Mistaken Identity (5 page)

Chapter Five

“You had sex.”

Olivia stopped dead in her tracks at Tina’s words.  “What?” she squeaked.

“You’re all glowy and shit.  You totally had sex!  Was it someone from the party?”

“Well…”

“Ooo!  Was it that hot guy in the gray suit?  Or the blonde with the red tie?  Please tell me it was the blonde with the red tie!  He was completely yum-my!”

Olivia did her best to ignore the inquisition and walked over to her small office in the back of the kitchen.

“You are not confirming or denying,” Tina taunted, following Olivia into the tiny space. 

“Don’t we have some planning to do for Saturday’s party?” Olivia asked, searching her desk for something to distract her friend.

Tina slammed a hand down over the papers Olivia was currently looking through.  “What is the big deal, Liv?  So you got lucky last night!  Why are you being so secretive?”

Looking up, Olivia tried to find the words to admit out loud what she’d done – or rather, who she’d done.  Clearing her throat she said, “Well, it wasn’t the gray suit or the red tie.”

“Really?  Damn, that’s disappointing.”  She sat on the edge of Olivia’s desk and did a mental scan of the guests from the previous evening when suddenly it hit her.  “Oh, my gosh…it was Daniel!  You totally did it with Daniel again!”

Olivia was mortified.  Doing the walk of shame was one thing, having your best friend practically pointing it out with neon signs was another.  “Yes,” she whispered angrily.  “I did it with Daniel again.”

“Wow…I mean just…wow.  A week ago you couldn’t stand the man and now you’re like what?  Sex buddies?”

“I don’t know what the hell we are,” she sighed and sat down in her chair.  “I don’t think that we’re really anything.  He was at the party last night and it was the first time we’d really seen each other since…you know.  And he said he wanted to talk about it but I didn’t and so we reverted to our typical antagonistic selves and I sort of made a grand gesture of stating how last weekend was completely not about him; that I was thinking of David the whole time.  He took it as a dare.”

“A dare?  What do you mean?”

“I mean he showed up at my place last night to prove that my response to him was not about David; that it was him that turned me on.”

“And did he?” Tina asked, eyebrows waggling at the thought.

“Multiple times,” Olivia said and put her head down on the desk.  “How could this happen?  How can a man who is so unlikable be so damn…”

“Sexy?”

Olivia raised her head.  “Oh, yeah.  The bastard.”  They shared a laugh at that.  “Seriously, Tee, what am I supposed to do?”

“Who says you have to do anything?  I mean, it seems to me like he came over last night to prove a point, clearly he proved it, and so it’s probably over in his mind.”

“Well that’s just cold,” Olivia said miserably.

“It may very well be but it does seem to fit what we know about him, right?”

“I guess.”

“Look, at least you got some incredible sex several times this week.  I’d settle for incredible sex once this month!  So before I have to get totally jealous of all of your action, let’s put Daniel in the back of our minds and focus on business, okay?”

It was exactly what Olivia wanted and she was so thankful that Tina understood her so well.  As much as she’d like to analyze her reaction to Daniel the simple fact was that she had mistaken him for somebody else and then he just needed to confirm – for the sake of his own masculinity – that she would have responded to him no matter what.

It just sucked that he was such an incredible lover.  Olivia wouldn’t remind a repeat performance or two but there was no way that she was going to seek him out and see if he was interested.  No, last night was a fluke.  True it was the second fluke this week with the same man but that was it; it was over.  They weren’t going to see each other again.

****

Daniel was sure he was going insane.  For two days he’d been in a damn tailspin and all because of mind blowing sex with Olivia.

Again.

He’d had her.  Multiple times.  He’d proven his point.  There was no way she could have faked her response and he made damn certain that she was aware of who was fucking her.

But it wasn’t enough.

He wanted more and he wanted it as soon as possible.

There was no way that he could keep showing up at parties she was catering.  That would make him look like a stalker.  She was done with her work for Slade’s so there was no possibility of running into her here at the office. 

He could just call her but what would he say?  ‘Hey, Liv, want to get together and have sex again?’  That would just be wrong.

Wouldn’t it?

He was a lawyer, dammit.  He mastered the art of developing strategies.  It shouldn’t be this hard to come up with one to get Olivia back into his bed.  Daniel raked a hand through his hair in frustration.  Why was this so important?  Yes, the sex was fantastic and honestly, he’d always liked Olivia; he’d just never let on because deep down he was jealous of the relationship she had with his brother.  It bothered him more than it should.

Now, with that relationship off of the table, he should feel free to explore a relationship with her.  But was that really what he wanted?  A relationship? 
Would Olivia be open to such a thing?

A glance at his watch showed it to be after eight on Friday night.  Daniel cursed under his breath because he’d worked late again and had nothing accomplished.  He had cases piling up and all he could think about was Olivia; the feel of her, the taste of her.  He was slowly going insane and he was going to have to do something about it.

And soon.

****

Olivia nearly jumped out of her skin when the buzzer rang at the delivery door late Friday evening.  She had been working on updating the business website and doing some online marketing and knew they weren’t expecting any deliveries.  She was going to just ignore it when it sounded again.

Her heart was racing and she contemplated calling 9-1-1 but instead tiptoed cautiously to the door, her cell phone in her hand and called out, “Who’s there?”

“Liv?  It’s Daniel.”

What the hell?  Olivia wasn’t sure which emotion was more prevalent – shock or excitement.  Daniel was here.  Had he been thinking about her as much as she’d been thinking about him?  She looked down at herself and groaned.  With no one being around, she had come in wearing yoga pants and a t-shirt; she hadn’t expected to see anyone and she hardly looked sexy.

Dammit.

“Olivia?” he called out and with no other choice, she reached for the door and let him in.

“Hey,” she said, hating how breathless she sounded.  “What are you doing here?”

“I was just passing by,” he began casually, “and saw your car and wanted to just um…see how things were going.”  That sounded plausible, didn’t it?

“Oh, well…business is good, we’ve got two parties this weekend and I was just working on some online graphic stuff.”  She turned to lead him toward her office so they could sit when she remembered her manners.  “Can I get you something to drink?”

“Sure,” he said, suddenly feeling very awkward and was questioning
his reasons for being here.  He sat down in her small office and smiled when she came in and handed him a bottle of water.  Olivia sat down behind her desk and looked at him with a combination of hesitancy and curiosity.  “So business is going well.”

She nodded.  “We had been building up to this so we had parties scheduled for a while now; it’s just a matter of getting into a groove and executing it all properly.”

“And you’re enjoying it?” he asked.

Again she nodded.  “So far.”  They fell silent and Olivia racked her brain for something to say.  “How are things at the office?  Is Anna doing okay?”

“Seems to be; I’ve been in court a lot this week but everything seems to be running smoothly.”

“That’s good.”  Small talk was painful and before she could help herself, she finally blurted out what was on her mind.  “You didn’t really stop by for social chit-chat, did you?”

He wanted to deny it; wanted to appear like he was genuinely just stopping by as a friend but all he could think about was wiping everything off of her desk and taking her on it.  Something must have come across in his expression because he noticed the sexy smile spreading across Olivia’s face.  “No,” he finally said.  “I didn’t.”

“What did you stop by for?” she asked, standing and slowly walking around her desk toward him.

“This,” he said and stood and pulled her into his embrace before crushing her lips with his.  If Daniel thought he was going to have to use skill and charm to entice Olivia into another round of hot sex, he was seriously mistaken.  The moment his arms banded around her, Olivia’s own snaked around him, pulling him equally close.

“I’m really glad you did,” she moaned when Daniel’s mouth left hers to travel down her throat where he nipped and sucked before giving a playful bite. 

“Me too,” he said, lifting her so that his erection was nestled against the juncture of her thighs. 

Olivia pulled back slightly and hopped up onto her desk and Daniel’s mind went blank.  They were on the same page clearly.  “Take off your shirt, Liv,” he commanded and smiled darkly when she did.  The t-shirt flew through the air and she sat there in the tiny black yoga pants and a black lace bra.  She was so damn sexy that his hands began to twitch with the need to touch her.

When he’d looked his fill, he reached out and cupped her breasts and then lowered his head to them so that he could kiss and suckle them until Olivia cried out.  He felt her kicking her shoes off and smiled.  It was such a turn on that she was as needy for him as he was for her.  Within minutes he had her down to just her panties as she sat on the edge of her desk, legs spread, breasts bared.

Daniel ripped his own shirt off and shucked off his trousers and boxers.  He placed the condom in Olivia’s hands and then held his breath as she leaned forward and took him first in her hands and then into her mouth. 

He loved her mouth.

She’d pleasured him like this before and he knew that she had the capability to make him lose control quickly.  He raked his fingers into her hair and held her head in place for as long as he could stand it and then stepped back.  “You’re killing me, Liv,” he growled.  He took the condom from her hands and rolled it on as she took her panties off and spread her legs even wider for him.  “Now it’s my turn.”

Dropping to his knees in front of her, Daniel used his thumbs to spread her open for him and without hesitation, thrust his tongue deep into her wetness.  Olivia nearly bucked off of the desk, her head thrown back as she cried out.  He continued to torture her with his tongue until she came.  Without giving her a chance to settle, Daniel stood and lined his cock up to her slicked up entrance and thrust inside.  He smiled when Olivia cried out his name.

Faster and harder he took her; one arm banded around her back to steady her, one hand on the desk to steady himself.  He drove into her over and over and over; loving the feel of her, loving the sounds she made.  When he knew he was going to come, he reached up and cupped her face.  “Look at me, Liv,” he said thickly.  “Do you want me to come? Do you want me to fill you?”

“Yes,” she cried.  “Please!”  Her eyes met his and Daniel was helpless to do anything but what she asked. 

It took a long time for their breathing to settle down and for either of them to feel steady enough to separate. 
When Daniel finally stepped back his breath caught.  She was magnificent.  Sprawled out, hair tousled, skin flushed…Olivia was the sexiest thing he’d ever seen.

Regretfully, he picked up her panties from the floor and handed them to her and then the rest of her clothes.  They dressed in silence and when Daniel sat back down in his chair and reached for the bottle of water she’d given him earlier, he knew without a doubt that this was far from over.

Chapter Six

No agreement was ever discussed but for the next month they met like clockwork and each time they came together was better than the time before.  Daniel showed up at Olivia’s home at odd hours and she always welcomed him.  He was always gone when she woke up but he always managed to leave her with a smile on her face.

There were unexpected indulgences; Daniel particularly enjoyed surprising Olivia when he knew she was working late and that they’d have the place to themselves.  They’d made love countless times in her office, in her home and there was one particularly steamy escapade in the back seat of his car when he’d shown up at one of her parties.

Through it all, they never discussed a future or even the present –at least in terms of their relationship.  When they were together is primarily about sex but as time went on, there were times when they would talk about their days or Olivia would bounce an idea off of him concerning the business. 

She found that she truly liked him and was sad that they had wasted so many years antagonizing one another when it seemed that they were very compatible.  And as much as she loved the physicality of their relationship, she was beginning to struggle with it.  For as much as she gave, for as much as she cried out for him, Daniel still didn’t trust her.  It wasn’t something that they discussed but she was finally coming to realize the pattern of their time together.

They never made love in the dark.

They never made love leisurely.

They never made love, period.

Each time they came together Daniel insisted on the lights being on and that she look at him.  He demanded that she say his name.  The truth of the matter was that no matter how much they were genuinely attracted to one another, Daniel was not able to overcome the fact that
this relationship had begun because she had mistakenly thought him to be David.  In his mind, he needed that constant reassurance that Olivia knew, with great certainty, who she was sleeping with.

She just didn’t know how to make him get over it.

It was late on a Friday afternoon when she finally found the courage to talk to Tina about it.

“So you’re telling me that he always wants the lights on?”

“Every single time.”

“That would make me crazy.  There’s something to be said about a little mystery when you’re all naked and sweaty.”

“Oh, believe me, I agree.  I think that psychologically, he needs to know that I know that it’s him that I’m with.”

“Well that’s just twisted.”

“This whole thing is twisted and now I don’t know what to do!” Olivia cried. 

“What is it that you want, Liv?  I mean, do you want a real relationship with Daniel or is this all just about the sex?”

“In the beginning, I really thought it was just about the sex but now?  I really like him, Tee.  I think I might be falling in love with him.”

Tina stared at her and let those words sink in.  “How do you think he feels about you?”

Olivia sighed.  “Honestly?  I don’t know.  We don’t…talk.  At least not about anything personal.  I think I’m in over my head here and now I don’t know how to go about changing the rules.”

“Well for starters, you’re going to have to actually talk about the rules,” Tina said, a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

“Ya think?” Olivia responded, equally sarcastic.  “Thanks for the great advice.”

“Look, don’t get all pissy with me, Liv.  I’m just trying to help here.”

“Well how about actually telling me something that’s helpful.  I already know that we’re going to have to talk, I’m just not sure how to go about introducing the subject.”

“When are you supposed to see him again?”

“I don’t know.”

Tina looked at her with disbelief.  “You’ve been getting laid regularly and you’re telling me there’s no rhyme or reason to when he shows up?”

“He’s been working late a lot this week so I haven’t seen him as much.”

Considering her words, Tina stopped and thought for a moment. “Okay, here’s what you’re going to do.  You’re going to call Daniel and actually
invite
him over.  Then you’re going to cook dinner for him and the two of you are going to do something other than screw.”

Olivia rolled her eyes.  “First of all…I can’t just call him.”

“Why?”

“Because…it’s just…not what we do.”

“And therein lies the problem.”

“Okay, fine.  I’ll try it your way but let’s just remember the last time I tried something your way, shall we?  That is how I ended up in this mess!”

“You mean the mess where you get to have multiple orgasms on a fairly daily basis?” Tina asked with a smirk on her face.

“Shut up.”

****

It took Olivia two hours to get up the nerve to call Daniel.  She had his number on her phone from working at Slade’s so it wasn’t like she had that excuse to use. 
It was nearing six o’clock so she knew he’d be done with court; she just wasn’t sure where he’d be at.  When he answered, she had to force herself to speak.

“Hey, Daniel, it’s Olivia,” she said and then nearly smacked herself in the head at how stupid she must sound.

“Hey, Liv, what’s up?”  He didn’t sound surprised to hear on the phone but he did seem distracted.

“Listen I was wondering if you’d like to come over for dinner?” she asked and then had to swallow a wave of nausea at the thought of him saying no.

“Dinner?”

“Um…yes, dinner.  I know that you’ve been crazy with court all week and just thought that it might be nice to have a home-cooked meal.  What do you think?”
  He was silent for what seemed like forever and Olivia wanted to find something heavy to throw at Tina for once again giving her bad advice. 

“Sure, that sounds good,” he said finally.  “I have some things to finish up here so how about eight?”

“Eight is good,” she said, breathing a mental heavy sigh of relief.  “I’ll see you then.”

When she hung up, she raced out of her office and began scrounging around in the kitchen for something to make.

“What are you doing?” Tina asked.

“Following more of your stupid advice.  He’s coming for dinner but I have no idea what to make on such short notice!”

“Okay, calm down.  I knew you would get like this so I have it all ready for you.”

“You do?  What did you make?”

“I didn’t make anything; I made you up a care package of sorts filled with everything you’ll need to make a great dinner.”  She handed Olivia the hefty cooler bag and smiled as her friend opened it up and peeked inside.  “First, there’s a nice bottle of wine.  Then I got two steaks, two potatoes for you to bake, shrimp for some cocktails, all of the fixings for a salad and some New York Cheesecake for dessert.  And, I even managed to get you some nice flowers for the table.”

Olivia looked up and smiled her apology.  “I’m sorry I called your advice stupid.”

Tina waved her off.  “It’s okay; you’ll be thanking me tomorrow.”  The two hugged and Olivia grabbed her goody bag and her purse and headed out the door.

“Wish me luck!”

****

The scene was set.  Olivia had gotten home and did everything she could to make her condo look as romantic as possible.  The table was set with the beautiful bouquet of flowers Tina had provided along with long tapered candles.  Tea light candles were lit along the mantle of the fireplace and she had soft jazz playing on the stereo. 

She had minimal lighting on throughout the rest of the house and made sure that her bedroom – should they make it there – was decked out with its own array of romantic lighting.

Olivia herself hadn’t had a whole lot of time to pamper herself to calm her nerves but did manage to grab a quick shower and had moisturized her body from head to toe with the sweet vanilla scent she knew Daniel preferred.

At eight o’clock sharp the doorbell rang.  “It’s now or never,” she whispered to herself.  Dressed in silk lounging pants and a complimenting snug t-shirt, she padded barefoot to the door.  There was a moment of brief disappointment when she opened it and realized that Daniel hadn’t brought flowers or wine.  She knew this wasn’t really a ‘date’ but had hoped that her invitation to dinner might have given him a clue that this was a little more than their usual booty call.

“Hey,” she said as he walked in.  “How was your day?”

Daniel stopped and stared at her.  “How was my day?  That’s mighty domestic of you, Liv,” he said with amusement but had turned away before he saw her look of utter devastation.

Olivia walked to the kitchen and saw
that he was in the living room taking off his jacket and tie.  She cringed and hoped that he wasn’t going to strip and think that ‘dinner’ had just been some sort of metaphor for sex.

“So I’ve got these great steaks that I’m going to grill.  You like yours rare, right?”

“That sounds perfect, thanks.”  He came into the kitchen and took the bottle of wine she had out breathing and poured them each a glass.  “I have to admit, your invitation was quite a surprise.”

“A good one, I hope,” she said lightly, secretly praying that he wasn’t going to make fun of her.

“No, no…it was definitely a good one.  I’ve been eating food out of Styrofoam containers all week so this is going to be great.”

“Oh,” she said and turned her back to get the plate that the steaks were on.  Damn him.  Here she was making an effort to engage him in something other than sex and all he seemed to care about was the food.  This was so not going the way that she’d planned.  “Make yourself at home while I go put these on the grill.”

“Can I help you with anything?” he asked, sensing that something was up.

“No, it’s fine; go have a seat on the couch and relax.  These will be done in no time.”  She rushed out to the deck and closed the sliding doors behind her and was thankful for the time alone.  How was she supposed to talk to him about their awkward – yet sexually satisfying – relationship when even making small talk was this painful?

In less than ten minutes she was putting food on the table and sitting across from him.  “Wow, Liv, this all looks great.  Thank you.”

“It’s my pleasure.  I figured after a
long week in court you might appreciate a nice relaxing dinner.”

“Believe me, I do.  I just don’t expect you to go out of your way for me.  You know, it’s not necessary.”

Here was her chance.  Now was the perfect opening for her to introduce the subject of their relationship status.  “Well, you know, I realize that it’s not necessary but I guess I just wanted to do something nice for you.”

Daniel stopped eating and put his fork down.  There was definitely something up here.  It was the way Olivia was talking.  She clearly had something on her mind and he was a little scared to ask what it was. 

The last month had been damn-near perfect.  They had the perfect no-strings relationship where they both were free to come and go as they pleased and yet seemed more than happy to just keep coming.  He smiled inwardly at his own wordplay.  He enjoyed the time that they spent together, not just the time they spent in bed, and he found that the more he got to know Olivia, the more he wanted to know about her. 

He wasn’t ready to admit to having deep feelings for her but he knew that eventually she was going to get tired of just meeting for sex.  Maybe that’s what tonight was all about.  Shit, why hadn’t he seen this coming?  He wasn’t ready for the commitment talk just yet!

Olivia reached across the table and took hold of one of Daniel’s hands.  She looked so beautiful, Daniel thought.  In the soft candle light, she was just breathtaking.  He turned his palm over and twined their fingers together and found that he liked the way that it felt.  Maybe this wouldn’t be such a bad thing after all.

“We’ve been meeting together for over a month now and while I really enjoy our time together, I don’t think it would be terrible if, once in a while, we did something
other than jump into bed.”  Olivia let that statement sink in before she felt safe to move on.  She smiled at Daniel as if prompting him to say something.  Anything.

She was about to start rambling on about dinners and movies when he finally said, “I agree” and Olivia nearly fell out of her chair with relief.

“I think that we don’t have to do anything major; it might just be nice to share a meal once in a while or maybe just go to a movie.  What do you think?” she asked.

“I think that you are an amazing woman, Olivia
.”  He didn’t elaborate beyond that and they went back to enjoying their meal, quietly talking about the case he was working on and Olivia sharing her latest marketing plan for the business.

Once they were done eating, Olivia cleared the table and then joined Daniel on the couch.  He had freshened their glasses of wine and when she sat down beside him, he gently pulled her into his arms and leaned in for the kiss he had been aching for days for.

Before long, Olivia was sprawled out beneath him, running her hands up and down his back as he continued to kiss her like he never had before.  She was definitely going to have to thank Tina tomorrow; this had gone way better than she’d thought it would.  Clearly if he was willing to take this relationship to the next step, he had to be over his obsession with forcing her to say who she was with in bed.