Chapter Six: Her Intention
She has held babies before but not like this. Olivia's brown eyes travel over Sofia's little frame as she rocks her in her arms, her world finally at ease. Very tiny fingers. Such warm little hands. Even at a growing twelve weeks, her small hand can barely fit around Olivia's much bigger index finger. The brunette watches intently with soft eyes. She bends her finger, just a little bit, and listens as the soft coos escape from the sleepy mouth. Her lips curve into a gentle smile while she listens to this certain type of music she yearns to call her own. Her smile grows while the infant observes her through her own fatigued, chocolate, eyes. Olivia looks over at Mark, only to see that he is already looking at her with a smile on his face. Callie isn't too far away, standing next to Mark with her own grin. Callie's arrival is Olivia's notice that her time with Sofia is up.
"Don't get attached," his husky voice speaks into her ear while she walks past him to give Callie her daughter. The surgeon crosses his arms across his chest while his eyes follow her figure. He watches her hips sway as she approaches Callie and sets little Sofia back into her mother's arms.
"I'm not," Olivia protests. She moves her body behind a vacant chair, tapping her fingers against the wood as her eyes stay glued to Sofia while she listens to Mark and Callie have a short conversation. She isn't listening much, but she hears them mention her name a few times. Perhaps they're mocking for her being with Sofia for over two hours.
Even though she works long hours and is dedicated to her job, Olivia would love nothing more than to give that up for the family she has always wanted. The detective hopes that she will eventually get it. She has to. She needs something else to live for aside from the strangers she gives voices to everyday. Her partner has a family. What makes her so ineligible to get what he has?
It isn't awkward being with Mark anymore. This trip quickly became at ease knowing that she was called for something other than to live with a man she once disrespected. Once everything settled down, they had more to in common than an injured friend and a rocky relationship. Callie is a key components in all of this. Arizona called Olivia to come out here but Callie urged Olivia to stay with him. Maybe she knew Mark was lonely and thought it was a good idea to house them together, temporarily. Maybe she wanted them to get together even though she knew their history from before. Maybe she wanted Mark to be happy too. It's been a long road for both of them and knowing that nothing had come out of it yet, was a terrible waste indeed.
If this was all part of a scheme Callie had planned, then it's working.
"I'll come by tomorrow morning, okay?" Olivia says, as she looks over at Mark as he grabs his coat and then her coat to hand to her.
In mid nod, Callie's eyes drop to Olivia's shirt then back up to her. Her smile turns into a sly, crooked, grin and her eyebrow rises, "Okay," she says in a heightened tone of voice. The same tone she uses when she figures something is up.
Olivia has never worn shirts that reveal a lot of cleavage. She didn't think about whether or not she owned any until Mark mentioned earlier that they were going to go to the bar. Then, even though she couldn't go, Addison suggested it would be a fun experience and it would help her loosen up after everything that has happened. Olivia never expected to go to a bar when she first arrived in Seattle. Actually, she never expected to stay long enough to actually have time to go to leisure spots like a bar. So, she turned to buying a bar appropriate shirt at the last minute.
It is Mark, Olivia, Derek, Meredith, Christina, Owen, and April at the bar. It feels like an odd mix to have two married couples and two people who don't know what they are and then add April into the awkwardness of it all. She is the ice breaker, really. If things don't work out with Mark by the nights end, April will be there to take home. It is understandable why people call April the runt of the bunch. She is younger than all of them and still has the drive and dedication they had all lost during their residency. Even while intoxicated, she is determined to keep the conversation alive while everybody else sits in silence after a long day.
"You...You see that guy over there? I l-like him. I like him because he's...pretty. He doesn't know that yet, though," the redhead blurts out. It is obvious that she isn't a drinker like the rest of them.
Olivia sympathizes with April in a way because she was once that girl that everyone laughed at in the academy, so when she sees Mark chuckle, she hits him hard in the arm. "Come on, Liv. Like you didn't expect her to say something like that." He says in a hushed tone. She does get a sort of twisted satisfaction knowing that she isn't the one on people's minds at the moment but not at someone else's expense.
After Meredith helps April out of her chair and has her sit by the bartender to watch her, Christina takes a sip from her drink and stands from her bar stool, "Olivia...pool?" She challenges as she walks over to the empty pool table and grabs two sticks. Olivia looks over at Mark with a smile as he crosses his arms over his chest.
"Is it normal to be turned on like this?" Mark mentions as he briefly looks to his best friend for guidance. Derek takes a long sip of his scotch, chuckles to himself, stands, and joins Meredith at the bar.
Olivia rubs the chalk over the tip of the pool cue as Christina racked the balls, making Olivia the first to hit. What Christina does is the least of Mark's concern. His eyes remain glued on Olivia. Her body moves with confidence as she stands in front of Mark, but a few feet away. He eyes her slightly parted legs as she focuses on the game and how she bends over as if to test the man watching her. Olivia has only played pool once or twice before and was never a pro at it. She never cared and still isn't worried about her performance. Mark is what she's trying to succeed in, not pool. Mark's eyes dangle to her ass, his arms crossing tighter and a smirk spreading across his face, "She's such a fucking tease," he mentally groans as he gets up.
He presses his body into hers and murmurs in her ear, "Are you ready for a real game?"
Her eyebrow raises and she turns to him, smiling an eager smile. Mark walks over to Christina, replacing her as Olivia's pool opponent. While he applies chalk to the end of his cue, Olivia speaks up, "Let's bet on it."
Mark looks up, his eyes flicker with interest beneath the dim lights, "Okay, what do you get if you win?"
"Your bed. Without you in it," Olivia says as she walks around the table.
He hesitates. This woman is going to be the death of him, "Deal." He looks straight into her eyes, "If I win, I get to kiss you."
Olivia blinks once, shocked that he would suggest something so bluntly, yet she smiles coyly, "Fine."
Mark looks over at Olivia with an evil grin. He isn't focused on winning the game because he knows his skill will come naturally. He doesn't mean to be cocky or anything, he is just an amazing pool player. It comes from playing with Derek during the days of their bachelorhood. Nothing has really changed, just that his best friend has married. Twice. He finds his eyes wandering to the loose fabric that exposes Olivia's cleavage. As she leans forward a bit, he notices her creamy, olive colored skin that is being caressed by the filaments of something red. The color reminds him of the purest flame. The mere sight of her soft and vulnerable flesh provokes something in him, something that he does and does not like. Olivia's midnight colored gaze focuses on his face. She notices what he is looking at but doesn't care. In fact, she likes that he's watching.
"I'm up here," she purrs, moving her fingers against his chin to make him look at her. Her hands move over the soft fabric of her shirt, pulling it up to tease him.
He feels a slight twitch in his hand. His body is begging his mind to cooperate. Just one touch is all it takes. One touch along her smooth curves, up to her full and firm breasts in a manner that would make her want him just as much as he wants her. It wouldn't matter who is watching or that they're in a room full of people. He wants to hear her whisper his name in his ear while his fingers explore the unknown geographies of her body. He wants Olivia. He wants her in more ways than just one and to have her right there would be more than anything he has ever dreamed of.
"Tongue-tied?" She finally musters up, seeing his eyes move directly to hers and then follow it with a smirk, "You will be by the end of the night."
He presses his body against the edge of the green felted table with his stick lined up with the balls. "Stripes," he calls out as his fingers make their mark on the stick, holding it with a tight grip as the white ball shoots across the table, breaking the eight pack into singles.
Olivia watches the man before her. He is sexy and he obviously using it to his advantage. She watches as he gets up from the table after he makes two holes with one shot. He is already in the lead and she hasn't even played yet. They both ignore the many pairs of eyes watching their every move. No one else in the bar matters, it is just the two of them.
His body moves slowly up from the table, letting her eyes take every second to admire his build. The moment he turns to look at her, she looks away.
"Olivia," he seemingly shouts loud enough to fight the music. When she looks up, she swears that he's pulling off his shirt and it makes her practically want to take him right there. "Mark, what the hell are you-" she stops when she feels his arms wrap around her waist and pull her up onto the edge of the pool table behind her. Her legs dangle for a moment before she gets the hint to wrap them around his waist.
"Mark," she whispers as she feels his warm lips against the cold skin on her neck. For a moment, she closes her eyes and feels him push her back on the hard table while his hand unbuttons her jeans and pulls down the zipper, "Fuck, Olivia, I need you."
"Olivia, it's your turn," she hears as she looks up. It was just a daydream, just something she desires. He still has his shirt on and he's made three more moves while she was thinking of him.
As the game comes close to an end, Mark has the winning title right in the palm of his hand. When he calls out to Olivia, "Eight ball, corner left pocket," his smile is proud. It's obvious he's won and he expects her to admit it. Olivia smiles seductively and sets her pool stick against the table. Slowly, she walks behind him and he feels her brush up against him. The irresistible scent of her perfume infiltrates his nose and her smooth, alluring, voice enters his ear.
"Do you think you can handle me the same way you handled the game?"
Jolts of excitement run up his spine. He hurriedly sets his pool cue elsewhere and he turns around to face Olivia. Desire is the only thing he can see in her eyes. The hunger grows more and more in them. His arm coils around her slender waist and he pulls her against him. His heart races, he grows more and more anxious to feel her soft lips against his. He's waited years for this very moment. His eyes close and he moves toward her. People are watching. It seems like all eyes are on them. His fingertips brush along her warm cheek and embed themselves in her silky hair.
He never imagined that he would finally have Olivia Benson in his arms. All this time, he's been patient and he's been compliant. He's kept his hands to himself despite how hard it has been. Tonight, she's brought the animal out that's been caged in for so long.
As if on cue, an unwelcomed vibration breaks the intimacy between them. It halts possibly the most perfect moment that could ever be experienced. He's so close to her lips; centimeters away. He would've felt that passion if she hadn't turned her head towards her phone. She looks at the caller and answers it in an instant.
"Yes, Captain?" she says over the loud bustle of the bar. In one quick second, she slips away from his grasp and exits the pub to continue her conversation.
He watches her disappear out into the night. She doesn't even stand in front of the establishment. Everything seems to shatter, everything that was once perfect is now gone. Then, he feels his own phone vibrate in his pocket. Mark takes the opportunity to follow Olivia's path outside.
"Hello?" His eyes frantically search down the poorly lit street. He sees her silhouette leaning against a lamp post, her hand runs through her hair with distress. He looks harder and tries to listen to her faint conversation over the person on the other line.
"Mark?"
He blinks, forgetting he's even on the phone, "Sorry, what did you say?"
"I'm being discharged, Miranda said we can go home! Hurry back!" He can tell Callie's smiling just by the tone of her voice.
He doesn't know why he feels a twinge of disappointment. He should be over the moon that Callie and Sofia are leaving the hospital perfectly healthy. At the same time, his night with Olivia has come to an end. Mark looks over his shoulder and into the bar window to see his friends collect their things and prepare to leave. His eyes wander to Olivia, making her way back inside and receiving the same news he had just received. She doesn't look very happy until Derek tells her about Callie. Upon hearing the news, she smiles. Even though it's a little difficult to see, Mark can tell there's something wrong. He doesn't bring it to her attention when he rejoins his friends, he doesn't ask her about it as they all gather around and wait for Sofia to successfully sit in a car seat, and he doesn't inquire while they both stand in silence in front of his car as they wait for Callie and Arizona to come out of the hospital.
Olivia was told that tonight is one of those rare Seattle nights. One that is cloud free with the occasional cool breeze. A small rush of wind brushes against her cheek while she stands next to Mark. She looks at him. He looks eager, excited, and anxious for Callie's long road to recovery to finally come to an end. She doesn't say anything but she wonders what is going on through his mind.
"Here she comes." Mark breathes.
She takes her gaze away from him and towards the happy mother being wheeled out by one of the hospital nurses. She smiles a smile of success, joy, and excitement. With Arizona right by her side and Sofia in her arms, nothing else seems to matter. She's longed to feel that. That sense of bliss and euphoria every new mother and wife feels and behind the sincere happiness Olivia feels for Callie, there's a strong envy that's been hiding for so long. She knows how to keep it tucked away but that doesn't mean shes unaware it's there. That disgusting envy remains pushed back while the whole car is filled with joyous conversation, laughter, and the sounds of an infant. If anything, she could never be jealous of the relationship that Mark and Callie have because it is understood to never cross that line again. It is different now. Callie has Arizona and Mark - he wants Olivia.
Mark has been patient all this time. He's been compliant. A little longer won't hurt him much.