All characters from Guiding Light do not belong to me. All the other characters do, however, so please leave them alone. This story is set in an alternate universe, where Natalia Rivera's history and timeline are greatly altered. Most of Olivia Spencer's history remain intact at this point.
I've decided not to worry too much about pre-Otalia plotline discrepancy as this is an AU after all.
Devil Ride
by
xenalvr
1
It was going to be a cold night. Natalia Rivera gave her immaculately made up reflection another look, pursed her lips, shook her dark mane of hair, and left the apartment. She gave the wad of gum in her mouth one last chew before using it to stick her apartment key to the top of the doorframe. Then, zipping her leather jacket up to her neck, she went down the stairs to walk a few blocks to the street she worked on.
Fall would soon move into winter; there was a bite in the wind and Natalia shivered, hugging herself with her arms. She unzipped her jacket reluctantly to reveal her scantily dressed body underneath as she turned to face the oncoming traffic with a smile that did not reach her dark eyes. After a time, a black sedan slowed and a tinted window rolled down. Natalia shoved the idyllic thought that all the cars seemed to ooze the same kind of sleaze when they prowled the streets aside as she peered into the vehicle with a flash of dimples. Before long, she slid herself into the car and it merged into the busy night traffic of Chicago city.
It hadn't been an easy life for Natalia. Born into a strictly Catholic family, Natalia did not score too many points when her parents found out about her teen pregnancy. She would always remember that her parents were far more enraged over the fact that she would not obey their wishes to have the baby aborted than having actually fallen pregnant.
Ill-equipped to take care of herself in a world so different from her sheltered upbringing, she had first slept in homeless shelters, then on park benches, and had even resorted to loitering around various fast food joints for people's leftovers. There had been close to no job opportunities, and the ones that she had interviewed for went to people who were better dressed or qualified than her.
The last time she had seen her parents was when she was lying in a hospital bed, being told that her child was a stillborn. Her parents had tried to get her to go home with them after that but she could not imagine living with people who were more relieved than anything at her predicament and had provided no comfort whatsoever on the worst day of her life.
That was where she had met Maria, a girl not much older than herself at the time. Maria had gone through a miscarriage and was bunked in next to her in the tiny hospital room. She had gone to live with Maria, sharing her tiny bed in a crowded apartment and, after a time, began dancing at the strip club her friend had worked at. From there, it had been a skip and hop to what she did now.
"Here's good," she said brusquely when she caught sight of a familiar street sign, annoyed at having lost herself in old, best forgotten memories. She knew the reason why, however; if Raphael-the hospital councellor had encouraged her to name her stillborn child so as to mourn him better-was alive, he would turn ten today. Natalia shoved the thought to the back of her head and slammed a fortified door on it.
She gave the John a quick smile before she hopped out of his car, rolling her eyes at the last grope he tried to sneak in before she exited. After tonight, she would be putting this life behind her. She had saved up enough money to move, get a place of her own, and enrol in college; the long hours of self-education would finally pay off. She was looking forward to a fresh start; she was sick of this city.
From the corner of her eye, she noticed a car pulling up beside several girls but not picking anyone up. A shopper. Natalia frowned. In her opinion, they were the worst kind of customers. Even though she knew what her job consisted of, shoppers made her feel like more of an object, if that was possible. So when the car pulled up to where she was, she spun on her heels and began walking away.
"Excuse me?"
Natalia swung her head around, surprised at the female voice addressing her. She had been mistaken. Peering into the car, she automatically reached for the lock of hair that always fell forward when she leaned down like that and tucked it behind her ear. "Are you lost?" she asked, noticing a map of some sort lying on the empty passenger seat. "Where're you trying to get to?"
The woman eyed her speculatively and Natalia swore she could hear a click sound right before the woman's demeanor changed and she tilted her head and slanted her eyes at her. "So. How does this work?"
Her voice was rich and a tad husky, and it spilled over Natalia like warm honey. She frowned slightly, genuinely confused. "How does what work?"
"I'd like your company for a night," the woman said bluntly. Natalia detected a slight tremor in her voice. "Would you like to get in?" The question was asked with a raised brow and a sensual curving of lips, causing Natalia to wonder if she had dreamed up the tremor of uncertainty.
Natalia stared at the woman blankly and blinked several times as her mind raced for an answer.
"I'm good for it, if that's what you're worried about."
There was a note of resignation in the sardonic statement. Natalia wasn't sure what possessed her but she nodded. "Sure." The soft exhalation of breath had been so slight that Natalia almost missed it. It intrigued her; the entire situation intrigued her. She slid into the car quickly and placed the map by her booted feet.
"So, how does this work?" the woman asked again when Natalia turned to face her.
"Well," Natalia said, drawing out the word as she strapped herself in the seat, her head still trying to catch up with her actions, "driving away from here would be a good start."
2
The silence in the car was unnerving; even the purring of the engine was quiet as they sped along. Natalia observed the familiar way the woman handled the car and surmised that it wasn't a rental. Its interior looked sleek and classy; a discreet once over said the same of the woman's appearance. She couldn't quite tell the colour of the woman's hair, but it was beautifully styled, gently brushing the soft curve of her neck. Smartly dressed in a well-pressed pin-striped suit with an open collared shirt underneath, nothing on the woman looked out of place.
"Do I meet with your approval?"
The question that broke the silence caused a slight blush to work up Natalia's cheeks. Flustered at being caught in what she had thought to be an unobvious perusal, Natalia straightened perceptibly in her seat. "Sorry."
Her apology was met with a gentle twitching of lips. "So, do I?"
Natalia quickly slid on her working persona. "Of course," she said smoothly with a flash of smile that went unseen anyway, "you're beautiful."
"Thank you."
Natalia could hear a smile in the response and relaxed her stiff posture. Flattery got you everywhere; but in this case, it was hardly a lie. Then she looked out of the car window and frowned. "Where are we going?" She fought to keep her tone light but this was going all wrong. She was so thrown off her game at being solicited by a woman that she hadn't followed her strict routine of securing payment and laying out of rules.
"You said to drive away. So I'm driving away. In the general direction of the hotel I'm staying at." The woman turned to her when they stopped at a light. A well manicured hand came to rest on the gear shift. Unable to help herself, Natalia tracked its movement with her eyes. "I do recall asking you how it works."
There was something about the husky tenor of her voice and the fluidity of her movements, Natalia decided, that unsettled her. Confused by the thought, she quickly reverted to safer territory. "I charge 80 dollars an hour..." she said, then trailed off, unsure how to proceed. Now that her head had somewhat caught up with her actions, she found herself regretting getting into the car.
An elegant brow rose. "Is that for a full... service?" the woman asked, faint amusement colouring her words. Before Natalia could respond, however, she said, "I'll pay you for ten." The light changed and she returned her attention to the road.
"Ten... hours?" Natalia was sure she had misheard. At the woman's confirmatory nod, she began to panic. "Maybe this is not such a good idea after all. I'm not sure -"
"Calm down," the woman interrupted her with a surreptitious glance. "I'm just paying you for your company. It's what you do, right? Provide company?"
Natalia frowned. "In a manner of speaking," she replied cautiously. She certainly hadn't looked at it that way before-not about what she did now. Back when she was dancing, she had had a few regulars who would monopolise her time whenever they visited. They would tell her about their day, jump at the chance to buy her drinks, and puff out their chests when they thought they had impressed her with their tales of wild escapades. The description rang truer for that occupation than this.
Natalia shook the inconsequential line of thought out of her head, a little annoyed at the little trips of reminiscence that she was conducting tonight, on the job. It was distracting and she needed her wits about her.
"I could do with some company tonight."
They pulled up at a hotel entrance and the woman turned to her, ignoring the valet waiting by the car. Natalia realised belatedly that she was waiting for an answer. This was turning out to be a very strange night, both in and out of her head. After years of being in this industry, however, she had learnt to trust her gut, and since her fight or flight instincts hadn't kicked in... "Okay," she said finally.
The woman smiled a little too smugly for her taste before exiting the car.
The hotel was a posh one. Natalia felt immensely out of place walking across the marbled lobby floor under expensive looking chandeliers. She straightened her shoulders, refusing to let her self-consciousness triumph. Her client, on the other hand, looked like she owned the building and the people working in it. Her seemingly lack of awareness of the raw energy that she exuded enhanced her attractiveness.
Moments later, Natalia found herself alone again with the woman in the elevator. They stood shoulder to shoulder, not quite touching but close enough for her to catch a whiff of the woman's perfume. She liked the scent; it made her wonder if it would smell more enticing when her face was up against the woman's neck.
"What's your name?"
The question broke Natalia's reverie and she hesitated for a space of several heartbeats before answering. "Jessica." Upon the utterance of her other name, Natalia fell behind the safety of her working persona once more. This was just another client, she told herself.
"Jessica," the woman drawled.
The way the name sounded rolling off the woman's lips made Natalia lift up a hand to fuss with her hair needlessly in an effort to dismiss the pleasant warmth that spread through her. She offered the woman an absent smile and averted her eyes, touching a nervous finger to her nose briefly. She had to be honest to herself: this wasn't just another client. The fact that she was a 'she' made a world of difference. And the prospect of having to spend time with a client other than what was required of her to get her job done was unnerving.
"I'm Olivia," the woman said in return, drawing Natalia's eyes back to her face again.
The elevator doors slid open and Natalia almost told the woman that she had changed her mind. But the moment passed and the intrigue held, so she followed Olivia out.
3
Natalia was treated to a breathtaking view of the city when she stepped into the suite. Lights dotted tall and short buildings, along and on the roads, like tiny pieces of glittering diamonds against a dark backdrop. The room itself was spacious and elegantly laid out with a couch, a loveseat and two armchairs. A large plasma television took up most of the wall beside what looked like a small but well-stocked bar. The colours that splashed the walls were warm, set off nicely by amber lighting.
"Drink?"
Natalia turned to see Olivia at the bar with a bottle of liquor in her hand. She nodded against her better judgement, suddenly wanting to rid herself of the tension in her body.
It was one of her job requirements to suss out what a client was after. Most of the time, it was easy. Some were nervous and needed a bit of conversation to make them feel more comfortable; others needed to vent about their lives, wives or girlfriends. There were those who didn't need any encouragement at all, and a few times she had to stop seeing clients who were convinced that they were in love with her. Her inability to place Olivia in any of the categories made her feel off-kilter.
"I hope you like martini."
In a bid to distract herself, Natalia went over to Olivia's side and halted her hands with her own. Ignoring Olivia's questioning lift of brow, she took the bottle of liquor from her and bent her head to the task of mixing the drink. Olivia shrugged and moved away.
"We should get the payment out of the way," Natalia said. Her eyes followed Olivia's trek across the room to where her coat lay, by the door, and watched as she counted out the bills for her. When she had the wad of cash safely zipped up in her jacket pocket, she felt more in control of the situation.
"So." Olivia moved to the couch and sat herself down. She had removed her blazer, revealing the fitting off white shirt that she had on underneath. She crossed one leg over the other as she eyed Natalia casually. "Why would someone who looks the way you do be in this line of work, if you don't mind me asking?"
It was a common enough question and Natalia had a few ready answers on hand. For some reason, she decided to be truthful about being untruthful. "Which version would you like: touching, risque or commonplace?" she asked, walking over to where Olivia was to hand her a martini glass with a sardonic smile on her face.
Olivia's brows lifted, looking rather impressed by the answer given. The observation pleased Natalia. She watched Olivia take a sip of her drink and lean back into the couch with a sigh that sounded like the satisfied purring of a cat. Much to her consternation, it sent a shiver down her body.
Grateful for the warmth and buzz an earlier shot of vodka now gave her, Natalia placed her own drink on the low coffee table and slowly unzipped her jacket, allowing it to slide off her slender shoulders and fall into a heap on the carpetted floor. The clingy fabric of her red halter neck top and her skin tight leather pants left almost nothing to the imagination.
"You and I, we're not so different," Olivia murmured, causing Natalia to frown, confused.
"What do you mean?"
Olivia tilted her head back and let her eyes fall shut as she savoured the flavour of her drink. "This is good. Thank you," she said, lifting her drink slightly in conjunction to her non-sequitur.
Having her seduction thwarted even before it was carried out, Natalia took a step backwards and sat herself down on the loveseat facing the couch. She took the opportunity to observe Olivia as her mind considered the possibility that Olivia might want to be the aggressor.
She trailed her eyes across Olivia's face, taking in the sight of long lashes, lightly rouged cheeks, a strong nose and a sensuous pair of lips that held a shadow of smile. Olivia's shirt collar was open, revealing a creamy throat and a hint of cleavage. The rest of her curvaceous body strained against the fitting shirt and pants she had on, and her feet were encased in a sinful looking pair of heels. Natalia swallowed and consciously acknowledged her attraction towards her client.
"I can feel you staring, you know."
Natalia reached for her drink. "What is it that you want me to do?" she asked finally. She just wanted a vague indication of what was expected of her.
Olivia didn't quite open her eyes; she glanced at Natalia through slitted lids. "Exactly this." Then, before Natalia could ask her to explain what she meant, she straightened slightly and said, "There's a spa in the bathroom if you feel like indulging. And help yourself to anything else that might make you feel more comfortable."
"Okay..." Natalia said after Olivia fell silent and decided that going with the flow would be the best course of action in this case. "The spa sounds good," she said slowly. "If you're sure..." she trailed off, giving Olivia the chance to tell her otherwise.
Olivia nodded, already distracted by her ringing cell. "Enjoy."
Natalia folded her clothes neatly and set them down within reach before she stepped into the spa. She wondered how much a suite like this cost per night, then decided that she would rather not know.
She could hear Olivia talking on her cell. Her words were muffled but Natalia could pick up on the disdain and anger in her voice and a part of her was grateful that she was not on its receiving end. In the brief amount of time she had spent in the woman's company, Natalia had already gathered that Olivia was someone who could make a person feel like they were everything or nothing.
Natalia had half-expected Olivia to join her in the spa but that was not the case. So she took her time and drew out her enjoyment of the rare luxury. By the time she dried herself and threw on a soft terry robe, her eyelids felt heavy. She unknotted and shook her hair out, giving her reflection a once over. Enveloped in the oversized terry robe, she looked about twelve-hardly looking the part of a seasoned seductress. She considered throwing her clothes back on but rejected the idea almost immediately. Stepping out in the nude would be a preferable choice, she decided.
The suite was quiet, save for the low humming of the air-conditioner. Natalia padded towards the bed and was surprised to find Olivia already in it. She was breathing deeply and the space between her brows were slightly creased. Natalia chewed on her lower lip as she stared at the sleeping form in bewilderment. Was she expected to seduce her to wakefulness, join her in sleep, or crash on the comfortable looking couch outside?
She made her decision and laid her pile of clothes beside the bed before climbing in, moaning softly and appreciatively at the way the smooth sheets felt against her skin. Then she stretched herself out beside Olivia, who looked and smelled like she had had a shower herself. There must be another bathroom in the suite.
Natalia rubbed her cheek ruefully with one hand; she did not know what to make of her encounter with this woman. Olivia had on a cotton sleeping shirt and looked way too peaceful to expect a late night seduction. Letting out a soft sigh, Natalia dimmed all the lights in the room and crept under the covers herself. Sleep came swift.
4
Natalia wasn't sure what woke her. It took her a moment to recall where she was and when she did, she couldn't believe how well she had slept. She lifted her head to see the illuminated numbers on the bedside table. It was past nine. She should leave; her ten hours were up. But then her gaze fell on the slumbering woman lying next to her, making her pause. In the dimly-lit room, she could just make out Olivia's features. She wondered for the umpteenth time what she had wanted of her-not that it really mattered anymore.
A sudden blare of music disrupted her musings. Olivia stirred beside her and grunted. Natalia watched in growing amusement as Olivia slapped at the control panel by the bed blindly in an effort to eliminate the noise. Lights flickered on and off in the room, then the television came on with the weather forecast for the day. Natalia almost blurted out laughing when Olivia growled in frustration and tried to hide her head under the pillow to block out the noise from both the radio and the television. She finally took pity on the woman and reached over her to hit the right buttons to cancel out the noise. The room fell silent again but Natalia was aware that the announcing of her presence had woken Olivia up more effectively than the music and newscaster's voice ever could.
Natalia watched Olivia lift her head from under her pillow, her hair tousled and her eyes barely open. Made aware of their proximity to each other by the feel of Olivia's breath on her face, Natalia shifted slightly, then followed Olivia's sleepy but intent gaze to her bare chest. She awkwardly reached for the covers to pull over herself.
Olivia blinked several times, then dropped her head back down onto her pillow. She turned on her back and brought a hand to her head. "I need coffee," she mumbled to no one in particular. Natalia felt her lips twitch when she caught the words.
"I'll ring room service for you," Natalia offered, then added, "if you want." She waited but didn't receive any response. When she thought that Olivia must have fallen back to sleep, she heard a fumbling sound and a handset was thrust in her face. Natalia had to bite her lip to keep from grinning when she grabbed the handset to put to her ear. Olivia had miraculously hit the right button for room service.
"Hi, we'd like some coffee please," Natalia said to a cordial sounding hotel employee. Then she covered the mouthpiece. "Did you want anything else?" She took Olivia's grunt to mean no and ended the call even though her own stomach was rumbling. She'd have to grab something on her way home. "It'll be here in ten," she informed a prone Olivia, whose grumpy child behaviour was oddly endearing. Shaking her head lightly, she smirked to herself as she reached over Olivia again to replace the handset.
"What's so funny?" Olivia deadpanned.
Natalia laid back down beside Olivia, propping her face up on one elbow. She could stay for a little while longer. "You are."
Olivia frowned. "Isn't there an unwritten rule somewhere that says you can't laugh at your employer?"
Natalia snorted. "Maybe, but I don't work for you. My ten hours is up. I'm here on my own time," she informed Olivia. The faint smile that graced Olivia's lips made her own smile widen. On an impulse, she reached over and lightly covered Olivia's hand with her own. When Olivia made no move to draw away, she leaned forward and pressed her lips to a soft, rounded shoulder.
"What are you doing?"
Olivia's voice had dropped an octave and a decibel, and that, combined with the sudden infiltration of sexual tension, sent a shiver through Natalia's body.
"If you have to ask, then I mustn't be doing a very good job," Natalia replied in an equally low voice. She trailed her fingers up, then back down a smooth forearm, and lightly threaded their fingers together. "You can tell me to stop whenever you want." Her rapidly beating heart belied her soft, even voice.
When Olivia remained silent, Natalia untangled their fingers and slowly peeled the covers off of Olivia's rising and falling chest, baring herself in the process. Then she trailed her fingers back up Olivia's torso, enjoying the friction between her fingertips and Olivia's cotton sleeping shirt. She wrapped them around a full breast and gently palmed it. Olivia made a small, strangled sound in the back of her throat and her stomach flipped in response.
She lowered her face and stroked Olivia's other breast with her cheek. Then she traced a nipple with her tongue through the fabric of the shirt before closing her teeth around it, eliciting a low moan from the woman beneath her. It made her body tingle. Her hand disappeared under the shirt to repeat its action on warm, bare flesh. Olivia arched her body slightly, pushing herself towards her. That singular act snapped Natalia's control and she let out a low growl, suddenly needing a lot more skin and a lot less barrier.
She moved her mouth to Olivia's bare belly and began a trail of open mouthed kisses up her body, nudging the sleeping shirt up with her face as she went along. She could hear Olivia breathing raggedly. Just before she reached her intended goal, however, fingers tangled in her hair and pulled her face up.
Even in the semi-darkness, Natalia could tell that Olivia looked flushed. Their faces were mere inches apart and Olivia was breathing through her parted lips. Natalia waited and Olivia answered, closing the space between their lips with a crushing kiss. Then Natalia was on her back and her eyes hooded when Olivia pulled her sleeping shirt over her head and flung it heedlessly behind her.
The doorbell rang, and the women froze.
"Fucking coffee," Natalia rasped out, her eyes glued to Olivia's face. She could almost hear Olivia thinking. Then she thought she heard another click not unlike the one she did when they first met, and a sexy smile slid onto Olivia's face.
"Fuck the coffee," Olivia said huskily, and lowered herself onto Natalia, making her gasp when their bodies met. "I'm already up."
5
She shouldn't be doing this. What was she thinking? Ah, she wasn't.
Ever since her last meeting with Alan Spaulding, she had been spiralling downwards so quickly that it was a wonder she still had the ability to think. Maybe not thinking was the key to success. As long as her daughter was safe and out of Phillip Spaulding's clutches, nothing else mattered. Emma would be safe with Sam; she had been paranoid to the point of not using a GPS to get them to where she had taken Emma. It pained her to be apart from her daughter but she needed to be able to act without fear of putting Emma in danger.
After an emotional goodbye, she had been afraid to be alone even though she had been sure that she hadn't been followed. That was when she had caught sight of the scantily dressed women standing by the road. The bleak expression on some of their faces had reminded her of herself. She had meant every word of the comparison she had drawn between Jessica and herself the night before: they really weren't too different at all.
Jessica. She wasn't even sure if that was really the woman's name but it was inconsequential. What they were engaged in at the moment had no need for names, real or otherwise.
She had never had a woman look at her the way Jessica did. She had been flattered but that had been the extent of it. She had thought that the woman's uncertainty the night before was due to her lack of experience in pleasuring women but she couldn't very well have set her mind at ease by telling her that sex wasn't what she was after. So she had forced herself to shower, jump into bed, and fall asleep before Jessica was done with the spa. Now, however, Olivia stood contradicted: the woman definitely knew what she was doing and it was driving her crazy.
"No, don't stop," she husked out, reluctantly opening her eyes to see where the wet and slick warmth between her legs had gone. The sight of the gorgeous olive skinned woman wiping her moist lips with the back of her fingers and fixing her with a dark, meaningful look sent a shiver through her.
"Don't stop what, Olivia?"
Olivia's eyes fluttered shut briefly at the low, coy voice. She stood contradicted again: names were definitely a good thing in the activity they were engaged in. "Don't stop whatever it is that you were doing," she said, hearing and disliking the whiny tone her voice had taken on.
"Oh. But if I didn't, I won't be able to do this."
Olivia never thought that she would be turned on by her own scent on someone else's lips. The fact that those lips were full and pliant and delivered stubble free kisses were a big bonus. Huge.
She swam in the headiness of the kiss, moaning deep in her throat at Jessica's roaming hands that seemed to draw sparks of reaction everywhere they touched. At Jessica's gentle urging, she lifted her hips and her eyes flew open at the sudden feeling of fullness. She threw her head back and sucked in a breath; her thigh muscles clenched, increasing the heat and ache in her centre as Jessica slowly moved in and out of her.
Thoughts didn't matter, only sensations did. And Olivia's head and body were swirling in them. She clutched at Jessica, then at the sheets pooled around her, her lips parted, eyes shut, wrapped in the nonsensical words that fell out of Jessica's lips.
Then came a moment of nothing...
... before a huge wave of sensation crashed through her body.
"Hey."
Olivia let out a breath and managed a weak smile. "Hey."
"I think I should go."
Olivia nodded, expecting cool air to hit her when Jessica shifted. When nothing happened, she cracked open an eye to see the woman still partially lying on her, dark hair splaying over her back and onto Olivia's chest. She brought a hand up hesitantly to smooth the woman's hair back. Jessica lifted her head up at the same moment and Olivia could not help but acknowledge the woman's beauty that was almost innocent in quality. Her eyes tracked Jessica's hand when it moved up to tuck a stray lock of hair behind an ear.
"I've enjoyed our time together."
Jessica's voice was soft and her sincerity was evident. Olivia knew a brief moment of regret at the thought of never seeing this woman again but quickly let it go. She ran her eyes down Jessica's face and decided that it would be insulting if she offered to pay her for the time that she had overstayed even though she would gladly give her enough money if it would get her off the streets. The strength of the latter thought surprised Olivia; she hardly knew the woman. "I did too," she said honestly.
After Jessica moved off of her to get changed, Olivia threw her rumpled sleeping shirt and underwear back on. She picked up the phone to ring room service for another pot of coffee and, after a moment's consideration, two stacks of pancakes and bacon. She could at least feed her.
"You must be hungry," she called out in the general direction of the bathroom. "I ordered some food. Have some before you go." She padded out of the bedroom to check if Emma had rung her on her cell. Seeing no missed calls or messages, Olivia ran a hand through her tousled hair and turned the television on.
"Thanks, I'm starving, actually," came the reply. Olivia turned and took in the sight of Jessica in her work clothes. It was the same stuff that the woman had on the night before but now, after what they just did in bed, she looked different. "What?" Jessica asked, looking down at herself.
Olivia shook her head and went to sit down on the couch. She hit the remote for the automatic blinds and frowned at the swirling mass of gray and water that the action revealed. "Maybe you should stay till the rain stops."
Jessica came to sit beside her. "Do you mind? I could go if you have things to do... it's just water."
Olivia turned her head. "I wouldn't have offered if I minded." Her cell rang the same time the doorbell did and she jumped up from the couch hurriedly. "Could you get the door please, Jessica?" Grabbing her cell from the bar counter, she hit a button and answered it in a cheery voice. "Hey, baby." She went into the bedroom to take the call. "What? No, I didn't just get up, if you must know... Oh, you think so, huh," she bantered with her vivacious daughter. The seven year old seemed to be coping with their separation well.
When the call ended, she exited the bedroom and found Jessica sitting cross legged on the couch. She had removed the plates of pancakes and bacon that Olivia had ordered from the serving tray onto the low coffee table, and was cradling a cup of coffee in her hands. Olivia sank onto the couch and lifted her own cup of coffee to her lips. The television and the pattering of rain against the window panes were the only sounds in the room.
"Rainy days, cloudy days, and sunny days," Jessica said suddenly, causing Olivia to look up in surprise. "Which do you like best?"
Olivia took a moment to consider. "Rainy days," she said at last.
Jessica smiled, her dimples deepening when she did so. "Me too," she said, almost shyly. Then, "It takes away the guilt of wasting the day away in front of a good book or movie."
Olivia smiled, content with the randomness of their conversation.
"Natalia," Jessica said after a time-another non-sequitur. Olivia lifted a questioning brow. "My name," Jessica explained, finishing her coffee and reaching for a strip of bacon. "It's Natalia."