Page 10 of She’s a Big Deal
Really? Olivia was not so sure how to take all this. What did she mean, too much content? Wasn’t a gallery supposed to showcase her work? Dammit! She was actually very proud of her website. She’d done her research on which platform to use, slaved over the layout of the gallery, learned all about SEO, and carefully selected each photo…
“You did not include the shots from your phone that you just showed me,” Grace stated as if she could read her mind. “I wonder why?”
“Well, these are more recent pieces, so I was—”
“Ah!” Not even bothering with the answer to her question, Grace made a face as she scrolled to the bottom of the welcome page, presumably to emphasize the fact that it took a long time. Then she fixed her with laughing eyes. “Squarespace, uh?”
“Yes?” Olivia prompted, irritated now.
“Don’t tell me you designed your own website?”
“I certainly did. I take it you disapprove?”
“I certainly do not.” Grace agreed, looking amused.
As she crossed a slender leg, getting more comfortable, her foot brushed against the side of Olivia’s shin. On purpose? Hard to tell, and it only added to her fluster .
“Tell me why you don’t approve,” she pushed.
“It’s not efficient. Surely you can afford a professional to do this kind of thing for you?”
“Yes... But why would I hire someone else to do something I can?”
“Just because you can doesn’t mean you should. That’s why you don’t cut your own hair and go to a professional instead of—” Grace stopped abruptly as her eyes drifted, indeed, to her hair. Biting on her lip, she clearly suppressed a smile. “Oh, okay. You do cut your own hair.”
“No, actually. Anyway. Are you always so judgmental and rude?”
“Have I offended you?” Grace laid her fingers on her arm, eliciting another involuntary shiver. “Sorry, Olivia. Didn’t mean to.”
This must be true, though her tantalizing smirk indicated she wasn’t that sorry. This was a game. Olivia suspected she was being teased and tested. The realization that she was enjoying it was quite startling.
“It takes more than a remark about my hair to offend me,” she stated, hoping that she was not blushing too hard. “This being said, you are pretty effortlessly insulting.”
“So I’m told.” Grace shrugged. “I guess it just depends on how open you are to receiving helpful feedback. From what little I’ve seen of it, your work deserves better than a half-assed website job.”
“I worked hard to create that site.”
“That’s why I don’t fix my own toilet.”
“I beg your pardon?”
Grace chuckled. “Still on the same theme, darling. Meaning I know where my skills lie, and I focus on that. All the rest of it, I am happy to delegate. Why would you waste your valuable time and innate talent sweating on something that you can easily pass on to an expert? Someone who’ll do it better, quicker, and more successfully?”
She sounded genuinely interested and slightly impatient as well. She made a good point too. Though Olivia would rather go running naked in the snow outside than admit it to the woman, who clearly did not require more vindication of her own worth, she was keenly aware that her arrogance and general bluntness were a fabulous turn-on.
“When it comes to my business, I like to handle everything myself,” she offered.
“Ah...” Grace squeezed her fingers and briefly rubbed her thumb over the back of her hand before letting go. “Spoken like a true control freak.”
“I am absolutely not a control freak.” Olivia’s protest came out a little weaker than she would have liked on account of that lingering touch.
“You may balk at the idea, but what else do you call this?”
“Simply being resourceful and resilient.”
“Do you? How about stubborn?”
“Speak for yourself, your Highness.”
Grace threw her head back and laughed, exposing the long, delicate column of her throat and making Olivia want to stare. Or kiss her there. Yes… Definitely kiss her.
“You’re not the first one to call me that, Olivia.”
“No kidding?” It was Olivia’s turn to smirk ironically.
“None whatsoever. All I’m saying is that your DIY website may not be helping much with your overall reach.”
“Not likely.” Olivia used her own words from before. “And as you said, you’re not an expert in that area.”
“Alright. Fair enough.”
“So…”
“So.” Grace leaned toward her with a knowing smile, also amused and sexy at the same time. “Thank you for a lively chat, but it’s time.”
“Time?”
“To call it a night. I want to check my emails before bed, and I have an early appointment tomorrow.”
It was already ten o’clock... Wow.
“Of course.” Olivia followed as Grace stood up. “Thank you as well. I didn’t realize it was this late.”
“Time flies when in good company.”
Had Grace just told her she was good company? Or was she talking about herself again? Olivia thought definitely the former, this time.
“Yes,” she smiled. “I really…—”
What happened next took her entirely by surprise. She lost her words and swayed with a rushing wave of light-headedness. Before she could react and get herself under control, everything went black. The next thing she was aware of was something soft but firm brushing against her cheek. She caught a whiff of heady but also strangely calming perfume. Amber and sandalwood? One hundred percent feminine. Olivia thought herself immune to any but the scent of fresh, strong pine. She must have been wrong, obviously. This perfume went straight to her head in a good way. She felt instantly safe and protected.
“Olivia.” A low and silky voice called to her.
When she opened her eyes, she was initially aware of only some shimmering shades of turquoise blue. As she blinked, her world suddenly righted itself, and she realized that she was gazing straight into Grace Michaels's eyes.
“Are you okay?” the woman asked.
“Uh… Yeah…?”
Olivia took stock of the situation. She had dropped back on her stool, and now Grace was standing very close, with one arm securely wrapped around her shoulders. She felt a lot stronger than she looked. Olivia could tell since she was pressed tightly against her side, basically in her arms. What happened? The wall clock only read 22:01, so, hopefully, nothing too embarrassing. The something soft but firm against her cheek turned out to be Grace’s right breast under a layer of her shirt. No bra? Olivia was pretty sure. She swallowed and drifted a bit more with that image.
“Hey.” Grace snapped her fingers in front of her eyes, her tone in sharp contrast with the gentleness of her embrace. “Stay with me.”
“Okay.” Still dazed, Olivia smiled. “I’d love to.”
◆◆◆
Grace watched it happen. As Olivia stood up, every bit of color drained from her face. Her large, expressive, dark eyes emptied and glazed over. It was frighteningly quick, and no doubt she would have dropped if Grace had not been there to catch her. Now the woman was staring at her with that goofy, horny, and frankly, hugely attractive smile on her lips. Grace resisted the urge to hug her. What was up with that anyway? She clasped her chin instead and ignored the dreamy look in her eyes.
“What happened, Olivia?”
“I went dizzy.”
“I saw that. What did you have for dinner?”
“Dinner? Ah… I didn’t have time for it.”
“No wonder you’re not well. Good thing I was with you, or you’d have smashed your forehead on the marble floor. Yeah,” Grace nodded when she saw her wince. “Not a nice thought.”
“Thanks for catching me.”
“You’re welcome.” Grace also had to bite her tongue, not to mention that it had been a pleasure.
“I’ll have some food when I get home.”
“You’re not driving home before you have food. Actually, you’re not driving, period.”
“I meant I’ll take an Uber. Uh… Where’s my phone?”
Grace noticed a slight tremor in her fingers as she passed it to Olivia. Olivia was still as white as a sheet, and a thin layer of sweat glistened on her forehead. This looked like a typical low-blood-sugar event prompted by a lack of food, a couple of strong drinks, and perhaps stimulating conversation as well. So…
“No,” she decided.
“No?” Olivia repeated, looking confused.
“You’re not taking an Uber home at this time of night when you’re not feeling a hundred percent.”
“But—”
“No, but. Come with me.” Grace pulled her to her feet and kept a steadying arm around her waist as she led her toward the elevators.
“Where are we going?”
“My room.”
“Oh?” Olivia’s hopeful glance was endearing. Grace had to laugh, though it made her blood quicken as well. “Not for some wild sex, Ms. Bianchi. You are in urgent need of sustenance. And then you’ll rest. My suite is plenty big enough for the two of us tonight.”
“Well,” Olivia grumbled. “I’m not sure I want to do that.”
Grace moved in front of her to hit the top floor button on the elevator panel. She turned back to see Olivia grab hold of the brass railing for balance.
“Tough,” she shrugged. “That’s what you’ll do.”
“This feels like an abduction.”
“Feel free to experience it any way you like.”
“Man!” Olivia half-laughed and half-groaned. “Who’s the control freak now, eh?”
Of course, there was a reason for it, and it was still painful. Grace knew Charlie would not have said anything to her young friend. She also decided not to share her personal business. But the memories were especially vivid tonight. Being in Red Falls, with this dark-eyed woman... Grace chased tragic pictures out of her mind. This was here, now. Focus.
“They have chips and vegan burgers on room service here. In case this might make your kidnapping a bit more enjoyable for you.”
Olivia did lick her top lip at the news. “You know just how to talk to a girl, huh?”
“Practice makes perfect. I’ve had lots of it.”
“I like you, Grace.” Now she wobbled with a weak chuckle.
“Of course you do.”
“I find you arrogant, irritating, and stubborn.”
“Uh-huh.”
“But you are also gentle and caring. I think you try to hide your softer side. It’s not working. I can see right through you.”
“Instead of giving me the shrink treatment, see if you can walk in a straight line.”
Grace guided Olivia to her door with a strong grip around her arm when she struggled. Then across the main room, straight to the sofa. “Sit. Don’t pass out on me, okay?”
“’Kay.” Olivia exhaled. “Ah… I’m sorry about this.”
“No need. Just don’t faint. Olivia...” Grace held her steady as she started to pitch to the side, probably to do just that. “Eat first, sleep later.”
“Wild sex? When?”
“Not on the menu.”
The promised burger, an extra-large portion of chips, and a plant-based strawberry milkshake were delivered a few minutes later.
“Jesus,” Olivia muttered, reaching for the drink with shaky hands. She had to use both so as not to spill it. “Is this getting worse?”
“You’ll feel better as soon as the food hits your system. This never happened to you before?”
“No. Why? Is it a thing?”
“You just went hypo-glycemic. It happened to me a few times in my previous career. I was a professional dancer,” Grace added at Olivia’s prompting look.
“Oh, that explains it then.”
“What?”
“The graceful way you move.” Olivia smiled at her around a mouthful of burger. “And underlying strength. You felt strong when you were holding me. Were you a ballet dancer?”
“At first, yes. Then I specialized in social Latin styles.”
“Like Salsa? One of my exes was really into that.”
“ One of them?” Grace prompted, surprised to feel a flash of irritation at the thought of even a single one. “How many of them might there be?”
Olivia fixed her with suddenly rosy cheeks and a sheepish smile. “That didn’t come out right. Not many exes. I don’t date a lot.”
Grace spotted a telling flicker across her eyes as she said this. Hurt? Grief? Both, she suspected. And again, this triggered a powerful impulse to soothe and protect. Grace was well aware of this trait of character in herself. She invariably assumed the role of protector in her relationships. This being said it was a long time since she had felt the urge so strongly. There was also the fact that this woman was absolutely not her type… Right?
“Do you still dance?” Olivia asked.
“Now and then. Only for fun and pleasure.” As her phone rang, Grace seized on a timely excuse to end the conversation. “Enjoy your meal, Ms. Bianchi. And yell if you need anything. Goodnight.”