Duplicity

Chapter 3

            Olivia considered her reflection in the full length mirror, pondering whether she should change her outfit for a third time. Today was her first day as an official member of the “Grant for President” campaign and anxious didn’t even begin to explain how she felt. She smoothed the imaginary wrinkles from her pale gray pants, straightened her necklace, and touched her thin fingers to her earlobes which held the round diamond earrings her mother had given her as a law school graduation gift.  She smiled at herself, they were her lucky earrings and she always felt more confident when she wore them. Olivia just hoped they would help her today.  

            Pouring cream into her coffee and pressing the lid onto her travel mug, Olivia collected the rest of her things and departed her apartment.

“Good Morning, Ms. Pope” Mark opened the door to the black car. Sensing Olivia’s anxiety as she moved past him, he continued, “The Grant campaign is lucky to have such a competent, hard-working person on their side”

            Olivia smiled at her friend and driver, “Mark, I just hope I can live up to all of the hype.”

           

            As the car pulled away from the curb Olivia opened her portfolio on Fitzgerald Grant pausing to examine the photograph held by a paperclip to the front of the folder.  A familiar stirring in her abdomen brought a slight smile to her lips as she considered what she knew about Fitz. From the information Cyrus had supplied, she knew that Fitz was the real thing, a true American hero and man of the people. His parents sent him to all of the best East coast boarding schools. He graduated top of his class from Andover then went on to earn Summa Cum Laude honors at Princeton with dual degrees in economics and international relations. Fitz rounded out his education with a law degree from Yale where he was editor of the Yale Law Journal in his third year.  As she continued to read she saw that he was the youngest governor ever elected in the state of Pennsylvania and was just closing out his second term. Unreal she thought focusing again on the photo. She ran her finger lightly along his strong jawline, imagining the landscape of his face. He was the epitome of masculinity and power. Fitzgerald Grant would make an excellent Commander in Chief.

            She felt the car glide to a halt and looked up to see they had arrived at their destination. Olivia waited for Mark to open her door and stepped out into the crisp morning air allowing the oxygen to fill her lungs. Looking at the New York campaign headquarters she steadied herself and moved briskly towards the entrance. As she neared the door it flew open and she felt her world pause.

“Livie” his grin was infectious as he greeted her with a handshake that, like the one the day they met, lasted longer than was perhaps proper, “Come in and meet the rest of the team.”

“Good morning Governor Grant” the greeting seemed too formal, even to her, but she needed to put distance between them in order to keep her feelings at bay.

“Livie, call me Fitz” he corrected as he held the door and watched her move past him. Gorgeous….perfect….he felt the English language didn’t possess a suitable word to describe Olivia Pope. He was quaked from his reverie by the brush of her coat against his forearm as she passed. Fitz regarded his arm sure that he would find a burn from the searing reaction his body seemed to have to her touch but found none.

“Fitz” she allowed the name to gently fall from her lips.