Chapter 57

Chapter 57

A new day had begun. Its glorious sunshine burned brilliantly, in direct contrast to the deeply depressing gloom and whole-being agony that had enveloped Natalia throughout the night.  A ray of warm, golden sun had inched its way across the carpet and up unto the couch, where the woman sat motionless in her disdain of it.  She cursed its seemingly inviting glow, a symbol of hope, for she knew exactly what it actually meant. This day had arrived. The day in which she would once again have to accept the finality of death. 

She cursed the sunlight and moved into the shadows at the other side of the couch. She curled her legs under her and rolled herself into a tightly wound ball, as if trying to shell herself away from the day and its impending reality. Her emotional discomfort was allied by a physical one, which briefly brought her attention to the fact that she hadn’t yet changed out of yesterday’s clothing. It had been: the county coroner’s office, her office, a swift visit to a boardroom full of lawyers, a meeting with her media adviser, back to her office and then up to the suite and directly to the couch… in that order.

No stopping. Keep moving. Keep busy, no thinking. Couch.

It was the couch that got her. It had welcomed her weary frame with false promises of comfort and relief, but then refused to let her go as it beckoned all her worries and fears, grief and anger, guilt and sorrow, and the panic that often accompanies the regret of a completely wasted opportunity, to find and envelope her while she sat immobile… imprisoned.

And there was no battle. No attempts had been made by the defeated brunette to escape the internal torture. She quite simply surrendered to it all, and felt.

Felt everything.

Felt the worry of being the only person that could successfully continue the legacy of the Empire. Felt the fear of failing to do so. Felt the grief of being left alone and the anger at both her parents for abandoning her. The guilt at having never truly given her father what he had worked so hard for years to procure from her: just one simple word of forgiveness. Her sorrow at knowing that the last words she had ever spoken to him were condemnations, and the gut wrenching, mind-numbing panic of the knowledge that she could never take them back. Her chances… his chances… for emotional freedom–of a bond of forgiveness and acceptance between a father and his only daughter–gone and lost forever.

There was no way one broken soul could fight against it all, and so she didn’t. With eyes wide open, she stared into the dark nothingness of night and absorbed the agony until the sun came around to add its hideous insult of light and warmth.  Its mere existence, and the meaning of it, was an absolute abhorrence to a woman so shrouded in personal tragedy that she simply wanted time to stop and the world to swallow her whole, to spare her from the day.

This day. This couch. And that atrocious light.

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“I don’t want to leave a message. I just want to talk to Natalia Rivera for, like, two minutes!” The distraught woman on the other end was having a difficult time convincing Natalia’s secretary of the urgency of her call.

Sheila was especially protective of her employer, presently. Unless missing a call was going to bring down the entire company, she was determined to shelter her boss from any unnecessary hassles. All messages were carefully screened to extract every viable piece of information to help her decide which calls were dire, and which could be handled later. This recent call, from a woman who refused to give her name –or her purpose for calling, was giving Sheila all the reason in the world to dismiss her easily.

“Ms. Rivera will not be taking any personal calls today. You may leave a brief message on her office machine or you may call back in a few days,” the secretary replied in a firm, yet professional, tone.

“Believe me, Lady, she’s going to want to talk to me, now!” 

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“Mom, I can’t find my new pool-flipper thingies.”

Emma’s voice rang through the hotel suite, but Olivia was too deep in her thoughts to hear a thing. She had been standing in front of the kitchen sink for some time now, washing the same mug for the third, maybe forth, time.

Her mind was busy scanning through all the events from the past weeks in order to come up with enough valuable evidence to prove Andrew wrong in his hypothesis. The very idea of it was ridiculous. She knew herself well, and she would be the first person to recognize if she was feeling… that. The ‘L’ word that Andy had used that had sent her blood pressure rising.

She honestly believed she wasn’t in denial. As much as her battle-scarred heart wanted to believe in fairy-tale romances, the fact of the matter was she truly didn’t. She had experienced first hand how easily that word could be thrown around and used to tear another’s heart out. She’d said the word to many a man and known it to be nothing more than a meaningless syllable–a combination of four letters in the English language that she could utter at the precise moment she needed an advantage over a situation or an individual.

Attraction isn’t the same thing as… ugh… right? Olivia didn’t know anything about it personally but she figured there must be a wide berth between what she could admit to feeling for Natalia and what Andy was suggesting. She could openly admit to being attracted to the other woman. Desire, craving, a primal need… all very adequate words to describe the physical yearning she felt for Natalia. And sure, she was fond of being in the other woman’s presence so she must therefore be, in a way, fond of the woman herself. But was she actually falling for her?

Falling in what? She wondered. There were certain things she could profess to be ‘falling’ into. Falling in lust? For sure. Falling into an ever-increasing admiration for the strength of Natalia’s character? Definitely. Falling into an overwhelming concern for the brunette’s emotional well-being? Of course. Now more so than ever. Falling into anxiousness every time Natalia pushed her away? Falling into those brief moments of hope when she’d been reeled back in? Yes, and yes.

From what she’d heard of that pesky little four-lettered word, all these things could possibly resemble its symptoms, but it must merely be a coincidence. Perhaps a strong fondness with a side order of physical attraction simply bore a strong similarity to... that other noun/verb. Yes, that was it. What she was feeling was just akin to what Andrew had been talking about. Somewhat affiliated but twice removed… like a second cousin, really.

Olivia could feel herself relaxing somewhat even as she battled with the knowledge that her eternal rant was sounding more ridiculous by the second. She maintained that she wasn’t in denial, and that Andy had quite simply misinterpreted the evidence. Not his fault. Could easily have happened to anyone.

“Do you know where they are?” Emma tried, again, to get her mother’s attention.

Olivia turned from the sink to face her daughter, though still with a faraway look in her eyes.

He couldn’t possibly know what he’s talking about, right?

“Mom!” Emma yelled, finally jarring Olivia from her anxious contemplations.

“Yes! Or no… what?” The woman couldn’t even pretend to have been listening, and she felt guilty. “I’m sorry, baby. What do you need?”

Emma sighed. “My feet thingies that we bought the other day for the pool. The flipper things,” she restated.

“I haven’t seen them but I will look around for them, okay?”

Emma nodded. “If you ever finish those dishes, right?” 

Olivia raised an eyebrow at her young daughter’s tone and wondered when her small child had acquired such a solid understanding of the art of sarcasm.  She picked up the dishtowel from the counter and tossed it at the girl.

“Jane will be here soon, and somewhere in this suite is a bedroom with your name on it that needs to be cleaned, Missy,” Olivia said, warningly, but with a smirk. She watched as Emma ran around the corner and back down the hallway.

“I don’t see my name on any of these doors,” the girl hollered and ran into her room with a serious case of the giggles.

Olivia shook her head and chuckled before she turned back to the sink. Regarding the scene in front of her, her grin morphed into a frown as she realized she’d been standing at that counter for nearly twenty minutes, and there was still stack of dishes in the sink and only three cups in the dish-rack. She pushed down the rising panic and steeled herself with her earlier confirmation.

Olivia was falling into something, but she was practically near positive it probably wasn’t love.

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Sitting beside her brother, in the front row pew of the grand church, should have been much more difficult. There should have been acerbic exchanges of blame, or a volleying of vitriol and vengeance, but there was none. Natalia sat quietly in her seat as the words of the priest, meant for comfort and closure, passed by unnoticed by her ears. She should have been enraged at having to dwell so closely to her now sworn enemy –the man next to her, wearing an almost blank expression save for the ever-so-slight smugness— but she remained passive.

This wasn’t about him.

This day belonged to her father, and these moments belonged to her grief. The minutes ahead belonged to her memories and a never-ending struggle to come to terms with the impossible idea of saying “goodbye”.

The calm demeanour regarding Matteo was aided—beyond her complete unwillingness to give him an ounce of satisfaction—by a strange, but not wholly unwelcomed, phone call she’d received before leaving for the funeral. If there was an iota of peace to be felt regarding anything about this day, it would be given by that very enlightening conversation. 

Regardless of how badly Natalia wanted vindication, there was a time and a place for everything, and this time belonged to her father.

Mateo’s time would come.

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The casket was lowered, and the crowed of mourners that surrounded Natalia effectively cut off the view Olivia had of the younger woman. She had decided to attend the funeral out of respect for the man but more so to be there in the off chance that Natalia needed support. Antonio Rivera was very well-known, and widely respected, and Olivia knew that there were likely countless of well-wishers there to offer his daughter a shoulder to lean on. She hadn’t any delusions about her role there, which is why she decided to remain at a distance from the other woman. She didn’t want to burden Natalia if what she wanted was space. The eye contact they’d shared before the service, though, when Natalia made a quick sweep of the crowd before sitting down, had alerted Natalia of her presence, and Olivia would be content with that. And so, she also stayed near the back at the cemetery as the friends and family gathered around the gravesite and listened to the quite sobs of saddened loved ones, knowing that they weren’t coming from the surviving Rivera children. 

She could tell, without looking at him, that Mateo would only simulate enough sadness to fool the average bystander into thinking he actually cared. And even though she knew full well how upset Natalia truly was, from what she was able to see of the bereaved woman’s face, there were no tears. Not yet at least. She had seen Natalia’s private breakdowns and had suspected that there would be more in the near future, but for most of the day, Natalia’s features displayed a somewhat stoic resilience.

Even at the wake, back at the hotel’s large banquet hall, when the brunette had been bombarded by handshakes and hugs and unsolicited stories of her fathers character by both the long-time Empire employees and fellow businessmen, she’d remained eerily reserved.

Olivia couldn’t tell whether Natalia was simply working very hard to keep her emotions in check, or if she had finally reached a point where she was hurting too much to know how to respond to the pain. Either way, the quiet detachment nearly forced a worried Olivia to move to the woman’s side.

Before she could do so, Natalia had slowly raised herself from her seat and bid the group around her a solemn farewell. With all eyes on her, she moved to the exit where Olivia was standing. The younger woman didn’t look up to acknowledge the blonde, but as she passed, she slowed somewhat and discretely reached for Olivia’s hand, giving it a quick squeeze as she moved through the doorway. Olivia watched Natalia move down the corridor until she was out of sight, fighting the intense desire to follow. She knew, however, that by taking her hand Natalia was telling her that she was alright for now, and also thanking her for being there. 

As the late hours of that day neared the early ones of the next, Olivia sat quietly on her couch and waited for the soft knock on her door that she instinctively knew would come. When it did, and the door was opened, there were no words. It passed unsaid, though mutually understood, that Olivia had become Natalia’s port through the storm, and as Olivia opened her arms, Natalia moved into them, allowing herself to be completely encompassed by the comforting embrace. It was finally ok to let the walls come crashing down and for the first time that day, Natalia wept.

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It could have been hours later, for all Olivia knew, when the two of them would first speak. She had guided Natalia to lie on the couch and let the woman use her thigh as a pillow. One hand stroked through long, dark tresses as the other entwined itself with Natalia’s on the brunette’s stomach. She soothed the woman with gentle caresses until the hiccupped breaths slowly evened out, and Natalia was no longer wiping tears from her eyes.

“So, I was thinking.” Natalia shifted onto her back as she finally broke the silence. “I could really use a change of scenery.”

Olivia chuckled as she wiped the remaining dampness from Natalia’s cheek. “Oh really,” she replied. “Got anywhere particular in mind?”

Natalia let go of Olivia’s hand and reached down into her pantsuit pocket. She produced a small piece of paper which she handed to a somewhat confused Olivia.

“What’s this?” Olivia asked, as she opened the note. On it was written a name and an address.

“It is a mission.”

“A mission,” Olivia echoed, still trying to make sense of it.

Natalia pointed to piece of paper in the older woman and smiled. “That is my redemption.”

Olivia re-read the note. “Michelle Bradley, from… Sutter Creek, California?”

“Mmhm,” Natalia said simply.

“Where is Sutter Creek, California?”

Natalia shrugged and retrieved the paper from Olivia. “Google maps said it was in the middle of nowhere. Somewhere between Stockton and Sacramento… population of 2500.”

Olivia’s eyebrows nearly reached her hairline. “2500?” she exclaimed. “That’s less than the occupancy of two of your grand Empires!”

“Mmhm,” Natalia said again, without concern.

“Wait,” Olivia paused as she processed. “The name sounds familiar.”

Natalia nodded. “It should. She was on your list.”

“No way!”

“Yes, way.”

Olivia sat silently for several moments and then looked back down at the woman on her lap. “I didn’t see that coming.”

Natalia put the important note back into her pocket and replaced her hand within Olivia’s. “Seems genuine though. She called the office and demanded to speak to me,” Natalia explained. “It was the only call Sheila forwarded.”

“Good ol’ Sheila.” 

“She says she has information about why the news has been reporting me as a possible murder suspect.”

“What a novice,” Olivia blurted. “She’s all but implicated herself as the culprit. She should have used a middleman… no one that could be linked back to her,” she stated matter of factly.

Natalia stared at the woman above her with furrowed brows. “Do I want to ask for an explanation as to how you would know something like that?”

“It’d better if you didn’t,” Olivia grinned.

“Better for you? Or me?”

“Better for us.”

Natalia let it slide, but only because the implication of the word “us” had her temporarily distracted.

“So what is your plan for your new ‘mission’?” Olivia asked, as Natalia slowly sat up and shifted into a comfy position at the other end of the couch.

“I go to Sutter Creek. I talk to Miss Bradley. I come home and nail my good-for-nothing asshole brother to a wall. Then, I pour a nice tall drink and cheer to the removal of said asshole from my company, and preferably my life.”

“Sounds like a good plan,” Olivia concurred. “Especially the drinking part.”

Natalia smiled. “I’m glad you approve.”

“You’re not going alone.”

The tone in Olivia’s voice was, for the most part, even, but it teetered on the ledge between nonchalant and demanding.

Natalia eyed the blonde. She knew she wanted Olivia to accompany her, but she also knew she shouldn’t ask the other woman for any more favours. “Sounds like a dare,” she replied.

“No, it is a fact,” Olivia said sternly. “The dare would be for you to try and defy it.”

“I can ask Bobby to drive me.”

Olivia rolled her eyes and sighed. “Oh, the silly games we play.”

Natalia waited a moment before responding seriously. “I can’t ask you to come with me.”

Olivia faced her once again. “Well then, it’s a good thing you don’t have to.” She winked as she stood up and moved to the dining-room to grab her phone, signalling that the topic was no longer up for debate. “When do we leave?”

Natalia tried to stifle a smile. “I was thinking about heading out before dawn. It’s a seven- hour drive, so to avoid it becoming an overnight mission—”

“Let’s leave tomorrow afternoon,” Olivia interjected, the twinkle in her eyes instantly giving her away. “Nothing wrong with an overnight mission, right? Less rushing… gives us a chance to see the sights of lovely little Sutter Creek?”

“Yes, because I’m sure the town with a population of 2500 has quite a few sights to be seen within its two and a half square miles,” Natalia retorted.  She got up from the couch and moved to the door as Olivia followed behind her. “I suppose it would give us a chance to talk about… stuff,” she said as she turned to give the blonde a wary expression.

“Stuff like… the weather? Politics? Quarter annual financial reports?” Olivia joked.

Natalia smiled and lowered her eyes to the ground. “Or kitchen counters… you know… whatever pops up.” She hesitantly returned her focus to Olivia.

“Even better,” Olivia smiled and distinctly forced herself not to move forward to kiss the unsure woman before her. “I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

Natalia turned to open the door. “I’ll message you once I clear my schedule with ‘Good ol’ Sheila’.”

Olivia couldn’t help but snicker. “And how is your fine secretary these days?”

“She still hates you.”

Olivia laughed. “Oh now, ‘hate’ is such a strong word.”

Natalia leaned against the doorframe. “I know. As I recall, you’ve said it to me before,” she responded lightly.

Olivia pondered for a moment as she reached out to tuck some strands of hair away from Natalia’s face. “Hard to believe,” she stated, almost whimsically.

Natalia studied Olivia’s face for a moment before slowly moving forward. “Liar,” she accused as she placed a brief kiss on the other woman’s lips.

Olivia smiled into the quick kiss, and continued smiling even after Natalia wordlessly left to move through her own door. And for whatever reason –though certainly not the one Andy had suggested— she couldn’t seem to stop smiling until sleep finally claimed her. Tonight she would simply revel in her as-of-yet unlabeled emotions. She could worry about four-lettered L-words some other day.

Chapter 56

Olivia remained blissfully unaware for several long seconds, even as the soft lips that previously claimed her own suddenly vanished. A profanity was uttered by the other woman and —in her lust-filled haze— Olivia decided to take it as a sign of encouragement. She ravaged Natalia's neck with urgent kisses and playful nips. It wasn't until she felt Natalia's hands on her shoulders, quickly pushing her back, that she heard it.

The sound of Natalia's phone ringing was like hearing an alarm-clock going off during the best part of a most wonderful dream; a dream which you struggle to hold onto long after you hear the fowl intrusion because you know you may never remember its glorious content as soon as you open your eyes. Olivia was indeed struggling.

"No," she whispered, her breath still ragged though her heartbeat was starting to slow. "No no no nooooo."

"I have to... just..." Natalia muttered as her legs released their grip from around Olivia's waist. "Just... don't move... seriously..." She wriggled a leg free between them, lowered herself from the counter and quickly made her way towards the offensive phone that was ringing loudly on the dining-room table. Before pressing the talk button, she looked over at the blonde who was leaning with her hands on the side of the counter. The brunette held a finger up in warning, though Olivia wasn't facing her. "I’m serious, do not move," she commanded as she answered the call and raised the phone to her ear.

Olivia did as she was told, staying perfectly still where she had been left, trying desperately to hold onto that sweet dream, silently praying she would be able to fall back into it but sorrowfully expecting to watch it slip away.

"Jacques now isn't really a good time,” Natalia stated. “What… Right now?"

Olivia heard Natalia's laboured sigh and closed her eyes tightly as she watched her dream fade.

Natalia was caught between knowing she had major responsibilities to attend to and the intrinsic desire to run as far away from them as she could. She glanced again at the woman in her kitchen, whose head was now hanging slightly in defeat. "No... yes... I mean, of course I'll go. I guess I have to... I just," she sighed again as she subconsciously tugged down the sides of her skirt that were rumpled high on her thighs. "Never mind, have Bobby ready to pick me up in ten minutes."

Olivia raised her head and took a deep breath as she waited for Natalia to return. She kept her position as she saw the other woman lean against the counter beside her with her back facing out into the open room. They stayed like that for several long seconds, Olivia staring up at a mug in the clear glass cupboard above her head and Natalia eyeing a dripping faucet at the sink on the center island.

"They're ready to go over the medical reports and give me some release forms," the brunette explained. "I have to be there to sign paperwork". She folded her arms and lowered her gaze to the floor. "I'm burying my father tomorrow," she stated in an eerily emotionless tone.

Olivia pushed off the counter and re-buttoned her jeans. "I know," she said quietly.

Without looking up Natalia continued. "We were about to have sex on my kitchen counter."

Olivia looked over at the younger woman and tried to read her facial expression, but it was as neutral as the tone of her voice. She couldn't tell if the statement was meant for her or was simply part of Natalia's internal thought process, almost as if she was trying to acknowledge those brief moments as being real. In the current moment, it all seemed rather unbelievable. There wasn't a hint of desire left in her eyes or her voice, yet Olivia knew it had to be just under the surface. Nor was there a sense of guilt and shame though she suspected those emotions would plague Natalia any moment now.

"I know," Olivia said again, as steadily as she could. She looked away from the brunette as she finished rearranging her clothing. Should I apologize? I'm not really sorry? Olivia reflected. Should I be?

She wasn't sure what she had expected to happen as a result of their heated encounter —in fact she hadn't thought any further than simply getting to the act itself— but reality was starting to set in and she didn't want to see a look of regret in Natalia's eyes.

"I'm going to go," she said, trying to keep the disappointment out of her voice. "I've got some business calls to make and some emails to send out... stuff like that. So..." She turned and moved to the living-room to find her purse and phone. Her conscience tried to goad her into an attempt to talk about it. Considering it had just handed her over completely to her own reckless desires, Olivia decided that her conscience could no longer be trusted. Without knowing what else to say, she muttered a quiet "Call me later", and turned to leave the suite.

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Three hours after signing the release forms —three and a half since she'd blindly tried to rip Olivia's clothes off— Natalia sat quietly behind her office desk. The sun was setting now and the room was gradually getting darker, but it went unnoticed. She had decided not to go back to her suite because returning to the 'scene of the crime' would be a major distraction. She had a funeral to prepare for, a tarnished reputation to repair, and nowhere in the past few weeks had the franchise' financial concerns miraculously lifted. There were sinking vessels to rescue and some major decisions to be made on how to bail them out.

That topic of course reminded her of the merger. The merger reminded her of her father's vision of the future of their company, of his desire to begin a new frontier. Was she now morally obligated to do what her deceased father would have wanted? What would it say about her loyalty and love for him if she resisted? Was she even allowed to disagree?

The merger was also a reminder of Olivia.

No! You have to focus!

As her mind raced, she grabbed a random report from the long pile of unread papers on her desk and made an attempt to read the words but nothing sunk in.

"Why?" she sighed as she tossed the paper haphazardly back onto the others and tried easing the tension in her temples with her fingertips. It was one word, and yet a multitude of questions: Why now? Why her?

"Why her?" she whispered out loud. If she needed a distraction from everything that was happening, she could find that in anyone. She could call up an old 'friend'—she knew she wouldn't be denied—and yet there was no desire for the typical detached hook-up. The implication of this terrified her and she immediately cut the engine to that train of thought.

"Not now," she scolded herself. "You have a hotel to run, damn it!" She grabbed the piece of paper again and reread the same words as many times as it took to finally get into 'work mode'. Pretty soon reports were being filed, orders were being approved, and several meetings were being scheduled. By the end of the evening, Natalia was almost pleased with herself and what she'd managed to accomplish. It reminded her of what she was truly good at, of why she’d gotten into the business with her father at such a young age. Success was just a cover. The pursuit of it –or moreso the countless hours spent labouring over the finer details—was the fundamental reward. If she was too busy building an empire, she wouldn't have time to notice the cracks in the foundation.

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"Forget the quarterly report. Your new mission is to discover a way to make the meal plan at the Springfield Sanitarium as succulent as the menu in our hotel restaurants." Olivia shifted the phone from one ear to the other as she bent over to release a sling-back from each heel and slipped off her shoes. She lined them up neatly by her bedside table before sitting down on the bed. No need to take out her frustrations on her Manolo Blahniks.

"Having a dreary day in sunny California?" Andy replied. Olivia had called him because, out of anyone she knew, he was most used to the melancholy moods of his long-time friend. Normally he knew the right thing to say to get her out of a funk, but lately, her actions had utterly confused the man and she knew he had little to offer about her current situation. Nevertheless, she needed to talk —to anyone.

"Well, if I'm going to be spending the rest of my days locked up for my impending insanity, I want to make sure my palate is satiated."

"You'll be doped up on mind-numbing drugs. Your palate will be oblivious."

"I have lost my mind, not my exquisite taste in luxurious culinary cuisine."

"You didn't call me to talk about your taste-buds," Andy assessed. "Unless..." he paused in thought. "Unless your mouth has been experiencing some rather foreign delicacies lately? Perhaps from a Southern climate, yes?"

"You're perverted." Olivia lay back against the plush pillows behind her and rested a forearm under her head. "I am here to help a friend in a time of need."

"You can pretend that it's just a guy thing for me to jump to conclusions about which 'need' you may be helping her with, but I started this phone-call by stating that our quarterly finances have grown by 7% over last session's numbers and you completely deflected with 'I'm checking into an asylum'. Just tell me when, where and why it happened, and don't leave out any of the sordid details."

"This afternoon, on her kitchen counter, and I have no fucking clue as to the why."

There was a noticeable silence on the other end of the phone.

"You still with me?"

"Holy shit! I was mostly just kidding about my assumptions."

Olivia sighed. "Well, as luck would have it —either incredibly good or horribly bad, I haven't decided— we were interrupted before anything really happened."

"Uh huh..." Andy responded, clearly still in shock.

"But still, a lot happened... you know?"

"Nuh uh."

"Andy this is serious! I'm in serious shit with a serious problem in a serious situation. I need serious help here! What is your advice?"

"Seriously?"

Olivia huffed in annoyance. "I'm going to hurt you."

"Alright, alright! Listen, you are a highly successful business woman with a rapidly growing company and, more importantly, a beautiful and brilliant daughter who adores you no matter who you are or what you do."

"I'm aware of this, but continue."

"So maybe once you get your ass back home, away from this Californian confusion, and get back into your normal routine, you'll have a better perspective on things. You can get your priorities in check and focus on what your good at.”

"Greg has been doing a marvellous job in helping me keep the Beacon afloat in my absence, though I may remind you that much of my job revolves around phone calls, which I have been able to continue making here in California. And I will excuse the subtle, yet hideous, assumption that I'm somehow neglecting my daughter. She’s only been out of my presence for half a day." Olivia kept her voice calm but her tone was stern. "I am well aware of—and continue to handle—my priorities, thank you very much."

"Well then, bang Natalia and get it over with. What's the big deal?"

Olivia let out a long sigh. "Maybe I should’ve called Greg for some advice. He'd be much more sensitive."

Andy snorted. "Yeah, okay. Ask your gay secretary for advice on women. Let me know how that goes."

"Probably as well as this conversation."

It was Andy's turn to sigh. "Look, this is never really an issue for most guys because typically the only girl trouble we have is finding the fastest way to get into their pants. I'm not going to make us sound any more sophisticated than that. So yeah, my Neanderthal brain would tell me to get her done and get her out of my system."

"Helpful, thanks."

"No, it's not. And you do you want to know why?"

"I'm on the edge of my seat... well, bed."

"Because Natalia is in your system, and no amount of sex is going to rid her from it. In fact it will do the opposite. And that terrifies you because you think you might just be okay with that."

Olivia sat in silence.

"I'm right and you know it."

“That was some surprisingly poignant insight, for a man.”

Andy let his friend mull the realization over in her head a little while longer before speaking again. "You know what puts a person that deeply into another's system, right?"

Olivia gasped. "No! Don't say it," she pleaded.

Her friend chuckled. "Sorry kiddo, but it would seem as though you've got it bad. And you know what they say..."

"Oh, dear God..."

"There ain't no cure for love."

Chapter 55

The ride back to the hotel was fairly quiet. Silent, if not for the brief phone call Olivia made to check up on her daughter. The blonde stole a quick glance at the woman driving. She knew that Natalia had many things going on inside her head and most likely none of them could be at all pleasant. She contemplated saying something to break the silence in the car. Maybe silence is good right now. Maybe she needs it. She decided not to push Natalia into a conversation and instead watched the scenery as it passed by.

Her own mind raced with a mixture of concern, and curiosity, but she didn’t feel she could ask what was on the other woman’s mind for fear of upsetting her. Is she being quiet because she still feels bad for making the assumption that I would continue helping her? Is she thinking about the funeral? Oh god, she isn’t fretting because I jokingly mentioned wanting a dinner-date as payback, is she? Her mind sped on, trying to guess at the reason for Natalia’s sudden speechlessness.

Buildings of vastly different architectural style to those in Illinois flashed by her vision. The trees, the people, the hustle and bustle of the city all reminded her that she was far from home. Her mind quickly snuck in a hopeful thought. Did my phone call to Emma remind Natalia that I would be leaving soon? Is she wishing I would stay longer? For a few brief moments Olivia allowed herself to dwell on those thoughts before reminding herself of the conversation the two had shared the morning after Natalia’s father had passed away. The one that essentially ended the notion of discovering anything more about the rapidly growing attraction between them.

It would be substantially easier for me to put my feelings aside if she hadn’t tried to seduce me in her bathroom a day after telling me to leave her life, Olivia noted with a hint of annoyance. She knew that Natalia had made a move based on her need to feel something other than the deep pain of loss. She got that, but it didn’t make it any less frustrating. And the kiss last night… Olivia remembered the way the younger woman gave her a gentle, but meaningful, kiss after their discussion about her past relationships.  That kiss hadn't been born out of a need for misdirection. It spoke of acceptance and maybe even a hint of admiration… affection even. When you tell a person you can’t follow through on something then you shouldn’t… ugh... follow through!! Olivia sighed out loud.

Natalia heard the discontented sigh leave the woman next to her and couldn’t help but glance over at the blonde who was still looking out the window.

“Everything alright?” she asked, her gaze swiftly returning to the road as she drove.

Olivia suddenly realized she'd made an outwardly display of her disgruntled internal dialogue. “Yeah, no, I’m fine,” she replied, knowing that if there would ever be a time to bring it up, now was certainly not that time. There was far too much going on for Natalia to have to deal with her own malcontent. She just needed to keep her mind off of the subject entirely and focus on what she was actually supposed to be there for.

Natalia was astute in disbelieving the non-committed response but also wise enough not to push it. The blonde had agreed to stick around a few more days, regardless of how she’d been treated. The more she pondered it, the more the situation seemed oddly ironic. That the women she had tried so hard to despise –the one she saw as the would-be thief of her beloved home—was now the only person she had in her corner. 

Sure, she had Jacques: a man who had stayed loyal to the Rivera clan despite every public fiasco any one of them could drag the Empire name into.  He knew nearly all of her demons —having been the one who regularly undertook the task of trying to keep her rebellious actions under wraps and out of the public spotlight when she was younger. Did that mean that he understood her? Absolutely not. He was merely the trusted sentinel at the front gate. A silent guardian of her secrets who never once tried to be more than what was his designated duty; the personal assistant to the patriarch of the Empire brand.

He was a good man and he cared about her well-being, this she knew. But he wasn’t a person she immediately felt able to turn to for comfort, for help… guidance even. No, that person turned out to be a relatively unknown woman from the other side of the country. Someone who she was powerless to despise no matter how hard she’d truly tried. Someone who had a level of understanding of what life was like for her. Another human being that she actually enjoyed being around; in some cases, that she couldn’t wait to be around. Natalia had never experienced anything like this —had never known anyone like the woman sitting beside her.

And now, because of the circumstances, she had to push the woman away. She made another sideways glance to her right and continued driving, trying to silence her thoughts for the remainder of the ride back to the hotel. Her mind had one last thought to throw in her face, however.

You’ve successfully managed to spend a whole lot of time with the one person you feel you have to push away.

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“So how many more names do you have… I’ve got three.” Olivia tossed her stack of papers onto the coffee table from her cross-legged position on the floor, and leaned back against the base of the couch. They were back in Natalia’s suite and had been going over names, personnel files, schedules and absentee lists for the last hour and a half. There was a perfectly adequate dining room table off of the kitchen area that would probably have been more conducive but Natalia had taken a seat there first and, for whatever reason, Olivia felt like getting a bit of distance from the brunette.

She honestly wanted to focus simply on helping the other woman out with the files and using them to find out who had assisted her brother in his schemes. Sitting directly across from Natalia didn’t seem like the best way to maintain her focus. Unless, of course, the goal was to reflect solely on how beautiful, complex, intriguing and alluring the younger woman truly was. Even in the midst of a life crises, Natalia was the full embodiment of the term ‘attractive’ and Olivia hated how easily she could be distracted when near her.

What she hated more was being powerless to stop it –to be completely unable to shut down that part of her brain. She could accept that there would be nothing between them if there was somewhere a switch inside of her that could turn everything off. 

She heard Natalia set her own files down and forced herself to listen to what the other woman was saying.

“I’ve only got a few more,” Natalia said as she pushed her chair back and stretched. “I think the hard part is mostly done. I don’t know if I should hire a Private Investigator or just call these people up myself.” She stood and walked over to where Olivia had been working and sat down. She looked at the older woman’s position—legs curled awkwardly in what little space there was between the low table and the side of the couch. “The dining room table would’ve been much easier,” she stated.

“Yes, but I am a sucker for punishment,” Olivia responded as she used her forearms on the seat behind her back to slowly raise herself off the ground. Sitting back into the comfortable cushions, she let out a long groan as she began to stretch out her cramped muscles.

Natalia couldn’t help but think of all the times she had intentionally tried to 'punish' Olivia, for lack of a better word. One event in particular come flooding into her mind, unbidden. The two of them in her office with her hand intimately pleasuring Olivia. Her mind took her there, blocking everything else out momentarily. It was as if time had rewound itself and she were watching the event play live in front of her eyes. She saw it. She heard it. She could practically feel—

“Natalia?”

Her name being called startled her immediately from the most delicious memory and she blushed at having spaced out. Her face reddened even more when she realized what she had been remembering while sitting directly in front of the body that comprised such thoughts. “I’m sorry, what?” she managed to sputter quickly.

Olivia gave her a concerned look. She’d noticed the far-away gaze in Natalia’s eyes even as those dark orbs settled directly upon her. She’d looked dazed and was unresponsive the first few times she'd called her name. Seeing that Natalia was now back in the present, she couldn’t help her curiosity. “Where did you go just then?” she asked, fully prepared to be a source of comfort if the other woman’s thoughts were trapped in turmoil.

Natalia bit her lower lip and quickly looked away, shaking her head. “Nowhere… it’s nothing,” she lied, raising the pitch of her voice slightly to prove she was indeed fine.

The deepening pink glow on light mocha cheeks was unmistakable. In Olivia’s mind it could definitely not be ‘nothing’. “You sure?” she pressed. “You can tell me, if you want.”

Natalia shook her head again and added in a slight wave to brush off the moment. No, I really can’t! She thought to herself. “It’s ok. I’m fine.” She could feel Olivia’s eyes assessing her and knew the older woman was hesitant to let it go. She needed to give her something, anything, to get her to leave it alone. “I’m just tired I guess. My mind keeps going blank.” She let out a small laugh and picked up the papers Olivia had been reading. “I think I’m going to give these names to a P.I.,” she offered to change the subject quickly and was appeased when Olivia finally dropped her questioning gaze. “I mean, really, what would I even say to them? It’s not like they are going to outright admit that they're involved, right?”

“Probably not,” Olivia agreed. She pulled her knees up to her chest and wedged her hands in between them as she leaned her head back. “Then again, if someone is dumb enough to get involved with Matteo in the first place…”

The brunette smiled briefly. “Yeah, but a professional would know what to say and how to say it. As mad as I am right now, I would probably blow it and get nothing out of them.”

Olivia smirked. “Oh, I don’t know about that,” she said smoothly. “Seems to me you can be quite persuasive when you want to be.”

The tone contained a hint of flirtation but was vague enough to be construed as an innocent comment. However it was intended, the only thing it did was bring Natalia’s mind straight back to that place, that moment, and she felt her cheeks blush once again and not at all out of embarrassment. And once again, emerald eyes were watching her intently. Natalia suddenly needed to move. She needed space between herself and the body she was remembering vividly in her mind's eye. She launched herself from the couch, quickly moved into the kitchen and began absent-mindedly searching through a cupboard.

“I think I could use a coffee. Do you want a coffee? I could make some… if you wanted some too… I mean I won’t make a pot if it’s just for myself, but if…” You’re rambling, shut up shut up shut—

“Natalia, stop.”

The soft voice was nearly right beside her. How did she get there so fast? She turned to see the same concerned expression on Olivia’s face that was there minutes earlier.

“Talk to me,” the older woman gently commanded. "What's going on in that baffling brain of yours?” She stepped a foot closer.

Natalia turned around completely, leaning her hips against the counter and looked at the bag of instant coffee in her hands. “I’m fine… honestly,” she managed to make it almost sound believable. Almost. The other woman was directly in front of her in seconds.

“You aren’t and that’s ok, I just…” Olivia reached out to take the bag of coffee that Natalia was fidgeting with and placed it on the counter beside them. “I just want you to know that you can talk to me,” she finished. She stepped closer once again and drew the brunette in to a gentle hug.

The embrace was intended for comfort. In the back of her mind Natalia knew that. Olivia couldn’t possibly know what was running through her head, she was merely showing concern. The problem was that while her mind knew that, her body could not have cared less.

She accepted the hug, wrapping her arms around Olivia’s waist and resting her chin on a soft shoulder. She tried to keep still but her body reveled in the heat it felt radiating from the other woman and her arms tightened their hold, effectively pulling them closer together.

Olivia mistook the action as a small sign of desperation and held her tightly in return. “Tell me what you’re thinking,” she said quietly, bringing a hand up to stroke long dark hair.

The smaller woman couldn’t stop herself. She knew she should keep quiet, or at the very least make something up. What good could the truth possibly do now? She already felt guilty for continuously pulling the other woman closer and then immediately pushing her away. It wasn’t fair to pull her back in—that it shouldn’t happen again—and she knew it. And she knew she was going to let it. The memories were at the forefront of her mind and they weren’t letting her go. And so she said it. She turned her face so that her lips were nearly against Olivia’s sensitive neck.

“I can’t stop thinking about how it felt when I made you come,” she whispered and instantly she felt Olivia’s hand stop moving. She closed her eyes tightly, cursing herself for saying a word. Admittedly she could have probably worded it a little better than that, but it was the honest truth and she couldn’t take it back.

Olivia didn’t know what she had been expecting to hear in response to her question, but it certainly wasn’t that. That was the kind of sentence that could immediately erase the list of unanswered questions from her mind and effectively silence any utterance from the voice of her burdened conscience. Now may not have been a good time to lose control, but when would be the right time? Olivia had already begun to accept that there weren’t going to be any magical moments of romantic grandeur with this woman.

Even as she stayed momentarily frozen, her brain was rapidly coming to its decision of how to react to Natalia’s revelation. It would only be a matter of moments before her body caught up with the program and she knew it. And she knew she was going to let it. She felt her pulse race slightly and she held her breath, not knowing what words to use to respond and silently praying Natalia would say more.

When Olivia didn’t speak or move, Natalia knew she’d made a huge mistake. She felt Olivia bring her hands to her shoulders and push her slightly away. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have—”

“What did it feel like?” Olivia asked, her voice soft and low but strained with the hoarseness that becomes audible when one is trying to contain a whirlwind of desire inside one small breath.

Natalia realized then that she wasn’t being pushed away, but held onto. Olivia had only moved her far enough so they could see each other, and now the older woman’s gaze was currently fixed upon her mouth. She licked her lower lip before responding. “Incredible,” she breathed out.

Olivia smirked slightly and raised her eyebrow teasingly. “Just incredible?” She loosened her hold on Natalia and began slowly trailing her hands down the brunette’s arms. “I think you can do a little better than that, don’t you?”

If the devilishly sultry tone of Olivia’s voice wasn’t enough of a clue as to where this conversation was headed, the fact that both women had simultaneously shifted their bodies even closer together may have been a less subtle hint.

“Absolutely amazing,” Natalia slipped her hands to the sides of Olivia’s waist and let her thumbs rub slow patterns against the thin fabric of her shirt. “Touching you like that… feeling you…” She sighed as Olivia brought a hand to the side of her neck and mimicked the patterns with a delicate thumb on the sensitive skin of her pulse point. “The sounds you made…” Her breathed hitched when she felt Olivia’s other hand join its counter part in its movements. A velvet cheek brushed against her own. “The ones I made you make…when I…” The warm breath against her neck thoroughly distracted her, muddled her thoughts, and shut down her mental faculties to make room for the sensory ones to take over.

“When you were stroking me?” Olivia completed the sentence on the tail end of a laboured pant of breath. She couldn’t recall there ever being a time when she’d wanted someone so ardently as she wanted Natalia in that very second. She brushed her cheek over the shorter woman's once more and placed a small kiss on the smooth jawline.

“Yes,” Natalia answered, closing her eyes briefly at the contact of Olivia’s lips against her skin. “But I think you may be right…” she smiled wickedly when the other woman pulled back and gave her a quizzical look. She moved her hands over to the blonde’s belt buckle and began undoing it as she watched the green eyes before her darken with understanding. “I think I could definitely do so much better than that.”

In that moment both women accepted that resistance was futile. They would allow themselves to be overcome. As Olivia quickly brought her lips to Natalia’s, every fortification they had ever placed between each other was torn down. The situation surrounding their initial meeting. The complexity of their attraction to each other. The uncertainty that followed them moment by moment. It was all being washed away in a tidal wave of desire. Even if there was still a question of whether or not Natalia was touching her out of a need to separate herself from her grief, Olivia didn’t care anymore. She would be that object of distraction if it meant gaining the opportunity to sate her insatiable hunger for the woman in her arms.

If she had ever believed her will to be stronger than this, her reaction to the taste of Natalia’s mouth was proof enough that her belief was an illusion. She moaned her delight as their tongues found each other, keeping a firm grasp of Natalia face as she tried to guide their movements.

For her part, Natalia allowed herself to be led as she tried to focus on getting the belt undone and free. Once that mission was completed, her fingers wasted no time in working on the button and, subsequently, the zippered fly of Olivia jeans. Deft fingers had woven themselves into her silky, dark mane and gently pulled her head to the side so that a pair of hungry lips could descend upon her neck. Warm and wet kisses were trailed along her skin as she absent-mindedly tried to tug Olivia’s tight jeans over her hips. She failed to succeed in baring more than an inch of enticing skin because the taller woman pressed her hips more firmly against her own, effectively halting her progress.

She felt Olivia smile against her neck when she groaned in frustration.

“You’ve had your turn, Rivera,” Olivia stated matter-of-factly and then brought her lips to Natalia’s ear once again, her hands sliding down the sides of her breasts, continuing down over her hips and moving downward still, stopping just above the her knees when her fingertips found the hem of Natalia’s skirt. “It’s my turn to make you come undone.”

Heat. Liquid fire coursing through her veins and the cool feeling of air-conditioned air hitting her thighs was all Natalia could feel as her skirt was inched upwards. When it was bunched up around her hips, she was suddenly lifted up unto the counter behind her. Immediately she spread her legs to allow Olivia to insinuate herself in between them.

Olivia was now a woman on a mission, and though the terrain was completely different to what she was used to, her hands knew exactly where they wanted to go. They rested on the top of Natalia’s thighs and she fought the urge to move them higher. Neither of them had any doubt as to where those hands would be end up, and she wasn’t exactly embarking on a timeline, but in the back of her sexually-charged brain she knew she wanted to be as thorough in her exploration as possible before traveling there right away.

Instead she grabbed handfuls of the rumpled skirt and slid the brunette closer and tightly against her. She instantly felt the heat of Natalia’s satin-covered core hit the bare skin of her lower abdomen above her loosened jeans, and her hips bucked forward of their own volition. It caught Olivia completely off-guard—the surge of primal lust. She'd been acutely aware that her body was taking over, but for it to be trying to fuck the other woman before any clothing had even been formally removed was an entirely unprecedented experience.

Natalia gasped at the contact as she pressed herself forward against Olivia, wordlessly willing for her to push against her once more. The hands gripping her skirt kept her hips from grinding as they wanted, and she took it as a hint to slow down. She owed the blonde the right to take the lead —and she knew that she would eventually be a writhing mess in Olivia’s arms— but it didn’t seem as though that moment could come soon enough. She wrapped her legs around Olivia’s waist and slid one arm around her shoulders as her other hand tangled itself in blonde hair.

They resumed their hungry kisses. There was nothing slow or gentle about the way their mouths connected against each other. No hidden messages or emotions to be read within their movements. Nothing but need.

Both women needed this and both for different reasons, but none of that mattered and nothing was going to stop them now…




…until something did. 

 

Chapter 54

"Ugh! That rat bastard... good for nothing piece of sh—"

"Shhh," Olivia cut Natalia off quickly. "Kids and sick people all around us." She took the incensed woman by the elbow and gently pulled her over to a more secluded corner of the waiting room. "What did you ask the receptionist for?"

"Conniving, malicious swine! This is SO fu—"

"Funny!... how I just told you to keep it down and stop scaring the invalid children," Olivia put her hands on both of Natalia's shoulders. "Are you sure about this?" She waited until the brunette looked straight into her eyes. She saw the fury and overwhelming certainty.

"I may not have killed my father, but sure as fu—" She caught Olivia's warning look. "As sure as fudge, I swear I'm going to kill that disgusting excuse for a human being."

"Let's make sure you don't spout that proclamation off to the Detective, shall we?"

"I should have known... He should have been the first person I thought of." Natalia sat in a nearby chair, not sure whether to scream or cry. Considering where they were, she didn't feel it was best to do either.

"So what did you just ask the receptionist for?" Olivia asked again.

"I didn't really ask for anything," Natalia confessed. "I believe I may have threatened to sue every single person employed by the hospital if she didn't find and hand-deliver to me the names and work schedule of every female nurse that was on duty the night my father was brought in."

"What for?"

"Because the person that called in as the hospital's lab technician was a woman."

"How does that implicate Matteo?" Olivia asked and only had to see the sideways glance that Natalia gave her to know the answer to her question. "Oh my god! You think he..." Her mouth dropped in disbelief. "That despicable FUCK!"

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"Jacques, I really can't talk now," Matteo spoke into his cell phone from the backseat of his limo. "I'm on my way to an exclusive interview for The Insider. They want to know how I'm coping with the heartbreaking loss of my beloved father at the hands of my sadistic, psychopathic sister," he finished with a hint of a smile on his face.

"Why are you taking these rumours seriously," the older Frenchman asked helplessly. "You are only perpetuating them and it is going to ruin Natalia's reputation. It is ridiculous!"

"What's ridiculous, Jacques," Matteo began, the venom in his voice began to slowly seep into his words, "is that you've willingly spent the last 20 years as the little lapdog to the great Rivera family. Don't you ever get bored of being the doormat? Is that what you always aspired to be in your life? Wiping my father's ass for him and following my idiot sister around, trying desperately to cover up for all of her dirty little deeds and secrets while you all let me be the publicly ridiculed scapegoat. The bastard black sheep?" Matteo's expression and voice remained smooth and calm as he derailed Jacques devotion to every other member of the family.

"Matteo, your father did everything he could to make up for his mistakes. He gave you everything you ever wanted. Do you feel nothing about his death?"

Matteo snickered. "Of course I feel something," he gleamed. "Pure excitement to find out how big my inheritance will really be. Well, that and the joy of seeing how fast I can rip this company apart from the inside out now that the old geezer and his train-wreck of a daughter are out of the way!"

"This isn't right," was all that Jacques could say.

Matteo paused and gazed out the tinted window.

"Correction, Monsieur. It wasn't right." He replied with pure hatred in his voice. "And now Natalia is going to get what she truly deserves."

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Olivia stared at the food on the hospital cafeteria tray in front of her. None of the food selections had looked particularly appetizing, but she hadn't eaten anything all day and Natalia had insisted on staying at the hospital a little while longer. She pushed a piece of boiled chicken around her plate. "You know, you'd think with all the ill people and distraught family members in this place they'd want to make the food here a little less... nauseating."

Natalia looked up from the page she was studying, first to Olivia's plate, and then at Olivia. "I told you, I need to stay here in case I have to ask the Administrator any questions about this." She gave the stack of papers in her hand a little wave before going back to what she had been reading.

Olivia gave up on the chicken and reached for a clear plastic cup of blue Jell-O. "And what is the 'this' you're referring to, Nancy Drew? What all did you get from the Administration desk?"

Natalia took a pen out of her purse and began scribbling a sentence on the page she was holding before answering. She pointed to one stack of papers in front of her. "This is the list of every female staff member that was working on the floor that my father was brought to that night." She then pointed to another stack beside the first one. "These are the said staff members’ personnel files, and this..." she held up a double sided sheet with a list of names, "is everyone who has missed shifts since the phone call was made to the M.E."

"Uh-huh," Olivia said, momentarily distracted by the 'dessert' in her hand. "Isn't that creative? They cut the Jell-O into cute little cubes to try and make it look more appealing," she stated blandly. "It's still just Jell-O. Flavored gelatine." She shook the cup and shoved it towards Natalia. "Look, it doesn't even jiggle! What could that mean?"

Natalia didn't look up this time. "I will take you to a five star restaurant once I've found out who is helping Matteo ruin my life."

"Fabulous. It's a date," Olivia enthused, waiting for the brunette to look up —knowing Natalia would hastily refute the idea that she had meant it as a date—before she winked. "I'm kidding. Lighten up!"

Natalia rolled her eyes and went back to her reading material.

Olivia set the Jell-O down and sat back in her uncomfortable metal chair. "A needle in a haystack. That's what all of this is reminding of," she said as she pointed to the large stacks of papers on the table.

Undeterred, Natalia circled a name and wrote another comment beside it before shaking her head. "All I need to do is narrow these employees down to a list of women who either haven't shown up for work or who have been acting strangely since the day the that call was made."

"Oh is that all?"

"I'll find the shortest list of possible... suspects?" she asked not knowing what to call them. "And talk to their superiors or to those women themselves." She watched Olivia nod sceptically at her. "Okay, for instance..." she placed the sheet of paper she was working on in front of Olivia. "Theresa Cordano. She worked on the floor my father was on."

"And she hasn't shown up for work since?"

"Correct."

"So she is now on your short-list."

Natalia took the paper back and put it with the others. "Nope," she said simply.

Olivia furrowed her brows in confusion as Natalia placed another page in front of her.

"This is Theresa Cordano's personnel file. Mrs. Cordano is a 45 year old Clinical Nurse Specialist who specializes in cardiovascular diseases. She has been employed here for..." she turned the page slightly to look at the dates. "Seven years. Why would a middle aged woman —with years of medical school behind her and probably a family to support— risk losing a comfortably established position at this hospital for a young, notoriously womanizing son of a deceased hotel owner?"

"Good point," Olivia agreed. "Besides... seven years. She’s been here long enough to know the Lab Technician—Stacey—is a man."

"Exactly." Natalia pulled another sheet from the stack. "Katrina Moore: an RN who has worked here for only a month, worked on my father when he was brought in and has been off on sick-leave since. But..." again she pointed to circled notes on another page. "It says that the reason she is absent is because of a sprained ankle, which was treated... well, here."

Olivia nodded. "Her story would be easily verifiable.”

"Right. So again, not our girl." Natalia put the pages back in neatly organized stacks.

"How many names do you have so far," the older woman asked.

Natalia counted the circles on the pages she was holding. "Fourteen. There will be more once I'm finished going through these lists." She went back to sifting through the material on the table. "I'm going to find her though."

Olivia watched the brunette silently. She was worried that the already emotionally weary woman was going to further wear herself down, or, that Natalia was using this new mission as a distraction from dealing with her father's death. Either way she decided not to tell her to slow down, not only because she knew that Natalia was the most stubborn women on earth, but because she was secretly enjoying being in the other woman's company. No matter how many times she told herself she was okay with only having their strange kind of 'friendship' with Natalia, Olivia couldn't deny that each moment spent with her produced the desire to spend two moments more. It meant that, today, she would help Natalia search for Matteo's accomplice. Tomorrow she would help Natalia get through the funeral, and the next day...

Who knows what the next day will bring? she pondered to herself. Probably a one way ticket back to Springfield.

"We might as well head back to the hotel." Natalia's voice interrupted the blonde from her thoughts. "This is a pretty big list and it will probably take us all day." She moved to stand and collect her purse before shuffling all the files together under one arm.

"Wonderful!" Olivia enthused sarcastically.

Natalia stopped suddenly. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to presume that you would want to help me go through it all. I mean, if you don't want... or if you wanted to just..." the brunette floundered with her sentence. "I wasn't implying you had to—"

"Natalia!" Olivia cut in. "Relax. Take a breath." She waited until the other woman had done just that. "I said I wanted to be here to help and that's what I'm going to do."

The younger woman's shoulders relaxed. "Thanks... again, I mean. For everything," she said quietly not able to look up until she felt the blonde nudge her arm with an elbow.

"Don't thank me yet." Olivia flashed a mischievous grin. "I've been bribed with a spectacular dinner-date," she leaned in and lowered her voice somewhat suggestively. "And I should warn you, Rivera, I'm looking forward to experiencing all five of those stars."