Chapter Thirty-Four

Owen picked up the bottle of red wine and filled their glasses. He took a step closer to Olivia. “Here you are,” he said, “I hope you like this one.”

Olivia took a sip. “Mmm, it’s rather sweet. I like it.”

Owen clinked his glass to hers. “To a successful conference.”

Olivia smiled. “We did great, didn’t we? Martha was very pleased with all the deals we made.”

“You were great, indeed.”

Olivia blushed. She took another sip of her wine. “Thanks, but it was teamwork. Martha should get credit too.”

Owen laughed. “I’ll make sure to tell her when I see her next.”

“Maybe we should call her to join us.”

Owen raised his eyebrow. “You really think I need Martha’s company right now?” He took another step closer to her.

“What shall we toast to next?” Olivia said, raising her glass in an obvious attempt to keep him at arm’s length.

Owen looked at her with mirth in his eyes. He knew their proximity was affecting her. He felt the same way too. He wanted nothing more than to take that final step separating them and wrap his arms around her. To feel her body against his again. To taste the sweet wine off her lips and drink his fill till they were both breathless and sated. But he also knew that Olivia wasn’t ready for that yet, and he needed to rein his lust and pace himself until she felt comfortable around him again.

He mimicked her, raising his own glass high. “I think we should toast to this beautiful night sky…”

Olivia looked up for a moment. “It is beautiful, isn’t it?” She pointed to a star on their left. “That one is very bright tonight. We should make a wish.”

“I know what I wish for tonight,” he said, making Olivia look at him again.

“What would that be?” she asked, curious.

Owen flashed her with a bright smile but didn’t answer her question. Instead, he clinked his glass to hers again and said, “To us.”

“To us,” Olivia repeated and brought the glass to her lips.

Owen watched her every movement with hungry eyes. When Olivia licked her lips after swallowing the wine, he felt his body stir to life. He swallowed hard to rein in his lust. He averted his eyes and took a step away until his back was touching the tiles again. If he didn’t get a hold of himself now, he was sure he would get her naked in seconds. And that was surely not called “Pacing Yourself.” He needed to give her time. He needed her to be sure she wanted to be intimate with him again, and most of all, he needed her to stay this time.

“So, what did you think of our clients?” he asked, trying to get his mind into safer matters again.

“I actually had fun meeting so many people. At first, I thought I would get tongue-tied, but as time went by, I found myself relaxing, and it became so easy as if I had been doing presentations for years.”

“Yes, I saw that,” Owen said. “I am actually very impressed.”

“You are?”

He brought his glass to his lips and drank a long gulp. “I wasn’t the only one… apparently.”

“What do you mean?” Olivia asked, tilting her head to the side.

“John seemed enchanted by you.”

Olivia snorted. “Enchanted,” she repeated, waving her hand in dismissal. “As if. He was just polite, Owen.”

It was his turn to snort now. “Oh, trust me. That was far from him being polite. He was totally into you.”

“I don’t think so,” Olivia said.

“I do,” Owen countered with conviction. “He was flirting with you. I know his body language. I’ve known the guy for years, so trust me when I say this.”

“Owen, we were just discussing business,” Olivia said, her voice taking a defensive tone.

“Is that so? You think I didn’t see you touching him? Weren’t you getting a bit too familiar, Olivia?”

She looked shocked by the accusation. “Are you insane? What are you talking about?”

Owen took her hand and placed it on his arm, imitating the way she had held John. “See? See, how my body just reacted? You think he didn’t feel that too?”

Olivia tried to remove her hand, but he held it in place. “It’s not the same thing, Owen.”

“Isn’t it? Do you know the effect you have on men, Olivia? Especially when you smile.”

Olivia was looking at him like he had just grown a second head. “You are obviously mistaking me to one of your model ex-girlfriends.”

“No, Olivia, I’m serious. And you know I’m right on this one. Otherwise, John wouldn’t have said that he would steal you from me.”

“Is that what this is all about? You are accusing me of flirting with our clients because of a stupid comment he made?”

“Not all clients,” Owen said. “Just John.”

“I already told you that it was just business.”

“What did he offer you, Olivia?”

She remained silent, so Owen pressed on. “What could he possibly offer you that I can’t? Why did you accept his card?”

Olivia’s jaw dropped. “So what if I took it? Isn’t that the purpose of this conference? To connect with new clients?”

“It was more than that, and you know it. What did he offer you, Olivia?” Owen asked again. “A higher position, more money, his hand in marriage?”

“Yes, Owen,” Olivia said in defiance. “All of that. Satisfied now? Isn’t that what you wanted to hear? That your friend fell in love with me at first sight and he just can’t wait to whisk me away from you?”

She pushed him back and stood up. “I don’t believe this. An important businessman shows interest in my ideas and offers me a job that I could actually thrive on and be more than a simple office assistant, which I would have done if I didn’t have to take care of Jude and finished my degree.” Olivia tightened her fists to control her evident anger. “And all that goes through your stupid head is that he wants to fuck me.”

“He does,” Owen retorted.

“Are you even listening to me? I am telling you about what I wanted my future to be like and all you heard was ‘fuck’? Maybe that’s all you have in your mind and not John.”

She was right. That was exactly what he had in mind. When she stood up, instead of on her words, his mind focused on her body. The way droplets trickled down her full breasts and her taut belly till they disappeared under the water, close to the place he wanted to bury himself once again.

“That’s it. I am out of here,” Olivia said and moved towards the steps.

Owen stood up and hugged her from behind. “You are not going anywhere, Olivia. You are not leaving, not this place, not my company.”

He turned her around, so she was facing him. “Not my life. You hear? You are mine. You belong with me. Anything you want, Olivia. Anything! I will give it to you as long as you never leave again.”

He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to his body, leaving no space between them. “I love you, Olivia. And I am not letting you go again.”

He crashed his lips on hers, and feeling Olivia responding, he deepened the kiss, paving the way for a night of passion and promised bliss.