The Proposal

(Chapter Two: Ladies Night)

Alex watched as Olivia reapplied her lipstick and fixed her hair in the bathroom mirror.

"Would you stop fidgeting? You look beautiful."

Olivia tipped her head and smiled at Alex.

"Maybe I don't want to look beautiful. Maybe, I want to look hot."

"You do," Alex replied.

At the table Olivia's eyes scanned the room looking for her prey. Alex, however focused her attention on Olivia. Olivia looked down at her phone as it began to vibrate against the table.

"It's Elliot. He wants to know what I am doing," she said as she fired off a reply.

"You're not actually telling him are you?"

Olivia smiled as she stared over at Alex.

"Why not? Lex, he is my best friend. He doesn't judge. I tell him everything."

"Everything?"

"Everything."

"Every-thing?"

Olivia laughed.

"Okay, maybe not everything. Definitely no details. But he knows that we…."

"Have sex?"

"Yes. Elliot knows that we have sex. We practically live together, I am sure that even if I hadn't told him he would have figured it out on his own by now."

"His opinion means a lot to you, doesn't it?"

"Alex, he is my best friend."

"And your ex-boyfriend."

"Are you jealous?"

"Should I be?"

"No. It was a fling, really. Just something to pass the time when he and Kathy split up. We quickly learned that we were better off just as friends. He went back to his wife. Then I met you."

"Met me? We have known each other for seven years."

"Yes. But we didn't really know each other until about eight months ago when we got together."

"Look who's here," Alex said as Elliot walked up behind Olivia.

"Can I buy you ladies a drink?" He asked as he sat down beside Olivia.

"I won't turn down a free drink," Alex replied with a smile.

Four rounds of tequila and three or four beers later both woman had become a little side tracked. They sat joking and laughing with Elliot as he kept giving Olivia looks across the table.

Olivia stood up from the table.

"Where are you doing?" Alex asked looking up at her.

"Ladies room, I'll only be a minute. You guys want me to grab you another beer on the way back?"

"Sure," Alex replied.

"Sounds great," Elliot said as she smiled and excused herself from the table.

About ten minutes later Olivia returned from the bathroom and made her way to the bar to get their drinks. As she waited for the bartender to bring her the beers she noticed no one was sitting at their table. Her eyes scanned the room for a moment before finding Elliot and Alex dancing together in the corner.

She smiled and laughed a little.

"Obviously Alex's idea," she noted softly to herself remembering that Elliot didn't normally like to dance.

Olivia turned her attention back to the bartender as he got the beers one at a time and flirted with her.

Across the room Elliot felt like a fool trying to keep up with Alex. As she moved and spun around her hair moved around her face. Here, in this place where she was relaxed and so easy going, Elliot easily tell why Olivia found her attractive.

"Are you having a good time?" Alex asked looking over at him.

"Yeah, I am. Beats sitting at home alone."

"There is something that I would like to talk to you about….if you don't mind. Can I buy you a drink?"

Elliot looked confused for a moment as she took him by the hand.

"Come on, I don't bite."

"Alright," he said as she lead him by the hand to the bar.

Olivia made her way back to the table and sat down alone. The song they Elliot and Alex were dancing to had ended nearly ten minutes ago and now they seemed to have disappeared into the crowd of strangers in the club. She took another drink of her beer as she picked at the label with her fingertip. She exhaled softly and looked around the room once more wondering where they had gone. Olivia pulled out her cell phone and sent a text to Elliot asking where they had gone. She felt the phone vibrate in her palm and looked up again after reading the words. 'At the bar.'

She directed her attention to the bar once more as Elliot nodded in her direction. He looked back at Alex and nodded as they stood up. Elliot turned and began to walk toward the table as Alex walked into the ladies room.

"What was that all about?" Olivia asked as he sat back down at the table beside her.

"Just a little friendly conversation."

"Elliot…really?"

"Yeah. She was a….explaining to me the predicament the two of you are in."

"Oh my God," Olivia said placing her palm against her forehead. "She didn't."

"Oh….she did," Elliot replied taking another drink from his beer bottle.

"El, I am so sorry. She shouldn't have brought you into this. It is….well, private. I'm really sorry if she offended you."

"Relax, Liv. I'm not offended. I just, I guess I didn't see it coming, that's all. I thought things were really good between the two of you."

"They are. It is just something different, I guess. I don't know how to explain it. What did you tell her?"

"I said, okay."

"Okay?" Olivia shook her head. "You told my girlfriend that you would have sex with me?"

"Liv, we have been together before. And it was hot. I don't know what you are so worried about. Alex said she would rather it be me than some stranger. Because you trust me, she trusts me."

"And she said she is okay with us….you know."

Elliot laughed.

"I was a little shocked too, at first. But yes. Alex seems to be fine with it."

"And you're okay with it?"

"Yes. Liv, it is no secret that I am still very attracted to you. And if this is the only way to get close to you, then I am okay with that. It is sex. Very good sex, as I remember. And frankly, it has been quite a while since I have had sex. But I have to say this is the first time I have ever received an offer like this one. At first I thought she was joking."

"I guess it doesn't happen very often. A woman's girlfriend approaches you in a bar and asks you to have sex with her partner. It does sound pretty strange."

"I know. Sex with tow amazingly attractive women, it is every man's fantasy. I guess I never really thought about it until tonight. Dreamed about it maybe, but had never been seriously propositioned. To be completely honest, I probably wouldn't do it at all if it wasn't you."

"Alex asked you to have sex with both of us?"

"Yeah. We are all supposed to head back to the apartment when she gets back. She said you were okay with this."

"I was….I am. I just didn't realize that….when we talked about it, she said she wasn't interested. She wanted me to find a guy for a one night stand. That was why we came here. I just didn't realize that we were both going to be with the same guy….at the same time."

"Liv, we don't have to do this. If you don't want to just let me know and I'll just tell her I changed my mind."

"No. No, if this is what she wants….I want her to be happy. Maybe it is some sort of fantasy of hers."

"Maybe."

"Maybe what?" Alex asked as she approached the table once more.

"Nothing," Olivia insisted. "We were just talking about tonight."

"Did he tell you he is in?"

"Yes, he did."

"Liv?"

"Yeah?"

"Baby, if you have changed your mind we don't have to do this."

"No. I'm good. It sounds good. Like a lot of fun."

"Okay," Alex said with a smile. "Shall we?" She asked picking up her jacket from the back of her chair.

Elliot and Olivia stood up and followed her toward the door.

Olivia sat quietly between them in the back seat.

"Driver, can you stop at the all night drug store on the corner, please? I will only be a second," Alex asked pointing at the store.

"Yes, ma'am."

"I'm gonna run in and grab some condoms and stuff," she taunted trying to make it sound all mysterious and sexy.

She kissed Olivia tenderly then climbed out of the cab. Olivia pressed her lips together nervously as she noticed the driver watching her in the rear view mirror.

"He's staring at me," she whispered softly to Elliot.

"Probably never seen a hot woman be kissed by another woman before. That is the stuff that only happens in porn tapes and wet dreams."

"Elliot," she said jabbing him in the ribs with her elbow as they both laughed.

"You really want to mess with his head?" he asked as he stared into her eyes and smiled.

Elliot leaned closer and cupped his hand against the side of her face as he pulled her closer and kissed her passionately for the first time in nearly a year. Olivia whimpered softly in protest, but too weak to really fight him off as the driver stared from the front seat.

When the kiss broke Elliot sat staring deep into her eyes.

"You know that the only reason I agreed to this was for the chance to be with you. I don't care about Alex. But I know you do," Elliot said softly as he traced his fingertip over her strawberry lips.

Olivia took a deep breath and slid back into her space in the seat. She tried hard not to look at him or react to him or breath him in. She was in love with Alex, she told herself. And this thing with Elliot was just for tonight.