Chapter 8
“No way! That’s you?” Nikos asked and then burst out in laughter, his head tipping back and everything.
“I was only a baby!” Olivia tried to glare, but she ended up laughing too.
Nikos was delighted to find out that his favorite commercial of all time, one advertising baby products featuring an adorable giggling baby, was none other than a young Olivia. Meanwhile, it was just embarrassing for her. He said he probably loved the commercial because of the ridiculousness of the ad itself and the stupid but catchy jingle had always made him laugh.
“I can’t believe you are the baby from the diaper ad,” he said as he calmed down, but then burst into laughter once again at the deadpan look Olivia gave him. “You are iconic around here.”
“Iconic is stretching it,” she said as she pushed at his shoulder.
He looked beautiful when he laughed. Stop-in-your-steps kind of beautiful.
“No, I’m serious.” Nikos grabbed at her and gently squeezed her hand that was still on his shoulder. “You are a legend.”
If Olivia didn’t know any better, she would think there was awe in his voice. And yet, that is the one thing she had done in her career that everyone seemed to never let her forget. It’s why it was the first thing she had mentioned when Nikos asked her the one role she’d been in he’d be surprised by because it was front and center in her mind.
“Well,” she swallowed, well aware that Nikos still held her hand on his chest, “my father used to sign me up for anything and everything. I never really had a choice.” She’d meant it as a joke, but it came out so pathetic that she wished she could swallow her words.
“If you had the choice, what would you have done?”
That question startled Olivia because no one had ever asked her what she wanted to do. It was almost always expected of her that she would be an actress, and anything other than that was ridiculous.
“I would sing,” she said without hesitation. “I’ve always wanted to be a musician.”
“Then, be a musician,” he said it like it was that simple.
“It’s not that easy,” Olivia shook her head and tried to pull her hand back, only for Nikos to hold it tighter. “People would never take me seriously. Everyone thinks everything I have has always been handed to me. If I start singing, I’d be inviting hate on something that I actually love and treasure so much.”
“Or, maybe, you’d be inviting love in because you are doing something you enjoy and people get to see the authentic you.”
“Not in my world,” she whispered, her heart aching. “I was in a musical once and people hated me for it because I got the role over this one actress. She won a singing competition, so everyone had expected she’d get the role of the lead actress. Except, I auditioned and beat her for the role. I was so excited...” She stopped as she remembered how that joy had been snuffed out of her by the paparazzi and angry fans. “That’s the last time I ever auditioned for anything or been in a musical. Now, I just get roles because of my family’s influence.”
Nikos didn’t say anything to that. Luckily, Olivia didn’t expect him to because, really, what was there to say?
But he finally let her hand go, only to pull her into him in a hug. Her cheek rested on his chest, right where his heart sat, pumping in a gentle and almost soothing rhythm. “No matter how scary it is, Olivia, doing what you want is worth a try.”
He didn’t say anything more, and she didn’t either. Instead, they moved to the sound of the music that had transitioned from the upbeat tempo from before, to now the slow and soothing melody that invited lovers to get lost in each other.
Olivia laid her head on Nikos’ chest, letting herself only feel. To feel the warmth that enveloped her when he held her to him. Feel the smoothness of his muscles as her hands went around his waist. Feel the way his heart beat against his chest as he held her close. Feel how his hard length dug into her stomach...
She just wanted to feel.
And it was because of this that she begged, “Please Nikos,” once they had returned to the hotel. She wasn’t ready to let him go. Not ready to end the night and be left alone with her thoughts once again. She needed him to stay and hold her tonight like she had never needed anyone before.
“If I start, I won’t be able to stop,” Nikos said as he pulled her to him once again, right outside her bedroom door.
“I don’t want you to stop,” she whispered as she pulled back to look into his eyes.
He had spent the night touching and caressing her, his lips rubbing her neck, cheeks, and ears, and every touch had her melting. Now... now, she needed everything.
Without giving him a chance to react, Olivia grabbed the back of Nikos’ head and pulled him to her. He came willingly, their lips meeting in the middle. A rush of adrenaline hit Olivia as intense longing bubbled up in her chest. It had been a while since she’d kissed someone. Truly kissed them. Her TV kisses didn’t count for shit.
Nikos kissed her like he was a hungry man having his first meal, and at the same time, like he was having his last meal. He savored her, his lips slowly gliding against hers and yet doing it with enough pressure, like he wanted to leave an imprint of himself on her. He held her to him like he was never willing to let her go, and as they moved to her room, he undressed her like a man undressing the most precious present he had ever been given.
Olivia stood in front of Nikos, completely naked and feeling a strong sense of empowerment at the hungry way Nikos’ eyes traced her naked body. They didn’t need the lights. The moon overhead provided enough light through the open balcony and windows.
“Olivia,” he rasped as he adjusted his very hard length.
It stood at attention, calling to her, so she moved closer to him. Olivia made sure he had an eye full of her curves, exaggerating the sway of her hips until she stood right in front of him. “Call me, Liv,” she whispered, tracing her fingers over his chest.
She had been right. He was muscular, but not in the overpowering sense. She savored the rush that came over her when he shuddered under the ministrations of her fingers as she took off his shirt one button at a time. He held her gaze, and she was giddy to know that his pupils were completely dilated.
“Fuck,” Nikos hissed when her fingers made contact with the zipper of his pants.
The front was slightly soaked from his leaking length. The anticipation of having him inside of her made her release a moan as she rubbed her legs together. She was wetter than she could ever remember being. Her clit pulsed at the thought of getting contact with the warm, hard length she now held in her hands, and her center clenched when she thought how good he would feel sliding inside her.
Olivia let out a deeper moan this time, her eyes rolling into the back of her head just from the picture her mind had conjured up. Her entire body was alight with need and hot as anticipation built in her stomach.
She had initially intended on teasing him with her lips and hands, but that all went out of the window as her body begged her to take the pleasure it craved.
“Nikos, I need you,” she moaned as her legs shook, giving way from under her.
Nikos held her up, whispering, “I got you.” And then he gave her a kiss that was almost punishing. With a strength that was extremely arousing, he lifted her so her legs wrapped around him.
They both let out simultaneous moans when her wet center slid right onto his leaking shaft. Nikos pulled Olivia’s hair out of her face, held it in a fist behind her back, and then started moving her slowly on his length. Her lower lips wrapped around him, making both shudder as his member rubbed at her pulsing clit.
Olivia pulled back from the kiss with a gasp and then started moving herself. “I need you,” she moaned as she looked him right in the eyes. She hoped he could see how much she needed this—needed him—and that he would give her everything she needed.
“I don’t have condoms,” Nikos said, holding her so she would stop moving.
“Don’t need it. I’m clean.” She didn’t stop moving. Couldn’t stop moving because Nikos felt so good rubbing against her clit. “Are you?”
She needed him inside her.
“I am,” he said as he held her waist much tighter, pulling her to him so there wasn’t much room for her to move. “Are you sure, Liv?”
“Please,” she gasped, especially shaking at the way he growled her name.
As if that was all the invitation he needed, he moved them to the bed with a swiftness she didn’t see coming, then buried himself in her right to the hilt. Olivia let out a short, ecstatic scream as she arched her back off the bed. Her insides shuddered at how full she felt, and she almost couldn’t believe that he had finally entered her. He felt full and warm, and just so big sheathed in her warmth.
“Fuck, you’re so tight,” Nikos hissed as he pulled back and cradled her face. “Are you okay?”
“Don’t stop,” she whispered as she wrapped her legs around him and pulled him back until he was inside her all the way once again.
Nikos grabbed her hair once again and didn’t move until she was looking right at him. As soon as she did, she couldn’t look away, as he looked like he was silently begging her to look at him.
There was a heightened sense of intimacy in an already intimate act when that happened. Olivia could see every emotion that rushed over him as he moved inside her reflected in his eyes and the tightness of his jaw. She could see the wonder, the lust, the joy, and maybe it was wishful thinking on her end, but she could see a little love and awe.
It was when he increased his tempo just a little bit that Olivia knew she was a goner. He was selfless in how he pleasured her, even more so with how he worshiped her body as his fingers caressed her body with the same care his length caressed her inner walls. Olivia gave it back as good as she got it, wanting him to feel the same reverence he was worshiping her body with. She touched him with her fingers and mirrored his movements, wanting to communicate how good he made her body feel without words.
He made her cum first before he even thought about letting himself enjoy what they were doing together. His stamina was quite admirable because he kept up the same speed until he was well and truly ready to cum. His hand shifted between them, searching for her engorged pleasure button. As soon as he found it, he rubbed her with precise movements that mirrored the increase in his movements.
Olivia couldn’t handle the overload of feeling anymore, so she threw her head back and came once again. As if that was the permission Nikos had needed, he followed her right over the edge—and, through it all, they maintained eye contact.
Olivia held onto this moment like it was all that had ever existed and will ever exist as she forgot everyone and everything.
* * *
Five hours.
It took Olivia all of five hours since she woke up for her newfound peace to be disturbed.
“No, Dad, I did not,” she said through clenched teeth.
“Then, how come I got a call that the role is going to be given to someone else?” her father accused her.
“Gee, I don’t know. Maybe because your daughter is involved in a scandal right now?” Olivia put emphasis on the word ‘daughter’ as a reminder to her father of who she was to him.
“That’s nonsense and it will blow over soon,” he brushed her off.
“When?” she asked. “When will this blow over, Dad? Hmm? Because you said the same thing when it first happened weeks ago. That I’m still here means it hasn’t blown over.”
“It will blow over,” he insisted. “People will find something else to talk about. They always do.”
“Maybe if you just let me address this? Clear the air...” she said hopefully.
“Absolutely not!” Her father growled down the line. “You will do no such thing. Do you hear me?”
Olivia bit back every harsh word she wanted to say, fighting herself from telling her father to shove it and that he didn’t run her life. Except, he did run her life.
“Do I make myself clear?” he shouted when she didn’t respond.
“Yes, sir,” Olivia responded with great difficulty as a ringing rose in her head.
Her father might have said some more things, but she wasn’t sure because she couldn’t hear anything beyond the pounding of her head. Her eyes stung with tears, her throat growing scratchy as she held back from breaking down.
This is what she always felt like whenever she spoke to her father. Like she was a little girl who didn’t know the first thing about running her own life, even if she was twenty-three now. She hated it so much because she knew what it was like to be close to her dad. They’d had a beautiful relationship, but that felt like lifetimes ago.
“Can I have my phone back?” Iossif said, his deep voice breaking through the ringing in her head.
Olivia pulled it from her ear, only to find that her father had long hung up. Without saying anything, she handed the phone back to Iossif, then turned around, and left him standing in the kitchen where he had found her. He said words, but she was not in the mood to talk to anyone.
Maybe if Nikos was around, but he had long left to handle his own affairs.
Olivia was, once again, reminded that the one person who had always been her sounding board, the only person who could understand the pressure her father put on her, was not accessible to her at the moment.
That bad reminder did nothing but make her want to release the tears she struggled to keep at bay as she climbed the stairs, unwilling to cry. She had much experience with this, and yet, the burn in her throat was something she never got used to.
She ended up wandering into the entertainment room she hadn’t made much use of, although she had already been in there to know what she needed. In the corner sat a grand piano that looked rarely used, even if the room was just as clean as all the rooms in the house were. Without thinking much of it, she moved toward the piano, her fingers itching to bring her the comfort and expression only music ever had.
As soon as her hands started strumming the keys, a lightness settled over her like her body knew it was about to have the release she craved. Soon, words accompanied the haunting melody she played as she finally let her feelings out.