Souls ReAligned (13 page)

She’s relieved for a moment. There are too many concerns swirling around in her head right now. Publicity scandals. Control freak boyfriends. Gah!

John takes his phone out of his pocket, “I’ll text him and let him know you’re here. Maybe he can get away early.”

“NO!” she practically screams, causing John to look up at her startled.

Embarrassed by her reaction, she offers him an explanation, “Please don’t. I’ve been looking forward to this night with my friends, and if he shows up I won’t be able enjoy myself.”

John rubs his hand on his chin, “Ah... he’s done something to upset you. I was with him this afternoon when he received your text.”

Joining her friends in the booth, she doesn’t respond. John ensures everyone is well looked after and then turns to leave, “Have a nice evening, ladies. Please let me know if there’s anything you need.”

Olivia forces a smile in his direction. Nodding, he puts his hand on her shoulder and gives it a reassuring squeeze. Leaning in he whispers in her ear, “Go easy on him. He’s never been in love before.” Olivia’s face flushes red and her stomach flip-flops.
Love?

When John walks away, Olivia realizes that the conversation at the table has stopped completely. Looking up, she finds her friends all staring at her.

“What was that all about?” Diana asks.

“Nothing.” Olivia rolls her eyes, trying to deflect the question, but can do nothing to hide the red flush on her cheeks.

Time passes quickly as they drink, dance, and make observations about every other girl in the bar. All the normal things girls do on a ‘girl’s night out.’ Kelly comes whizzing back to the table with exciting news, “He’s here!”

“Who’s here?” Margaret asks.

“The new owner! I just saw him.”

Everybody but Olivia turns to look. She wants to leave now. When she looks up at the front door John catches her eye, nodding toward the bar to let her know where Ethan is. She blows out a long breath.

“You okay?” Kelly asks.

“Yes, I’m fine.”

“What’s going on with you tonight? What aren’t you telling us?” Margaret asks.

Olivia looks around the table at her friends, as they wait for an explanation for her strange behavior. This requires an avoidance tactic.

“I have to go to the bathroom.” Wiggling her way out of the booth, she quickly heads to the back of the room.

Standing in front of the mirror, she freshens up her makeup and then brushes her hair. Adjusting her top, she makes sure everything is appropriately covered. Ethan would blow a gasket if it weren’t.

Annoyance knocks on her inner conscience’s door. Why is she suddenly worried he’ll be upset? This is her life, her body. Staring at herself, she takes a deep breath as a refreshing surge of confidence moves through her. Adjusting her bra and tugging on the hem of her top, she makes her breasts stick out and say, ‘
hello!
’ through the plunging neckline. Returning to her seat, she glances over at the bar and spots Ethan talking to John. She looks away when he turns to look straight at her. She feels immature with her need to make him squirm.
Let’s just see who’s in control tonight.

“Oh my God! He’s hot!” Margaret whispers as she watches him approach in his dark blue and white striped shirt. The collar buttons are undone and he has casually untucked the tailored waist showing off his perfect body.

“I think he’s coming over here!” Kelly whispers, giddy with excitement.

His trademark charm is at its full capacity when he reaches the table, “Ladies, I hope you’ve been enjoying yourself tonight.”

Not being shy at all, Margaret engages him in conversation, “Yes, it’s been awesome.”

“Good.” Looking at Olivia, he chuckles at how uncomfortable she looks.
Jesus, the woman can hold a grudge.

Kelly jumps in, “We wanted to be here for the grand opening but we couldn’t get in.”

“Oh, now that’s a shame, I’ll have to find a way to make it up to you,” Ethan is fully aware that Olivia is ignoring him. She fakes interest in watching the people on the dance floor, avoiding the conversation all together.

Margaret turns in her seat, playing with her hair, and flirting for all she’s worth, “We were really disappointed. We almost didn’t get in tonight either, but then that guy you were just talking to, saw Olivia and rushed us to the front of the line.”

“Well of course he did, my instructions to John this evening were to make sure that all the beautiful women were seated right away.”

The girls all swoon when he flashes them his panty-melting smile. Olivia suddenly feels her claws coming out. She hates that other women get to see that smile.

Margaret continues her questioning, “So I don’t see a ring, are you single?”

Olivia’s stomach twists and her hands visibly squeeze the glass she’s holding in her hand.
Is she fucking serious?

Ethan laughs at her boldness, “No, I’m seeing someone.” He glances over at Olivia in curiosity. Is this a test? He’s all too familiar with the games women play.

“Is it serious?” Margaret bravely asks.

“Yes, I’m very serious about this girl,” his Dom side starts to feel a little chafed at her refusal to look at him. There’s more to her behavior than just being upset with him. She’s hiding their relationship, and that he finds disturbing, especially since he fought so hard for it.

Margaret reaches over and touches his arm letting her hand dwell there. “Well, that’s bad news for me, I guess,” she bats her eyelashes at him, making Olivia feel nauseous.

Ethan looks at Margaret’s hand on his arm and then glances up at Olivia. Her face flushes beet red, as she continues to pretend that she’s not paying attention.
Bloody stubborn woman!
Taking a step back, he makes room for one of the servers to pass, forcing Margaret to withdraw her hand. He’s not sure what’s going on, but he’ll give Olivia something to think about until he can speak with her alone.

“Well, if she ever decides that she can’t stand to have me around anymore, I’ll be sure to let you know,” he leans down closer to her, “I’ve always fancied redheads.” As he stands, he winks at her making her glow.

Going completely out of her mind at the exchange taking place in front of her, Olivia’s body goes tense. When she makes the mistake of glancing at him for just a brief second, Ethan pounces at the opportunity the minute she makes eye contact.

“Olivia, can I talk to you in my office for a few minutes.”

Damn it!

Margaret’s mouth hangs open in shock at his request. From Olivia’s body language, she immediately knows what’s going on. Turning back in her seat, she looks extremely disappointed. Diana glances back and forth at everyone looking confused.

“Sorry, I’m busy with my friends right now.” She holds his gaze determined not to give in.

He does appreciate that her stubbornness certainly matches his own. He gives her sort of a half smirk, accepting that her rejection is due to her earlier expressed anger.

“Of course, I don’t mean to interrupt. Sometime before you leave then.”

She almost growls in frustration.
How dare he act so gallant and charming!

There’s a loud ruckus from the front of the bar that grabs Ethan’s attention, “If you’ll excuse me, ladies, duty calls.”

The four girls sit in silence after he leaves. “What the
hell
am I missing?” Diana finally asks.

Trying to avoid any more questions, Olivia gets to her feet, “I think we need to go dance.”

They are quickly joined by a couple of men on the dance floor. Focusing his attention solely on Olivia, one of them occasionally leans in to talk to her. He’s a perfect gentleman. She’s extremely glad for that, since every time she looks up, Ethan is standing at the rail watching her. She tries to ignore him, but it’s a difficult task.

Directly across the dance floor John is standing guard. Ethan looks across the room at him and John knows what he’s thinking. Shaking his head at him, he tries to discourage Ethan from reacting. When Olivia gets the nerve to look again, Ethan is gone.

After several songs, Olivia is tired and extremely overheated. Excusing herself from her friends, she heads back to the booth, only to be intercepted by a wall of muscle named John McCabe. He’s exceptionally well built for a man his age, his black sweater clinging to his muscular chest and arms. The security earpiece gives him that whole
forbidden bodyguard
kind of sex appeal.

Olivia tries to avoid him, but he steps directly in front of her, stopping her in her tracks. Pivoting, she tries to walk in the other direction in an attempt to escape. Swiftly stepping up behind her, he puts his hand on her back, “Follow me please, Olivia.” With gentle pressure, he steers her to the back of the bar and toward the office. “Ethan would like to speak to you.”

Seriously?
When John reaches for the door handle, Olivia turns and glances up at him giving him an extremely annoyed look. “Traitor.”

John grins as he lets Olivia into the office, nodding at Ethan before he leaves and closes the door behind him. Sitting at his desk, Ethan is trying not to smirk. He can feel her anger radiating all the way across the room.

Damn, if he doesn’t look sexier than hell as he leans back in his chair and crosses his arms.

“Kidnapping people now, are we?” She doesn’t smile as she walks toward his desk. Matching his gesture, she crosses her arms in front of her, drawing his attention to the fullness of her breasts and the lack of cover provided by her clothing.

“No. You’re welcome to leave.” Looking sincere and extremely calm, he gets to his feet and rounds the desk toward her.

“Good.” She seriously doesn’t want to be here. Without another word, she takes two steps backwards and then turns toward the door.

“STOP!”

Olivia stops dead in her tracks, her heart racing. Damn that authoritative tone!

“Just as soon as we’re finished talking, of course.” There’s something in the way she’s challenging him that has him intrigued, enchanted almost. Giving him that déjà vu kind of feeling. This feistiness feels familiar. It feels…
right
. For some reason, he begins to feel that he should be wary of her right cross. Shaking his head, he tries to make sense of it all.

Behavior like this, from other woman he dated, would certainly be dealt with. Olivia, however, looks so damn adorable that he struggles to hide his amusement.

Walking to her side, he takes her hand, “Come sit with me.” Following him to the couch, she reluctantly sits. “You’re still angry with me, I see.”

Retreating as far as she can into the opposite corner, she makes sure that there’s no part of her touching him. Unable to refrain from chuckling, he sits beside her. Furious at his amusement and his incredible nerve, she turns her body so she’s facing away from him. He had her
delivered
to his office for Pete’s sake! Now he sits there all sexy and trying not to smile? She’s standing up for herself this time, too bad for him if he doesn’t like it, “You paid off my car repair bill!”

“Yes, I did,” he says calmly.

Gaaaah! “Why would you do that? Nobody does that.”

“
I
did.” He shrugs nonchalantly.

“You can’t just wake up one day and decide you’re going to walk in and pay off someone else’s debts.” Leaning on the arm of the couch, she puts both hands over her face. How could someone as smart as Ethan O’Connell just not get it?

“Olivia, it makes no sense to me that you’re paying interest fees on monthly payments when I can pay off the balance for you.”

Closing her eyes, she tries to settle her anger. She finally turns to look at him, determined to make him understand, “Ethan, it doesn’t have to make sense to you. Those are the arrangements that I made.”

“I can help you.”

She’ll try John’s advice before she completely loses her mind, clear and to the point. “Ethan, I’ve been alone for a very long time. I’ve always looked after myself.”

Ethan swipes his hand over his mouth, closing his eyes and concentrating on something. “Elaborate,” he says finally.

“What?” She turns her head toward him in confusion.

“Elaborate… explain why.”

“Are you kidding me? I’m capable of looking after myself. I don’t expect you to understand… I don’t care if you agree; but I need you to respect my financial independence. I don’t want to depend on anyone to pay my bills or buy the things that I need. EVER! It’s extremely important to me,” clear point made. Humph.

If life imitated a Warner Brothers cartoon, a light bulb would have appeared over his head. That charming boyish grin, sweeps across his lips. “Alright.
That
, I understand.”

“Thank goodness!” She finally feels like she’s making some headway. When he reaches over and takes her hand, she lets him.

“But you have to be willing to compromise sometimes,” he adds.

“You think that
I’m
the one that
needs to learn to compromise?” she says, surprised. Hanging her head, she groans her disappointment, “And we were so close.”

Ethan has let her have her say, but it’s his turn to talk now and Olivia
will
listen.

“Look at me,” he demands.

Still annoyed, she turns her head slightly and lifts her eyes to peek at him from under her long lashes.

“Not good enough. Turn around and look at me.”

As she does what she’s told, it occurs to her that he has a particular talent for knowing when she’ll comply with his militant demands. It’s a good thing that he’s come to know her so well. He can sense when he can push her limits and when not to. Most of the time he reserves his dominance for the bedroom… oh, and when he’s angry… or wants something.
Crap!

“Olivia, everybody needs help once in a while. You don’t always have to struggle alone. Sometimes it’s okay to accept help. It doesn’t make you any less independent. It doesn’t make you weak or incapable of looking after your own needs. It makes you human.”

Oh, great! Now he’s going to say stuff that actually makes sense. Her recent conversation with Shannon about shopping crosses her mind. Curious, she decides to come at the problem from a different direction, “Why do you feel like you need to pay for everything?”

Ethan sighs and answers only because he knows she won't let it go until he does, “Because that’s the way it’s always been. I pay all the bills. I buy whatever’s needed.”

Shannon had already confirmed that, but it still shocks her to hear him say it out loud. “You mean every girl you’ve been in a relationship with has let you pay for everything?”

Feeling insulted and not liking being on the other side of the interrogation, he snaps at her, “Yes, it’s the only way I know. It’s the way it should be!”

Suddenly Olivia feels sad for her poor, sweet Ireland. She’s always thought that his actions were out of his need to be in control. She had never considered any other reason. Now it’s clear. She knows what kind of women thrive on a relationship that imbalanced. Ones who have expensive taste and the need for an unlimited bank account; someone to fund their desire for high priced jewelry, fancy clothes and everything else their hearts desire. Women who are in love with the money, not the man.

She feels angry that they’ve taken advantage of his misguided chivalry. “I’m not like them,” she professes.

He laughs once, breaking the tension as he lifts his hand to her face, brushing his fingers along her cheek. Melting into his touch, he soothes the craving that she’s had all night, and fought hard to deny.

“This is true,” he pulls her closer to him, pressing his lips to the side of her head. “A compromise, then. You’ll let me pay for things, occasionally, because it makes me happy. BUT… you need to promise me that you’ll ask for help with your finances when you need it.”

She sighs and relaxes into his arms, letting his warm breath wash away her anxiety. “One last thing,” she whispers.

“What?” he asks, hesitating.

“Promise me that if you see me struggling and you want to help, you’ll have a conversation with me instead of just taking over. And if I say no, you’ll leave it alone, and let me deal with it my own way.”

That irresistible, Irish grin spreads across his lips, “Oh, that’s a tough one, Princess. My
inner control freak
might have problems with that,” he teases.

Staring into his sparkling eyes, she tries not to smirk, “Promise, or I’m out of here, and you can spend the rest of the evening with any redhead you want.”

“That’s kind of harsh.” At least he knows now that she was paying attention. When she struggles to get to her feet, he grabs her arm and pulls her back down, making her land on his lap. His muscular biceps wrap around her, trapping her there. “I’m only interested in one particular brunette.”

“Good answer.” She grins. “Now promise me.”

“Can I promise after I tell you that I did something you’re not going to like?”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake! What did you do?” she groans.

A guilty look flashes across his face, “Well, if you were that upset about me paying the car repair bill, I imagine you’re going to be furious about this. But here goes nothing.” Reaching beside him, he picks up a plain white envelope off the small end table and hands it to her.

Hesitant to take it from him, Olivia looks at him nervously. She lifts the flap and slides out a ticket folder for one of the local airlines. She doesn’t say a word until she reads the destination. “Ethan,” she says softly. Tears form in her eyes, and she puts her hand over her mouth.

“You’re not mad?”

She shakes her head no and sniffles as she wipes at her tears.

“
Bloody Hell!
I’ve finally done something right!” he says amazed. “I know how much you’ve been missing your sister. We fly out Friday morning and return on Sunday. I’ve made all the arrangements with your work for you to have Friday off, and Megan knows you’re coming.”

“You made arrangements with my work? Wait… you’re coming with me?”

“Yes, but I have a meeting with a client in Halifax, not too long after we land on Friday. I’ll be able to spend the day with you and your family on Saturday, if that’s what you want. I want this weekend to be about you spending time with your sister.”

“Thank you!” Throwing her arms around his neck, she hugs him so tightly that he can’t breathe. She’s overjoyed at the thought of introducing him to her sister.

“You’re welcome.” He doesn’t mean to ruin things, since he’s finally done something to make her happy, but something has been bugging him. He needs to know, “Olivia, can I ask you a question?”

“I suppose so. I’m not saying for sure whether or not I’m going to answer it,” she laughs.

“Why don’t your friends know about us?”

She pauses for a moment, not sure how to answer, “I wasn’t sure if I should tell them.”

“Because you don’t want them to know about me?”

The insecurity in his voice makes her sit up so she can see him. She isn’t prepared to see the wounded look on his face. She needs to put him at ease. “No, that’s no it at all.” She runs her fingers through his hair.

“Why then? Tell me the truth. I’ll know if you’re lying to me.”

She sighs, not knowing where to begin. “Well, you’re Ethan O’Connell! Senior Vice President of a huge corporation. Boy genius of the business world. Google has hundreds of pictures of you attending big fancy balls and charity events,” she blurts out rather anxiously.

“So?” He’s not following.

“Ethan, around here I’m
that
girl. I’m the girl that everybody heard horrific details about in the news. The one that nobody has seen since it happened. The one they whisper about when I walk into the room, thinking that I can’t hear them.”

“And you think that will somehow reflect poorly on me?” he says, surprised.

She frowns and strokes her hand down the side of his face, “Well, it occurred to me earlier that someone like you, who’s in the public eye so often, should live up to certain expectations for the company he keeps.” Feeling a little uncomfortable, she gets to her feet and puts a little space between them. “I thought that it might be unacceptable for people to know that you’ve been spending time… with
me
.”

Ethan is stunned. Getting to his feet, he closes the space between them, “Olivia, I can’t believe that you’d think that. I thought we resolved this days ago. You’re my girlfriend now. Is this because I was flirting with your friend earlier? Or something that happened at the grand opening?”

“NO! Earlier the girls were looking you up on Google and,” she stops. Thinking about what she’s just confessed, she looks up to see his raised eyebrow. Damn. No backing out now. “Don’t let it go to your head, Ireland. Girls do that kind of stuff sometimes.”

He smiles a huge cocky grin and answers in that swoon worthy Irish accent, “I bet they do. Please go on. You were looking me up on Google and…”

Shaking her head at his amazing ego, she continues, “Well, all the pictures of you there have you with pretty impressive women on your arm when you’re out in public.”

“And you don’t think that you’re impressive? Come here.” Scooping his arm around her waist from behind, he pulls her in close.

“Baby, you’re so beautiful that half the time when I’m around you, I can’t think straight. I wish that you could see that.” When she doesn’t respond he turns her around so he can look at her face. “Listen to me,” changing his tone to one more authoritative. He knows that sometimes it’s the only way to get through to her. “I am done. Done with rules. Done with agreements. Done with worrying about what anybody else thinks. All I want is for us to be together. It’s all I’ve ever wanted.” Holding her face in his hands, he lowers his lips to kiss her. “Have I finally made myself clear?” He tilts his head slightly and frowns, when she nods.

Olivia knows he needs to hear her answer out loud. She wonders if she could ever bring herself to deny him what he needs ever again. He has such a hold on her. She couldn’t untangle herself from him if she had to. “Yes.”