Part Two
Olivia reclined in her chair and settled in to people watch. Her eyes immediately scoped out Fitz. He was speaking with the woman from inside the house who'd looked at her with such contempt. She got a small bit of satisfaction when he walked away from her, leaving her standing alone.
He stood near the DJ table with the man who'd also been with him inside. That's when she saw him point her out to Fitz. Not wanting to be caught looking, she quickly turned away, pretending to look for something inside her tote. When she glanced back in his direction, she saw that he was on his way toward her. For a moment she panicked, but that quickly turned to disappointment when he was stopped by another man.
When that conversation ended, he must have forgotten about her because he walked in the opposite direction and now stood talking with a couple of guys, drinking a beer.
X
"Earth to Liv."
"Huh?"
"What's got you so out of sorts?"
"What?" Olivia said, turning to Joey. She was so absorbed in her spying game, she'd blocked out everyone and everything else. How long had she been standing there?"
"I've been calling your name for the past minute. Where is your mind?"
Glancing one final time at the group of men, Olivia adjusted her position, giving her friend her undivided attention.
"My mind is nowhere."
Joey hadn't missed the quick glance and looked past Olivia to see what or who had grabbed her attention. She quickly put two and two together, and smiled.
"Which one has you gawking?"
"Excuse me?" Olivia said, taking offense to her friend's correct summation. She'd been caught. Damn. "Olivia Carolyn Pope, Assistant US Attorney for the District of Columbia does not gawk.'
"Using your government name and job title? Now I know I'm on to something."
"Whatever," Olivia said, waving off her friend's comment.
"You were watching that group of guys when I walked up. I just want to know which one you were staring at."
Olivia swung her legs over the side of the chair and stood. "I wasn't staring at anyone. As a matter of fact, I was just coming to look for you. Are you ready to go?"
Joey shook her head. "Nope. Not until you tell me who's caught you eye."
"Well we'll be here all night because you are wrong on this one." Olivia looked around. "Where's your new friend anyway?" she asked, attempting to change the subject.
"His name is Kellan Wilson and he plays for the LA Rams. He's talking to some friends so I came over to see if you wanted to join us. He also has some really nice teammates you could meet."
"No thanks. I'm not in the mood for meeting anymore football players."
"Anymore players? Who have you met?" Joey asked, side eyeing her friend.
Realizing her slip of the tongue, Olivia backtracked. "I'm just talking in general," she said, attempting to convince Joey. "I mean, we are at a party hosted by the Washington Football Team."
Joey nodded. "You're right. So stop sitting here alone and come join us."
Olivia took a sip of water before casually asking, "Has Kellan said anything about Fitz Grant?"
Something in her tone caused Joey to really look at her friend. She was trying to sound too casual, and too indifferent.
"Not yet. But I can find out. Why?"
"Just curious," Olivia shrugged. "I ran into him earlier."
"Curious? I don't remember you ever inquiring about a man. That could only mean one thing, you're interested."
"How can I be interested in a man I know nothing about?"
"So let's go find out something."
"Let's not," Olivia said, regretting ever mentioning Fitz's name. "Just go back to Kellan and enjoy yourself. I'm going to relax in my favorite chair. There's no rush, so when you're ready to go, let me know."
"Are you sure you don't want to join us, Liv?"
"Positive. Now go."
Olivia watched as Joey rejoined her new group of friends, before turning back to the group of men. Enjoying the view, she watched as Fitz laughed at something someone had said. Judging from all the women who'd been all over him this evening and the fact that he was giving tours of his home, she already knew the truth about him. He wasn't a one woman man. Probably had women in every area code. Nope, Fitzgerald Grant wasn't her type. That still didn't stop her from staring, because the man was fine.
After a few minutes, he turned away from the other men and searched the crowd as if he was looking for someone. Was he looking for her? Yeah right. But the thought that he could possibly be thinking about her made her feel a certain way. She watched as he turned completely around, as if someone had called his name. His face lit up in a huge smile and Olivia looked in that direction, and saw what his reaction was all about.
A tall and thin young woman, dressed in a denim miniskirt and a pink midriff tank stood smiling and waving at him. He immediately excused himself from his friends, quickly made his way over to the young woman and pulled her into an intimate hug. Olivia had seen enough and decided now was the perfect time to get dessert.
X
"What are you doing here?" Fitz asked.
Stepping out of his arms, the young woman put her hands on her hips.
"Is that any way to greet your little sister?"
"Yes," he nodded. "You're the last person I expected to see walk through those gates. I thought you'd be working tonight."
"I had the night off so I decided to take an Uber to Great Falls to see my big brother," she said, looking past him at the crowd. "This is some party. I almost didn't make it past security because I wasn't on the list. I had to show my New York driver's license with my last name and our parent's address before they'd let me in."
"Why did you take an Uber? Where's your car?"
She waved off her brother's question with the flick of her hand. "Looks like everyone's having a good time."
Fitz sighed. It didn't go unnoticed that she'd ignored his question. He knew something was up because it was Saturday night and his sister should've been in D.C. hanging with her friends, not crashing his party where everybody was older than she was. But he didn't want to have that conversation right now.
"Well why didn't you call and let me know you were coming?" he asked. "You never show up unannounced."
T.C. Grant opened her mouth to answer, but was interrupted.
"Hey, Fitz, someone from the catering staff is looking for you so…" The young man abruptly stopped talking as his attention moved from Fitz to the young woman standing next to him with legs for days.
"Well, well, well, who do we have here? If you're here for the party, I can definitely make sure you have a good time."
Fitz watched his teammate ogling his little sister and saw red. "Back off, Tyson, this is my baby sister."
T.C. playfully pushed her brother aside, and offered her hand to the young man. "What he means by 'baby' is younger. My name is T.C., it's nice to meet you, Tyson."
Tyson Henry, a second year back-up quarterback with the team, was only two years older than T.C. and that set off warning bells in Fitz's head. He was tall, charming with green eyes, a head full of wild hair and a full beard. He was also a woman magnet.
When their handshake lasted a few seconds too long, Fitz placed his large body between them and forced them apart. Staring at his teammate, the unspoken message on his face said everything he was thinking. If you even think about it, I'll kick your ass.
Picking up on the threat, Tyson acknowledged his message with a subtle nod. "I'm gonna go and see what the guys are up to," he said, and left.
T.C. turned to her brother and glared at him. "What's your problem? He was cute."
Fitz was about to tell her what his problem was when he felt a tap on his shoulder. Both Grants turned to see Dana standing before them.
"Fitz, I'm going to be heading out. I just wanted to see if we could arrange another time to finish the tour."
He offered her a polite, non-committal smile. "Thanks for coming, Dana. The Foundation appreciates your support."
Dana made no attempt to leave as if she was waiting for him to say more. When Fitz remained silent, she turned to T.C. gave her a forced smile and held out her hand, deciding to introduce herself.
"Dana Rogers."
Whenever T.C. hung out with her brother, there were always women coming up to him, asking to take selfies, hanging onto him, and trying to get his attention one way or another. During those times, she'd learned to pick up on certain signs from him. The small polite but indifferent smile, the averting of the eyes and the look of inattention. Those signs meant that the woman who'd interrupted them had stayed a little too long. He was never rude or disrespectful, but he did get tired of the unwanted attention. His current body language told the story. He'd had enough of Dana Rogers for one day.
"Nice to meet you," T.C. responded.
After several more seconds, Dana finally took the hint and realized that her time with Fitzgerald Grant was over for the day, and left.
T.C. looked up at her brother with a knowing smile. "Ooh, you are scandalous. I know what private tour is code for."
Fitz didn't like the insinuation and ignored her comment. "Why don't you go inside and watch a movie or something.?"
T.C. stared at him as if she'd never seen him before. Then she burst out laughing.
"What?" he asked.
"Do I look twelve to you?" She held out her arms and did a three-hundred sixty degree turn. "If there's a party going on, I intend to enjoy it, just like the rest of your guests."
"You're not old enough to hang at this party."
"Are you kidding me?" she asked, as she looked around. "I'm probably older than half the women here."
"No you're not," he said. "The party is for twenty-one and up."
T.C. huffed. "If I wanted to be treated like a baby, I would've gone to New York. Mom, Dad and Wyatt treat me like I'm ten."
Wyatt Grant was Fitz's younger brother by two years, and like Fitz, he'd chosen not to work in the family business. He had a design firm and was currently working on a project in Europe. T.C. had always been closest to Fitz because Wyatt was always too caught up with whatever was going on in his life to pay attention to her. She'd always gone to Fitz because he was the most level headed of her two brothers. Despite having a career in one of the most violent sports, Fitz Grant was a teddy bear off the field. Wyatt was different.
Fitz chuckled. "You know if Wyatt were here, he would've tossed you over his shoulder before you even made it through the gates, and driven you back to D.C., no questions asked."
Wyatt had always been hot tempered and seeing a few men ogling his baby sister would've set him off. Of the two brothers, he was the one who wouldn't hesitate to use his fist in a confrontation.
T.C. laughed along with her brother, nodding her head in agreement. "You're right, Wyatt wouldn't have allowed me anywhere near your guests. But Fitz, Wyatt isn't here. Can I stay? Please?"
She batted those gray eyes and Fitz almost gave in. "No. Upstairs. Now."
X
"You mind if I join you?"
"Yes," Olivia said without even turning around.
"Ooh, I like a feisty woman," he said stooping down beside her.
When she finally looked at him, she had to admit that he was cute…for a boy. He looked barely out of high school. Were there any men over thirty in this place?
"Aren't you a little young to be hanging out at this party?"
He laughed before standing and taking a seat on her chair, nudging her over to make room.
"Aren't you a bit old to be hanging out at this party?"
Olivia glared at him. Young and a smart mouth, two things she didn't like. "Did you just call me old?" she asked.
"If you're offended by my question about your age, why shouldn't I be offended by yours?" he asked casually.
Olivia admitted silently that he had a good point. "Point well taken."
"Malcolm La Blue," he said, holding out his hand. "Wide receiver for the Detroit Lions."
Looking at his hand, Olivia reluctantly placed hers in his. "Mr. La Blue, every man here is some sort of professional ball player."
He chuckled. "I'm not just some ball player, I'm the best receiver in the league."
"Of course you are," she said, looking directly at him. "You should always be the best you can be."
Malcolm groaned. "I see I've got my work cut out for me. You don't have anything against ball players, do you?" he asked. "And you're not wearing a ring, so I'm guessing you're not married. You could at least tell me your name."
Scooting a little closer, he placed his hand on her leg and squeezed. "You've been sitting in this same spot by yourself for a while. I thought I'd come over and keep you company."
Olivia glanced from his hand to his face, not appreciating him touching her without her consent. She lifted his hand from her leg and placed it on his lap.
"So, how young are you?" she asked.
"You're really hung up on this age thing, aren't you?"
She shrugged. "I'm just nosy, I guess."
He reached out and took her hands in his, and brought them to his lips, kissing each one.
Olivia snatched her hands back, pissed that he felt that he could freely touch her.
He continued to tell her all about himself, ignoring her reaction. Leaning in closer he whispered, "I'm a free agent and I'm looking to sign an eight figure deal with another team. Do you really care how old I am?"
Olivia stared at the arrogant young man. Just because he had money and was a ballplayer, she was supposed to fall at his feet.
"If I shouldn't care about your age, what should I care about?" she asked.
He gave her a sexy smile, shrugged and sat back.
"Spending a little time with me. We can leave this party, jump into my new Benz and head back to D.C. I have a suite at the Four Seasons and we can hang out there, you know, get to know each other better. I'm going to be in town for a week, handling some business."
He leaned in closer. "You hang with me and in return I'll make sure you have a good time, at no extra expense to you, of course. I'll give you a credit card for any expenses that might come up."
Olivia was furious and incensed at his gall, and fought like crazy to maintain her cool. The last thing she wanted to do was cause a scene because he definitely wasn't worth it. Instead she smiled and swung her legs over the side of the chair. She leaned forward and crooked her finger at him, beckoning him to come closer. He moved a few inches and she motioned for him to come even closer. When he was close enough, her smile disappeared and her eyes glazed over with rage.
"Are you propositioning me?" She asked through clenched teeth. "Do I look like a hooker or an escort to you?"
Standing abruptly, she tried to walk away. Malcolm stood as well, and grabbed her arm.
"What the hell is your problem?"
Snatching her arm away, she nearly yelled at him, not caring at this point about making a scene.
"You offer me money and gifts to spend time with you and you're asking me what my problem is? If anyone has a problem, it's you. You insulted me. Do you think I'm dumb? What else am I supposed to do? Sleep with you?"
"Hey, that's your decision, not mine."
She glared at him. "You still don't get it, do you? I was right all long. You're nothing but a misguided child who is living proof that a fool and his money are soon parted."
Malcolm's eyes narrowed at her words. "Hey, no need for insults."
She laughed in his face. "I don't believe you'd recognize an insult if it bit you on your ass."
The few minutes they'd spent talking highlighted everything she knew to be wrong with men like him. Well known athletes making lots of money usually meant arrogant, self-centered, spoiled and egotistical. She spun around, determined to get as far away from this man as she possibly could, and fell right into the arms of another.
As she lost her balance, he wrapped his arms around her for support. Olivia's body stiffened when his hands touch her bare back. My goodness, was that really his chest? Looking up into his face, she got an up-close and personal view of the man who had occupied her mind for the past few hours. If Malcolm La Blue was a boy, then Fitzgerald Grant was definitely all man. A tall athletic body, massive broad shoulders, arms that were powerful and strong, and blue eyes that were currently filled with concern. In other words, he was perfect. At that moment, everything and everyone faded into the background and Olivia embraced all that he was.
X
After saying goodbye to a few guests, Fitz had returned to the party and spotted Olivia still sitting in the same chair. Making his way towards her, he ignored the voice telling him he was making a huge mistake and that he was being a glutton for punishment for attempting to talk to her again. After the way she'd treated him, he wasn't sure why he was subjecting himself to more of the same, but his feet kept moving. That's when he saw Malcolm La Blue make his move.
He stopped dead in his tracks and waited to see how she would react to the young man, and whatever he was saying. At first, she was right in character, giving him a hard time. Then she moved in close to him and Fitz had to restrain himself from rushing over and breaking up whatever was going on. Not because he was jealous, but because he knew Malcolm wasn't known for treating women with respect. Just as he was about to intervene, she stood. And now she was in his arms.
"Is everything okay here?"
"No problem, Fitz. I was just trying to get to know this woman when she went all psycho on me."
Malcolm's response broke the spell and Olivia remembered what started this entire situation. Stepping out of Fitz's embrace, she straightened her sarong and glared at Malcolm.
"If I'm psycho because I'm not falling all over you after you propositioned me, then I'm proud to be. You picked the wrong one today," she said in a low voice.
Malcolm started to speak when he noticed Fitz barely shaking his head, indicating that he'd probably said enough.
"I'm sure whatever Malcolm said, he didn't mean any harm," Fitz looked at her giving that lopsided grin, and hoping to diffuse some of the tension swirling around them.
Thinking about the mentality of pro ballplayers, Olivia wasn't surprised at Fitz's defense of his friend. Unfortunately, she was slightly disappointed. She'd held out some hope, for some reason, that he'd be different.
From the first time she'd seen him, there was just something about him that she couldn't put into words. Running into him in the house had only heightened that attraction and kept him on her mind for most of the day. And when he'd wrapped his arms around her waist, her breath had caught at the security she'd felt. Yet, the fact remained that he was coming to the defense of Malcolm. Why had she expected Fitz to be different? The two were cut from the same cloth.
Gathering her belongings, she took one last look at Malcolm. "Just stay the hell away from me."
Olivia began to walk away and then stopped and turned to face the two men again.
"And I am not for sale." She turned quickly and stormed off.
Fitz and Malcolm stood watching her walk away.
"What the hell was her problem?" Malcolm asked, confused by her behavior. "All I wanted to do was show her a good time."
Fitz figured there was little he could tell the young man about his behavior that would change him, but he decided to try anyway.
"Mal, you cannot go around offering women money and gifts in exchange for them spending time with you. It's demeaning, insulting and in most states, illegal."
Malcolm mumbled something under his breath about being uptight before another woman with long blonde hair and a huge smile caught his eye.
"Later, Fitz."
Shaking his head in disbelief, Fitz threw up his hand. Searching the crowd, he wondered where the doe-eyed beauty had stormed off to. This was their second run-in, and as she'd done the first time, she'd treated him with disgust. Her snotty attitude and rude behavior rubbed him the wrong way. She obviously didn't know how to allow herself to have good time, so why did she even come to his party?
Fitz nodded a few 'hellos' and smiled at his guests as they walked past him. He stood in that spot contemplating his next move. He had two choices: find her and try again to have a conversation to find out why she made it a point of being rude to him, or put her out of his mind and get back to enjoying his party. He sighed. Who was he kidding? It took him less than a second to make his choice. He accepted that his good time had been shot the moment she entered his home…and his life. He walked off in the direction she'd headed.
X
"What do you mean you're ready to go?" Joey asked as she took a bite of her veggie burger. "You haven't had a chance to meet any of Kellan's friends."
Olivia had found Joey standing at the edge of the dance floor, eating and swaying from side to side to the music. She pulled her aside causing Joey to drop her bag.
"What's wrong with you?"
"Nothing's wrong," Olivia lied.
The truth was, something was very wrong. Somewhere on this property was a gorgeous and very fine man whom she couldn't stop thinking about. And the only way she could stop, was to leave. Out of sight, out of mind.
"I'm just ready to go. We've been here for hours."
"What happened?" Joey asked. "Less than an hour ago you said you would stay until I was ready. I'm not ready."
Olivia sighed. "That was before I was propositioned by a boy pretending to be a man."
"What?!" Joey said pointing to her ears. "This music must be too loud because I thought you just said you were…"
Olivia nodded but didn't feel like rehashing the story at that moment. "I'll tell you about it on the drive back to D.C. Right now, I just want to get away from this group of spoiled, rich, self-centered, egotists."
"By 'spoiled, rich, self-centered, egotists,' are you referring to me?"
Olivia recognized his voice instantly, and without seeing him she could feel his presence behind her. She tried to ignore the way her body reacted each time they were within a few feet of each other.
Inhaling deeply, she counted to three before turning to face him. What she saw almost took her breath away. There was confidence, self-assuredness and a hint of a challenge. She'd caught him off guard the first two times their paths crossed. This time, he was ready for her.
Refusing to be thrown off by the physical power of his presence, she shrugged him off, hoping to send the message that she couldn't care less.
"Well if the description fits…"
Joey cut Olivia off before she could begin her latest diatribe.
"What is your problem?" She hissed in her ear.
Hoping to make-up for her friend's rudeness, she smiled at Fitz and held out her hand. "Joey de Matteo."
"Fitz Grant," he said, and shook her hand.
"Oh, I know who you are," Joey said, smiling at him seductively. "The television doesn't do you justice. You are one fine specimen of a man."
"Thank you," he said with sincerity.
"Don't thank me, honey," she said winking at him. "Thank your trainer and your gene pool."
The bantering between the two infuriated Olivia, and she wanted to punch Joey. Was she flirting with him?
"No need to feed his already inflated ego," Olivia said, rolling her eyes.
Joey noticed Olivia's reaction and wanted to jump for joy. Her question about Fitz earlier now made sense. Wanting to find out if what she suspected was true, she'd decided to flirt. It was quite obvious from Olivia's immediate reaction that she had more than a passing interest in this man.
"Why are you insulting our host?"
"What do you mean?" Olivia asked with fake innocence. "Should I only insult the guests?"
Fitz stared at the beautiful woman with the smart mouth and cavalier attitude for a few seconds before he threw his head back and let out a deep belly laugh. He'd run across people before who weren't impressed with his job or money, but never at an event like this, and never in his own home. But instead of being angry, he found the entire experience refreshingly amusing.
Both women stared at him.
"It must be exhausting to be this uptight and this determined not to have a good time at this party."
"And you too must be exhausted. I mean with all the jumping from woman to woman you've been doing. You've worked up quite a sweat I'm sure."
Joey looked from one to the other. She could see the undeniable attraction, even if they couldn't. Thinking this would be a good time to excuse herself, she just hoped that once she left Olivia would at least get his number, and a date.
"Um, I'm going to get a drink."
Olivia barely acknowledged Joey's departure. Instead, she focused her attention on the sexy man standing in front of her.
"I think you may have the wrong impression of me," he said, folding his muscular arms over his broad chest.
"And you came all the way over here to tell me that?"
Fitz nodded. "Yes, I did." He was no longer put off by the wall of defense that she'd erected around herself. "We've had a couple of run-ins today that, for some unknown reason, seemed to make me look like a bad person. I wanted the opportunity to address that."
"I find it hard to believe, Mr. Grant, that in addition to your host duties, you would take the time to have a conversation with me."
"It wouldn't be hard to believe if someone captured my attention as you have."
Fitz stared directly at her with those eyes, and Olivia swallowed, trying to calm her nerves. His tone seemed serious and he sounded sincere. Still, she wasn't comfortable with men like him. Being rich, famous and single could be a lethal combination. Working in the AUSA's office, she had been privy to all the police calls and dropped charges that stemmed from famous people living life as if they could do anything, anywhere, anytime to anyone.
"What difference does it make if I don't like you?"
"Ouch," Fitz said, stepping back as if he'd been punched. In a way he had. "What a blow to a man's ego you are," he said grinning at her.
Olivia looked around his large backyard. "I'm sure there are plenty of women in this crowd who would love to stroke your ego, and anything else you wanted stroked," she said looking him directly in his eyes.
Fitz's eyes widened at her comment. "You're right," he said matter-of-factly.
His frank answer threw her off balance and she quickly looked away to get herself together. The thought of him leaving her to go and talk to another woman made her panic unexpectedly.
"But I'm not interested in any other woman here," he said honestly.
"Really?" she said, thrilled that he'd said it, but unsure if he really meant it.
"Really."
"I guess you're also going to tell me that I'm the only person here you'd like to get to know."
Fitz paused before responding. He knew that no matter what he said, she would challenge him.
"You say that as if it wouldn't be genuine."
"Were you being genuine when you had a group of women surrounding you, vying for your attention a few hours ago? They had you cornered for half an hour, laughing, flirting and embarrassing themselves for you." He didn't respond so she continued. "Were you being genuine when you were giving private tours of your home? How about the young blonde with the long legs whom you met with a hug and a kiss? Was she even legal? I hoped you checked her ID."
Fitz couldn't help the cocky grin that spread across his face. He stepped closer to her, invading her personal space.
"What's so funny?" she asked, forcing herself not to take a step back. He was too close and it made her nervous. But she stood her ground.
"You," he said simply,
"What about me?" she asked.
"You've been watching me all day. Why?"
Busted, she thought. He was right. She'd spent most of the afternoon and evening watching him and had accidentally revealed that fact to him. However, she'd meant what she said about what she'd observed. He was just like the rest. Looking for a good time. That type of man had never interested her.
"It was a pleasure meeting you, Mr. Grant. Your charity work is admirable."
She walked away before he had a chance to respond, and this time, he let her go.
X
Hours later, Fitz said goodnight to the last of his guests, secured his property, and was ready for a good night's sleep. The event had been a major success, the corporate sponsors received major exposure for their products, and the guests enjoyed a day of good food, music and drinks. Despite all of that, he still couldn't get his mind off of one woman.
Climbing the stairs, he reached the top landing, made a right and walked down the hallway to the second door on the left. Softly knocking, he didn't get an answer. Turning the knob, he pushed the door open and stuck his head inside. His sister was sound asleep.
He hadn't asked too many questions about why she'd showed up at his home on a Saturday night, in an Uber, when she had a car. Something wasn't adding up, and he had several questions. He could wait until tomorrow to get some answers.
Quietly closing the door, he turned back and walked past the stairs to the other end of the hallway, made a right and opened the double doors to his bedroom. He headed across the hardwood floor past the sitting room and fireplace, two walk-in closets and the stairs, that led to the kitchen and beyond. He pulled his tee over his head and walked into the large bathroom. Turning on the water in the walk-through shower, he stripped off the rest of his clothes and tossed them into the hamper. Stepping under the spray of several showerheads, he waited for his muscles to relax. Even though he'd hired an event planning company to handle the logistics of the today's fundraiser, he'd helped with planning, contributing many hours to make sure everything went off without a hitch. Since the event was over, his mind and body was more than ready to recuperate and finally get a good night's sleep.
As the water pounded his body, he waited for the stresses of the day to wash away. Lathering up, he waited. Nothing. The muscles in his neck, shoulders and back were still tied in knots. He closed his eyes and suddenly her face popped into his head. The simple ponytail, the light make-up, the beautiful brown doe eyes, pouty lips and tight petite body. Reliving the few minutes he'd spent with her, he felt his dick coming alive.
You've got to be kidding me, he mumbled, thinking of the last time he'd gotten such a strong reaction just thinking about a woman. Why couldn't he get her out of his mind? She was uptight, argumentative and much too serious. She couldn't even have a good time at a great party. A relationship with her would be more work than it was worth. Relationship! Where did that thought come from? The last thing on his mind, as he headed into what might be his final season, was a woman who would require too much effort and energy. And a relationship? She'd already let him know that she had issues with his perceived lifestyle. How would she deal with practices, film sessions, team meetings, road games, publicity events, the media, etc?
Shutting off the water, Fitz reached for a towel and wrapped it around his waist. There was no need to worry about how she would react to any of those things, because she wouldn't be a part of it, at least not with him. The woman wouldn't even tell him her name. That alone said "not interested." The best thing he could do was to follow her lead and accept that the last thing the two of them would ever be was together.
X
Olivia pulled back the duvet on her bed. Freshly showered, she just wanted to sleep. Her body was exhausted, but her mind wouldn't stop racing, thinking about Fitzgerald Grant. She'd spent the drive back to D.C. reliving each encounter with him, and making a mental list of reasons why she could never be with someone like that. A superstar quarterback? He had people at his beck and call, doing what he wanted when he wanted. She'd dealt with enough athletes, celebrities and politicians in her line of work to know that some of them thought they should be above the law, acting as if she had done something wrong by holding them accountable. Fitzgerald Grant may have had a hard body, beautiful eyes, money and an endearing lopsided smile, but he was definitely not for her.
As she lay beneath the covers, Olivia thought about Joey's ongoing commentary on the ride home. Asking Olivia question after question about Fitz, she wouldn't let the subject drop. Olivia insisted that she was not interested in him, but Joey saw the look in her eyes each time his name was mentioned. She wasn't buying it.
Joey shared all of the information she knew about Fitz, singing his praises about his charity work, his success on the field and the fact that he was very much single. After almost forty-five minutes, Olivia was seriously thinking about rescinding her offer to Joey to stay over instead of driving home. She was not in the mood for a marathon conversation about Fitzgerald Grant. As Joey droned on and on, Olivia stopped talking. She allowed Joey to continue with her one-sided conversation.
"Don't you think Fitz is handsome?" she asked. "He must also be giving to host a fundraiser in his own home, I heard he matches whatever amount is raised every year. Can you believe a man like that is still single?"
The questions kept coming and Olivia continued ignore them. She didn't want to think about how handsome, giving and single Fitzgerald Grant appeared to be. It was all different from what she'd observed as he moved from woman to woman.
Fortunately, her plan worked. After a few more questions with no response, Joey stopped asking and the remainder of the drive was made in welcomed silence. She was also relieved when they walked inside her home and Joey said goodnight, and headed to the guest bedroom she always used whenever she stayed overnight.
Later, as she lay in bed, Olivia thought about everything Joey had said about Fitz. Never would she admit it, but the words had had an effect on her. Was it possible that a superstar athlete could be down-to-earth, giving, single and interested in her? The more she thought about it, the more she allowed herself to entertain the idea. Then Dana flashed before her eyes, and the young woman he'd greeted with such love and affection. That stopped any positive thoughts about him, and any ideas of what could be between them. Besides, he ran in circles that she had no interest in being a part of. So unless Fitzgerald Grant broke the law in the District of Columbia, and she prosecuted the case, she would probably never see him again.