"This is a beautiful park," Olivia commented as they walked slowly down one of the paved pathways.
Natalia squinted against the afternoon sun as she looked around the green expanse. "My father built it for my mother."
"Even after..." Olivia didn't quite know of a polite way to put the infidelity. "She still stayed with him?"
"Yeah. I never really knew why. But for years she would always tell me, 'The heart wants what the heart wants, there is no rhyme nor reason.'" Natalia smiled slightly at the memory. "Never understand that."
Olivia had been watching her as she talked of her mother. And even though Natalia was quiet again, her eyes remained focused on Natalia's expression. When the younger woman looked over at her and caught her eyes, she quickly looked back down to the pathway.
"So, stop stallin'," Natalia nudged her and looked at her watch. "You've approximately 28 minutes left in this truce before the gates close on this carnival ride."
"Well, that's a lot longer than I had originally planned," Olivia said in mock seriousness. "I don't know how much longer I can take all this 'niceness'.
"It’s killing you too, huh?" Natalia moved towards a park bench that had a waterfall a few feet away. The sun was hot but the breeze flowing through the water caused a light mist to blow occasionally in their direction as they both sat down.
"So spill it, Spencer."
"Oh, my God! We've dropped the Ms.!"
"Baby steps, right?"
"Awww, see? I knew we'd get there someday." Olivia said with such a sugary sweet smile that Natalia had to laugh.
"You should do that more often, Natalia. God, if I had your dimples, I'd be running the free world by now."
Natalia looked up at her, but Olivia quickly looked away before their eyes could meet.
"Where were we?" She settled back against the bench and crossed a leg over the other. "Ah, yes. Me. My favorite topic." She stared out at a few of the people who were sitting in varying areas of the park, her brows furrowed in deep deliberation.
"I'm waiting," Natalia looked over at her to see what the hold up was.
"Suddenly, I'm... shy." Olivia said as though she herself could not believe the words coming from her mouth.
"Yeah, right. Nice try."
"No really."
Natalia took another few seconds to see if Olivia was joking and then she laughed lightly.
"I'm sorry," she said trying to pull an honest face through the huge smile. "You just don't seem like the type."
"Well, maybe not shy, exactly. I just know the low opinion you already have of me and I suddenly realized that telling you about myself may very well lend credence it."
Natalia was quiet for a moment as she took in the other woman's serious concern.
"Hey," she turned her body to face Olivia on the bench, and waited for Olivia to look at her. "I showed you mine so you have to show me yours," she said lightly.
“I really have no idea where to begin, so why don’t you just ask me something specific you’d like to know about me, and I will focus on that instead of blurting out too much information.”
“Yeah okay, um… one small problem. I don’t want to know anything about you. I....” she smiled and gave a half-laugh when Olivia started chuckling. “I was quietly minding my own business when suddenly my peace was taken hostage, remember?”
Olivia smiled and also turned on the bench to face Natalia. “Humor me, Rivera.”
Natalia made a point to comically overemphasize an eye roll. “Okay. Fine!” She focused her gaze on Olivia, who sat there waiting for the other woman to speak. Natalia narrowed her eyes slightly. “I’m trying to think of a question that doesn’t have us bending the rules.” She pondered a moment more. “How about family?”
“Besides Emma, none that I am close to. My mother died when I was sixteen. Haven’t really kept in touch with my younger brother, Sam, over the past few years. My sister, Marissa, also passed away. And well, other than a few ex-step children who may or may not still wish me dead…Nope just me and my little girl.”
Natalia had leaned her arm on the back of the bench and rested her head on her hand as she watched Olivia speak. “Why the hotel industry?”
“That was a whim actually. My first Beacon Hotel in Springfield was run-down when I bought half of it. I had to spar with the owner of the other half. God, she was a hoot.” Olivia shook her head and laughed. “I saw that there was a need for high-end lodging, found no other competition, and realized I could easily rule the market.”
“Always have to be on top?”
“I do,” Olivia said unapologetically. “Would you place all of your efforts in a venture in which you knew you were always going to be the small fish in the pond, always having to spend most of your time trying not to be eaten?”
“No, I suppose not.”
“See? ‘Savvy Business Strategist’ doesn’t always have to equal ‘Pretentious Glory Seeker.’ It becomes a full time career, hell, even a lifestyle; constantly trying to make sure you're above the rest. Do you respect anyone who settles for less than they can achieve?”
“I see your point.”
“So what if my methods in the past have been a little ‘extreme’, shall we say? I like to wear people down, as you may have noticed.”
“I have noticed that you are certainly trying to. But I am also confident that you will not be wearing me anywhere including ‘down’. Victory shall be mine,” Natalia said with a smile though Olivia knew full well she wasn’t joking.
“Chickens haven’t hatched yet.”
“I gave the hen a sonogram.”
“Ah, I see,” Olivia turned away from the young woman, and looked back out into the park. “Honestly though, who I am is very complicated, but essentially, it reads the same as any other 'rags-to-riches' story. It just so happens that you won’t see the story of my life being displayed on the Family Channel, that’s all.”
“Deep.” Natalia said sarcastically as she also turned back to face forward. She began playing with the zipper of her purse beside her. There was a brief pause. And then she spoke again.
“So we have 20 minutes left and I still don’t really know about you, and you don’t really know about me, either. I’d say your plans have failed miserably.”
“I knew you were holding out on me!” Olivia remarked pointing her finger at Natalia exaggeratedly.
“Well, duh! Opening up to you…Trojan Horse imagery…bloody carnage…” Natalia gestured back and forth between them. “I’m not stupid, Ms. Spencer,” she stated though her tone was light. “I’m going to be honest with you, again.”
“Goody gum-drops!” Olivia faked a huge smile, braced her hands on either side of her legs and leaned forward slightly.
“Cool it! And I’m hopefully only ever going to say this to you once in my whole entire life, so listen closely.” She pointed a finger at Olivia, but still, her voice was non-abrasive.
“I like talking to you," Natalia started.
“God, you are confusing.” Olivia rubbed her forehead with her fingers and turned to face Natalia in the attempt to say something else, but the younger woman quickly held up her hand.
“Even though you annoy the living shit out of me.” She continued. “Perhaps it’s the fact that it’s been a while since I’ve had anyone to spar with other than my brother, who knows?”
Olivia turned completely toward Natalia. “Why did you agree to have lunch with me?” It was a non-confrontational question that Olivia desperately needed the answer to.
“Because the thought of understanding why you are who you are fascinates me.” Natalia didn’t look away. She simply put the words out there.
“Well…” Olivia looked blankly at her. “I’m sorry, I just don’t seem to have a witty comeback for that one.” Her eyes were serious as she looked at Natalia questioningly.
“You drive me insane, and not in a good way. But a small part of me does admire your persistence. You are an intriguing woman, Ms. Spencer. I know you want to make some flirtatious joke right about now, but you should know that I am extremely comfortable in my sexuality – enough to admit that you are an astonishingly beautiful woman. I think you may have been using that as your secret weapon so long that you actually think that it affects me.” She pinned Olivia with a serious look. “It does not.” She paused for emphasis.
“Are you almost finished? Because you’re kinda turning me on,” Olivia deadpanned.
“I can see that you and I are a lot alike. We are both passionate about being the very best, and we both are powerful forces of nature. Perhaps that is just yet another reason why we shouldn’t ever exist in each other’s worlds.”
“Pity,” was all that Olivia could offer.
“I agree. Perhaps if you were here for purposes other than the existing ones, we may have even been able to make it to the F-word by now and…”
Olivia’s eyebrows went up immediately and she wasted no time in cutting Natalia off. “Look Natalia, I don’t know what you think I…”
“Friends, Spencer! Friends! God, relax!” Natalia huffed. “Thing is, we will never be friends so why bother getting to know one another?”
“Because we’re both curious?”
Natalia sighed and turned once again away from Olivia.
“Oh come on, Natalia,” Olivia whined playfully, desperate to regain the light-heartedness of the earlier afternoon. “You’ve already admitted that I fascinate you. Do I keep you up at night, too?”
“Oh, look at the time.”
“Noooo, come on, let’s go back to talking about the F-word again!” Olivia said in comedic excitement. It earned Olivia a smile and a head shake.
They were silent for a few moments and Natalia picked at a sliver of wood that was raised off the end of the bench slightly. “Let’s try a different approach, “ she finally said.
“Oooo, I like to try new things,” Olivia jested.
“I am going to stop insulting you, and you are going to stop harassing me for the remainder of your stay at my hotel.”
“No fun whatsoever. How are we going to accomplish this?”
“Easy. I am going to go back to my office to call my security team right away with the intentions of devising a plan that will ensure that you stay the hell away from me.” She stated evenly. “That way you and I will both be able to sleep safe and sound.”
“Says the woman who has a key to my bedroom.”
Natalia laughed. "Good point. Oh well. One eye open, I guess.”
Olivia smiled and reached for her purse. “So, just so that I have all of your insanely confusing and rapidly misfiring signals straight here..." she raised a finger as a count off. "You like me.”
“Could. Could like you.”
“Could. And you’d love for us to get to know one another,” she raised another finger.
“In an Alternate Universe perhaps.”
“And you want me to stay the hell away from you.” The last finger went up.
“Precisely.”
Olivia shook her head at Natalia and sighed.
“Alright,” she raised both hands in front at chest level and shrugged her shoulders in resignation. “I shall leave you alone.”
Natalia sighed in relief and smiled. “Thank you!”
“No problem.” Olivia arranged her purse and stood up. “So which direction are you headed?”
“Up to my suite.”
“Well, what a coincidence!” she mocked. “I’m on my way to mine as well!” Her eyes glinted and she cast a mischievous smirk. “Come on, I’ll race ya!” She reached out a hand in order to help the brunette up.
Natalia stared up at Olivia and then closed her eyes and bowed her head slightly.
“Fucking hell."
0 comments:
Post a Comment