1
As Olivia looked around the bathroom, seeing
24K gold specks in the wallpaper, better than museum-quality art,
and wealth beyond what a half bathroom deemed necessary, she sucked
in smoke from her joint before holding her breath. She hated
nothing more in the world than her father’s fortune. Little
reminders of each dollar earned and spent had her thinking of all
the lost memories. She didn’t even know who her father was, not
really. Yes, he was the man downstairs, sitting at the end of a
long table and attending his stuffy dinner party with members of
the board, but she rarely spoke to her father. They had nothing to
say and no interests in common; it had been that way since her mom
died, though deep down she wished things were different. That was
why she resented hiding in a bathroom that was larger than most
people’s bedrooms, glaring at the bidet as if all her
disappointments came from that one fixture.
She turned her head toward the open window
and exhaled heavily. While sitting on a marble countertop, she
leaned back against the wall and brought her feet up to cross her
legs in a very unladylike manor, but she ignored her appearance
because she was alone.
She didn’t know why she went to such great
lengths to conceal her habit. The east wing of the fourth floor was
never used, except for when she smoked or needed to get away. She
could be in her old room, where she’d stay when she wasn’t away at
boarding school, and smoke pot in peace. But she was one of those
girls who tried hard to please her father, no matter how
impossible. What really made her kick herself was she knew for a
fact that half the men downstairs, including her father, had done
much worse while overseas. They were all as crooked as politicians,
and most of the board had several of those in their back
pocket.
Olivia sighed when the affect of the
marijuana settled in, and she relaxed while deciding her thoughts
were far too heavy. She practically kissed the end of her joint as
she took another hit. She was being careful not to wet the end of
the paper when the door to the bathroom open. Beside her eyes
darting to the entrance, she didn’t stir. Maybe it was her
rebellious side that forced her not to budge when CEO of Lytes
Universal, Douglas Truman, glanced into the room.
He smiled when seeing her with a joint in
her hand and on the marble counter top of what Olivia had always
assumed was some kind of dresser. Without a word, he slipped into
the bathroom and closed the door. Olivia finished sucking in while
she stared at him, surprised he’d bother to join her, but it wasn’t
the first time she’d had his private company. Besides being a
decent, respectable man, Douglas was also good-looking, but with
his wealth he could afford to always look his best. The fact that
he was in his mid-forties and had all his hair made him look
younger, and somehow stress defied to give him gray. In a way, he
looked a lot like her father, which always drew her to him. Like
her father, Douglas was tall with a light complexion, handsome, but
still had a stern appearance as if he knew he controlled the world,
or at least his world.
Douglas kept his hand on the door handle
before finally locking it, and then he slowly made his way toward
her with his eyes on her open legs, panties, and joint. He stopped
when he was a couple of feet from her and continued to give the
same debonair, confident smile that Olivia was sure got him laid
more times than she cared to know about.
When she dropped her hand to her knee with
the smoldering white paper snugly wrapped around her drug of
choice, he slid his hand over hers in an intimate touch she
couldn’t ignore. He took the cannabis between two fingers and stole
a hit while looking into her eyes. She finally smiled, even quietly
laughed although she found his action sensual, not humorous. At
least now she was certain he wouldn’t mention her habit to her
father.
Olivia couldn’t help but notice
Clara James
Rita Mae Brown
Jenny Penn
Mariah Stewart
Karen Cushman
Karen Harper
Kishore Modak
Rochelle Alers
Red Phoenix
Alain de Botton