The Rules In Paradise (Playing By The Rules) (17 page)

Cole,

One whole day down and one begun. I miss you. I am having fun still. The girls and I spent our day by the pool, just the three of us. You were quite the topic of discussion. Adrian loves you. Whatever you said to her the night of your dinner made her adore you. I still don't think Jason has the same feelings about me. Should I be worried he's going to change your mind?  Is this going to be some star-crossed lovers story about a best friend who interferes? I miss your voice and your conversation. I imagine you still that first night, too calm and too cool and a little bit of an ass. You were infuriating. You still are. I'm still curious about what you're doing now that you're back. Can you fill me in at all? I miss you.

Olivia

To: Olivia Adamson

From: Cole Cooper

Subject: Re:One Day

Date: June 13th 2012 10:32 PM

Olivia,

You are still breathing I trust and will now understand that I will be waiting for you to come back to the states. I am quite interested in what was said about me. I have always been an extremely vain person (arrogance and vanity and two vastly different things, do not forget that). I simply told your friend that you were the most amazing woman I'ver set eyes on. I told her that you are stubborn, nosy, enchanting, sexy, accosting, maddening, great in bed, hot, emotional and intelligent. More so than any other female I've known in those capacities.

Jason is not an obstacle Olivia. He was cranky, it was early and I was late. Give him some credit, he had left someone he cared about as well. He is only looking out for me. I did explain to him that he was wrong to speak a word of anything to you on the boat. What you and I are doing is none of his concern. He does it because he is my best friend. He's known me for so long and there are things that I am now having to deal with that he wouldn't expect me to change. I have explained how I feel about you to him several times. He understands that there is nothing that could come between the two of us that I would not fight tooth or nail to overcome. He understands that I intend to pursue something with you when it becomes possible. He accepts how I feel about you and is on our side. He and I will be traveling to your town the weekend of the wedding. I have already booked my tickets. You cannot change your mind now.

I am simply making sure that you and I have the opportunity to be happy together if that is our decision. I care a great deal for you. I never imagined getting to meet someone like you. For all of my arrogance and my harsh side, I never dreamed someone would still show me so much kindness. You've given me chances even when I was being very unfair to you. You've challenged me on why I am the way I am. Nobody has ever been brave enough to point out my flaws. I don't profess to be scary or tough, I just am the way I am and have always accepted it. But you have met me head on and made me think past who I am, and into why. You have made me into a better person because of it. I miss your psychiatric games. Here's one:

Beach or boat (again) next time?

Your blush looks sweet.

C.C.

To: Cole Cooper

From: Olivia Adamson

Subject: Playing Fair

Date: June 14th 2012 6:54 PM

Cole,

You don't play fair. That is something else you should know about yourself. Besides the fact that you brought up a very, earth-shattering moment in my (our?) life(ves?) While you're doing all of this soul searching, let me help. You don't play fair. You always have to have it your way. If something goes off of your plan, you get angry. You kissed me the first time. I don't think you planned that. You were an angry lunatic for an hour afterwards. Why? I still don't understand. Why would you regret kissing me? That's one thing I cannot figure out about you. I've tried, believe me. That has nothing to do with me, that isn't be borrowing any arrogance, I just don't understand. What was so wrong about that happening? Anyway, you got to brood over that all afternoon. I had to walk on eggshells just to get you back to a decent mood. I don't get it, please explain?

I also don't think you are scary or tough. I just think you're stubborn and unruly. You try to be tough and scary. You command attention. The day I saw you, you were sitting at the bar and all of the guys around you were listening to you talk. You command everyone's attention Cole. You are intense and charismatic and people come around for you. I still think back to the night of the party. You had met with these people who you wanted to do business with. Not only did they agree to meet you, knowing that you wanted to make a deal where they're forking over the money. But they came to a place you decided just to spend more time with you, to continue to work with you. It amazes me to think about how you have created such a strong business and you're still not thirty. (When are you going to be thirty anyway?) You have a power, to get people's attention without hardly trying. I respect that about you. Really. My turn:

Dress or no dress?

Two can play at that game

Olivia

To: Olivia Adamson

From: Cole Cooper

Subject: Re: Playing Fair

Date: June 16th 2012 11:42 PM

Olivia,

That question is impossible to answer. It is just as wonderful to look at you in that dress as it was out of it. Earth-shattering huh? I will give myself a pat on the back for that one. I never have had to play fair Olivia. My job is to not play fair. My job is to used every means necessary to end up with the prize. This time though, my prize is much more valuable. I am doing everything in my power to make sure that I win. I know you did not appreciate when I likened you to business transaction, but that is how my mind works. I've invested time and interest into you. I have grown to the point where I feel the need to make sure that time and interest pays off. I like you too much to let you get stolen away to some other company.

Understand this - YOU HAVE NEVER WALKED ON EGGSHELLS AROUND ME SO THAT COMMENT WAS A COMPLETE AND UTTER LIE. Understand?

I appreciate your respect of what I try to do. In my position I am the first one people see. Jason is not naturally inclined to reading people and figuring them out. I am. I go in and try to figure out what the person wants.  He is the one who is good with the execution part of it.

I regret kissing you. I do not regret the act of it. I thoroughly enjoyed every second of that kiss. I could begin to describe it to you but I will refrain for several reasons. I was not sure I was really believing how incredible you were at that point. I needed to try to stay away from you. Think about it, I have lived 29 and a half (30 in January)years one way and then suddenly, you come along and everything I know is different. I have made decisions in my based on the idea that you do not exist. Suddenly this woman who has everything appears, I wasn't prepared for you, but I'm getting there.

C.C.

To: Cole Cooper

From: Olivia Adamson

Subject: Rain

Date: June 20th 2012 1:34 PM

Cole,

It's raining. We only have a week left. This weather has darkened my mood. I am so close yet so far from being home. I am honestly sad without you. I miss you, a lot. I wish you were around so I could just spend time with you. I'm feeling needy today, humor me?

Richest person on the planet or immortal?

Olivia

To: Olivia Adamson

From: Cole Cooper

Subject: Profound

Date: June 21st 2012 12:05 AM

I'm sorry you had a bad day. I will share my news with you and perhaps you will perk up? It also may go along with your question. That big meeting I came home for? Well we met with him as scheduled, obviously. He currently has fourteen hotels being built right now. All around the world. He is in Japan, The US, Canada, Rome, Lyons, Two in India, Sydney, four in the Caribbean, and the rest in China. He called me this afternoon and asked me and Jason to meet him for dinner. I just got home, he hired us! Olivia, this the biggest job we've ever seen. I am utterly astounded at what this means for the company. We have made a lot of money doing a lot of different jobs. This job is more than we've made in half of the time we have been doing this. This is the break we've been waiting for. I still can't believe it. I am much too anxious to sleep. I want to celebrate with you. It is not the same as being there and treating you to champagne and spending the evening dancing with you, followed by getting you alone and taking all your clothes off. I just want to share this with you. I hate even more that you went to bed feeling that way, I assume. I miss seeing you. You've turned me into this gushy, romantic imbecile! I spend my time out in the city thinking of all of the places I want to take you and all of the things I want you to experience. I think of how you look at me when I say something you disagree with. I cannot escape you and it one of the most glorious feelings of my life. I don't know exactly what this is that I feel, but I feel like I could do nothing but feel it for the rest of my life.

Right now I feel like the richest person on the planet. The job has helped, but more than that, you. I am incredibly rich in the fact that you miss me even half as much as I miss you. I can picture your long hair falling over your shoulders and back and the sound of your precious laugh. I am so lucky that you feel like I am worth your time in vacation to communicate with. I am thankful you haven't walked away yet. I am incredibly rich in the fact that you have made me a better man.

I would never want to be immortal. I feel like if you are immortal you will take things for granted. I will try to never take you for granted. I cherish every single word I get to read from you. I remember every experience we got to see together. I could not survive it if I had to watch you decline and know that I have to live in a world where you do not exist forever. I pick rich, but in a much different way than I would have before you.

C.C.

To: Cole Cooper

From: Olivia Adamson

Subject: Departure!

Date: June 27th 2012 6:04 AM

Cole,

Will be in touch when we get home. Thanks for the flowers, they were beautiful! See you soon US!

Olivia.

To: Olivia Adamson

From: Cole Cooper

Subject: Re: Departure!

Date: June 27th 6:08 AM

Olivia,

Counting the hours.

C.C.

Chapter 13

             
I dropped my bags on the floor of my apartment. I sighed loudly.

             
"I never thought this place would look so good," I said to Adrian who had just done the same with her bags.

             
"I know. I'm exhausted. I feel like that trip was days long." She turned and closed the door behind her.

             
"She doesn't let it show, but it was sweet to see Charlotte and Kyle together. I didn't think about how much she could have missed him. She was so set on not changing anything that I don't think she took into account that a month was a long time." I dragged my bags to my bedroom and simply let them fall on the floor. I would deal with them another time. It felt so good to be home. Even though we were greeted by pouring rain, I felt thankful to be on the ground and somewhere familiar. I plugged my phone in, knowing it was dead. I then trekked back out to the living room.

             
Adrian was dragging her bags into her room and I heard her plop down on the bed with a groan.

             
"Can we make a pact, next time we cut down the time? I don't know when we got so old, but I was ready like two weeks ago," she called from her bed. I laughed and plopped down next to her.

             
"I think our fun ended two Saturdays ago. Otherwise we would have been fine. Next time we go Charlotte will be a married woman, I doubt we'll go for that long anyway. It's hard to believe it's like a month away," I laid still, enjoying not feeling like I was suspended from the air again. Adrian's phone rang and she reached for it on her night table.

             
"Hello?...A package?...Um yes, please let them up." She hung up and sat up.

             
"That was the doorman. He said there was a package for me, to be delivered. They never call about that stuff, usually it's just down in the main office." Her brows were furrowed and she continued to look deep in thought.

             
"What if it's a madman who had a gun to his head and is now coming up to kill me?" She said suddenly.