Intractable Souls : Book 1 of the Bound for Ireland Series (36 page)

Hannah pretends as if she doesn’t remember
and then her expression changes. “Right, I remember now. I see
you’ve moved on. Good for you!”

Olivia is confused. “Excuse me?”

“The man in the restaurant, I assume he’s
your date.” She gives her a pity frown. “It’s for the best honey.
You’re not Ethan’s type anyway.” She tries to hide her insidious
intent behind a polite smile.

Olivia’s growing tension conveys a flippant
tone. “Enlighten me… just what exactly is Ethan’s TYPE?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, I’ve offended you. I’m just
saying that Ethan spends his time with girls who, you know… look
after themselves.” She wrinkles her nose and raises her shoulders
in a shrug that indicates she feels obligated to let Olivia know
she falls short of the standards.

Olivia’s face turns red. Had this
conversation taken place yesterday there would be no amount of
extra strength Midol that would have saved Hannah from a PMS fueled
ass kicking. She hates the way she has allowed her to zero in on
her insecurities and hack away at them, making her feel unworthy
and defeated. “Like you?”

“Yes…like me. I’m sure you sensed the sexual
tension between us.” She puckers her lips and dabs at the edges to
remove a few smears.

“So, there is something going on between you
two then?” Her emotion swings dangerously between jealousy and
anger.

“I certainly couldn’t tell you if there was.
The company has strict policies about that.”

Hannah admires herself in the mirror, then
picks up her purse, and heads for the door. Her skirt is so tight
that she can barely move her legs. Turning, she smirks in Olivia’s
direction. “I can tell you one thing… I know how to keep a man like
Ethan O’Connell happy.”

Olivia almost forgets to breathe when the
blonde glances over her shoulder on the way out the door and says,
“Don’t worry sweetie, it’s not too late for you to find a man. I
could give you the number of my personal trainer and you can get to
work on those hips.”

Oh No! She didn’t just go there? Olivia
takes a moment to try to calm down before she heads back into the
restaurant. When she gets back to the booth, Noah has already paid
the bill and is waiting. He’s confused by the sudden look of rage
on her face.

“You ok?”

“No, I need to get the hell out of
here.”

“Ok, let’s go.” Giving her a concerned look,
he ushers her to the door.

She doesn’t say much in the car on the way
back to Noah’s office. Thinking about Hannah’s insinuation
regarding their relationship, despite Ethan’s declaration that he
doesn’t sleep with his staff, she can’t help but wonder if the time
he has spent away from her in the past few days was spent with
Hannah instead. When they pull into the parking lot beside her car,
Olivia doesn’t move to leave. Putting the car in park and turning
off the key, he turns to her and finally asks. “Are you going to
tell me what happened at the restaurant?”

“No.”

“Does it have anything to do with the blonde
with the big boobs that followed you to the bathroom?” He tries not
to chuckle.

Olivia crosses her arms in front of her.
“She works with Ethan. She doesn’t like me very much.”

“So what happened? You looked like you
wanted to rip her to pieces when you came out of there.” He
snickers a little.

“I can’t believe I let her get me that riled
up. Stupid girl brain.”

“Well it was a nice dinner up until then. It
would have been awesome if the evening ended in a girl on girl
death match in the parking lot. Even better if you were fighting
over me.”

He finally makes her smile. “Very funny. I
bet she fights like a girl. Nothing but scratching and hair
pulling.”

There is a quiet moment between them and
Noah leans over with the clear intention of kissing her. She meets
him half way, letting him press his lips against hers. She returns
his kiss, reaching for him and running her fingers through his soft
black hair. When he pulls away, Olivia feels nothing. For years,
she would have given anything for his affection and now he’s
kissing her and she’s void of the feelings she used to get. It’s
Ethan O’Connell’s fault, she’s sure of it.

Noah smoothes her hair behind her ear with
his hand. “Olivia, I have thought about making love to you at least
a thousand times over the years.”

“Then why didn’t you?” Peaking up at him
through her lashes, she feels a little vulnerable talking about
it.

“Because I was afraid it will ruin our
friendship.”

“You think it would get weird and awkward
after?”

“I don’t know, but what if it did? Your
friendship means more to me than anything. I don’t want to mess
that up.”

She smiles and nods her head. “I get it,
it’s not worth it.”

“I really want to though.” He REALLY wants
to.

She lifts her hand to his cheek and smiles.
Then, as men tend to do, he ruins a tender moment with an
inappropriate thought. “But feel free to pop over and give me a
blow job anytime you want.”

Olivia laughs aloud and searches her purse
for her keys. Leaning over, she gives him a quick goodbye kiss.
“Thank you for dinner. Let’s get together again soon.”

That evening, Olivia lays on her back
staring at the ceiling, unable to sleep. The conversation with
Hannah plays repeatedly in her mind, while she tries to convince
herself that none of it’s true. It’s a good thing their
relationship is only physical or she might actually feel hurt. Oh,
wait. She is hurt. Tormented actually. Hannah’s words cut her like
a knife aimed straight at her heart leaving behind a jagged tear
where trust, hope and healing had only just begun to grow. Now she
feels them slipping away, like the slow and constant drip of a
leaky tap, taking with them what little self esteem and confidence
she had left.

The next morning when she gets to her office
the phone is ringing and she hurries to get to it. Out of breath,
she answers. “Good Morning. This is Olivia James.” She feels silly
when she looks down at the display to see that it’s Ethan.

“Good morning, Olivia James!”

She had almost forgotten how silky and
sensual his voice sounds. It’s a tone that he reserves only for her
and it warms her to her core when she hears it, temporarily chasing
away her uncertainty and the unpleasant thoughts from last
night.

“Hey!”

“I have good news! I’ve found a place to
live.”

“Really?” She’s curious. “How did you manage
that when you’re so busy?”

“Ok, so John found me a place to live.” He
chuckles.

The sound of his laughter is contagious and
it makes her smile. “I thought we’d ruled out all the available
apartments in town?”

“It’s not an apartment. It’s a house, just
on the outskirts of town. It’s a small little country home on a
couple of acres of land and my only neighbors for miles are the
four legged kind.”

“It sounds lovely.” She tries to imagine the
type of home Ethan O’Connell would feel comfortable in.

“The place is vacant so I can get possession
right away… but the only day the moving company is available to
move my stuff there from storage is Saturday... and then there is
all the utility hook up people on Friday.“

She feels tightness in her chest. “You’re
blowing me off.” There is no question, it’s extremely clear.

“I’m sorry, John is going to be out of town
for the weekend so I need to be there.“

“Don’t they usually do utility hook ups
during the day?”

“They said anytime between 8AM and 8PM and
then I need to go to the restaurant at some point to check on
things there and close.

“Oh, I see.” Her stomach churns into tight
painful knots thinking about him and Hannah, sneaking into the
boardroom after hours for a little rendezvous.

Her reply makes him feel guilty. “I know I
said I was all yours this weekend. I’m sorry.”

She feels the weight of heavy, stone walls
beginning to form around her, shielding her from the emotions.
Protecting her from heartbreak. She had forgotten they were there,
since she hadn’t needed them until this moment. Once in place, they
squeeze her fears and anxiety down to a place where they can be
controlled, leaving her the ability to continue functioning with a
calm and composed demeanor.

“We can still see each other. You can come
by the house and spend time with me there.”

“No, it’s ok. I’ll just see you Saturday
night at the BBQ. If you’re still going.”

“Yes, I’ll pick you up and we’ll go
together.”

“No I think I’d rather just meet you
there.”

Ethan senses something is wrong. “Liv?”

“Sorry Ethan, I have another call, I have to
go.” She hangs up before he can say anything else. Standing
perfectly still, her heart squeezes in her chest. What did she just
do?

Cursing, he digs his phone out of his pocket
and sends her a text.

From Ethan: We must have been disconnected
because I’m sure you know that hanging up on me would make me
extremely angry. I’ll call you this evening so we can finish our
conversation.

When he looks up, John is standing at his
desk and looking at him perplexed. “What?” His tone is clipped.

“I’m going to be busy this weekend?” John
asks curiously.

“Yes.” His mood is now impatient and
angry.

“Ok.” This is news to him. “Where am I going
to be?”

“You’re going to be staying at a hotel
downtown Toronto for the weekend.” He’s purposely vague making John
drag it out of him.

“Are you going to tell me why or are we
going to keep playing this game?” John stares at him, not
intimidated by his mood at all.

Glancing up at him, Ethan gathers up the
papers he needs for his next meeting. “I have an appointment on
Monday with someone from out of town but the only flight they could
get comes in Friday afternoon. I need you to keep them entertained
all weekend. I’ve got plans.”

“Ok. Who am I entertaining?” John is used to
dealing with Ethan’s habit of being un-cooperative when he’s
agitated, but he’s being particularly challenging today. A result
he’s certain is due to the phone call he just finished.

Picking up his stuff, Ethan walks towards
the door and says her name as he passes John. “Shannon Quinn.”

John stands frozen at the desk.

Ethan waits impatiently at the door. “Let’s
go old man! We’re going to be late for our meeting.”

John rushes to his side, as he makes his way
down the hall at a brisk pace. “Why is Shannon coming here for a
meeting, Ethan?” He’s eager to know what’s really going on.

Ethan has been feeling terribly guilty for
keeping his friend away from the woman he loves for so long. He
certainly would not want word to get out that he has a soft spot
for romance. If John insists on asking questions, he’ll dodge and
deny in order protecting his reputation of being a hardened
executive.

“Stop complaining. Miss Quinn is the legal
counsel over seeing my case. It’s only appropriate that we meet in
person at least once. You need to keep her happily entertained and
out of my way until Monday.” Ethan stops walking and turns to face
him. “Do you have a problem with that, John?”

John grins. “No sir!”

“Good, I don’t want to hear another word
about it.”

John continues at his side as he resumes his
walk to the boardroom. “Thank you Ethan.” He says discretely before
they enter.

“Don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Ignoring John’s smile he pushes the door open and steps inside.

Olivia has been on edge since receiving
Ethan’s text. He hasn’t indicated what time he might be calling so
every time her phone rings, her stomach fills with nervous anxiety.
She needs to find a way to deal with him and quick, not to mention
come up with an explanation for her behavior.

Her appetite has been off all day and she’s
picking at a ham sandwich when he calls. Closing her eyes tightly,
she gets control of her nervous stomach by the time she answers on
the third ring.

“Hi.” She says nervously, not knowing if
he’s still angry.

“Hi yourself. Is everything ok?”

“Yes, why wouldn’t it be?” She asks
calmly.

“You didn’t seem yourself this afternoon.”
Ethan taps his pen repeated on the desk in a restive manner.

“Everything is fine.” She lies again, and he
knows it.

“Can I explain to you about this weekend?”
He desperately wants to tell her that John was not available
because he arranged to have his girlfriend flown in for the
weekend.

Her stomach begins to tighten and she
struggles for a moment. “Ethan, there is really no need to explain.
It’s none of my business what you do and who you do it with.”

“WHO? What do you mean?” Ethan leans back in
his chair, troubled by her lies and bothered by her statement.

“We aren’t dating remember? We talked about
that as part of our agreement.” She doesn’t mean for it to happen
but her tone gets insolent. ” I’m pretty sure you were there.”

Ethan sits up in his chair. “Careful.” He
warns.

Olivia looks to the ceiling and closes her
eyes. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for it to sound like that.”

“What did you mean then?” He hears her sigh
heavily through the phone.

“Just that, you don’t have to feel bad about
not spending time with me. We agreed that sometimes we would get
together and have sex. I have no other expectations from you other
than that.” Her heart aches as she says it. Lies! All Lies! This
isn’t what she wants.

Ethan puts his pen down and tries to massage
the tension out of his neck. She probably should have stopped
talking at that point but something spurs her on. “So, it’s ok if
you want to go out with other girls. It’s perfectly acceptable
under our current agreement.”

Ethan’s temper is starting to flare. “That’s
ridiculous.”