Long Overdue (River Jewel Resort Book 3) (6 page)

“Of course, Mr. Osgood. Have a great evening.”

“Oh, I will Maria. I most certainly will.”

Matt smiled and took the marble stairs two at a time. He hated the elevators and enjoyed the view from the balcony when he reached the top of the staircase. Each floor had a marble balcony and each one had seating and a bar for the patrons.

“This never gets old.” Taking a deep breath, he looked over the railing and waved at Maria.

He continued on his way and felt the excitement building, the closer he got to his room. Once there, he slid the key card through the electronic reader and let himself inside. Everything was just as he’d left it. His suite was only one of two on the entire twelfth floor and at the opposite end of the hall from the other suite. He had all of the privacy he could ever want. In all of his time coming to the RJR, he’d never once run into anyone staying in the other suite.

“I could run naked through the hallways and no one would ever know.” He laughed as he opened his refrigerator to grab a bottle of his favorite imported beer. Thinking about what Olivia would say if she knew he’d even thought about running naked through the hallways of the prestigious hotel, made him laugh even more. She’d probably join him. Olivia was adventurous and loved sex in open places. Why had he never told her he loved the same thing? What had kept him from telling her everything? He shrugged and walked out of the kitchen and into his bathroom to freshen up for his date.

“She should be arriving any moment. I’d better get a move on.”

A few minutes later, he heard the front door open. His lover had arrived.

“Hello, gorgeous. I’ve missed you so much.”

Matt wrapped his arms around her and kissed her passionately, pouring his every emotion into the deepening kiss. He ran his hands through her long hair, inhaling her scent as his hands explored her body, touching, gliding, and holding her until he thought his dick would blow out the zipper of his pants. His date said nothing. Instead, she palmed him through the expensive fabric, stroking and pressing, begging him with her eyes to undress her. It took all of his strength to pull away.

“I have to call my agent. He’ll be livid, but I don’t care. I’ve missed you and I couldn’t bear to be away from you for another moment. I’ll be right back and then, we can go to dinner.” He kissed her again and went to the den to call the man who was surely going to rip him a new one. It must’ve been some sort of miracle, because his call went to voicemail.

“Jack, it’s Matt. I won’t be making it to the convention. I had something else that I needed to attend to. I’m sure I’ll talk to you later or on Monday. Bye.”

He hung up and retraced his steps to the living room where his beautiful date stood waiting for him. She wore a short, elegant cocktail dress made of the finest black silk and black, strappy stiletto heels that accentuated her firm, tight ass. Matt couldn’t wait to slide that scrap of fabric off of her and feel her body beneath his. But, first they’d go to dinner like a normal couple. Maybe have a few drinks afterward and then, a stroll along the lake. It didn’t matter. Their dates were always perfect. She was perfect. Almost.

“Are you ready, my dear?”

She smiled and slid her arm thr
ough his as they left his room.

Chapter Four

Olivia dressed in a gorgeous, thin-strapped, black dress and the most comfortable stiletto heels she’d ever worn. Each room in her suite had closets full of incredible clothes, but these had seemed to call to her. The feel of the black silk kissing her bare skin sent shivers of desire through her. Luckily, she’d been given a great set of tits and didn’t require the added barrier of a bra between her nipples and the slink
y
fabric. Whenever she moved, her nipples reacted to its supple caresses. The shoes, expensive, with red soles and diamond accents, made her stand tall and proud. A quick spin in the mirror and she nodded her approval.

“If only Matt could see me now.”

A door opened and she rushed to the living area.

“Hello? Is someone there?”

She was just about to turn around, certain she’d been hearing things, when she saw him. There he was, standing before her! “Matt? What are you doing here?”

He said nothing. Matt stood there smiling at her with his hand extended, reaching for hers.

“What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

Something wasn’t right. Why wasn’t he speaking? Did she look like a fool all gussied up like some French-whore? Better yet, what was he doing there? How had he known she was even at the River Jewel Resort?

“Why are you here? I thought you were in Chicago. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you I was coming here. I knew you’d be busy, so I just tossed my stuff into the car and started driving.”

The phone rang before he could answer her.

“Hello?”

“Good evening, Olivia.”

“Scarlet? Hi. Um, did you tell anyone I was here?”

“No. We never tell anyone who stays with us. Why do you ask? Oh, I trust you’ve received your first wish.”

“Wish?”

“Enjoy yourself, my dear. Here’s your chance.”

Scarlet hung up before Olivia could utter another word. She was in a room with
a
virtua
l
person! “I am so creeped out right now.”

Virtual Matt watched her every move with a smile on his face. His eyes danced with amusement just like her real Matt’s eyes. He was the same height and appeared to be a clone of her Matt. But he didn’t speak. What was she going to do? This was crazy! He wasn’t real. How did Scarlet expect her to enjoy herself with some computer image?

She reached out to touch him and found he wasn’t just a holographic image. He felt real. She ran her hands up and down his arms and all over his chest and back.

“Oh my goodness! How can you be real?”

Olivia lifted each of his pant legs, felt under his jacket, ran her hands through his hair, examining and inspecting every inch of virtual Matt. She was speechless. He was almost an exact duplicate. The only thing different was the way his hair parted to the side. Matt’s went left and virtual Matt’s went right. Other than that, he could be the real Matt.

“Stay right there. I need to sit down. This is way too weird for me. This isn’t right. You can’t be Matt. What the hell is going on in this place?”

Again, virtual Matt held out his hand to her as if he wanted her to take his.

“No. I’m sorry. I don’t want to hurt your feelings, but I can’t go anywhere with you. In fact, I’m leaving. There’s no way I’m going on a date with some cyborg or whatever the hell you are. Just stay away from me!”

He stared at her, seemingly confused and hurt by her words.

“You need to leave. Go back to wherever you came from. I don’t want you here.”

Virtual Matt turned and left the suite, leaving Olivia sitting alone on the expensive leather sofa, crying.

“God, what was I thinking? Am I that desperate? And why did that woman think a date with some knock-off of Matt would help me? This place is insane! I’ve got to get out of here. If this is the type of place Matt likes, then maybe we don’t belong together. I’m all for adventure, but this is just too fucking weird.”

She grabbed her room key and the elevators doors opened quickly as she stepped up to them. The ride down was the longest she’d ever experienced in any elevator. Had it not been for the shoes, she’d have taken the stairs down.

“Come on, really!”

When the car finally reached the lobby and the doors slid apart, she couldn’t believe her eyes. Standing in front of her, locked in a loving embrace and kissing passionately were Matt and what had to be a virtual her.

* * * *

“Olivia?”

“What are you doing? Oh my God!”

“Olivia, why are you here?”

Matt rushed over to her and reached for her.

“No. What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be in Chicago.”

“You’re supposed to be at home.”

“Why are you with her…me? What is going on here?”

“Just let me explain.”

“Explain what? That you lied to me about Chicago so you could come here to be with some fake version of me? A version that doesn’t talk? Is that why you lied? So you could get away from my voice? Do I irritate you that much?”

“No. That’s not it.” He laughed.

“Is this funny to you? I’m not very amused right now. You’re here with some carbon copy of me and you think it’s funny? Is it some sick joke?”

“It’s far from a joke.”

“I don’t get it, Matt. How many times have you lied about conferences? I thought we were friends. Friends don’t lie to each other and they don’t do what you’re doing with that, that thing!”

“Olivia, just calm down.”

“Calm down? I will not calm down, Matthew Osgood! You think just because you’re some big shot author that you can do whatever you want? Lie to people and then make fun of them behind their backs? You’re disgusting. I’m not good enough as I am, so you come here and get some fake, dolled up version of me that you can parade around? Thanks, Matt. I thought you were my friend. How could you do this?”

Matt had taken all he could. The woman he loved was pissed at him, hated him, and all he’d ever wanted was the opposite.

“How could I do this? Because I love you, damn it! At least here, at least with this version of you, I can pretend she loves me, that you love me. Do you think this is easy? I have to sneak around, pretending to be with other women because the one I want doesn’t want me. All you want is a library buddy, a friend and nothing else. No strings, no attachments, remember? I’ve had to listen to your stories of fucking and screwing all over that library for years and it broke my heart. I wanted to be that guy, the guy who turned you on! I want to be the guy to take care of you. You’d rather waste more years on guys that treat you like crap. At least here, I get to have a happy ending with the woman I’ve been in love with for a decade.”

“You’ve what?”

She stepped
toward
towards
him and Matt grabbed her by the hands. “I love you, Olivia. You may not love me, you may not…”

Just then, virtual Matt walked by and disappeared through a door behind the front desk.

Olivia met Matt’s eyes and shrugged. “Oops.”

“You? And him?”

“No. No, Matt, I couldn’t go through with it. I swear. Tha
t
thin
g
wasn’t you. It didn’t even talk.”

“But you just yelled at me for…”

“I know. It’s just too weird. Seeing the man I love standing in the lobby with a carbon copy of me was all too surreal.”

“I think we really need to talk.”

“So do I.”

“Wanna grab some dinner? We’re already dressed for it. How about you let me take you on a proper date?”

“I’d love that. But can we just skip the dinner and go right to the talking?”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I’ve heard there’s a river here that looks just like the Ohio. We’ve had some of our best conversations at the real version. Let’s go there.”

He held his arm out for her and she looped her arm through it. “This is perfect. You are perfect.”

Olivia kissed him on the cheek and they walked out of the River Jewel toward the shoreline.

“Okay, I need to take these off. They’re hot but they’re not as comfortable as I’d thought.”

“Hot is right. You look amazing tonight. You always look amazing, but…wow!”

“Really? You like?” She twirled in a slow circle, giving him a full view.

“Breathtaking.”

He saw her glance away. She’d always been shy about compliments from him and he loved that about her. Olivia was strong and independent, but she was still humble. Matt had never met anyone who turned out to be the whole package. Not until he’d met Olivia.

“Thank you. You look pretty awesome yourself.”

“So, you love me, huh?”

Olivia smiled “Of course I do. If we’re being honest, I’ve loved you since the moment you crashed through the books at the library.”

“Score one for the clumsy guy.” He laughed and wrapped his arms around her.

“What took you so long? Why didn’t you tell me ho
w
yo
u
felt?”

“I couldn’t. I guess I was afraid I’d lose you. Having you as a friend…”

“Was better than not having you at all.” She finished his sentence.

“Yeah. How could we both have been so dumb? We’re perfect for each other.”

“I don’t know. I can’t believe I wasted so much time on those other guys. None of them were you. They never made me feel safe and not one of them ever made me laugh. What was I thinking? I guess I was pretending to be some strong, independent woman and instead, I managed to lose the career I loved while my self-respect flew out the window. In the end, I didn’t get anything I wanted and I certainly created more problems than I needed.”

“And none of those women were you. The way your eyes dance when you’re happy, the way your lip quivers when you pretend you’re okay.” He skimmed the pad of his thumb across her bottom lip and Olivia flicked her tongue out, tasting the trail of heat he’d left on her mouth.
“Little things like that are what I love about you. You’re the only woman whose ever gotten to me.” He stared into her eyes and Olivia’s heart raced, tears threatened to escape as butterflies danced in her stomach.