Disclaimer: I don't do love triangles. They are trite and silly. The introduction of Jake Ballard has no romantic implications. I'm a firm believer that Olitz is fascinating enough without the bullshit. They are high-strung adults with tons of commitments, living in the public eye and they have worked to hard to get to this place. I mean it when I say no Jake-Oliva hook-ups. He's role in this story will be nothing like the show. Thanks, I love reviews. So keep them coming.
Today's goals...
1. Talk to Fitz
...call Quinn.
Olivia smiled at Miranda, (Mandy for short) the housekeeper, as she topped off her tea-cup before she even signaled for another one. She always so attentive. The idea of hot tea on a breezy summer morning seemed ludicrous, but Olivia needed it. Despite how much she loved having sex all night with her husband, the aftermath was rough. The hoarse throat and the ache she felt in her lower back was a delightful pain, but a pain nonetheless.
"Thanks Mandy." She croaked smiled brightly as she readjusted the collar of her silk dressing gown, hiding her love bites. She could practically feel the older woman's bright blues staring daggers at her neck. As Mandy turned to walk away, tending to finishing breakfast, she could have sworn she saw Mandy's left eye drop in a congratulatory wink. She hoped to God they were not too loud last night.
Olivia cleared her throat and turned her attention back to her MacBook, waiting for her tea to cool. She had multiple tabs open on trashy entertainment sites, keeping track of Lawson story. It was pretty much the same. E! News, TMZ, Entertainment Tonight was covering the story, but the reporting was lazy. One way even.
However, Olivia knew better than that...
Her eyes drifted away from the sun-glared screen, absent-mindedly staring at the steam rising from her tea-cup. Her mind churned. Lawson was accused of a few paternity suits. Mostly the same kind of girls; young, brunette hanger-ons. Calvin was reckless enough to get himself in these predicaments, however the young man she conversed with over the phone seemed like any other 21-year-old. precocious, naïve and misguided, but was he stupid?
Inquiring mind want to know.
My gut says no...
Olivia typed in the URL .The site, alleged run by the former girlfriend of a B-List actor who was popular on the party scene in Los Angeles. It was not particularly well-known outside of fringe gossip mongers online, seeing that it was username/password only. However, she was savvy, as was her team to keep track of everything. Even bottom feeders get it right...
The site had broken a few stories, unknowingly in the past-
Her thought was interrupted by the buzzing of her work cell phone. She picked it up to find just the person she needed at the moment, her protegé's caller ID had never been more welcomed .
"What?" Olivia responded authoritatively.
"Good morning Olivia." Quinn Perkins responded brightly. Olivia could not help but smiled. That is what she loved about her youngest associate. No matter how harsh, she always responded with sweetness. Though sweetness was not to be focused with weakness. She had brought her in, at a critical time and was molding her in her image. The girl was slowly becoming every bit the lethal weapon someone in Olivia's position needed.
"Nice, good. Wish I was at the office-"
"You needed time off, so don't sweat it. By the way, Happy Anniversary to you and the President. How is he?
Olivia smiled at her kindness. Flattery, another trait she had learned well.
"He's great, he went for a run. I would normally join him but, he let me sleep in."Quinn giggled excitedly. "How sweet! Well, the great news is you sound well-rested."
Bullshit. Olivia thought. Her voice sounded like shit. Again, with the flattery. Olivia cleared her throat to signal that the niceties were over.
"So, I've been keeping track of Calvin story-"
"Good, just what I wanted to talk to you about. I've got this site, -"
"I have heard of it. Pretty popular with the LA scene. You want me to-"
Olivia felt relieved. She did not have to do the routine. Despite her close relationship with Harrison, he often needed way too much guidance. He lacked the gut professional intuition that separated Quinn from the rest. This was going to make her decision a lot easier...
"Exactly. After you are done with that, have Huck trace the IP addresses, then I want you on the next flight to LA on Monday. I will email you the game plan, of course later today. Talk to the Office Manager about travel cost . Try to stay in contact. Do not forget to itemize while your out there for the books."
Olivia hung up immediately, wanting to ripe the cord before she could show weakness. She picked up the tea-cup, blowing softly, still to hot..
It was going to be tough but she needed to have done it. Efficiency was not always a mechanism for effectiveness. Despite all the time Harrison had spent at Pope & Associates, he had not mastered that art form. Unfortunately for him, his fellow associate/girlfriend had.
Quinn was younger, less experienced yet, she had that it factor. Her cute, girl-next-door demeanor was great for catching tough clients off-guard. Harrison was too slick , too Wall Street for the Hollywood crowd that would be permeating the new offices. She knew he had his eye on running shop for a while. She could see it in his eyes...
Her musing were interrupted by a very sweaty Fitz, entering through the French doors. Her deep analysis of her work disappeared to the back annals of her mind. His face was bright with exuberance as he strutted to the breakfast nook and joined her.
"You know I hate to wake up alone." Olivia smirked as Fitz took a seat across from her in the breakfast.
They locked eyes as her bare foot brushed sensual against the thigh of his running shorts. She could see his stirring...
They had never gotten to talking about the comment last night. He had knowingly distracted her with a lovely foot massage and sweet talk. Even this morning, he had knowingly gone for a run, to avoid talking about it.
He smiled charmingly, that luscious dark curl falling into his stone colored eyes.
"Sorry babe, but you know how much I love-"
His hand stroked her ankle softly. She already could feel her body giving in to his touch. She closed her laptop and turned her phone over.
Focus, Olivia.
"Not going to work. We are talking about this." Olivia said softly, out of earshot of Miranda. He sighed deeply, ending his caress and folding his arms.
"Livvie, it honestly does not bother me anymore. Although..." He trailed off. She observed him closely. The wrinkle in his forehead and the tensing of his jaw. She did not mean to cause him so much worry.
"Although what, baby? Talk to me." She said softly. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Miranda sliding out the room. She was very respectful of their space as a couple, often leaving the room when she could sense an intimate conversation.
He sighed deeply, inching closer to Oliva, his thumb playing with the soft fabric of her dressing gown.
"I hate that we spend so much time apart. I feel like unless we schedule it, or I suggest it, we rarely really spend time together. I know we have keep saying we will and we talked about it, but we cancelled Vermont. Vermont babe?...you know how much I love us there, no help, just us and nature."
His deep voice was dripping with lush affection. Olivia felt her heart melting. She knew what he was saying, but there was so much on her plate.
She bit her lip.
"I know, but we had yesterday. And yesterday was amazing." As Olivia leaned in to kiss him, Fitz slid out of the nook, standing before her, hands on his hips. He looked so handsome in his running gear, no matter how frustrated he seemed.
"I'm saying this both as a husband and your business partner. I know you are recluctant-
"Fitz, we have talked about this-"
"I know, but hear me out. I...fuck. I don't want our marriage to end up the way Mellie's and mine did." His face was molded by sorrow and frustration. It was unspoken, but Olivia had always understood his fear of his. He was attentive, overcompromising because he loved her, but a part of it was rooted in his feelings of failure. They had addressed it before, but had she been so blind not to see it?"
The air of guilt was seeping into her lungs so strongly that she felt the summer day slipping into darkness.
"Wha- What is bringing this-"
Fitz sighed deeply, kneeling in front of Olivia and taking her hands. His hands calmed her just as much as the fierce look of love permeating through his eyes.
"There is this conversation still going on in my head. One I had with Mellie about a year ago."
Olivia nodded. She remembered that night. How he came home from dinner with his ex-wife, feeling dejected and guilty. They had talked about it, and she had tried to comfort him, but she understood the guilt.
"You cannot keep shackled to the past, honey, I'm not her. My job, my ambition does not mean our marriage does not come first. Neither is your work with the foundation a hinderance." Oliva stroked the side of his head with a hand. His eyes closed.
"Livvie, I don't want you to give it up, I just...I don't want us to drift apart. I'm not getting younger, I look at the kids and time is just going, I get scared, that one day..."
The conflict in his face was ripping her heart apart. She understood. .
"Babe, I get it. You aren't going to lose me. I love you. So how do we do this. Because I get you worry, so how do we do this. I mean it is not like you aren't busy yourself. Remember we had to push our engagement party because Langston wanted you on that trip to Haiti? "
Oliva smiled, despite the tension. They just stared at each other, comforted by the presence of the other, easing into a lighter tone with every breath.
He smirked that delicious smirk of his back. His shoulders relaxed slightly. Olivia could tell he remembered the hilarity of the President needing him for political leverage.
"Is that a trick question? I know you and I know how you get. You love to run the show."
She sighed deeply. If she was going to be as involved in the foundation, all the while moving associates around and hiring new ones for her offices, it could not hurt to take his advice. Just this once.
"Yes, but our marriage is more important." She felt the tight anxiety this conversation had brought on leave her, just as it was leaving the room.
"So in that case, we are going to talk man to woman, not as husband and wife. Got it."
"Got it. But first, I think we should discuss a shower...together. You are sweaty from running." She wiggled her eyebrows playfully as he chuckled.
She pressed her lips to his, giving him a sweet, yet meaningful kiss. As they pulled apart, his face looked glazed with delight.
"Funny, I saw this conversation ending the same way. But how about I eat breakfast first, I'm starving."
She giggled as he winked at her, sitting next to him.
"Let's get into the nitty-gritty, how do you feel about the name Jake Ballard?"
Olivia shrugged as her mind did a search. It sounded oddly familiar...
"Rings a bell. Why do you ask?"
Fitz shrugged. "He, until yesterday, did Public Relations for Doyle Inc. Remember? He was at Cyrus and James-"
"-Dinner party a few weeks back. I remember." She remembered now. From the party as well as previous Galas and functions of the foundation. He knew Fitz from childhood, but was not a close friend. A donor, yes. And he had not been particularly useful during Fitz's presidency.
He was tall, handsome in a sort of "guy-next-door" way. He had never left much of a lasting impression when she had met him, other than he reminded her of the arrogant and flippant "Dude-bros" that had littered her prep school expereince. For the worst. All in all, he seemed nice, but there was something about his expansive green eyes that seemed...lacking. Even when he smiled.
"Well, he called this morning, asking about donations and the Gala. It came up in conversation that he was parting ways with the company."
Olivia was confused about why he was telling her this. It seemed out of no where. Not to mention how Ballard had access to Fitz's direct line was troubling. They had never done direct business. They had been so engrossed in their conversation, she had hardly noticed Miranda sneaking back in the kitchen, resuming her breakfast duty.
"So, what does that have to do with anything?" Olivia asked confused. Fitz smiled.
"Ever the fixer, yet so naïve. Our fathers were friends. He's a good guy, very lucrative career in Public Relations..."
The summer sun was gleaming in Fitz's eyes. The thought hit Olivia...
"No, absolutely not. The New York office is not going to be ready for another year, and I doubt he would be a good fit in LA. I don't hire outsiders for the D.C office. Especially someone I don't have a personal relationship with."
Fitz rolled his eyes, shaking his head knowingly.
"This is exactly the reason I didn't want to say anything. It is just a suggestion, he seems like someone who would be more than capable to step in. He knows people. A lot of resumes will be coming your way and it was just a thought."
Olivia sighed thinking deeply as the delicious smell of bacon circled the room. She trusted Fitz's intuition and his need to help. She would look into this guy. Have Abby do a background check. Another experienced fixer would be great. She needed a partner, someone who knew the business and she had not had an equal since Stephen, an real partner...
It was an appealing thought. The seed was indeed planted.
"Let's just shelf this conversation after bacon and eggs." Olivia said, closing her laptop and pushing it to the side as Miranda approached with two fruit plates.
Fitz nodded, pleased that he had made progress. He laughed and leaned in, huskily whispering.
"How about we shelf this until after the shower."
Olivia giggled, sharing a kiss with him. Her body was ablaze with want. His tongue softly entered her mouth, but before they could lose control, Miranda cleared her throat pointedly. The pulled apart, blushing like school children.
"You are shameless." Fitz laughed, popping a blueberry in Olivia's mouth.
Olivia rolled her eyes smiling back at him, raising an eyebrow.
"Funny, you didn't seem to mind it last night. And I don't think you will in the shower." She took a sip of her tea, which had cool perfectly.
Finally, just right.