“Holy shit, this looks delicious. Good thing I’m hungry,” she says, taking in the steak and lobster before her. “So, what should I wear to this party in LA?”
“Whatever you want.”
Liv cuts into her steak and rolls her eyes at me, which only makes me want to kiss her.
“What will you be wearing?”
“A suit.”
“With a tie?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, that helps. God, this is really good.”
She shovels some potatoes into her mouth, and I can’t take my eyes off her. I love the way her lips purse while she chews.
I love the little moan that comes from her throat in satisfaction.
I can’t wait to make that sound come out of her later, for entirely different reasons.
Chapter 8
~Olivia~
“Are the old ladies here yet?” I ask Stella as I hurry to the doorway of our favorite lunch spot in downtown Seattle. Stella always waits for me outside for our standing monthly lunch with our moms. “Sorry I ran late.”
“You’re fine, they’re not here yet, either,” Stella replies and leans in to hug me. “Mom said they’ll be here in just a few and to go ahead and get our table.”
“Cool.” We walk inside, and the hostess leads us to a table for four against the windows. This cute café opened last year, and we enjoy the sandwiches and desserts. “How’s it going? What’s new and exciting?”
“Nothing new and exciting,” Stella says. “And it’s fine. Work is good.”
“There they are,” Jules says as she and Mom walk to us. “And it doesn’t look like we missed anything good.”
“We just got here,” I confirm as I stand to give my aunt Jules a hug and then turn to my mom and hug her close, as well.
Mom’s a little bit shorter than me and curvier in all the right places. Her hair is long and dark, and I have her green eyes. I’ve always thought she’s the prettiest woman in the world.
“Hey, baby,” she says and kisses my cheek. “It’s good to see you.”
“You, too, Mama.”
After all the hugs, we sit and look over the menu and then order lunch with the waitress.
“I’m hungry,” Mom says with a grin. “How are you, girls? I haven’t seen you in way too long.”
“I’m good,” Stella says with a shrug. “Same old story for me. Work, work, work. But I can’t complain because that means that I have a good job. I like it.”
“And you’re excellent at it,” Jules confirms and nudges her daughter’s shoulder. Stella is Jules’s mini-me. They look alike with their gorgeous blonde hair and blue eyes. They’re more often than not mistaken for sisters. “I’m proud of you.”
“You have to say that because you’re my mom,” Stella replies but smiles proudly. “What’s Dad doing today?”
“He’s in the office,” Jules says. “And he says hi. He also told me to remind you to come over for dinner this week. He misses you.”
“I will,” Stella replies.
“And what about you?” Mom asks me. “What’s new with you?”
Oh, you know, I’m just having amazing sex with one of the most famous men in the world.
“Not much, really.”
Stella’s eyebrow wings up, and she snorts. “Right. Nothing at all. Same boring Livie.”
I narrow my eyes at her as if to say: “Shut it.”
“What’s up?” Jules asks.
“I just have some big projects at work, that’s all. You know Stella and me, we’re a couple of workaholics.”
“I was hoping there might be some gossip about handsome men,” Mom admits. “You two work too hard and don’t go out enough.”
Stella bats her eyelashes at me, and part of me so wants to tell these two about Vaughn. If he weren’t famous, they’d get a huge kick out of it.
But he is famous, and I just don’t want to open this can of worms until my mom and dad are together, and I can tell the story just once.
I promised Vaughn that I’d take care of it, and I will.
Just maybe not today.
“No boys to talk about,” I reply, and my stomach feels heavy with guilt. I hate lying to my parents. It’s the worst. “What’s going on with you two?”
“I actually scored a pretty big job,” Mom says, and Jules lifts her glass to clink against Mom’s. “I’ll be photographing some women for a calendar. Women with disabilities dressed to the nines, all in black and white. Very Gatsby-esque. I’m excited because all of the proceeds go to an organization that helps women with disabilities.”
“That’s awesome,” I say and wrap my arm around Mom’s shoulders to give her a hug. “You’re going to knock it out of the park. If you need any help with costuming, let me know. I’m happy to help.”
“Really? That would be a lot of fun. If you have time. I’ll be working with the women over the course of about two weeks, so if you don’t have time—”
“I’ll make it work,” I interrupt her. “I’d love to help. Working with you is always fun.”