Olivia's POV
*Where the fuck was Kira!*
I thought to myself as my mind raced with how to salvage this increasingly disastrous situation. She was my only savior right now.
My mom stood there, holding my phone like it was evidence in a criminal trial, waiting patiently for me to open my mouth. But nothing was forthcoming.
"OLIVIA!!" Mom's voice cut through the air like thunder. "Care to explain what this message means? If you have a man already, just tell me and stop hiding it. I won't murder him."
*Of course you would!* I nearly screamed out loud.
If Mom knew that a stranger was fucking her daughter from behind in public places, she'd definitely call the police, the CIA, the FBI, and every other military personnel in New York. After that, she'd lock me up in an asylum, because I'm obviously crazy.
My brain scrambled for a plausible explanation, and suddenly inspiration struck.
"It's one of my ex's from college," I said, trying to sound annoyed rather than panicked. "He keeps texting me about getting back together. I've told him a million times to leave me alone, but he won't listen."
I nearly heaved a huge sigh of relief at my ability to come up with what seemed like the perfect answer.
But Mom's expression didn't soften. Instead, she looked at me with her usual suspicious scrutinity.
"An ex-boyfriend?" she repeated slowly, her eyebrows raised. "What ex-boyfriend texts about burying himself deep inside you, Olivia? That's not 'getting back together' language. That's..."
"Mom, please," I interrupted, feeling heat creep up my neck. "Can we not analyze the explicit details of my past relationships?"
"I want to know more about this boy," Mom said firmly, crossing her arms. "What's his name? When did you date him? Why is he sending you such messages?"
I could see she wasn't going to let this go easily. My mother had always been like a dog with a bone when something didn't add up. And right now, nothing was adding up.
"Mom, I'm really tired," I said, letting genuine exhaustion seep into my voice. "It's been a long, stressful day. I just want to take a shower and go to bed. Can we please continue this conversation another time?"
For a moment, she studied my face. And I could see the wheels turning in her mind, weighing whether to push further or let it go. Finally, her motherly side won.
"Alright, sweetheart. You do look exhausted. Go get cleaned up and get some rest. But Olivia?" She looked at me sternly. "We will be discussing this tomorrow. And I mean everything - this mysterious ex-boyfriend, your late nights, and whatever else you've been hiding from me."
I nodded quickly. "Of course, Mom. Tomorrow."
"And block his number," she added as I headed toward my room. "No man should be speaking to my daughter that way."
"I will," I called back, already closing my bedroom door behind me.
The moment I was alone, I released the deepest breath I'd been holding all day. My entire body felt like it was vibrating with tension, and I desperately needed to decompress.
I peeled off my dress, grateful to finally be out of clothes that held the memories of what had happened earlier. My skin still felt sensitive, hyperaware, as if every nerve ending was still tingling from the stranger's touch.
I walked to the bathroom and turned on the shower, letting the water run hot. As I stepped under the spray, I immediately noticed something that made my heart race all over again.
I could still smell him on my skin.
Despite the sweat from rushing home, despite the anxiety of dealing with my mother, his scent still lingered on me. I placed my nose against my shoulder and inhaled deeply, trying to identify the exact fragrance. But it was faint now, making it impossible to determine the brand or even the specific flavor. It was just... him.
As I began to soap my body, my mind started racing through possibilities. Who was he exactly?
I mentally catalogued every man in my life, starting with my exes. Throughout my twenty-eight years, I'd only seriously dated four guys. I wasn't like Kira, who seemed to have a new romantic interest every month. I'd always been more selective. More of a lover girl.
Out of those four relationships, two of the guys had been... well, crazy. And out of those two, one was now married with kids, and the other was living in France.
Did that mean David was back from France? I made a mental note to check his Instagram and see if there were any recent posts from New York.
Which left Jason and Ken - the two non-crazy exes. Last I'd checked, they were both still living in New York, but I had no idea what they were currently up to. Another mental note: stalk their social media profiles tomorrow.
But as I scrubbed my arms, I realized I was probably barking up the wrong tree. This stranger's voice, his confidence, the way he touched me - it didn't match any of my exes. None of them had ever made me feel the way this man did. None of them had ever been able to play my body the way he had.
Then I started thinking about the men I'd recently met. But that was a short list - I hadn't really met anyone new since my last relationship with David.
Except...
Alex. But Alex didn't even know Olivia existed, and he was dating that gorgeous model. There was no way.
Maxwell. I almost laughed at the absurdity. Maxwell Wellington could never do something like this. The man was flat-out cold and wicked, arrogant, rude, cruel, selfish, short-tempered, with absolutely no traces of romantic nature in his system. It was a wonder he even had a girlfriend.
Damien, his younger brother, could potentially pass for the stranger - he was calm and gentle, with kind eyes and a soft-spoken demeanor.
But there was one major flaw in my reasoning. These recent men - Alex, Maxwell, Damien - they were all wealthy and devastatingly handsome, like Greek gods walking among mortals. They could never be interested in a girl like me, showing up behind me in public places, claiming to love me, giving me the most incredible orgasms of my life.
Maybe I should totally scratch them off the list.
But then again, it was entirely possible that I'd never crossed paths with this stranger before our first encounter. Maybe he really was just some random person who'd become obsessed with me. But how likely was that?
Actually, I was definitely scratching Maxwell and Damien off the list. Or any other staff members from Wellington and Sons. It wasn't possible that they'd be involved in this bizarre situation. Besides, my first encounter with the stranger had been when I was still working at Harry and Associates, which ruled out anyone from my current workplace.
Which left only Alex - but Alex had never known who Olivia was, and he was definitely dating that stunning model.
"Arghhhhhhhhh!" I screamed, nearly punching the bathroom wall in frustration.
This whole thing was driving me crazy. The mystery was eating at me from the inside out, and I felt like I was going in circles.
At that moment, I decided not to stress my brain anymore. Tomorrow, I would march back to that karaoke house and demand to see the security camera footage. I was done with this shit.
I scrubbed my body more vigorously, trying to wash away the confusion and frustration of everything that'd happened today.
As I moved the washcloth between my legs, a horrifying realization hit me like a bomb.
The stranger had cum inside me. Twice!
Was this dude trying to get me pregnant?!
My hands started shaking as the full implications sank in. I couldn't get pregnant by a complete stranger. I wouldn't get pregnant. Never!
I needed to get emergency contraception immediately.
"Kira!" I called out, thinking she was back from her grocery run.
Silence.
She was still out somewhere, probably chatting up some guy or getting distracted by every shiny thing in the grocery store. I quickly rinsed off and ran to retrieve my phone, water still dripping from my hair.
I dialed Kira's number, and she answered on the third ring.
"Hey girl, what's up? I'm still at the store..."
"Perfect. I need you to get me emergency contraception. Like, right now. It's urgent."
"What? Olivia, what happened? Did you..."
"I can't explain right now," I cut her off, panic creeping into my voice. "Just please get the pill and come home. I'll explain everything later, I promise."
"Okay, okay, I'm on it. Are you alright..."
"Just hurry, please."
I hung up and stood there dripping in my bedroom, my heart pounding with anxiety. How could I have been so stupid? How could I have let this happen?
Almost immediately after ending the call with Kira, my phone started ringing. I glanced at the screen and froze.
Gabriel's number.
The same number that had been disconnected just minutes ago? How was he calling me now?
"Dude, your time has passed," I muttered, declining the call and quickly switching my phone to airplane mode.
I couldn't deal with any more complications tonight. Between the mysterious stranger, my lost job, mother's interrogation, and now this pregnancy scare, I was already at my breaking point.
After throwing on my nightgown, I grabbed a quick snack from the kitchen - carefully avoiding my mother, who had thankfully retreated to Kira's room - and returned to my bedroom.
I pulled out the ethereal flower from my bag, handling it with delicate care. Even after everything that had happened, I was still mesmerized by its beauty. The petals seemed to glow even brighter in the dim light of my bedroom, shifting from deep purple to silver like liquid mercury.
I found a clean coffee mug and filled it with water, gently placing the flower inside. It would have to do until I could get a proper vase. I honestly didn't understand why I was so drawn to this flower, but I couldn't bring myself to throw it away. It was beautiful, yes, but more than that - it felt important somehow.
I placed the makeshift vase on my nightstand and climbed into bed, utterly exhausted.
My day had been crazy indeed.
Just as I was starting to drift off, the sound of my bedroom door bursting open jolted me back to full alertness.
"Girl, what's wrong with your phone?" Kira demanded, barging in with grocery bags.
"What?" I asked, sitting up and rubbing my eyes.
"I tried calling you back like five times, but it kept going straight to voicemail."
"Oh, I put it on airplane mode," I mumbled, still half-asleep.
"Well, I wasn't able to get the drug," Kira announced, and my heart sank. "The pharmacy is closed."
"What the fuck do you mean by that?" I was suddenly wide awake again, panic flooding my system.
"I mean, it's rather late and all the stores are closed. TVG, Wallace, even the 24-hour pharmacy down the street - they're all locked up tight. You'll have to get the drugs tomorrow."
"What the fuck do you mean by tomorrow?" I nearly shrieked, jumping out of bed. "Do you want me to get pregnant, Kira? Who's going to take care of the baby? How am I supposed to explain a pregnant male employee to my boss? This is a disaster!"