Chapter 38
Olivia
The day after her first date with Connor, Olivia was both on top of the world and annoyed as fuck. She hadn’t planned on riding his fingers to orgasm when they got home, but she wasn’t mad about it.
Being with Connor was always going to be good.
She loved him too much for it not to be.
And going in on a whim let her enjoy it without worrying too much about how she should move or talk.
She hadn’t had a chance to dwell on whether she had built it up too much in her head.
(She hadn’t; her imagination did him dirty.
Real-life Connor was way better than imaginary Connor).
Best climax of her life, and they hadn’t even fucked.
Her annoyance stemmed from his reluctance to let her return the favor.
He licked his fingers clean, and then when she reached for him, he trapped her hands and gave her a chaste kiss before enforcing bedtime like she was five.
No amount of pouting had changed his mind.
Olivia didn’t like to hold grudges, but his refusal would bother her until she could rectify the situation.
She was making breakfast for Connor and Valentine, who were running late, when her phone dinged with a message.
She opened it to find a new group chat with Daisy and an unknown number.
Daisy
Hey Olivia, hope it’s okay I gave Roxie your number. Her work has a job opening you might be interested in.
Olivia didn’t even realize she and Roxie had never exchanged numbers.
Unknown
Let me know if you’re still job hunting. Think you’d like my clinic.
She saved Roxie’s number in her phone and spent so long overthinking her response she burned her eggs. She pulled the too-hot pan off the stove and extinguished the burner.
Connor hugged her from behind and placed a kiss on her shoulder. He read the text over her shoulder.
“You’re still job hunting?”
“Yeah.”
His arms tightened around her waist. “Whyyyy? You said staying home to raise kids would be ideal.”
She turned in his hold, looping her arms around his neck. “I also said I always want to have my own income after what Lance did to me.”
Connor groaned. “That fucking asshole. I’ll give you an ironclad prenup. Fifty-fifty, no loopholes.”
Olivia laughed. “We don’t have kids to raise.”
He slipped his hands up her shirt, caressing her back. “We could make some.”
She flirtatiously shoved him away. He held on tighter, making her laugh and squirm.
“We’ve been on one date. It could all crash and burn.”
“Your lack of faith in us is concerning.” He snatched her phone from her hands.
She pushed at his chest, freeing herself from his arms. He held her phone out of her reach.
Instead of playing his game, she put her hands on her hips and waited for him to do whatever he wanted.
He typed something, and Olivia heard the swooshing sound of a sent message before he handed it to her. She read the group chat thread.
Stop poaching my girl Roxie. You can’t have her.
Two messages came through in quick succession.
Daisy
*laughing crying emoji*
Roxie
Fuck off, Hazy. Learn how to share. *middle finger emoji*
She showed Connor the screen, and he let out an amused laugh.
Sorry. He’s an idiot. Would love to hear more about the job.
Roxie
We know. Are you free to meet today?
What time?
Roxie
2
I can make that work.
Roxie sent over an address and the name of a private pediatric clinic.
Roxie
Don’t worry too much about interview prep. It’s a small clinic, tight knit group. If you get along with Hazy and Lover you’ll for sure fit in. Job’s not posted yet, I told them I knew a girl lol
Daisy
Oooh, I’m excited for you. Good luck, Olivia!
A quick Google search showed the most adorable little waiting room.
The clinic served a lower-income area, which Olivia loved.
Excitement bubbled in her chest, and she did a little happy dance.
She’d been searching high and low for a job opening like this.
They were hard to come by. Connor wandered around the kitchen while she texted his friends.
She guessed they were her friends now, too.
The realization kicked her happiness up a notch.
When the blender started, she abandoned her impromptu research to find Connor and Valentine watching her. “Oh shit, sorry! I got distracted,” she yelled over the noise.
Connor stopped the blender and poured a thick, purple smoothie into a tall glass with a straw. He handed it to her and kissed her cheek. “Don’t worry about it. You spoil us too much, anyway.”
He made two more smoothies, and they finished them before heading off for practice.
The interview Roxie arranged for Olivia was in a sketchy part of town, but the facility itself seemed secure and safe.
Olivia arrived fifteen minutes early, and Roxie greeted her at the reception desk.
She squealed. “Oh my God, I’ve been waiting to get you to myself for a bit. I can’t believe you broke Hazy.”
Olivia grinned. “Connor was always broken.”
Her friend smothered a laugh and said, “The doctor isn’t ready for you yet. We had a couple of urgent appointments, so he’s running behind.”
“Totally fine. I’m in no rush.”
Olivia took a seat in the empty waiting area. Not long after sitting, an exhausted-looking mom came in carrying a screaming baby and holding the hand of a pale, sweaty child. He must have been about four or five. Roxie checked them in and they sat a few chairs away from Olivia.
The little boy sat next to his mom, ignoring all the toys, magazines, and even the TV playing Bluey at a low volume. The baby never stopped screaming. Olivia felt bad for them. They were sick, and the mother wore a mask, but getting children to wear them was nearly impossible.
Yellow shit leaked out of the infant’s diaper and down the mother’s arm. The poor woman cursed and dug through her bag. Probably for baby wipes.
At the same time, the little boy’s face turned green. Olivia rushed to the front desk. Roxie was already holding out a puke bag.
Olivia got it placed under the little boy’s chin a split second before he hurled chunks. Bits of half-digested food splattered onto her hand, but she rubbed his back while he vomited, thankful puke didn’t make her queasy like blood did.
He was still going when someone said, “Olivia? Dr. Howard is ready for you.” It barely registered.
The boy’s mom apologized over and over, silent tears rolling down her face.
Roxie came around the desk and offered the woman more wet wipes and another puke bag.
While the little boy took a breath, Olivia switched out the full one for the new one, handing the filled bag to Roxie for her to take care of.
Olivia, aware someone was waiting on her, asked, “Is Dr. Howard who they’re here to see?”
Roxie nodded.
“Can he take care of them first?”
Roxie nodded again and left with a gloved handful of dirty wipes and vomit.
The boy puked until there was nothing left in his stomach, and even then, he still heaved.
A nurse called the family’s name, and the mother stood. “Thank you so much, I’m so sorry,” she said again.
“No worries. You’ve got your hands full.”
Letting them go first pushed her interview another thirty minutes, and she used the time to clean the bodily fluids off her skin and chat with Roxie between her patient calls and check-ins.
The mother and her two kids came through the waiting room. The baby had quieted; the little boy was still pale and sweaty, but far less green; and the mom, while she still had puffy eyes and a red nose, seemed to have caught her breath and wiped her tears.
Someone called Olivia’s name, and she stood. When she passed the little family, the mother thanked her again.
“Feel better soon,” Olivia said, hoping they all would.
Olivia didn’t have to complete the interview.
Dr. Howard said someone who was willing to rearrange their day for a stranger was the type of person he wanted working at his clinic.
He just needed to verify her education and references.
Olivia liked him. He seemed sincere in his care for the community.
On her way out the door Roxie gave her two thumbs up.
Connor took seven million years to get home.
Olivia was bursting with anticipation, dying to tell him about her new job.
She’d never been so excited about a career opportunity.
When he got home, she yammered on about the role.
He pulled her into his lap and listened.
“You know you don’t have to work, right? ”
She twisted in his lap to see his face. “Yes, I do. I can’t mooch off you forever.”
He wrapped his hand around her thigh, teasing her with light caresses above her knee. “You have a disgustingly wealthy boyfriend. You’ll never have to work a day in your life.”
“Boyfriend? That’s fast. We’re not even exclusive.”
“The hell we aren’t.” He sank his teeth into her shoulder. “You better be joking.”
She giggled. Baiting him never failed to amuse her. “I don’t really do the exclusive thing until like, at least the third date. I’m not going to call someone I haven’t slept with boyfriend.”
He growled in her ear and rolled over her, his hips nestled between her legs. “Well, that problem we can fix.” He licked the skin of her throat and placed little open-mouthed kisses on her jaw.
She rolled her lips between her teeth, knowing exactly how to press his buttons. She’d begged him to fuck her last night, which made her antics funnier. “Eh, I don’t put out until the third date.”
“That’s a made-up rule,” he said, rolling his hips.
She gasped. “Yeah, my made-up rule.”
“God, you’re such a brat,” he complained. But he rolled off her.
“Hey!” she whined. “Where are you going?” She spread her knees wide, trying to tantalize him.
“Nope, I offered, and you said no. Not until the third date.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet. “Go put on some pants.”
“Whyyy?”
“Because I said so.”
She huffed her bangs out of her eyes, disgruntled. But she followed his order. He’d slipped on his shoes and stuffed keys into his pocket by the time she was dressed.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“On a date.”
“You said three days.”
“Fuck that rule.”
Olivia laughed.
Hazy took her for ice cream. Almost six months later and she finally got to try the house-made, warm waffle cones they were supposed to get the night of his injury.
It was worth the wait. When they got home, he pressed her against the front door and showed her how much he’d held back the previous night, leaving her panting for more.
As soon as they stepped inside, Hazy and Olivia disappeared. Connor poured Livy a bowl of cereal. Neither of them was hungry, but the cereal was a ritual they’d never abandon. She tried to coax him into another make-out session, but he held out. Olivia fumed about how her teasing had backfired.