Fitz's POV
I look over at the clock, and it's 9:30 am. Damn, it's been ages since I've slept that long. Sleep has escaped me for the past few weeks due to my Paris meeting, which I've been stressing over. Everyone is watching me to see if I have the business sense my father did to grow the hotel chain. However, last night's chance meeting with Ms. Olivia Pope did something to me. Thoughts of Ms. Pope and her flawless figure consumed me until my head hit the pillow.
My eyes fixed on the ceiling; my mind wandered back to the erotic dream I had of her. I was in control, with Ms. Pope willingly surrendering to my every desire. Her eyes locked with mine as she knelt before me, a picture of obedience, but she's far from obedient if I learned anything last night. I'm going to need a cold shower to take care of this erection that only seems to be growing.
I stand in the shower, the hot water cascading over me, thoughts of her roaming through my mind. Will I get to see her again? The mystery surrounding her is both enticing and frustrating. I realize I don't know much about her, except that she doesn't have a boyfriend – at least, she didn't mention one last night, and there was certainly no sign of him.
Once I dried off and dressed in a navy t-shirt and blue jeans, I snatched my phone from the nightstand and typed her name into the search engine, not expecting much to show up.
To my utter surprise, within seconds, a few articles pop up. I open the first one. It says she graduated from Columbia Law School. She's a fucking lawyer?! And to top it all off, it says she's the wife of Congressman Edison Davis from North Carolina, his campaign manager and communications director. Holy shit! This is not some lost girl fishing for a sugar daddy or a free meal. She's got an awe-inspiring career to be just 33 years old. It seems she's made quite a name for herself in North Carolina. Now, I understand where she gets that cold demeanor she showed me last night. She flipped it on like a switch—definitely a lawyer.
God, she's beautiful. Is she here on vacation, or does she live here? Is she still married? She didn't act like it, but I guess you can say the same thing about me. I think back to her standing next to me, and I don't recall a wedding ring. Then again, I was pretty drunk.
As I continued to read, a wave of embarrassment washed over me, making me feel like the biggest idiot on the planet for treating her the way I did.
I have to find Ms. Pope. I don't meet women like her everyday. Maybe this is what Bishop was talking about, and maybe I messed it all up before it even had a chance to start.
Just then, my bedroom door flies open, jolting me out of my thoughts. "Fitz! Why are you still up here? It's almost 10:30 am, and your breakfast is cold," Mellie scolds, her arms crossed in frustration.
Mellie. What can I say about Mellie? Unfortunately, she is my darling wife, my ball and chain, the vice grip my balls are caught in. She is the bulldozer of chaos in my life and a living nightmare. I've known Mellie since we were teenagers, and somehow, no thanks to my father and his political aspirations for me, she ended up being my wife.
"You don't need to worry about whether I eat or not. Also, can you fucking knock before you walk in. This is my bedroom. "
She lets out a big huff. "Whatever. Fitz. We need to talk."
If you're going to start with the running for senate shit, then we have nothing to talk about. I already told you I'm not running. Now. I have to go into the office this morning." I go back to gather up all things on the nightstand.
"We've been putting this off for too long. Your father will be here tomorrow afternoon, and he's wants to talk." I'm sure the two of them have scheming and plotting my future.
"Mellie, I really don't have time for this right now."
You never have time for anything except your precious whores!"
I look up at her, anger instantly starting to build within me. "Don't do that. The boys are all home. Don't do that to them." I roll my eyes and try to brush past her, but she follows me out of the room, continuing the argument.
"You can not just disregard your duty to serve the people. It's your responsibility!"
"Mellie! Get the fuck off my back! Can't you see?! I have other responsibilities, too. I can't just drop everything and run for office. I'm stuck running this fucking hotel because of Big Jerry. Andrew certainly doesn't want it, so what the fuck am I supposed to do with it? And again, I don't want to run!" I take a deep breath, trying to calm myself down and lower my voice. "Now, If you don't mind, I would like to have a few moments with my sons without dealing with your bullshit." I brush past her and head downstairs to the kitchen. She's not far behind.
"You can't ignore your father. He wants to talk with you."
"I don't give a shit. Why don't you run for the senate, Mellie, and then you and Jerry can leave me out of it."
"I knew you were going to do this. All you think about is yourself!"
"Whatever, Mellie." As I entered the kitchen, all three boys sat silently, playing on their devices. Hearing Mellie and I argue is nothing new to them, and I hate it. "Good morning, boys," I say in a chipper tone.
"Morning, dad," they say in unison. I pour myself a cup of coffee and lean against the kitchen sink as I let out a deep sigh.
"Did everyone get up late this morning? Why are you all just now eating?
"Yeah, we got up late," my oldest, Tristian, says.
"So, what's on the agenda today for you guys?"
Teddy chimes in first, "I'm going laser tagging today with some friends from school."
"Is Kate going with you?" I say as I wink at him.
He gives me that nervous teenager smile and bows his head. "Yes, dad, she's going."
"Well, that's exciting." I grab a piece of cold toast and lean against the kitchen sink, waiting for the next one to speak." "What about you, David?"
He responded, "I'm playing basketball with the guys and then going to the movies with Daisy and a few of our other friends."
"Sounds fun." Seeing my sons enjoying their lives and being in love brings me so much joy. I see something in them that I wish I had experienced. I wish I could start all over again. My thoughts drift back to Ms. Pope as our oldest, Tristan, says, "I'm hanging around the house today. I told mom I would hang out with her." He doesn't look happy about it, but I know he feels obligated to stop his mother from feeling lonely. I hate that she puts that responsibility on him.
"Well, don't hang around the house if you can find something more fun to do. Your 19. You should be hanging out with friends." I say, annoyed.
"I know. It's cool. I'm going to make a few playlists and play video games. I might invite Jonah over."
"Okay then. I'm going to be pretty swamped over the next week with the Paris trip, but when I return, we'll head up to Vermont for a guys' weekend at the cabin. We can hang out by the fire, explore the great outdoors, and just take a break. Sound good?" All three of them nodded eagerly in agreement.
"Alright, I've got to head to work. Have a great time, and make sure to check in with me, got it?" I plant a swift kiss on each of their foreheads before hurrying towards the door. As I glance over to the living room, I spot Mellie, her arms tightly folded, a storm brewing in her eyes. Not today, I tell myself. There's no time for it. I've got to get to the office and delve into the mystery of Ms. Pope undisturbed.
On my drive to the office, the bright idea hit me to go to the Skybar, where I had met her last night. Maybe someone in there knows her. She was pretty friendly with the waitress, as if they knew each other. "Harold, we're going to stop at the Skybar first."
"Yes, sir." He says briefly, looking up at me in the rearview mirror.
I entered the bustling bar, packed with people for the Saturday lunch special, which is actually quite delicious. My heart is pounding with anticipation. I looked around, and there she is, the waitress from last night.
I walk up to her anxiously. "Excuse me, miss. I was wondering if you could help me with something.
"Sure, what can I do for you? Wait, aren't you Andrew's brother?", she says with a seductive smile.
"You know Andrew?" Of course, she does. Who hasn't Andrew slept with? "Yeah, I'm Fitz, his older brother."
"Oh, yeah, what can I do for you?"
Nervously, I say, "Well, I met a woman here last night, and I need to find her. I was quite rude to her, and I want to apologize. You brought our food over to my table, and she paid for it."
"Yeah, I remember you. Her name was, um...give me a minute...Olivia. She's new here, and she's friends with Quinn and Jake. I guess they all know each other from way back."
"I see. I'm wondering where I can find her." She looks at me suspiciously. "I'm not a serial killer or anything. I own the Grant Hotels with Andrew, and I feel terrible about how I treated her last night. She was very kind to me, and I was not a very nice person." I said, looking to the floor while sticking my hands in my pockets.
Nonchalantly, she says, "Well, you'll have to talk to Quinn or Jake then. I wouldn't know where to find her."
Disappointed in her response, I decided to ask another question about this Jake guy. "Do you know if Jake is her boyfriend?"
She leans in closer and whispers, "Not sure about that. Jake sleeps with a lot of women, you know. But they're all friends, I think. At least, that's how Quinn made it appear."
"One more question: where can I find Quinn?"
"Quinn Perkins. She is an attorney for Robert and Moore." She pauses for a second, just staring at me. "Wait a minute. I do remember them saying that she was opening a new art studio downtown. She's an artist. Quinn said she's pretty good, too."
"Art Studio downtown. Great. Anything else you can remember."
"Let me think." She pauses again for a moment. Then she startles me when she jumps slightly and says, "Yes, her studio is across from the Muffin Factory!"
The Muffin Factory. That's not far from the hotel. Holy Shit. "What's your name?"
"Lisa."
I reach into my pocket and pull out a hundred-dollar bill. I handed it to her as I shook her hand. "You have made my day, Lisa. Thank you so very much." I dash out of the bar and head towards the Muffin Factory.