10. Olivia
OLIVIA
The elevator doors opened with a ding, and Olivia and Leo stepped into the hallway. Olivia led the way to her room and swiped for them both to enter. As soon as she was inside, she began gathering her things into her small suitcase. There was no time to waste.
“Can I help?” Leo asked.
“It’s fine, I don’t have much.” Olivia stepped into the bathroom to grab her toiletries, and when she reemerged, she saw Leo sitting on the edge of the bed, looking at his phone. She took advantage of his distraction to look him up and down.
He still wore his slacks and now-rumpled button-up from the day before.
His sandy-blond hair was smooth again, not messy as it had been when they’d woken up.
He had handsome features and a strong jawline, and there were smile lines around his eyes.
He was clearly wealthy, confident, and ready to take what he wanted.
And she knew, even without knowing much about him, that he must almost always get what he wanted.
He wasn’t the kind of guy Olivia would have imagined herself ending up with, but something had drawn her to him last night at the roulette table.
And something even stronger must have drawn her to him later on, when she’d married him.
Olivia wasn’t entirely sure what that had been, but she was very curious.
Part of her had wanted to say yes to his offer of taking her back to New York.
But the part of Olivia that had worked hard for the little she had, all her life, refused to be a burden or a charity case.
And she hardly knew this man, so agreeing to stay in his penthouse would probably have been a mistake.
Still… there was something about him. She wondered whether, if the two of them had lived in the same city, gone on normal dates, and gotten to know each other, they might have ended up a real couple.
Then again, they clearly traveled in different circles and would probably never have met.
“You said you need to apply for jobs,” Leo said, not looking up from his phone. “What do you do?”
“I just quit my current — or last — job at a camera equipment company. I was a saleswoman.” Olivia spotted a pair of jeans and a T-shirt in her suitcase. “Just a second; I’m going to change.”
She washed her face, pulled on her new clothes, and finger-combed her hair. When she emerged from the bathroom, she felt a little more like herself and a little less like the kind of person who married a stranger while drunk in Vegas. Her head still ached, though, and she was still very married.
“I wouldn’t have imagined you as a saleswoman,” Leo said. He’d straightened up the room while she’d dressed, and now he held out his hand to take her suitcase.
“Should I be offended?”
“No. I just would have thought you’d do something a little more creative.”
“Thanks, I think. To be honest, being a saleswoman wasn’t my first choice,” Olivia admitted.
“What was?” Leo asked. Olivia shouldered her handbag, and they headed for the door.
“I love photography,” Olivia explained. “And it would be great to work in that, but jobs are few and far between, and I have bills to pay. You know how it is.”
Or did he know? Did a man who threw down five thousand dollars on a random number know anything about matters as mundane as paying the rent, shopping for groceries, or buying car insurance?
“Sure,” Leo said, as though he did know all about those things. They were in the elevator again, traveling down to street level, and he turned to look at her. “Maybe what you need is a little time to think over your next steps.”
“Are you trying to convince me to go with you to New York again?” Olivia asked, smiling despite herself. “That seems a little forward.”
“I would never dream of being forward, especially with my wife,” Leo winked.
“If you don’t want to come, I’m not going to force you.
But I believe it would be the right choice for both of us.
You could take a few days to think about your next job and maybe work on photography again.
We could both figure out how to end our marriage in the best way possible, without any lasting difficulties or hard feelings.
If even a part of you sees the benefit in coming with me, I urge you to do so. ”
“I…”
The elevator doors opened, saving Olivia from having to answer. They crossed the lobby and stepped onto the street. As if by magic, a red convertible pulled up in front of them. The driver hopped out and tossed the keys to Leo, who caught them with one swift motion.
“How…” Olivia asked.
“This is my valet. I messaged him while you were packing up and asked him to bring the car around to this hotel.” Leo smiled as he opened the passenger-side door for Olivia. “Please, get in.”
Olivia did so. The valet stowed her case in the trunk as Leo slid into the driver’s seat.
They started down the busy road. The radio came on to a classic rock station, but Leo turned it off before the first song could really start.
Outside, casinos and statues and giant billboards advertising beer and wedding jewelry rolled past. Olivia was pretty sure she was done with both of those things for now.
“Are you still taking me to the airport?” Olivia asked.
“Of course. If you want to go back to Seattle, I’d never dream of stopping you. But is there anything I can say that would make you come to New York with me?”
Olivia glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. “I just… why?”
“Why?”
“Why do you want me to come?”
“I already told you. I want to sort out our divorce.”
“We could do that in different states. Clearly you have the money to pay for a good lawyer.”
“Okay. You got me.” Leo glanced back at her, “I’d like to get to know you, Olivia.”
“There isn’t that much to know.”
“I’m sure that isn’t true. See, we got married. And I happen to know that I have impeccable taste in all aspects of my life, so you must be pretty amazing if I wanted to marry you.”
“Wow. You complimented me and yourself all in the same sentence.”
“It’s one of my many talents. But seriously, Olivia. Don’t you think there could be something between us that we should explore?”
Olivia’s mouth went suddenly dry as she remembered that passionate kiss from the night before, her last memory before everything went fuzzy.
Hadn’t she just been wondering if she’d made the right choice by never pursuing love or romance?
Maybe this was a chance to escape her regular life a little longer than she’d thought, with a handsome man by her side.
And he was right. She didn’t have a job to get back to yet, and she could use a little time to figure out what she wanted to do next.
"Fine."
"Fine?”
“I’ll come to New York,” Olivia said in a rush. “But just for a few days. A week, tops.”
“Agreed,” Leo said. “The moment you’re ready to leave, I’ll arrange a ticket for you.”
“Okay, then.” Olivia sat back in the passenger seat, her heart racing a little from her spontaneous agreement. “I guess that’s settled.”
“Wonderful. In that case, I’d better divert towards the private airport, because we have a flight to catch in… ten minutes.”
Olivia’s eyes widened. “Will we make it?”
“We will. And if we’re a little late, the plane will wait for us. It’s my plane, after all.”
“Right. Your plane.” Olivia shook her head. She was tempted to ask Leo just how rich he was, but she managed to keep her mouth shut. Instead, she reached for the radio and turned the music back on. A song about road trips and lost loves came over the radio, and she turned up the volume.
“This is a great song,” Leo said.
“It is!” Olivia smiled at him. “Maybe that’s why we got married — similar taste in music.”
“Maybe,” Leo agreed. “How do you feel about classic rock?”
“Um, mostly good?” Olivia suggested. Leo laughed.
“That might not be it, then. I’m a big fan of classic rock. What music do you usually listen to?”
“I’m boring,” Olivia admitted. “I like pop music.”
“That’s not boring. Maybe the reason for our wedding was something else. What are your thoughts on chocolate?”
“Love it.”
“There we go.” Leo flashed her a smile as they exited the main road. They’d left behind the main part of Las Vegas by now and were entering a scrubby desert area. A sign for the Henderson airport passed on the left — Olivia had never heard of it before. “So do I.”
“Well, as they always say, mutual love of chocolate is the foundation of a solid marriage,” Olivia quipped. “But the real test is olives. Love them or hate them?”
“Love them,” Leo said without hesitation.
“Hate them,” Olivia replied. She shrugged, “I guess we’re doomed.”
“Maybe so.” Leo steered the car into the parking lot of a small private airport.
“But I’m glad we get the chance to figure that out.
” In front of them, there was a low building with glass doors, a small control tower, and several jets ranging in size from tiny two-seaters to large planes with staircases.
“Which one’s yours?” Olivia asked.
“You’ll see,” Leo winked at her and pulled the car into a spot.
“Isn’t this a rental?” Olivia asked.
“It is.”
“Aren’t you going to return it?”
“I’ll arrange with the rental company to pick it up here. It’ll just be a small additional fee.” Leo winked again, and Olivia shook her head in disbelief.
“A small additional fee…” she repeated.
“Exactly. Now, come on — we don’t have much time to waste.”
Leo got out of the car and circled to open Olivia’s door for her.
Unused to the gesture, Olivia felt a bit uncomfortable…
but it was nice, too. Then Leo grabbed her luggage from the trunk, along with a small backpack that must have been his, and led the way across the parking lot.
They stepped straight onto the tarmac, making a beeline for the largest plane, which bore a logo of a canopy tree over a shimmering line.
The logo was vaguely familiar, but Olivia didn’t have time to stop and get a good look before Leo led the way towards the steps.