Fitzgerald Grant dropped onto the bar stool and slumped across the bar. Once again the media was blaming him for the team's latest loss. He didn't pass the ball enough. He didn't trust his receivers. Blah. Blah. Blah. Frankly, no one blamed him for the loss more than he did. He didn't know what it was going to take to get his team out of the slump they were in. At 35, he only had one or two more years left in him. He wanted a ring before he retired. But, it seemed like that dream slipped farther and farther away with each passing year.

He sighed and held his finger up to the bartender, signaling for him to bring him his usual.

"Grant, you got your driver here tonight?"

"You too, Ray?"

"Just looking out for numero uno. Me. You get drunk and wrap your car around a tree, I'll get blamed for serving you the drinks and letting you leave."

"Yes he's here. Cyrus treats me like an imbecile."

"Well, sometimes you act like one."

"Glad I have thick skin," Fitz said, downing the drink Ray had set before him. "Keep 'em coming," he said, looking around. "It's a slow night," he commented.

"Evening," Ray corrected him. "Monday evening to be exact. Not many people decide to knock 'em back on a Monday evening."

"They should. Monday's the worst day of the week."

"Especially after a Sunday night loss that was guaranteed a win."

"Not my fault," Fitz mumbled.

He watched as a beautiful woman slid onto the barstool next to him. She looked at him and smiled. "Hello Fitzgerald Grant."

"Hi," Fitz said. "Do I know you?"

"Not yet. I hope we will by the end of the night."

Fitz smiled. "I'm flattered. But, I'm also engaged."

"I know." She smiled and twirled her hair around her finger. "I won't tell, if you won't."

He took a deep breath, sat up straight and looked her in the eyes. "This is not going to happen. I'm not that guy."

She pouted. And when he didn't flinch, she got up and walked off angrily.

"Way to go, Grant," Ray said. "I'm proud of you."

"For what? I'm not going to cheat on Mellie."

"You know, you're something else," Ray commented. "The bad boy quarterback who'll do everything, but cheat on his fiancée. You get into fights. You've been arrested for drunk driving. Damn near killed a man."

Fitz cut him off. "That was a fight gone wrong."

"Whatever. You frequent strip clubs."

"Entertainment."

"But, you won't step out on your girl."

Fitz shrugged and took a sip of his drink when a female voice floated through the air like music and danced lightly across his ears. Fitz turned his head to find the source of the music. His breath caught in his throat when his eyes landed on her. She was the personification of beauty. Cocoa brown skin, beautiful doe eyes, high cheekbones, and full, pouty lips. Her hair fell down in caresses around her face. He just stared and wondered where she came from. He had never seen a woman so beautiful in all of his life. And, he had seen his fair share of women.

"Breathtaking, ain't she?" Ray asked over his shoulder.

Fitz only nodded. For a moment he was speechless. "Who is she?" He finally asked.

"I think her name is Carolyn. She comes in here occasionally with the red head. This is the first time I've seen the brunette with them, though."

"Is she married?"

"Engaged. Just like you. She flashes that ring at any man that comes within ten feet of her."

"Send another round of whatever they're drinking to their table on me."

"Grant, you're engaged. She's engaged. You just talked about how you don't cheat on Mellie."

"Ray, I've been feeling like shit since yesterday's game. I only started to feel better when I heard her laugh. Then, I looked at her, and felt…I don't even know what I felt. But, it was good. So, send the lady and her friends a drink on me. In fact, just charge their whole evening to me."

"You got it."

Fitz turned his attention back to her. He didn't know or understand what he was feeling. He had never felt anything like it before. If he was perfectly honest, it scared him a little bit.

/

Olivia felt someone staring at her. She could feel the intensity of the gaze. And, everything in her told her not to look up to find the source. So, she kept her eyes on Abby who was saying something snarky about unfaithful athletes when a waitress appeared with a tray of drinks.

"We didn't order these," Olivia said.

"Compliments of the gentleman," she replied and pointed. Olivia looked over into the eyes of the man who had been staring at her. She knew it the moment her eyes locked with his.

"Thank you," Olivia whispered to the waitress while still staring into his eyes.

"Isn't that Fitzgerald Grant?" Quinn squealed.

"Case in point," Abby said.

"So, does this happen all of the time? Do athletes often send us drinks?" Quinn inquired.

"Yep," Abby said.

"I'm going to love working here," Quinn said, excitedly.

Abby raised her glass to Fitz to show her thanks. Quinn followed suit. Olivia managed to nod her head at him. For some reason, she couldn't look away. And, it wasn't like she had never seen Fitzgerald Grant before. The man was a pro football player, quarterback to be exact. She had seen him on television multiple times. But, in the flesh, with their eyes locked, she felt a connection. A connection that wouldn't let her break contact with him.

"Like I said," Abby continued. "All athletes cheat."

"Sending drinks is not cheating," Quinn said.

"Sending drinks indicates you want to cheat," Abby countered. "But, I would gleefully cheat with Fitzgerald Grant. However, he only wants to cheat on his fiancée with our boss." Abby nudged Olivia.

Olivia finally tore her eyes away from him. "What?"

"Oh, don't act like you didn't see the lust dripping from his eyes. He was practically drooling. Too bad you're already taken," Abby said tapping the ring on Olivia's finger.

/

Fitz couldn't make himself stop looking at her, no matter how hard he tried. He knew he was becoming borderline creepy, but he couldn't tear his eyes away from her. He watched as two muscular arms wrapped around her. And a kiss land on her temple. The fiancé. He looked away from her for a moment to see who the lucky bastard was, and he couldn't believe it. Harrison Wright. One of the best agents in the business, surpassed only by his agent, Cyrus Beene, and the infamous and mysterious Olivia Pope.

Olivia Pope was the absolute best agent there was. However, no one had ever seen her. None of her deals or transaction were ever made face to face. Some even wondered if she was a myth. But, the proof of her existence was in the remarkable success of those she represented. So, every athlete wanted her as their agent. But, you didn't select Olivia Pope. Olivia Pope handpicked her clients. So, most athletes, himself included, had to settle for someone else. And, settling wasn't always bad. His agent, Cyrus, was a pit bull. And, that lucky bastard, Harrison Wright worked with Olivia Pope. So, he was like the next best thing. He could talk his way into almost any deal needed or wanted by his client. Fitz just couldn't believe he had talked his way into Carolyn's heart.

Fitz turned to Ray. "I can't believe she's engaged to Harrison Wright."

Ray looked over at them. "Harrison ain't all bad. He's actually a good guy. One of the best agents. But, I'm sure you already know that. Shit, he works with Olivia Pope. So, I guess he's doing something right."

"I guess," Fitz said, looking back at them. He watched as Harrison made his way to the dance floor with the other two ladies, leaving Carolyn behind. He could see her trying to avoid looking at him, but eventually she conceded and lifted her eyes to his. When their eyes locked, he felt a force pull him towards her. It was like he was in a trance. And, before he realized what had actually happened, he was standing before her, gazing into the most beautiful brown eyes he had ever seen, struggling to find the perfect words.

"Hi," he finally said.

She gave him a shy smile. "Hi."