The cool, crisp night air covered her naked body as she laid lifeless on a bed of fallen leaves just off the country road. Her green eyes looking toward Heaven above, the last thought that flowed through her mind as she took her final breath was him...a man that had silently made his way into her soul. The only sound came from an owl perched high in a tree overhead, nothing but quiet in the dark of night.
***Olivia's***
This was not how she had expected to end this day. Lying naked, her body entangled with his as he traced her spine with his fingers, lulling her into a peaceful sleep. Her eyelids felt like they had weights attached to them, making it harder to hold them open. She had been unknowingly tracing the large snake tattoo on his chest, enjoying the warmth of his body heat as she realized just how comfortable she was.
"I should probably make you aware of something." she said, her eyes closed and fingers making a final pass up his chest.
He quickly opened his eyes at her statement, his hand continuing to caress her back. "What's that?" he responded curious to what she was about to tell him.
Her hand came to rest over his chest, "I don't like to be touched when I sleep." Her confession true. She didn't allow herself to be held or cuddled in bed, preferring to have her own space.
Without hesitation his arm around her tightened as he felt her smooth, toned thigh slip more over his. "Is that so?"
"Hmmmmm." she quietly moaned at the feel of him pulling her closer. "Yes, it is." she whispered, sleep rapidly taking over. "I don't allow sleep overs either." she finished as she felt him shift more toward her.
Moving himself lower in her bed, he turned wrapping both arms around her, a cocky grin on his face. "Looks like we agree." he responded slightly raising his head looking down at her now asleep in his arms. "I don't spend the night and I sure as fuck don't cuddle." he stated as he put his head back down on the pillow and closed his eyes.
***The Cigar Box***
Hearing the knock on the door, he placed his coffee cup down on his desk. "Come in." Looking up, he smiled as he watched a longtime servant and friend walk in. "Brother Justin." as he stood up to greet the man. "Thank you for coming this grand Tuesday morning."
"It's my pleasure, Brother Zobelle. I'm here to serve you as you need." shaking hands with a man he had admired since childhood.
Motioning to the chair, "please sit." Reaching into the middle drawer, he pulled out a file placing it on the desk. "I appreciate your promptness in making the trip to California. I can assure you your time and expertise will be greatly rewarded." spoke Zobelle slowly opening the file in front of him. "What is discussed in this office is to stay private, only between the two of us. Is that clear?"
"Yes sir." always compliant with his leader. "How may I serve you?" a devilish smirk covering his face.
He placed the photo in front of him, "As you're aware, our compound is in the final stages of completion. At our dedication, I will be introducing my wife." looking across his desk. "This lovely creature has been chosen to fill that role."
"She is lovely." spoke Justin as he stared at the woman in the picture. "Is she a follower?" he asked, noticing the woman appeared to not be aware she was being photographed.
"Not yet." his voice cold. "That's where you come in."
***St. Thomas Hospital***
"May I help you?" asked the nurse covering the third floor nurses station.
"I have a priority package for Tara Knowles." replied the FedEx employee.
"Just a minute please." as she phoned the doctor's office, getting voice mail. "Dr. Knowles isn't in her office, probably on rounds. You can leave the package here and I'll make sure she gets it."
"Thank you for the offer, but I'm required to get her signature." as he pulled a card from his pocket. "If you could have her call me when she's available, I can come back by."
"Of course. Have a nice day." the nurse spoke as she turned to write a note to attach to his card.
***Olivia's condo***
Running a hand over his face, the scent of citrus became stronger. As he turned over, he opened his eyes to find an empty bed and silence. A quick glance to see his gun was as he left it he raised up on his elbows and listened. Within a second he heard her in the bathroom. He swung his legs over the side of the bed, the sheet barely covering him. As he was reaching for his phone, she came out of the bathroom walking toward him, showered, dressed and beautiful as ever.
"Good morning." she said as she secured her earring.
"Morning." he responded as he watched her go about her routine. Checking the time on his phone, he couldn't remember the last time he slept in til eight forty-five, unless he was exceptionally hung over. Even more surprising to him was that he hadn't woke up when she got out of bed. Standing up, he caught her eyes in the mirror looking back at him.
"You're welcome to take a shower if you'd like." she stated forcing her eyes to not follow the downward path of the snake on his chest.
Pulling up his boxers he found near the foot of the bed, "I'll take one at T-M. Need to do a few things in the garage today." his agenda flowing effortlessly from his lips.
She could literally feel her body react to watching him walk half naked across the bedroom to put his clothes on. With a very clear mental picture of his entire naked body now secured in her mind, she found her voice. "Well, if you change your mind, there's clean towels in the linen closet." slowly turning and walking out of her bedroom. "Sassy and sexy" he whispered as he watched her walk out of the room.
Sitting the glass down, she answered her phone. "Olivia Parker."
"Miss Parker, it's Roberto from Windsor's. I'm getting in the elevator."
"Great. I have everything ready for you."
"I'll see you in just a minute." the broker said before hanging up. Glancing down at the boxes on her table, she was grateful that within the next few minutes she would be rid of the final physical reminder of a man she wasted four years on. Not that she had ever really committed herself to John emotionally, their relationship had become predictable, a routine that she knew inside and out. Hearing the knock on the door brought her out of her thoughts.
"Miss Parker. It's nice to see you again."
"You as well." giving the Italian the standard kiss on each cheek. "Please come in." spoke Olivia. "I'm very appreciative that Windsor's was willing to personally pick up the pieces."
Smiling back at the woman who he had always thought didn't know her true beauty, "It's our pleasure. Antonio would have been here himself, but a last minute custom order needed his expert attention."
"Thank you again. And please tell him I truly am grateful for the favor." smiling back at him. Walking toward the table, "I have all the pieces packaged and I have my own personal photos. I left the tops off, so that you can do your audit of each piece."
"Perfect. Since I already have the master list from the store, let me do a quick visual inspection and I can give you the insurance claim slip."
His head turned quickly toward the bedroom door the second he heard a man's voice...with a foreign accent. Quickly pulling his boots on, he stood, quietly making his way down the hall. Stopping just before he could be seen, he watched and listened. The unknown man stood beside of her checking the boxes on table. It irritated him that he was standing so close to her although he wasn't touching her. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a large shadow by the door. Deciding to make his presence known, he made his way into the living room.
She saw the odd look on Roberto's face instantly knowing her overnight guest had entered the room. As he walked past her, his arm lightly brushed hers causing a familiar feeling of excitement and comfort to run through her body. Watching as he slipped his kutt on, he looked even more lethal, as she noticed his stare went between the jeweler standing beside her and the armed guard standing over by her door. Seeing Roberto's slight reaction to Happy, she felt an introduction might ease the now tense room.
"Roberto, this is Happy. Happy, this is Roberto from Windsor's in Chicago." stated Olivia.
Simply nodding his head toward the extremely tattooed man, "Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Happy." to which is got a similar nod in return, Happy choosing to remain silent. Slightly unnerved by the appearance of an obvious biker, Roberto refocused his attention on the jewels in front of him. "All the pieces are in excellent condition. Each stone's setting is secure and meets our standards. Here is your claim slip showing the total insured value of $850,000."
The second the overdressed yuppy jeweler said $850,000 Happy's head turned toward Olivia, who looked unfazed at the amount as she read over the insurance form. Ever the steadfast soldier, his attention went back to the two strange men currently in her condo.
"Do you have any questions?" asked Roberto, looking at Olivia then glancing toward Happy. Shaking her head, "No, you've answered all my questions. Do you need anything else from me?"
"No. Everything's in order. We'll transport the items back to Chicago and hand deliver them back to Mr. Williams as you've requested."
Giving him a soft smile, "Thank you. Again, I really appreciate this."
Motioning toward the guard, Roberto closed the last box, placing it in the secure container then locking it. "I believe we're finished here. Miss Parker, it was a pleasure seeing you again."
"It was great to see you, Roberto. I hope you have a safe flight back to Chicago." she stated as she walked the two men to the door. "Thank you again for your help with this." she said watching them walk out. Giving a final wave, she closed the door, turning to find him staring at her. Walking back over toward the table, "I'm glad that's over." as she picked up the claim form.
"You sure you wanna part with it?" he asked still shocked at the value of the jewelry and her apparent eagerness to get rid of it.
Looking up at him, "Yes. Not a single doubt or hesitation." she replied seeing him stepping toward her.
"Alot of cash just walked out that door." now standing right in front of her, his hand finding her waist.
She raised her hand tracing the Men of Mayhem patch on his kutt, "Yeah, it did and I can't say I'm sad to see it go." feeling his thumb trace over her hip. Hearing her phone beep, she leaned around him to pick it up.
Need to move lunch to 1:30pm. T
Noticing the time on her phone, he needed to get to T-M before church. "Need to get going." he said watching her put the phone down on the table. She looked back up at him, shaking her head in agreement. "Me too. I need to get some things done at the office before I meet Tara." the small talk flowing freely between the two. Looking down at her, he let out a small laugh as she looked curiously back at him.
"What?" she asked wondering what he thought was funny.
Pulling her closer to him as his arm circled her waist, "You fell asleep last night right after you informed me of your sleeping habits."
She raised an eyebrow at his statement, not knowing what he was about to say. "I'm sorry. Was there something I missed?" she asked.
Shaking his head slowly, "Yeah. Looks like we agree on sleeping habits." looking in her eyes as she looked up at him. Lowering his voice to almost a whisper, "I don't do sleep overs and I don't cuddle." the words leaving his mouth just before his lips met hers. After a short but thorough kiss, he pulled back reluctantly knowing if he didn't put the brakes on things, he'd have her naked in seconds, but duty called.
Keeping her composure in check, she looked up at him, "That's good to know we agree on something." a slight smile falling across her face. He stepped around her making his way over to the door. Following behind him, she stopped seeing him turn around. Taking a step toward her, he bent down kissing her on the cheek. "Bye." he said as he opened the door walking out into the hallway.
"Bye." she replied seeing him turn and walk away.
***Outside Charming***
He stood back from the now simmering wood pile finishing his morning coffee. As he watched the last flame burn out into gray smoke, he took in his surroundings. The abandoned property was perfect...isolated, hidden among acres of thick brush and trees, the dirt driveway now covered over in grass was unnoticeable to someone driving past. His time frame was slowly dwindling down, so his plan needed to be flawless with no mistakes. His loyalty to his leader was as strong as ever, but the desire within him to conquer her was all consuming. With each day of watching her, his hunger for her grew. The realization of needing to move on his plan became crystal clear last night as he poured bleach over the body washing away any trace of him. Unable to find his subject, he had to settle for a substitute. As frustration of not being able to locate Olivia took over, he found himself two counties over looking for "her", and finding his prey leaving the gym. A final look down at the pile of burnt ash, he turned making his way back to the cabin. Opening the wooden door, he walked inside the small structure placing his cup in the sink before turning toward the bedroom. Pulling the closet door open, he tugged on the string turning on the light above. Pushing the row of clothes to one side, he smiled at the collection of photographs wallpapering the inside. He had added the latest pictures earlier this morning of her putting out lot signs at the job site yesterday. Although the photos were taken from a distance, he could make out every feature about her. Running a finger over her face on a close up he took as she left Oswald Properties, he smiled. "It won't be long now."
***St. Thomas Hospital***
"This so feels like junior high." said Olivia casually looking around the hospital cafeteria. "Complete with a lunch tray." smiling back at her friend.
"Ha ha." Tara responded amused and in agreement with the comment. "At least the foods good."
Shaking her head, "Who knew hospital food would be this good." as she took another bite of her baked chicken. "So how was the conference?"
"Great. There has been so much advancement in infant surgery since Abel was born. It's amazing." spoke Tara in awe of what she had witnessed over the weekend. "but I won't bore you with medical talk."
Laughing at her lunch companion, "Good, I probably wouldn't understand it anyway."
"Anything new with you?" she asked looking across the table.
"New?" That could be a loaded question considering the past few days. Let's see...Being escorted to meet her new client who just happens to be an associate of SAMCRO, then being turned down and humiliated by said escort, to learning that she was the prize in a sleazy bet, and finishing by allowing the man to spend the night last night..."No. Nothing new with me." It was best to keep the past few days happenings to herself.
"How's the neighborhood coming along?"
"Very well. All of my samples are now in so I plan on having a quiet evening of putting different decor packages together", sipping her water. "I'm supposed to pick up the tile and back splash selections later today."
"What about dinner one night this week?" Tara asked, noticing the time.
"Yeah. Just let me know what works for you.
"Okay. I've got rounds shortly and I want to go see Abel. Gemma's bringing him to daycare in about fifteen minutes."
Hearing Gemma's name was the perfect reason to quickly finish their lunch and avoid a potential run in with the Queen. Being volunteered for the upcoming charity auction was still a problem for her and she hadn't yet figured out how she was going to handle the situation. "I need to get going myself." she said putting her tray on the counter. "Just let me know what works." hugging Tara. "Thanks for lunch."
***T-M***
He had gone over the numbers about a thousand times and it still didn't add up. Even with the recent attorney bills SAMCRO had incurred in beating Agent Stahls bogus charges, the mother charter should still be earning more than SAMTAC. With more members, more lucrative dealings, SAMRCO should have more in the books than it's northern clubhouse. With a headache starting, Bobby closed the books deciding to look at the numbers later with a fresh eye. After locking everything away in the safe, he walked out of chapel intent on finding Clay.
"Shit!" complained Tig at the radiator he was trying to remove. "Fuckin' thing won't come out!" he seethed pulling on the part.
Wiping his hands, Happy walked away from the SUV in need of a oil change to help his irritated brother. Accessing the situation, he found the problem. "Hold on. You forgot one of the bolts." he stated, unscrewing it from the back. Throwing the bolt into the trash he walked back over to Expedition.
He wanted to ask him if he was able to talk to Olivia last night, but this wasn't a conversation Happy would even want to have, and especially not in a garage full of SAMCRO members and mechanics. He could only assume that's where he had been all night since he knew he hadn't stayed at the clubhouse. Happy had been his silent self in church, only commenting on the new shipment of guns that needed to be assembled. With the two of them on warehouse duty tonight, he'd try to find out what happened. But this was Happy he was talking about. Tig knew he had a better chance of fucking a Victoria Secret model than getting the Tacoma Killer to talk about a woman.
Hearing Clay's whistle, the two men made their way over, meeting Chibs and Juice. "Heading down to see Otto." spoke Clay to the group. "LuAnn couldn't make the visit, so we're going to check in with him." pointing to Bobby. "Won't be back until late. Tell the two frat boys Gemma wants the bathrooms cleaned before tomorrow morning."
"Give Otto our best, brother." Chibs said squeezing Bobby's neck.
"Will do."
***St. Thomas****
Thankful to be finished with rounds, she took a moment to close her eyes. Having three infants in critical condition was weighing heavy on her heart. Looking over at the picture of Abel, she felt both lucky that he was healthy but also guilty that those babies were fighting for their lives. Wanting to get her day over with, she dove in to the large pile of mail on her desk. The FedEx package she signed for earlier caught her attention. Pulling the tab across opening the package, she reached in pulling out a stack of black and white photos with a post it note attached.
Busy Boy
Crumbling up the note, she painfully went through the photos. She had seen them all before when that bitch Stahl had tried to take down the club, but it still hurt like hell to see them even now. Each picture showed Jax with a different girl...crow eaters, strippers and worst of all, Wendy. The photos were time stamped before she was even back in Charming, but it still broke her heart to see proof there had been other women. Of course there had been other girls. She wasn't stupid. Women threw themselves at him, wanting to be his old lady. Swallowing down the hurt and worry of him breaking her heart again, she walked over to her personal shredder and got rid of every damn picture.
***Oswald Warehouse***
The silence was freaking him out. Gun after gun they worked assembling the order without any words. At this point, Tig would welcome a beat down in the ring at Happy's hands than to go another second of not knowing if he had been able to salvage the shit storm he himself had caused. Fuck Koz. The next time he saw that piece of shit he was going to beat him into the next decade.
"Okay man. I can't take this quiet shit." he finally broke the silence. "I gotta know. You able to talk to her last night?" he questioned, lighting up a smoke to calm his nerves. "Brother, I know it was fucked up, but no way in hell would Koz be able to tap that."
Happy snapped his head toward Tig, his eyes going pitch black with anger, but he remained silent. It had actually surprised him that he was able to get her to even talk to him. When he opened her door last night, he knew without a doubt she was angry and had every right to be. He still wasn't convinced she believed that he hadn't known about the bet, a thought that bothered him. Picking up another gun, he went back to work.
"What can I do brother? Just tell me and I'll do it."
Staring back at Tig, he waited a few extra seconds before he spoke. "Nothing. You can do nothing." he finally said, watching Tig's eyes go wide.
"Shit man. She wouldn't talk to ya? Fuck!" he yelled feeling like shit. "You gotta let me try and fix this." he argued. "I know you like her man." earning a look from Happy.
"The fuck!"
Tilting his head to the side, "Dude, you really goin' a deny that?" inhaling a drag from his smoke. "Okay, so you don't like her. Why you get so pissed at the thought of pecker head tapping her?"
Pointing his finger at the man, "You fuckin' pushin' it." Happy warned.
Holding up his hands, "Okay..okay. Believe me man. I ain't gonna give ya shit for whatever the hell is going on between you two. Don't blame ya one bit. But I'm not blind. There's something there...on both sides." Tig finished watching Happy's facial expression slightly change. "Just know as always, I've got your back, brother."
Wanting out of this Hallmark moment, he looked over at his Sergant, "get back to work, dickhead." seeing a grin break out on Tig's face. The two men went back to work, quietly putting assault rifles together. But Tig being Tig, he couldn't help it.
"You stay at her place last night?" he asked still wanting to know if he talked to her.
"I said work dickhead." Happy growled back, a slight grin now on his face.
Anyone else might not have seen it, but Tig did and it confirmed what he had been wanting to know.
***Olivia's***
Staring at her dining room table, she was at a stand still. Every tile, granite and wood sample were laid out. All she had to do was work her usual magic. But her mind was elsewhere. She kept replaying last night's events in her mind. The end result had been fantastic...but was she again letting her attraction to this man override her common sense? Could she really believe that he knew nothing about the bet? They didn't know anything about each other, but she couldn't ignore she felt at ease around him, comfortable. Giving up on work, she sat down on her couch, her mind replaying every touch, every kiss, every single thrust of him deep inside of her. Shaking her head, Nope. Not going to think about him, she thought, determined to refocus her attention back on work. Walking back over to the table, she quickly stopped hearing a knock on her door. Quietly making her way over, she looked out the peep hole and felt her blood pressure rise. You have got to be kidding me. She counted to ten and slowly opened the door, coming face to face with Gemma Morrow.
"Hey." one simple word from the Queen of Samcro.
"Gemma. What brings you by?" asked Olivia, suddenly not in the mood for visitors.
Knowing this probably would not end well, she had to try. "I was hoping we could talk."
"Talk. Talk about what?" Olivia responded.
Letting out a small laugh, "You're not stupid, darling. You know what I want to talk to you about." looking back at her. "May I come in?"
Actually curious as to what Gemma had to say, she motioned for the woman to come in. Closing the door, she walked past the older woman to the couch, "Please have a seat."
This was new territory for the matriarch. She had promised Clay and Elliott that she would leave her alone, but she needed her to know exactly how important this fundraiser was and why she had signed her up. If you would have asked her a year ago if she would have been willing to explain her reasoning to anyone, especially a stranger, Gemma would have laughed in their face. Being violated the way she had been, had changed something in her. All her life she had been known as a cold ass bitch, but she was more than that. Even if no one really knew that side of her. If anyone would understand why she did what she did, Olivia would.
"You want to talk?"
"About the auction fundraiser."
"Oh. The auction you signed me up for without me knowing, fundraiser?"
Smirking back at her, "Yes, that one. I have my reasons for doing what I did." she said in her defense.
"Gemma, I'm not sure what I have to do with your reasons."
"We need to raise as much money as possible."
"Again, how does that involve me? I mean I'm happy to make a donation. All you had to do was ask."
Taking a deep breath, "You'll bring in alot of cash with men bidding on a date with you."
Laughing, "so you're pimping me out to the highest bidder?" she asked appalled Gemma had the nerve to come here.
"It's for a good cause."
"You're missing the bigger picture. You've signed me up for something that I had no idea about. Something I would have never agreed to."
Her frustration growing, she just blurted it out, "You're my best shot at the rose gardens being funded for the next two years!" her voice almost yelling.
Olivia was stunned. Gemma had yelled at her but her face looked as if she was in pain. "How about the truth Gemma. Why have you signed me up for this?"
She gave in. "You are my best option at getting the funding for the rose gardens...my father's rose gardens." she finished, her voice breaking at the mention of her father.
"Your father?" Olivia questioned, seeing Gemma's eyes tear up.
"Yes, my father. He created the Charming Rose Gardens in memory of my mother." she was able to say, forcing her tears back. "After my mom died, dad planted a rose garden. For the last ten years, he tended to the garden every day, making sure the garden was always in pristine condition. It was something that he and I did together...until he got sick." as she wiped a single tear from her cheek.
"He's sick?" Olivia asked, as she fought her own tears back, knowing all to well what it was like to have a sick father.
"Physically he's fine. But his mind is gone. Alzheimer's. He doesn't even know me now." she said, hating to show weakness in front of anyone.
She couldn't hold back her own tears. "I'm sorry. That must be hell." Olivia said not able to imagine her dad not being to recognize her when he was alive.
Looking back at her, "it's unbearable." the words coming out in a whisper. "I have to make sure the gardens continue on to honor him." as she wiped her eyes with a tissue. "Men will trip all over themselves at a chance to have a date with you."
Drying her own eyes, "so you think pimping me out is the way to go?"
"Just think of it as a way of meeting men?" Gemma said. "Or have you already found one?" she asked curious if the garage gossip of her and Happy was true.
Shifting in her seat, "Nope." she quickly responded, not wanting to discuss Happy with Gemma. She walked over to the kitchen, grabbing two waters, now having a better understanding of why Gemma had signed her up.
"You know, you could have asked me."
"Darling, I never do anything the easy way. Besides, would you have agreed to it?" she asked, doubting Olivia would have agreed.
Shrugging her shoulders, "If you had told me your true reason for wanting me to sign up, yes, I would have agreed." she paused. "I know first hand the power a father holds over a daughter."
She smiled back at her, "So are you doing to do it?" Gemma asked still wanting a confirmation from her.
Shaking her head in disbelief, "Yes, Gemma. I will do the charity auction. But just so we're clear. In the future, I expect to be asked before I'm pimped out." she said extending her hand.
Shaking her hand, "Deal." Looking down at her watch, "I better get home and let you get back to what you were doing." Gemma stood up from the couch. "How about we keep this little chat between us?"
Sensing Gemma's out of character visit, she obliged the Queen, "it's our little secret." Olivia said smiling back at the woman. "I appreciate your honesty." walking her guest to the door.
"Thanks for the talk. Have a good evening."
"Thanks. You too. I plan on a quiet rest of the night." she said opening the door. They both were startled to find him standing there.
He was about to knock on her door, when it opened with Gemma walking out. They stood there in an awkward silence, before Gemma turned toward Olivia.
"Thought you haven't found one?" she whispered to the surprised brunette. Turning back toward the door, "Good to see you tonight...Happy." as she walked out the door, smiling as she headed to the elevator.