Summary: Olivia gets a solo date with Liam and the rest of the women get a horseback riding group date
Olivia had known Liam most of her life, and had loved him as long as she could remember. Unfortunately she was so scarred by the tragic death of her parents when she was a young child, basically being left with nobody to love or nurture her until Liam’s family took her in, that she had no idea how to appropriately express love and affection. She was proud of making it through everything, and used her tough exterior as a defense to make sure she could never be hurt again. If nobody could get in, her heart could remain intact.
Olivia was fine secretly loving Liam all this time when there was no threat of him getting involved with someone else, but now she was panicking. Here she was competing for his affection with all these women who could be open, soft, and vulnerable with Liam, and Olivia just didn’t know how to do that. She had to figure out how to open up after years of perfecting the art of keeping everyone out, and today was the day to start.
She got ready for her date at the derby, selecting a green ruffled dress that complemented her coloring, and a yellow feathered hat that was in fashion for the event. She’d been to the derby in years past, but she never had the chance to hang out in Liam’s private tent, and she really hadn’t had time with just Liam in years. She was almost as nervous as if she was going on a date with someone she just met.
Liam and Olivia traveled to the derby by a private car. They schmoozed with other nobles before the race, and then headed to Liam’s tent. Olivia had to bite her tongue a few times, but was proud of herself for showing such restraint when normally she wouldn’t. She had never been one to follow ‘if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.“
Liam and Olivia bet on different horses, and they both lost, but they still had fun. There was quite a spread of catered food and drinks, and they spent time recalling stories from their past.
“This wine is good, but nothing can compare to the wine from Lythikos.” Olivia cringed at herself as soon as the words came out of her mouth. She had been doing well all day keeping these types of remarks at bay.
Thankfully Liam just laughed. “Yes Olivia, I know you are proud of all things from Lythikos…I’ve had a great time with you today. I can’t say for sure how things will end up between us, but I would like to continue to see where this goes.” Liam picked up the apple blossom corsage. “Olivia, would you accept this corsage?”
Although she didn’t show it on the outside, Olivia was thrilled. “Of course Liam.”
Liam slipped the corsage on her wrist and leaned in to hug her. Olivia found a moment of courage and decided she was going going to kiss Liam. She knew Riley already had, and who knew if others as well. She didn’t want to fall behind, and this might be her best chance anytime soon. As soon as his face got close, she planted her lips on his. She waited for him to kiss her back, but instead he pulled away with a stunned expression on his face.
“Olivia, that was…quite a surprise. I’m sorry, I just wasn’t expecting it.”
“Oh, I just thought…” Olivia trailed off.
“Look, Olivia. We have been friends for a very long time. Seeing you in a romantic light is new. I’m not saying I won’t get there, but I want to do this right and take things slow.”
“You certainly haven’t been taking things slowly with Riley,” Olivia uttered under her breath, but it was loud enough for Liam to hear. Fuck, why can’t I just keep my mouth shut?
“Olivia please don’t compare-”
Olivia cut him off before he could explain more. This whole thing was mortifying enough. “Liam, I was out of line. Lets just rewind and pretend all of this never happened. Can we do that hug over again?”
“Of course.” Liam opened his arms and pulled Olivia in.
~~~~~
The date card for the group date was vague and a bit perplexing. They were told to bring bathing suits, but everyone was pretty sure there would be horseback riding involved as well. This was confirmed for Riley when a full riding outfit, blazer, boots, and all showed up at her door courtesy of the show. Riley was nervous about the date, as she had only been horseback riding once at camp when she was 10, and riding was probably second nature for most of the noble women. Why hadn’t Bertand and Maxwell including a riding lesson in her studies? At least she would look the part.
The remaining women, minus Olivia, met at the stables after lunch. Chad was there to explain what would be happening on today’s date.
“Good afternoon Ladies…Liam. Today you will be taking a ride through the breathtaking hills of Cordonia, ending at the luxurious Cordonian hot springs for some relaxation time.”
Well that explains the bathing suits, Riley thought. She also thought about the fact that Chad’s role on the show was pointless and that something about him rubbed her the wrong way. He just seemed so fake, and everything that came out of his mouth was cheesy.
There were as many horses lined up as there were riders, which included Liam, the women, and the guards. The crew had ATVs to get around faster, carry equipment, and be where they needed to be on time to get the shots. Even though they had filmed several days now, Riley still marveled at how much was going on outside of the scenes that were shown on TV for these type of shows.
They were randomly assigned horses which didn’t bother Riley because she wouldn’t have known how to pick one anyhow. One of the stable hands gave Riley some basic tips on how to start, stop, and control the pace of the horse. She recalled some of it from when she was younger. If she did it then, it couldn’t be that hard now.
Just before they were about to set off, Drake rode up next to Riley. She noticed that he had taken her suggestion about clothing, and was wearing jeans and a button down shirt similar to the one he had on the day before. “Well you look the part, Bennett…Hopefully that means you know what you are doing. That guy can be a little…temperamental.”
“I know the basics, I’m sure I’ll be fine,” Riley said trying to convince herself.
Drake raised an eyebrow. “You have had riding lessons, right?
“Define lessons…If instruction at camp when I was 10, along with a short refresher course just now counts, then yes, I have.”
“Oh Bennett, all I can say is good luck. You are probably going to need it.
“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” she said wryly.
“Hey, I’m just trying to make sure you are prepared…just doing my job.”
“Okay, then just go do you your job over there.” Riley pointed to where the rest of the guards were waiting off to the side. “I think we are just about to head out.”
The group started off towards the hot springs. They were told it would take about an hour to get there. Riley’s horse, Dusty, didn’t seem temperamental at all. If anything he seemed mellow and a bit lazy, taking his time to get going, and settling in at the back of the group. Drake had probably just been trying to give her a hard time. Riley didn’t have much of a chance to get near Liam, but she was so busy taking in the scenery and the experience of horseback riding that she didn’t think about it much. She was sure she would get some time with him later.
Riley didn’t know how long they had been riding, but it seemed like they should be getting close. She was relieved everything had gone well so far, and she was feeling quite comfortable on her horse. All of sudden, a dead tree branch fell on the path a couple feet ahead, spooking Dusty. He went in to a full gallop, veering off the path. No matter what she tried, he just seemed to keep going faster.
Riley had no control over the horse, and she was starting to panic. Then out of the corner of her, she saw Drake and his horse closing the distance between her and Dusty.
“Riley, pull back on the reins. You need to get him to stop.” Drakes voice was urgent but controlled.
“I tried, nothing’s working. I don’t know what to do.”
At that moment, Dusty reared up on his hind legs, throwing Riley off his back. By some miracle Drake had gotten there there in time. He hopped off his horse and caught Riley in his arms before she hit the ground.
Drake gently stood Riley on the ground. She was shaking and her legs felt like Jello.
Drake braced her arms to keep her upright. He looked into her eyes, and something changed for Riley. It was as if the severity of the situation forced him to lower down his walls, and she could see his vulnerable, compassionate side for the first time. He swept a strand of hair out of her eyes and tucked it behind her ear. “It’s okay Riley. You’re safe now.”
Riley wanted nothing more in that moment than to fall into Drake’s arms, but it was unspoken between them that the time wasn’t right. The crew was already there, and Liam and the other women weren’t far behind. Riley mouthed ‘thank you’ because it was the best she could do.
~~~~~
Jo was practically screaming at Kat through the headset. “That footage is incredible! We have to use it.”
“How is that going to work Jo? We can’t put Riley’s body guard in the show. The show is about Prince Liam.”
“Exactly,” Jo stated matter-of-factly. “That’s why we are going to make it look like Liam is the one who saved Riley.”
“Are you crazy? We can’t just recreate that scene.”
“We don’t have to recreate it Kat. All we need is some clever editing, and then a couple shots with Riley and Liam’s arms. It will totally work.”
“And I’m guessing you are going to make me try to convince Liam to do this?”
“Well Kat, since I’m back here at the production house…and you are there…of course it has to be you. Just go work your manipulative magic like you always do.”
Kat walked up to Liam, who was now by Riley’s side. “Are you okay Riley? Are you ready to continuing with filming?”
“I’m okay. I might need another minute or two, but then I’ll be ready to go.” Riley answered.
“Great. Now Liam. We decided we are going to need to shoot some scenes with you and Riley to make it look like you are the one that caught Riley. No dangerous stunts, we will edit all that in. We got some great footage and don’t want to let it all go to waste.”
“Are you honestly asking me to fake saving Riley, to be a fraud, on international television?” Liam asked incredulously.
“Liam…” Kat placed a hand on his shoulder. “You know that everything we have been doing on this show is to make you and Cordonia look good. We also want to get good ratings, but like we have discussed, good ratings means increased revenue for Cordonia. Just think how good this would look for your image as the Crown Prince. We all know you would have done the same if you had gotten there first. I’m sure Drake wouldn’t mind if you take the credit. Right, Drake?”
“Uh, yeah. I’m definitely not looking to become a national hero.” Drake replied.
“See Liam? You’ve got nothing to lose.”
“Kat, I don’t know how you keep talking me into everything, but fine, I’ll do it.
“Great!” Now everyone get in your places, and lets get this done.