Duplicity

Chapter 2

Fitz rolled over looking at the alarm clock. The green numbers glaring back at him read 3:20 AM. He cursed to himself and pulled the down comforter tighter around him. Since returning to his hotel room he could not get the thought of the remarkable woman he had met out of his mind. Olivia Pope was no ordinary woman. Cyrus had told Fitz how brilliant she was and all of the connections she had with potential campaign donors around the country but he didn’t mention her breathtaking beauty. Fitz found himself lost in thoughts of her from the second he watched her walk out of his friend Cyrus’ office. 

At dinner that evening he noticed couples in the restaurant holding hands which brought back the feeling of Olivia’s soft hand in his. When he returned to his room he had taken a shower in a failed attempt to clear his head. When the shower did little to help him, Fitz decided sleep might bring about clarity. He pulled on his gray plaid pajama pants and climbed into bed, that was 5 hours ago and Fitz had barely slept. Every time he closed his eyes he saw her face, her deep soulful eyes, her smooth flawless skin, and lips that he could barely look upon without envisioning what they would feel like pressed to his.

Livie….Livie…..the nickname he’d given her roamed freely in his mind. He had never been a man to bestow nicknames upon women. Being raised in a strict household where respect and formality were valued, Fitz never embraced saccharine pleasantries. But she was different. Olivia Pope made him want to buy flowers, walk hand in hand, and whisper sweet nothings into her supple, impeccable ear.

“Ahhh….” Fitz’s frustration got the best of him as he rolled to his back and brought his fists down hard upon the mattress. He stared at the ceiling willing sleep to come and hoping for sweet dreams of her.

            At exactly 5:02 AM Olivia’s alarm jolted her from a deep sleep. She rolled to her right and pressed the snooze button. She hadn’t slept well the two nights since she met Fitzgerald Grant and today was the day she was meeting with the partners at the firm to inform them of her intent to take a leave of absence. As much as she wanted to be concerned about the security of the job that she’d worked so hard for, she was more focused on making it through the next three days before she saw Fitz again. A loud noise jarred her from her thoughts and she reached for her phone.

“Olivia Pope” she barked into the receiver.

“Liv, did I wake you?” Cyrus questioned.

“Cy, it is 5 AM. What in the world could be so important at 5 AM?” she sounded slightly annoyed but not entirely surprised.

“Just wanted to wish you luck today.” Cyrus replied. “Today is the day you’re telling the good ol’ boys that you’re joining our team right?”

Olivia was irritated enough to not give Cyrus the gratification of knowing her decision, “I haven’t decided yet, Old Man.”

“But you are meeting with them this morning?” He pressed.

Olivia was smart enough to know that word travelled fast in the legal world and Cyrus was close friends with two of the partners at her firm. She conceded that she was meeting with the partners but volunteered nothing more. They spoke for several minutes more, and then Olivia moved to the bathroom to begin readying herself for the day. As she turned on the shower and climbed underneath the hot flow of water she allowed her thoughts to drift again to Fitz.  She relished the feel of the water on her skin as her muscles relaxed and her eyes drifted closed.