“Tell him that I will call him back,” Ivy said too afraid to hear his voice. She could not bear to speak to him now. She didn’t know if she could ever bear it.
“He says that he’s pulling up outside, so get your things.”
Laying her head back on the couch, Ivy took a deep breath. With all the sudden commotion, she had forgotten that he was picking her up tonight to spend the night. If there was ever a night that she needed to be alone, it was tonight. However, Grey wouldn’t understand if she cancelled, especially since it had been her idea to spend more time together.
Grabbing her bags from her bedroom and her books from the common area, she pulled a coat over her now shivering body and headed out into the snow to Grey’s car. Whatever she did tonight, she wouldn’t tell him, not until she had time to think things through and come up with a plan.
Greeting Grey with kiss, Ivy closed the door to his car and tried to hide her new distractions, but automatically he noticed the hint of melancholy and worry in her face.
“Something wrong,” he said pulling out of the parking lot into the streets.
“No, I’m just tired. I’ve been with Madison all day.”
“He’s here?” Grey asked concerned. The very mention of that man’s name sent chills down his spine. He would never tell Ivy, but he thought Madison was a raving psychotic with a chokehold on Ivy’s life.
“Yeah, he’s here, but he’s leaving out tomorrow.”
“Oh, well I guess I won’t get a chance to see him. I have a hundred things to do tomorrow. Pity.” Grey automatically knew that would get a rise out of Ivy.
“It’s okay,” Ivy said totally unconcerned as she looked out the window.
“Are you sure that you’re okay? You don’t seem yourself.”
“I’m fine, baby,” Ivy said turning and giving him a reassuring smile.
*
Later that evening after Ivy had taken a shower and crawled into the bed overly exhausted and unusually quiet, Grey finished his Wall Street Journal and turned off the lights. Like an old married couple they cuddled the darkness, seemingly relaxed and at ease.
Reflecting on their relationship, Grey was somewhat at peace. For the moment, his sexual inhibitions had subsided leaving him sober enough to focus on Ivy. And he had to admit that he had seen a dramatic change in her behavior since they had gotten back together. She was going out of the way to make him happy and yet still giving him space to breathe.
It was odd, but when Ivy felt good about them, he somehow was able to get more work done at the office and in the classroom. Finishing his MBA wasn’t an easy task, especially when he had such a high maintenance relationship and career, but with a little more than a semester left before graduation, he had no complaints.
It was now clear to Grey what he had to do in order to keep control over the situation with Ivy. The issue wasn’t so much that he had to choose between temporary pleasure with other women or the long-term benefits of his fiancée. Rather, he simply had to keep them miles apart from each other and still at only arms length from him.
Men had a cheap thrill from time-to-time and some men like him had them often. However, Grey had seen over the last month that every man did not have an exceptional young woman willing to stand by his side through thick and thin. He now realized what made Ivy different and special, and he was not about to loose her again. As his father once told him, “Only bring your wife home to your house; leave your whore at the hotel.”
There were a few times that Grey had gone against better judgment and brought someone home with him, because the encounter was going to be so quick it didn’t require a hotel room, or she could be trusted never to return afterwards. But mostly, he followed the rules. No house calls. No unprotected sex. No intimate words of endearment. No virgins. No gifts. No voice messages or written correspondents, and absolutely no calls the next day. He had always made it clear that he was a taken man just bowing down to the dirty temptations. The sad thing was that women accepted his pathetic excuses and allowed him to use them.
“Oh well,” he said aloud as he pondered his thoughts while Ivy lay on his chest resting. He looked down at her angelic face calm and unconcerned and felt a welcomed calm. Life was good.
Chapter Seven: Happy Birthday
Chapter 7
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
“One month and not one word from Ivy?” Brooks asked probing Nicola for the hundredth time about his elusive evening. After not being able to get the information he was looking for from Trina, he decided to continue to hound Nicola in hopes that eventually he would break.
“When are you ever going to give up?” Nicola asked while setting down the eighty-pound free weights to rest on an empty bench. “We didn’t exactly hit it off. So, we went our separate ways.” He wiped the sweat from his eyes with his hand towel.
“I’m going to keep asking until I get the right answer, or are you forgetting that’s what I do for a living?”
“I’m not a perp, Brooks. I’m your best friend, and as your best friend, I’m telling you to back off of the subject. Ivy is a dead issue.”
By now, Brooks had come to conclusion that something had happened between Nicola and Ivy because for nearly a month after their date, his partner always seemed occupied in deep thought and very often in a bad mood. Only a woman could have that type of affect on a man.
“It’s just that I even give one night stands a call back after two months. You know…try to rekindle an old flame. Maybe you should just give her a call. Who knows, you might be able to keep it up this time.” Watching Nicola’s face redden with frustration, Brooks retired his questions for the time being. “Dead issue my ass,” he said tauntingly before returning workout. Nicola would break sooner or later; there was no doubting that.
Pretending to watch the flat screen television mounted on the wall across the gym, Nicola thought back to Ivy and wished for a moment that he could have called her and asked all the questions that filled his mind. Did she get back with Grey? Did she move on? Did she think of him? There was so much left unsaid between them, and yet he didn’t feel in his heart that it was over.
Nicola had often daydreamed of running into Ivy on the street and inviting her to go out for a cup of coffee or lunch. In his dreams, she would be happy to see him and spend hours explaining why she couldn’t call. She would smile while they talked holding his hand and laughing at his jokes as only she could, and then they would make arrangements to meet again, this time with the promise of more to come after the morning after. But that was just a silly daydream that he drifted off into when no one was around. She was his little secret; someone he could not have simply because she did not choose to have him.
“Snap out of your daze, lover boy,” Brooks said snapping his fingers. “And check out the bird on the treadmill.”
“Where?” Nicola said returning to his old self, a dog on the prowl. After all, a daydream alone didn’t satisfy his unquenchable appetite for sex or the prospect thereof.
“Old girl in the blue short shorts,” Brooks pointed her out.
“All you can see is her ass,” Nicola said only slightly interested. “What if she turns around and looks like…”.
Finishing her session, the young woman stepped off the treadmill and threw her towel over her left shoulder. Turning around, she made eye contact with Nicola and smiled.
“Damn,” Nicola said forgetting to finish his sentence.
“Told you,” Brooks said laughing. “You’re not going to find an ass like that on an ugly woman. Believe me, I know.”
“Let you tell it… you know everything.”
“I do know everything,” Brooks said condescendingly.
“Then what’s her name?”
“It doesn’t matter. You won’t remember it the next morning anyway.” They both watch quietly as she walked passed them with her eyes still on Nicola.
“You better make a move while you still can,” Brooks said shaking his head.
“I�
�m already on her.” Wiping his face with his towel again, Nicola quickly followed the small busty Asian woman to the front desk.
“Excuse, me. Could I bother you for just a minute?” He asked gently grabbing her by the arm.
“Do I know you?” she asked in a thick French accent.
“No, but I’d like for you to. My name is Nicola. And you are?” He offered his hand.
“Leaving,” she said turning around to head out the door.
Nicola looked down at his denied hand and smiled. Okay, it’s like that, he thought to himself as he jumped in front of her and held her shoulder lightly. “Wait. You mean to tell me you eyeballed me that hard, just to play hard to get once I chased you down? You evidently don’t know the rules to the game.”
“And what game are we playing?” She smiled cleverly.
“When I was a little tyke, we used to call it, catch a girl get a girl.” He offered his hand again.
“My name is Kit.” She shook his hand this time acknowledging the attraction between them.
“Well, it is very, very nice to meet you Kit. You know today is my birthday, and I think I just found my present.” Nicola knew that any woman in her right mind would have walked off immediately totally disgusted with his cheap antics, but he could tell that Kit would stay. She was that type of girl.
“Today is really your birthday?”
“Honest,” he said crossing his heart. “And I would love for you to go out with me tonight.” He watched her carefully now reading all of her body language. She would definitely say yes.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t birthday boy. I’m working tonight.”
Visibly pouting, he smiled revealing his undeniable dimples. “Oh well, I guess it’s my loss.” Inside, he knew that she would reschedule.
“But,” she said moving closer to his chest. “You can come and see me at work tonight if you like, and we can celebrate your birthday afterwards.”
“Sounds like a plan. Where do you work?” It was pathetic that he was so good at this pitiful game of cat and mouse, but someone had to play it.
“I work at the Black Tie Gentlemen’s Club. Have you ever heard of it?” She watched his face light up as men usually did when she told them about her profession.
“Have I heard of it? Miss Kitty, I am a preferred VIP customer.” His chest stuck out a little. “But I don’t recall seeing you there.”
“They call me Masquerade,” she said proudly. “Now, do you remember me?”
“Oh yeah, you’re amazing in that little kinky green costume. I hardly recognize you without your Mardi Gras mask,” he said picturing what she looked like on stage.
“No, you just don’t recognize me with clothes on.”
“That too,” Nicola said amused. “But I have to tell you, I don’t think it’s fair that I’ve seen what you can do, but you haven’t seen what I can do.” Was she a smart enough girl to read between the lines?
“Well tonight we’ll just have to do something about that. Won’t we?” Touching his lips with her index finger, she blew him a kiss and walked away. There was no need to turn back. She knew that he was watching her closely now, analyzing her small waist, large bust and shapely legs. He had struck gold, and they both knew it.
Returning back into the gym with ego of Zeus, Nicola smiled at Brooks proudly preparing to boast on his good fortune. “Good looking out. It appears that I’m going to spending my birthday with Masquerade.” He leaned against the treadmill and looked at his watch.
“Masquerade? You mean the girl from the Black Tie.” Brooks was a regular as well, and prided himself on knowing each exotic dancer by stage name and all equivalent aliases.
“That’s exactly the one,” Nicola said returning to his weights.
“Ain’t that some shit.” Brooks was loss for words. He should have gone over and talked to her on his own instead of worrying about Nicola.
“She wants me to meet her down at the Black Tie tonight. You feel like going?”
“When do I not feel like going to the Black Tie, man? But I’ve got to get some rest. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. My folks are going to want me and Trina at their place early.”
“Well, I’m going to head down at about ten. So meet me down there.”
“Why don’t we just ride down there together?” Brooks could always use a designated driver.
“Because I won’t be going home alone,” Nicola said winking at Brooks. “Ms. Kitty is definitely going to have to call a chiropractor in the morning.”
“Whatever you say, man. Are you finished making a fool out of yourself over here on these weights.” Brooks asked getting off of his treadmill.
“Yeah. I think it’s time to head out. Where are we eating today?”
“Let’s go to that new Chinese buffet out on Perkins. I heard they have 202 different items on the menu.” This was Brooks’ favorite part of their workout.
“Sound good, but do they have beer?” It was the most important part of Nicola’s well-balanced meal.
“Alright. Applebee’s it is.” Brooks said forgetting the Chinese food. “I don’t know why we even bother to work out, if we’re going to have a beer right after.”
“You don’t have to have a beer. I’ll drink it for you,” Nicola said already beginning to enjoy his birthday. “You know, today could be a good day.”
An hour later, Nicola and Brooks walked into the Union Avenue Applebee’s showered, hungry and seeking refuge from the sleet and snow. Taking seats at the bar, they ordered a couple of beers and settled down to the watch the highlights of the Tennessee Titans game they missed the night before. As Nicola was about to get up and walk to the restroom, he caught a glimpse of a woman in a booth who closely resembled Ivy. Hitting Brooks on the arm, he pointed her way.
“Isn’t that Ivy?” he asked sitting back down.
“Where?” Brooks turned hesitantly from his beer.
“There. Right there in that last booth.” His heart began to pound like a schoolgirl.
“Yep. That’s her.” Brooks smiled. “Why don’t you go over and say hello.”
“You think I should?”
“Better than standing over here gawking at her all day. Go on over there,” he said nudging Nicola in the arm. “Get your scary ass up and go.” He had never seen his partner like this over a woman before.
“I’m not scary,” Nicola said taking a deep breath.
“Come on, man. I’ll go over with you and speak to Trina.”
*
It had already been a long day for Ivy. Even though she didn’t appear pregnant on the outside, she felt nine-months pregnant on the inside. Almost every food and drink that she used to love, she now could not bear to smell. Her prenatal vitamins gave her monstrous gas and her dizzy spells came and went throughout the day, complicating her already tenuous life.
To make Ivy feel better, Trina suggested that they step out for a bite to each at Applebee’s, which was her favorite hangout and only minutes from the dorms. The only torturous part of it all was that Ivy couldn’t order a house margarita, and Trina already sucked hers down and had ordered another. Still sulky, but feeling better, Ivy sat in the booth looking through her menu.
“You know what you want to get yet?” Trina asked putting her purse in the far corner of the booth.
“No. I guess that I’ll stick with something safe like soup and a salad.”
“Well, just make sure that you take your prenatal vitamin after you eat. You didn’t take it this morning.”
“Okay, momma, “Ivy said cynically. “You know I hate those things. I’m going to ask the doctor to give me a different kind…something with Phenegran.”
As Nicola approached, Ivy looked up at him and stopped her conversation in mid-sentence. Feeling her stomach tighten and little beads of sweat form on her forehead; she kicked Trina under the table and bucked her eyes.
“Nicola’s here,” Ivy said smiling fretfully.
“Nicola’s where?”
“Right h
ere,” Nicola replied as he walked over and kissed Ivy on the cheek. “So good to see you.”
“Good to see you, too.” Ivy moved over in her booth to make room for Nicola. “Please have a seat.”
“We don’t want to interrupt your lunch. We were just stopping to say hello.” Nicola said declining her offer to join them.
“Yeah, but since you offered, I think that we should join you.” Brooks sat down beside Trina. There was no way he was going to let Nicola back out of this.
“Please, it’s no trouble,” Ivy said patting the seat for Nicola to sit down. She smiled gently at him.
“Did you order food already?” Trina asked kissing Brooks on the cheek.
“Yeah at the bar. Why?” Brooks felt Trina pinching his side with her free hand.
“Because we should go down there and get it.” Trina pushed Brooks out of the seat. “We’ll be back.”
Ivy looked up in disapproval. Again she was left alone with Nicola. This time they were more than familiar with one another, yet the discomfort seemed almost too much to stomach.
“You look great,” Nicola said acknowledging the strange but vibrant glow that Ivy possessed since last he saw her.
“Yeah, I get a little heavy during the winter months. I don’t look fat, do I?” she said looking at her swollen fingers. He was surely to detect that there was something wrong with her like the fact that she was knocked up.
“No, you look radiant, perfect…you know, all the good words,” Nicola said remembering their time together. She also still looked engaged judging the huge diamond that she sported on her left ring finger. Grey was evidently still in the picture.
“You look good too,” she said trying not to break out in a cold sweat.
For Nicola this chance meeting was a perfect time to confront all of the things that he had been battling for over a month. He looked through her with his penetrating eyes and smiled bashfully causing Ivy to swallow hard and feel a tight knot in the middle of her throat.
Ivy's Twisted Vine Redux Page 12
