Chapter 12 — Ross

Over the last couple of weeks, spending time with Aunt Veronica on a Friday night and Olivia nearly every night had made everything that was complicated in my life, plain sailing. I didn’t feel frustrated when I wasn’t with Olivia. Instead, I’d taken up trying to figure out what to do when the takeover took place.

I would be working thirty hours per week, something that I hadn’t done since college. Even then I didn’t think that I studied that much. I seemed to have a natural gift for figures. I suppose it runs in the family. Dad used to work with hedge funders and so do a couple of my uncles. We all work in finance, and the women in my family seemed to love the law. A perfect combination.

It was Thursday night and we were due to meet both Alec and his wife, Erika, to go out for dinner. We were going on a double-date, something that I’d done so infrequently that I could count on one hand how many times I’d actually done it. The last couple of times that I did do it, it was because Erika had decided that I needed to settle down. She’d arranged a couple of blind dates and regretted making the effort when they became one-night stands. Ones that I had no intention of seeing ever again. They’d ended up crying on her shoulder and Alec warned me that the next time Erika decided to introduce me to her friend, I should refuse.

I did, and she soon gave up, realizing that there was no hope for me to ever settle down. But, as the saying goes, never say never.

“Are we waiting for Erika?” Olivia asked as she came into my office. Alec was sitting on the sofa tying things up before we left the office.

“She’ll meet us at the restaurant. It’s easier for her to do it that way. She wants to make sure that everything’s right for the nanny,” Alec popped up his head and said to Olivia.

“Oh yeah, I forgot that you had kids.”

Alec sighed, “Five of them. Who the fuck has five kids these days? But then the way they carry on you would think that we had twenty.”

Olivia said, “They can’t be that bad.”

"Yeah, that’s a bit of an exaggeration, we’re just a bit protective, because of what happened…”

Then there was an uncomfortable silence as Olivia looked confused and Alec’s eyes darted to mine. Whenever we talked about Erika losing her baby, this would happen and I didn’t know if Alec wanted to share their tragedy, especially because Olivia hadn’t even met Erika yet. Erika went through something, something that no woman should ever experience. It was so fucking heartbreaking. Alec took a lot of time off work, so that they could get through it together. In hindsight, that was part of the reason they’re part of the 'Fifty Shades' club, because it meant that they could reconnect and deal with their tragedy and have an activity outside of the home together.

“Okay, we wouldn’t want to keep her waiting,” Olivia said as she tried to change the subject. She didn’t know what had brought up the silence, maybe I would fill her in on it later. Maybe I wouldn’t, because it wasn’t my business to tell anyone even if Olivia and I were officially dating. Either way, Alec agreed, and she headed back to her desk to grab her purse. Alec logged out and finished his work and I did the same as we stood up and headed to the elevator ready to leave.

We talked about the deal and what it would mean; we left out the part about Olivia leaving in less than two weeks’ time. Our deal was for her to work six weeks and it was as if it was a ticking time bomb as the weeks were flying by and I knew that she would have to leave. I was quiet as they both talked because part of me was thinking about Olivia leaving and even if she wanted to stay as my secretary, I couldn’t let her do that.

She was too talented for such a role and I would be less of a man expecting her to stay in this position. Even if she had turned things around in such a short space of time.

The restaurant was near the office. Olivia walked between the two of us and she was smiling time. I wondered if part of her excitement was due to going out in the city, or if she was in good company. Either way, it was nice hearing her talk about her mom and the improvements that she’s having. Olivia admitted that she was comfortable not being by her side all the time, unlike in the past.

“Olivia, I think that you’ve put a magic spell on my friend.”

She laughed. “Why do you say that?”

I knew that he was going to say something that would make me regret agreeing to the date night. A few fucking weeks and I was watching shows and doing everything that I’d never in a million years have thought of doing.

The whole thing should have bugged me. make me want to break up with her and given me that itch to be free. Maybe Alec was right, and Olivia was some kind of witch and she’d put me under some magic spell.

“I’ve hardly been on a double date with Ross, and do you want to know how many years I’ve known him?”

Olivia’s eyes darted to me, but then Alec offered his arm for her to loop in so that they could walk and talk.

“Ever since college, over fifteen years ago.”

Now I was the one doing the laughing. “Not that long, surely?”

Alec stopped in his tracks. “For someone’s that’s the fucking CFO. You’re kind of crap at math.”

“I don’t think that it’s the math that’s the problem, just the denial of his true age,” Olivia said. I smiled at her. She had a tendency to say things that a guy would say.

As we walked and took in the cool summer breeze, I realized that it was a nice night for a walk, besides, I’d given Wilson the day off. The man worked too hard and I didn’t need him at my beck and call all the time.

She teased, “I bet this is your secret fantasy, you guys having a woman between you.”

Alec protested immediately, “I’m a married man. I don’t have fantasies.”

And we all laughed at the idea of it. I knew that there was no way that he didn’t have fantasies and I bet he played them out as soon as they finished at their 'Fifty Shades' meetings or group thing, whatever he called it.

As soon as we got to the restaurant, we saw Erika was outside waiting. I expected her to be inside, not outside. She seemed a little distressed and I wondered if she was alright.

“What you doing out here, hon?” Alec asked as he kissed her on the cheek.

“I hate sitting in a restaurant alone. I prefer to be outside.”

He kissed her again and said, “So you can smoke?”

I glanced across the curb; she must have thrown it when she saw us, and she must have picked up her bad habit again. The one that Alec hated so much. I remembered that he was dubious about dating her, because of her smoking. He hated it so much, but he never pushed her to quit. If anything, she did it naturally, because he hated it so much.

“Just one night. Come on.” She shrugged her shoulders, and before Alec could reply, Erika darted toward Olivia. “You must be the woman that’s put a spell on Ross.”

Where had we heard that before?

Olivia said, “I’m the wicked witch of the East and I’ve put a spell on your friend. Alec just said the same thing to me a few minutes ago.”

We laughed at her. It was then that I realized that not only is she beautiful, but funny too. I was in fucking trouble. Because I was falling in love with this woman and there was no turning back. It didn’t matter if I wanted to try and stop it. I couldn’t.