“Olivia Mother-fucking Harris!” Aubrey marches toward the noise, then quickly shuts the bedroom door behind her. The men accompanying her come inside, and the three of us remain quiet as we eavesdrop on Aubrey’s ranting. “I know you’re in here… Are you kidding me? Why haven’t you answered your phone? Do you have any idea how much work it was finding you?Ugh, it smells like sex in here! And why are there so many sheets in the corner?” There’s a brief pause, and I don’t think Olivia has had a moment to respond to the rapid-fire until now. Tim, the other man who’s yet to introduce himself, and I are all in shock as Aubrey continues her tirade. “Livy! You were supposed to have dinner. Catch up! Not catch a cock in your cunt.”
I clear my throat. “Good morning, gentlemen.”
“Please tell me she didn’t stay the night with you,” the man asks with an exasperated sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose.
I glance over to Tim, who confirms with a nod that he’s been briefed. “Yes, she stayed with me last night,” I admit, wishing I had more than a tee and sweatpants on. “She didn’t have anywhere else to go since her Chief of Staff was busy in their room.”
“It seems the two of you are trying to undo all of the hard work we’ve done over the past few months to squash the rumors about you.”
My brows furrow. “I’m sorry, who are you?”
Tim guides us deeper into the suite as the other man replies, “Ned Collins,” offering his hand. “I work with a variety of people in Washington, as well as internationally, and happened to be here for the inauguration when Ms. Raine reached out about Governor Harris being… careless.”
“It’s not what it looks like,” I rush out, hoping none of this will jeopardize last night. “As I said, Olivia told me she had nowhere else to stay. The hotel is completely booked. I did what any friend would do.” The f-word is sour on my tongue, but based on the shouting coming from the other room, Livy and I can’t hide this much longer.
“I see. Well, we’ve brought Ms. Harris a change of clothing to ensure her ‘walk of shame’ isn’t noticeable.”
“I assure you, I only want what’s best for?—”
“I’ve got it from here,” Aubrey insists, exiting the bedroom. “The story will be that Olivia stayed in the bed, and Isaac was a perfect gentleman, sleeping on the couch, as seen by the extra blankets required by housekeeping.” She dumps a pile of sheets beside the sofa. “Wouldn’t you agree, Prime Minister Banks?”
“Yes,” I answer a bit too quickly, honestly a bit intimidated by Aubrey. The fun woman from last night flirting with a bartender is now replaced with a calculated political strategist. I’m not surprised. If anything, I’m impressed.
“Perfect. Ned will ensure everything is taken care of from a PR standpoint should anything get out. I’ll have breakfast downstairs with Olivia before she has to get ready for the inauguration.”
“Actually,” I hedge, “I reserved a table for breakfast for you, me, Livy, as well as three extra seats for our team to discuss next steps.”
“There will be no next steps,” she seethes, narrowing her eyes.
Ned attempts to diffuse it by offering, “Perhaps we should have breakfast here to ensure we’re all on the same page before the ceremony later,” but it does little to appease Aubrey.
“Ned’s right.” All of us turn to find Olivia in the doorway of the bedroom wearing a dark blue sleeveless dress, hair pinned, but no makeup applied. She won’t be camera-ready for later, but she’s even more stunning this way.
“You’ve always looked beautiful in blue,” I sigh, not caring who hears.
Aubrey rummages through her purse in search of something and corrects, “It’s cerulean,” then passes Olivia a tube of what appears to be lipstick or lipgloss.
Livy takes it from her, but won’t meet my eyes. I should’ve predicted this. Her posture is downright regal. I was so caught up in winning her back that I’ve forgotten she isn’t the same girl from college. She’s stronger. Bolder. The same fire from lastnight but from a completely different angle. She’s now leading one of the largest economies in the world, with nearly the same population of Canada. Seeing her like this is a complete one-eighty from last night—the woman who needed to relinquish control, flipping from my sweet, submissive Olivia to a powerful leader with the snap of her fingers.
It doesn’t mean I’ll stop chasing her. If anything, it only makes me want her more.
“Anyone could overhear our conversation downstairs, so breakfast here is best,” Aubrey agrees. “Would someone ensure Wes is here as well?”
She collects everyone’s orders, then calls down to the restaurant to cancel the reservation and have our food delivered to the suite. While we wait, the ladies sit on the couch, whispering to each other. Not once has Olivia looked over at me. A few minutes pass in awkward silence between me and Ned while he types on his phone. He seems to know a lot more than he’s letting on, but I’m too on edge to inquire without it coming out accusatory.
There’s a knock at the door, and Tim answers it. Once he briefly interrogates the visitor, Ned gets up and explains, “That’s Westley, Olivia’s head of security,” and makes his way over to them.
It isn’t until I’m left alone at the table that Olivia’s eyes finally meet mine. There’s a sadness I haven’t seen in them, at least not since I left New York. Last night, I was thinking with my heart instead of my head, consumed with love and lust for her. It hasn’t gone away, but I should’ve listened to Livy when she said it wasn’t our time. I hate that after all this time I finally have her back, and there’s a chance I may lose her again.
Westley enters and joins Olivia and Aubrey, while Ned and Todd return to the table. Ned’s voice pulls my attention to him. “There’s a charge to your room for a few drinks and food after you had dinner. Did anyone see you together?”
“How do you know that?”
He adjusts his glasses and smirks. “I’m good at my job. I’m normally hired for more urgent matters, but my client is insistent that I ensure Ms. Harris has only positive media attention until the summit in Canada.”
“Well, it seems Aubrey and I are on the same page.”
“I never said my client was Ms. Raine. It goes without saying that you and Ms. Harris must keep your relationship strictly platonic from now until after the conference. No more candlelit dinners, no more gifts. No more nachos.”
