arm into spending some time with him.

"Sure, why not."

"Alright." Fitz agreed. "Can I ask you something?" Olivia nodded. "Why are you being nice to me now? Last time we saw each other, you were ready to bite my head off."

"I heard what you said to my momma." Olivia was looking down, twirling her thumbs together to avoid looking at Fitz. "And I've had time to think, I've had a lot of time to think. And I, I forgave you a long time ago. I just didn't forget, and it's going to take me a while to do that. But I'm… I'm willing to try this again."

"This meaning?"

"Us. I, I really did miss you Fitz. And as hard as I tried not to, I still love you." Olivia was still looking down at her fingers. But Fitz reached out and pulled her chin up with his fingers. It warmed Fitz's heart two times over to hear Olivia say she still loved him. For so long, Fitz worried that he would not only have to gain Olivia's trust again, but her love as well. He didn't know what he wouldn't have done had Olivia told him she'd fallen out of love with him.

Without thinking about it, Fitz naturally lowered his head to meet Olivia's lips. Thrilled, when she met his lips and kissed him back. He had no business kissing her out in the open like this, but he couldn't bring himself to care right now. Fitz wrapped his arms tight around Olivia's waist and she draped her arms over his shoulders, causing her already short robe to slide up a little higher.

Olivia was the first to pull back, and she stuck her head in Fitz's neck, enjoying the feel of just being in his arms.

"But Fitz this doesn't mean we're just going to go back to the way things were. I'm willing to give us another shot, but I can't just go back to our old ways and pretend nothing happened. We have to take things slow."

"I understand." Fitz moved a strand of hair the wind had blown in Olivia's face.

"Do you? Because if you want me, I'm going to need you to earn my trust back."

"I can do that."

"And if you want me, I'm going to need you to earn me."

Fitz pulled Olivia back into him embrace by the knot in her robe. He spoke just inches from her face, their noses practically touching. "Ms. Pope, I can definitely do that."