Hey everybody, y'all all right? First let me just say, "WOW!" As always, thank you all for your reviews, follows and PMs. I also thank you for noticing me and my little stories. You are all appreciated.
So, sparks are flying all over the place between our protagonists, and neither can deny the attraction. However, Olivia's distrust of celebrity athletes and their lifestyles keeps her running away from Fitz's hot pursuit. Some of you are frustrated by Olivia's behavior, and I understand. She's not playing hard to get, she's being cautious, and definitely not making it easy for him. But if she just fell into his arms and his bed, how interesting would that be? He's made his intentions known, and now the ball is totally in her court. Will she call him?
This chapter doesn't really move the story forward, but we find out why Olivia seems to be on the defense all the time, and what Fitz is up to. I needed to write something for class, and this was it. Please, don't hate me. I promise things are definitely picking up in the next chapter.
TBOT
Summer's here and we're all getting out more. Please be careful, and wear a mask when necessary.
One week later...
Olivia sat at her desk rubbing her temples. It had been a long morning and afternoon. She'd had back to back meeting with public defenders and defense attorneys going over cases, cutting deals and negotiating plea bargains. Each was always a battle. It was hours of murder, embezzlement, fraud and theft. Sometimes she wondered how she was able to keep up.
She'd made quite a name for herself over the last seven years. Having a reputation for taking just about any case to trial if she couldn't make what she considered to be a fair deal, she was one of the toughest negotiators in the AUSA's office. Nobody wanted to go up against the formidable Olivia Pope. There were very few as tough as she was. She could go toe to toe with the best, in the courtroom. She was a worthy opponent and worked hard to seek justice.
Glancing at the clock on the wall, she saw that it was close to three o' clock in the afternoon. She'd skipped lunch and the smoothie she'd had for breakfast was long gone. Deciding it wasn't worth it to leave the office to grab something, and nixing the idea of having food delivered, she opened the desk drawer where she kept a stash of her favorite snacks. Reaching for a bag of yogurt covered pretzels, she paused at the eyes of the man staring back at her. Fitzgerald Grant.
He was wearing his team uniform and posed as if he was about to throw a pass. The headline across the top read: The Golden Arm. Setting her snack aside, she picked up the magazine and stared at the cover. It had been a week and three days since she'd laid eyes on him.
Every day she'd held her phone in her hand and stared at his contact information, but couldn't bring herself to call, text or email him. What could the two of them possibly talk about? She was a passing football fan at best.
In that time, Joey had been annoying as usual, repeating the same words over and over again. Call him! Call Him! Call him! Olivia had had to threaten to end their friendship to get her to back off.
On Monday she'd had to make a quick run to the Walgreen's around the corner from her office. As she stood in line, there he was. Staring at her. Tempting her. Taunting her. And he looked incredible doing it. It was the Washington Football Team Commemorative Book and by the time she made it to the check-out, she'd added it to her purchases. The souvenir book contained highlights, stats and profiles on their star players, including Fitz, of course. When she returned to her office, she closed the door and read everything about him.
X
Later that evening, she'd gone on the internet and typed his name into Google. Her search generated thousands of results, and for the next few hours, she immersed herself into everything Fitzgerald Grant. She was surprised to find out that, like her, he didn't have a personal social media presence. However, his foundation had Twitter and Instagram accounts. A quick glance at Instagram and she saw pictures from the recent pool party.
During the course of her reading, she'd learned about his accomplishments during his eleven year career. He'd won every award, but the ultimate trophy still eluded him. She smiled as she read his quote about that.
"Any player who takes the field in the NFL comes with one purpose and one purpose only. You may win games, break records and entertain the fans, but the only reason I suit every Sunday is for that Super Bowl ring."
The article went on to list all of the reasons why they believed Fitzgerald Grant had what it took to lead his team to the big game this year.
Every article she'd read so far focused on Fitz the ballplayer, but she finally found one strictly devoted to his life outside of football. He spoke about his foundation and the charities he gave his time and money to. She also learned a little about his life growing up in New York, where his parents still lived; that he was an heir to his family's real estate empire and had two younger siblings, a brother, Wyatt, and a sister, Theodora.
She read a few more articles and watched multiple interviews, but she was more interested in the other side of his life, his life away from the field, his personal life. In one interview, Fitz told the reporter that there was no one special in his life. Olivia noticed that the interview was conducted ten months ago. As she continued to read what he had to say, her opinion of him was slowly changing.
I need someone who would prefer life outside the sometimes crazy world of professional sports. At some point, there will no longer be magazine covers, television interviews, and no red carpet events. When that happens, I want to settle down and enjoy raising a family. The woman I marry would have to be okay with that.
Instead of a stadium filled with fans, the media circus that overstep its boundaries at times, and a constant flow of agents, coaches and other players, the woman in my life would have to settle for evenings at home, romantic vacations, and raising and spending time with the children we will create.
His words, and the life he wanted, touched Olivia, and created strong feelings inside her that she'd never experienced before. Having been in his home, she could envision how that life was possible.
Next she looked at the thousands of images of Fitz over the years. For another hour, she stared at photos of him in GQ, Men's Health, Vogue, Esquire, Sports Illustrated, People, where he was named the sexiest man alive, and her favorite, ESPN, the body issue, where he'd posed nude, but with strategic coverage of his private parts. She'd spent quite a bit of time staring at the photos where all he'd worn was that lopsided smile.
There were also photos of him with many flawless women. Formal events. Casual outings. Some poses more intimate than others. As she scrolled through the images, one thing was unmistakably clear: Fitzgerald Grant liked women and women liked him. And she could definitely see why.
When she'd finally shut down her laptop, she'd come to one conclusion. Fitzgerald Thomas Grant III was a triple threat: face, body and brains. He'd graduated from Stanford with a degree in business and economics, but it was professional football that had become his calling and passion.
Catching herself remembering those pictures and having intimate thoughts about Fitz, Olivia slammed her drawer shut. I need to toss this magazine first chance I get. Biting into a pretzel, she berated herself for allowing her mind to wander into thoughts of her and Fitz doing things together. He'd given her his contact information, but there was no way he was sitting by his phone waiting for her to text or call. If anything, he probably had a list of women that he could choose from to share dinner, and anything else with.
X
The ringing of her cell phone snapped Olivia out of her musings. She answered, trying to clear the images of Fitz from her head.
"I've been trying to reach you since last week. How is it that you live less than thirty minutes away, you have a cell phone, yet I rarely ever see or talk to you? I hope you haven't forgotten about your family."
"Hello to you too, Mother. I'm fine. So nice of you to ask."
All of the pleasure she'd been feeling thinking about Fitz quickly disappeared with the intrusion of Maya Pope. Short on pleasantries and long on giving orders, Maya specialized in control. She ran her family with military precision, and no one dared step out of line for fear of having to deal with her wrath. No one except Olivia. Their relationship had been rocky over the years, and it was a constant battle that reared its head each time they spent more than a few minutes in each other's company.
"Don't get smart with me, young lady," Maya said. "You haven't returned any of my calls or text messages, and we haven't seen you in a month."
"I've been busy, Mother," Olivia tried to explain. "Between my caseload…"
"Busy doing what?"
Cutting people off mid-sentence was also natural to her mother.
"I have no idea why you give all of your time and energy to that prosecutor's job. If you worked in your father's firm, you'd know what being busy really is. That type of busy would be worth the effort. The money, the clients. Your father just took on a case that…"
Olivia put her mother on speaker, muted the phone and continued to eat her snack, a habit she'd developed over the years. It happened each time her mother started to tell her about everything going on in her father's firm. The dates and times of their conversations might change, but the topics remained the same. First, Maya would rant about how little they saw her, and then she would make snide remarks about Olivia's job, which was always followed by information on a new client, or case, at her father's firm.
Olivia tuned her mother out and her mind shifted back to Fitz. For no reason, the thought of him made her heart skip a beat. Just remembering his voice, the ultra sexiness of his scent, and the touch of his large hands as he held hers. She wondered how those hands would feel on other parts of her body.
Was Fitzgerald Grant thinking about her as much as she was thinking him?
"… but, of course, you would know all of this if you gave your father what he's always wanted. Both of his children working side by side with him at the firm he built from the ground up. At least your brother made the right decision. The day Julian joined the firm, your father was so proud. Having his baby girl join would be the icing on his entire life."
Refusing to join her mother on her guilt trip, Olivia finished her snack, tossed the empty bag in the trash and cut her off.
"Is there a reason you called?"
Maya sighed. "Have you been listening to anything I said?"
"Yes, Mother," Olivia said dryly. "It's the same thing you always say. I shouldn't be wasting my brilliant legal mind working in the AUSA's office. I should join Daddy's firm and build a successful career as a corporate lawyer. I should forget about everything I want in life and focus on what you want."
"Olivia Carolyn Pope, I resent that entire statement."
Olivia pictured her mother sitting in her office, between patients, with a look of disdain on her face. The use of her full name meant she wasn't happy with her only daughter. Maya used her full name a lot.
Of course Olivia was never one to back down. "Well I resent you always putting down my choices."
"I do not put down your choices. I support whatever you want to do. I just think that you should always explore your options."
'Options' was always code for don't do anything Olivia wants to do, only what her mother wants her to do. No matter how hard she tried, her mother just couldn't restrain herself from giving her opinions, whether it was solicited or not.
"Mother, please…"
"Okay, okay," Maya said. "I'll move on. You can't blame me for trying to ensure that you understand my position."
"Believe me, Mother," she said, rolling her eyes. "I know your position."
"Anyway," Maya said, changing the subject. "I called to remind you about the party on Saturday. Judge Stewart has been a good friend to your father for over thirty years, and we're honored to host his birthday celebration. We also expect you to show up."
At the thought of attending another party, Olivia relaxed in her chair and opened her desk drawer again. There he was, staring back at her. The blue eyes, lopsided smiled, and the confident stance. Now this was the kind of man that would probably drive her mother crazy. Fame was secondary to Maya Pope, but Ivy league degrees, expensive suits, Scully and Scully briefcases, power lunches and billable hours got her attention. Even though Fitz graduated from Stanford and his family was old New York money, it still wouldn't be enough, and wouldn't matter to her mother.
"Olivia? Are you listening to me?"
Coming back to the present, Olivia put her mind back on the conversation.
"I'm here."
"Good. Cocktails are at six and dinner begins at seven."
"I'll be there."
"And Olivia?" her mother said in a serious tone, "I do not expect a last minute cancellation. I'm getting tired of making excuses when everyone inquires about your whereabouts."
By 'everyone,' Olivia knew her mother was talking about the stuffed shirt lawyers in her father's firm, her brother, their clients and soon-to-be-clients. The scenario never changed. The reason for the gathering, the caterers and the music may be different, but the people never changed and that's why Olivia hated attending her mother's parties. Her father knew how she felt, but he knew that if he said anything he'd end up as collateral damage when he told his wife to mind her business. He had to sleep next to her every night.
Maya usually spent half of her time trying to introduce her daughter to every single man in attendance, old and young. The last one had been a Harvard Law School graduate who'd met her father at a conference. Her mother was convinced he'd be perfect for her, and placed their name cards next to one another.
An hour into dinner, and on cue, Olivia received a call from Joey saying "something bad had happened." She'd apologized profusely and immediately dipped, angering her mother, and owing Joey. Big time.
Joey called in her chit in the form of another party. A pool party. Of course Olivia had tried to get out of it for weeks, and the night before, but Joey wasn't budging. That's how she'd ended up at Fitzgerald Grant's Great Falls estate.
Maya Pope's tone of voice meant she expected Olivia to show up, and have a good time.
Olivia sighed. "Don't worry, Mother. I said I'd be there and I will."
"Good. I'm glad we understand each other."
X
After ending the call with her mother, Olivia stared at her phone. Maya Pope had the ability to suck all of the energy out of the room. It wasn't that she didn't love mother, there was just no pleasing her. As her only daughter, Maya had high hopes for Olivia and wanted her to do all of things that little girls grow up doing.
She was disappointed when Olivia wouldn't take ballet, and hated tennis, golf and soccer. She excelled at piano because her Grandma Carolyn was her teacher, and equestrian riding, until she was thrown from a horse and refused to get back on. She'd also participated in Jack and Jill, and was a debutante only because Joey begged her to do both. The only thing Olivia really liked doing with her mother was shopping. They were both in their element, had similar taste and could actually agree, more than argue.
Her brother Julian was a different story. He never had a problem pleasing their mother. He excelled in school, played sports and attended Princeton and Harvard Law, schools Maya Pope approved of. While Julian and Olivia had both graduated from law school, Olivia managed to be the black sheep of the family. Julian joined the family firm and quickly became successful. Their parents couldn't wait to see what career path Olivia chose. Her father had made it clear that a place had already been set aside for her at his firm.
They were as proud of her accomplishments as they were their son, and had no doubt that she would follow the course that had been carefully laid out for her. To say all hell broke loose, when she made her career choice, was an understatement. Their daughter working in public service had never crossed their minds.
Telling her family that she found her career choice challenging and rewarding fell on deaf ears. It was a hard pill to swallow that a lawyer in the Pope family hadn't taken the traditional route of all those that had come before her. That's why she tried to avoid these social gatherings her mother called dinner parties. Unfortunately, she'd run out of excuses and her mother had served notice. She expected to see her at six o' clock on Saturday.
Olivia sighed. Mothers.
X
Fitz sat in his home office trying to focus on reviewing his investment statements. He carved out time once a month to review his financials. He'd made a lot of money in the NFL, and from several major endorsement deals. So much money, he hadn't needed to touch his trust fund. The truth was Fitz had more money than he'd ever be able to spend. He continued to read, while simultaneously looking at his phone, willing it to ring with Olivia on the other end. It didn't.
Why hadn't she called?
Maybe, Fitz mused, he'd come on too strong when he'd pressed Olivia about going out with him. His stubbornness, and maybe his ego, wouldn't allow him to process her disinterest. Was he beginning to believe his own hype? Was it because he was the league MVP twice or had the highest quarterback rating for three consecutive seasons? Or was it because women always threw themselves at him that he'd believed any woman should be grateful he'd shown them some attention? Well obviously what worked on those women wasn't going to work on her, and that was something he needed to remember.
He shook his head, unable to believe a woman whose name he didn't even know two weeks ago, and who he'd only seen twice, could have him staring at his phone like a love struck teenager. When he met a woman for the first time, he was usually able to conclude after the first five minutes whether he wanted to see her again. If not, he knew right away. Olivia was definitely in the former category. He wanted to see her again. And again.
For the past eleven seasons, he'd never wanted or needed any distractions to football, but Olivia wasn't a distraction, and he couldn't get her off his mind. The more he thought about her, the more he wanted to be with her, get to know her. Her beautiful eyes. Those lips. The way just being in her presence made him feel.
Several times he'd thought about contacting Joey at her place of business and asking her to break best friend code by giving him Olivia's number. She seemed to be on his side, and probably would've given it to him, but he'd quickly dismissed the thought.
Unable to concentrate on the task at hand, Fitz placed his elbows on his desk and rested his chin in his hands. This entire situation was driving him crazy. But what had him even more frustrated was his undeniable attraction to her. After the shots she'd taken at him, Olivia should've been the last woman he was attracted to, but he couldn't stop thinking about her. He'd had time to think about what made her so different from the other women.
Honesty.
So many of the women he'd dated had tried to make themselves into what they thought he wanted them to be, or what society thought the girlfriend of an NFL superstar should be. Fitz had never gotten to know who they truly were. Olivia was different. His celebrity didn't stop her from telling him exactly what was on her mind. It was definitely a turn-on.
X
The phone rang and Fitz jumped, nearly tipping over his chair before checking the screen. It wasn't Olivia. He answered.
"Hello, beautiful," he said.
There was a throaty laugh on the other end. "Hello, darling. How are you?"
"I'm quite well, Mom," he answered. "How are you and Dad?"
"Your father and I are fine, I'm just checking up on you."
Fitz wanted to tell his mother that she didn't need to check up on him like he was six years old, but knew it was futile. Constance Grant always said, "Once a mother, always a mother," regardless of how old her children were. So he indulged her instead.
"Well, I'm good. The fundraiser last Saturday was a success. We're going to be able to award more scholarships this year."
"Oh, Fitzgerald, that's wonderful. You know your father and I always look forward to making a generous donation every year."
"Thank you, Mom. We all appreciate it."
"So, are you seeing anyone special, Fitzgerald?" She asked changing the subject, without missing a beat.
There it was. The real reason she'd called.
He sighed. "No, Mom."
"Maybe I should've asked whether you're dating anyone."
"No again. You know how I feel about dating while I'm still playing."
"Well haven't you had your usual month or two to fully come down after last season? You've finally made it to hump month."
"I have."
"Now that you've had a chance to unwind, don't you think it's time to meet someone?"
He wasn't ready to share any information about Olivia with his mother, and it appeared that T.C. had kept her promise to keep her mouth closed.
"Mom, I meet women all the time."
"What's wrong with them, Fitzgerald?"
He paused. "They're boring." Well, definitely not Olivia.
Constance laughed. "That will do it every time."
Fitz smiled. His father had told him that he'd married Constance Bennett because she was beautiful, feisty and outspoken. The same traits that had attracted Fitz to Olivia.
"If and when I do get that involved with a woman, then she has to be more than just a warm body. She has to also have a personality."
"Well, you're a good man Fitzgerald, and I have no doubt you're going to make a wonderful husband for some lucky woman, who deserves you."
"I'm going to have to find that very lucky woman first before I can even consider getting married."
I've already found her, he thought, and she wants nothing to do with me. Of course he couldn't tell his mother because it would lead to more question that he couldn't answer.
"Are you against marriage?"
The question had caught him off guard. He'd never been one to advertise his relationships, but it had been a long time since he'd brought a woman to meet his family.
"Why would you ask me that?"
"It's just that it's been a very long time since you've introduced us to one of your girlfriends.
His sister had told Olivia the truth, it had been a while.
"Fitzgerald, you will be thirty-three in a few months and…"
"I know how old I'll be, Mom," Fitz said interrupting her. "But reaching a certain age doesn't require that I get married."
Fitz would never admit to his mother, but at thirty-two he was ready to slow down and start thinking about a future with someone. The connection he felt with Olivia made him believe something might be there. Her indifference to his celebrity athlete status had set her apart from the other women who'd passed in and out of his life.
Constance sighed. "Things were so different when I met your father. I knew he was the one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with right away.
"That's because you met the right man. So far I haven't met that woman." Yes I have.
"And that's because you spend all of your time on that football field. If you're not on the field, you're watching football or studying football. I guess if the right woman was in a helmet and pads, you'd notice her."
Fitz swallowed the retort on the tip of his tongue. "Did you call to harass me about dating and getting married?"
"No, not at all, Fitzgerald. I just worry about you."
"There's nothing to worry about, Mom. I'm happy, healthy and doing exactly what I want."
"And that's all I want for you."
"I know, Mom."
"Oh, your father and I won't be opening the house this year."
"What?!" Fitz said in surprise. Every summer since he was a little boy, his family left New York City and went to the house that his mother had inherited, in Chesapeake Bay.
"Why?"
"Well, since Theodora decided that she wanted to spend the summer in D.C. instead of New York, the house is empty and quiet. JR and I decided that we would get away, just the two of us."
"Good for you. There's nothing keeping you in the States and you know I'll take care of T." Fitz knew his mother hated when he called his sister anything but Theodora, but she kept her comment to herself.
"That's exactly what your father said. We're going to Italy, the Greek Isles and stopping over in Paris to see Wyatt. We're going to relax, and I'm going to shop until I drop," she said with a laugh.
Fitz laughed along with his mother. Maybe this trip would make her forget that her eldest son was unmarried. At least he hoped so. Now she could harass Wyatt.
"And your father has promised that we'll look at possibly buying a vacation property."
"Dad's a smart man," Fitz chuckled.
"Yes he is. That's one of the reasons I married him."
Fitz smiled even though his mother couldn't see him.
"Our return is scheduled a week a before your final preseason game, and before Theodora begins fall classes."
"That's perfect. Please send me your travel itinerary before you leave."
Fitz knew he would feel less anxious if he knew where his parents would be while they were traveling abroad.
"You know I will. Take care and I love you, son."
"I love you too, Mom."
Fitz ended the call, happy that his parents were going on a month long vacation, he could pursue Olivia without his mother's constant inquiries into his personal life.
He sighed. Mothers.
Olivia may have won the battle when she turned down his dinner invitation, but she hadn't won the war. What he had to do was come up with a game plan where he would not only win her love, but also her heart.