by Mia Ford
“Don’t you ever say that!” She heard him say, and then there were footsteps behind her. When Ivy looked over again, she realized that he was standing right behind her, at the edge of the bed, glaring down at her with narrowed eyes.
“Don’t say that, Ivy. You don’t need to knock off any pounds. You are beautiful.” He said, in a much more subdued voice, taking her by surprise.
She straightened herself up and sat up straight to face him more clearly now. He was watching her as she pulled her knees close to her chin, wrapping her arms around her legs as she looked up at him.
“Why don’t you just leave me alone, Leon? I thought we were going to stay out of each other’s way till daddy came to pick me up.” Ivy said, taking in a deep breath. As much as she had prepared herself to believe that Leon was a lost cause to her, that she shouldn’t be pursuing him, she still couldn’t help but conjure up the same feelings for him. His broad neck, his wide chest, those big rugged rough hands. She couldn’t stop thinking about how delicate and small he had made her feel when he had her in his arms. She wanted to nuzzle her nose into the hair on his chest.
“You should get something to eat.” He said, crossing his arms over his chest as he looked down at her.
“I can take care of myself, thank you very much. Why don’t you just worry about your own meal?” Ivy rolled her eyes at him and said.
“Stop being difficult, Ivy.” She heard him say, and then his hands were on her. He was trying to haul her off the bed, while she started kicking her legs wildly.
“I don’t want to eat. Just leave me alone, Leon. I want to stay away from you!” She was screaming at the top of her lungs, while he drew her in closer to himself. She knew she was acting childishly, that she was overreacting, but she felt overwhelmed. She couldn’t understand his alternating hot and coldness, what he wanted from her. All she knew was that she wanted him, and he was too complicated for her to have.
Leon pulled her closer to him, and with his hand he pressed her head down on his chest, wrapping his arms around her in a tight embrace.
Ivy could feel her breath getting stuck in her throat as he held her. She wasn’t crying, but she could feel the stinging reddening sensation in her nose which was always followed with tears. But Leon had managed to suffocate that, she was so taken aback by his kindness, the way he held her to his chest, that she could do nothing but be amazed by what was happening. She was actually in Leon Cooper’s arms.
She could feel his heart beating against her ears, as he kept his hand pressed on the back of her head. She slowly drew her arms around his waist and remained there, submerged in the moment, her eyes slowly closing to the comfort of that position.
“Ivy.” She heard him say her name, and her eyes flew open again.
“Yes.” She said, in a soft embarrassed voice. She was ashamed of how dramatic she had just been.
“Will you let me kiss you again?” He said, in a similar low voice as hers.
She hurriedly drew herself away from him, she was so surprised to hear him ask that. How did he not yet know, that was all she wanted? To be kissed by him, to be fucked by him. That was all she wanted from the moment she laid her eyes on him.
She lifted herself up on her toes, and this time she was the one who kissed him, pulling his lips into her mouth, her hands traveling up his hard-muscular chest. His hands were on her waist, drawing her closer to his body. She closed her eyes, to experience the fullness of that kiss, how tender and gentle it was. How it wasn’t hungry or wild at all, like it had been before. Suddenly, she wanted to break down and cry again. Because she knew this would lead to nothing, that as much as she wanted Leon sexually, she also knew by now that he could give her nothing more. Leon was damaged goods and she wouldn’t be able to fix him.
Leon’s mouth was on Ivy’s neck. He was tracing her throat with his tongue, while his hands held her tightly, close to his chest. She had her hands on his shoulders, with her head doubled back, giving him the freedom to do with her as he pleased.
She could feel herself growing wet again. The roughness of his stubble tingled her skin where he was licking her. She wanted to unbutton his shirt, feel the honey smooth skin of his shoulders on her fingertips.
She could feel his growing dick pressing into her belly. He was as out of control as she was. She could feel herself smiling.
“Ivy.” He muttered her name, as she felt his hands grazing up her leg, pulling up her skirt to her waist. His hands were on the inside of her thighs next, touching the soft skin there, squeezing and kneading it with his hands.
“You are so wet. You’re so ready for me.” He said, in her ear as she felt his fingers beginning to stroke her, through the fabric of her wet panties. His fingers were rough, and he was gently stroking her there, making her wetter, making it more swollen. She cried out from the pleasure.
When Ivy opened her eyes, she saw that Leon was smiling. He had his eyes on her face, and he was enjoying looking at her writhe with pleasure.
“Leon, don’t torture me like this.” She said to him, whispering the words. And he started stroking her harder. She wanted more than just his fingers now, she wanted to feel that dick slide into her again. She wanted to see him naked, feel his throbbing growing core in her mouth. She wanted him to cry out with pleasure, the same way she was doing now. But he wouldn’t let her go, he continued to stroke her, preparing her for what was to come.
She leaned forward to kiss him again, and this time their kiss was rough. They were both desperate and hot with anticipation. He nibbled on her bottom lip as she explored his mouth with her tongue. His hand remained under her skirt, stroking her still. She was afraid that she would lose control there and then, that she would orgasm quicker than he was expecting her to. She was holding herself back, she was trying to control it, but his fingers, dripping and slippery with her own juices, was making it very difficult.
“Rip off my clothes, Leon. Make me feel good again.” She found herself saying, and to her surprise, his fingers suddenly stopped moving.
With a quick jerk, he had released her from his arms, and Ivy went falling back. She fell back on the bed, and gasped with surprise. What was going on?
Leon stumbled back, rubbing his hands over his face. He suddenly looked exhausted and angry again.
“What’s the matter? What happened?” Ivy cried, sitting up, watching his confused expression change to rage.
“I’m sorry, Ivy. I can’t make you feel good.” He said, running his fingers through his shaggy blonde hair.
“What are you talking about, Leon?” She asked him, biting down on her lip.
“I can’t make you feel good. I can’t make you happy.” He muttered, looking about the room like he wasn’t sure where he was.
“Leon, is this about your past? What’s the matter?” She cried, jumping off the bed and rushing towards him.
Leon stepped back, his back hitting the closed door of the room. Ivy placed her hands on his chest, in an attempt to calm him, but he glared at her, like he wanted to run away.
“I can’t make women happy. You are too lovely, you’re too beautiful and smart to want me. I will only end up hurting you.” He said, in a low guttural voice.
Ivy shook her head, still biting her lip.
“Who told you that? What are you talking about?” She barked at him, clutching the front of his shirt with her hands.
“The woman I wanted to marry.” He said, finally meeting her eyes. Ivy’s hands dropped from his chest.
“You’re in love with someone else?” She asked, stepping away from him.
Leon remained silent, and averted his gaze from her again.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were in love with somebody else.” Ivy said, the tears returning now. She knew she should have stayed away from him. She knew he wasn’t the man for her.
“Ivy, look…” He began to say but she interrupted him.
“I understand now, Leon. You can’t change what the heart wants. I was foolis
h to throw myself at you.” She said harshly, angrier with herself than anything else.
“No, you’re not…” He tried to say, but she had stopped him again.
“You don’t have to worry about me anymore, Leon. I won’t be making a fool of myself again. I’m going away.” She said, clasping her hands to the front. He jerked his head up to look at her.
“No, you don’t have to. I’ll tell your daddy you can work here as long as you want. I was being selfish. You need a job, and I need an employee.” He said, meeting her eyes.
Ivy shook her head.
“No, I have another job. I’m going away. I’ll leave town soon. You don’t have to worry. You can hire somebody else, someone who won’t tempt you and seduce you and trouble you.” She said and whipped around from him.
“You’re leaving town?” She heard him ask from behind her.
“Yes.” She replied, hoping that he would ask her where. Hoping that there was still some hope, that he might still want her.
“I’ll leave a sandwich for you on the kitchen counter, in case you get hungry later.” He said, after a few moments of silence. And then he was gone, he had left her room and gently shut the door behind him.
Ivy fell back down on the bed, drawing the covers up close to her chin. She had never felt this miserable before, and all for a man who was in love with somebody else.
Ivy didn’t get out of bed the next day till mid-day. Even then, she showered slowly, changed into a pair of old loose jeans and a fresh blouse, not in any hurry to leave the room. She figured, the less she saw of Leon, the better it would be for her to control her feelings.
Her blonde curls were still damp when she stepped out of the room and into the kitchen. She was surprised to find Leon sitting at the table, black rimmed glasses on his eyes and a pen suspended in the air.
“What are you doing?” She blurted out.
He had a thick stack of papers before him on the table, and a long register open where he was trying to either make notes, or calculate something.
He looked up at her, over the lenses of his spectacles. Suddenly, he looked much older, wiser and even more serious if he possibly could.
“Trying to do my accounts. I’ve never been too good at it.” He said.
Ivy crossed her arms and leaned on the door frame, with a sarcastic smile on her face. She hadn’t ever thought that Leon Cooper might ever admit to a shortcoming.
“You look mighty lost alright.” She said, the smile growing wider.
Leon pulled the glasses off his face and folded them on the table, looking at her with those chocolate brown eyes that she had grown to become so fond of.
“Do you want to help me? Or are you just going to stand there and make fun of me?” He asked, raising a mischievous eyebrow at her.
Ivy pursed her lips, enjoying this other new side of him.
“How long have you been sitting there? Secretly waiting for me to come out of my room, cowboy?” She asked, walking in his direction now.
He finally smiled. That same warm wide smile that always took her by surprise. It was strange to think that he was probably at least half a decade older than her, or maybe even more. In that instance, she felt more authoritative and wiser than him. He wasn’t trying to pretend that he knew more than her.
“Since eight o clock.” He said and Ivy burst out laughing.
She pulled out a chair at the table and sat down across from him.
She noticed the handsome plaid shirt he was wearing, the dampness of his sandy blonde hair, his clean-shaven jaw. He too had just taken a shower.
“You’re not working out on the ranch today?” She asked, absent-mindedly pulling the stack of papers towards her. They had never had such a normal, regular conversation before and Ivy was lost in enjoying the simplicity of it. Neither were they at each other’s throats, or trying to rip the clothes off each other.
“I have to get this done.” He said, running his fingers through his damp hair. Just watching him do that filled her with a sudden warmth. Just a small regular gesture, but it made him a bit more human.
She nodded her head, running her eyes over the papers in front of her.
“Now, I’m no accountant, but I took a few classes in college, just to study the business side of farming.” She said, looking up at him again.
“Give it your best shot, because mine looks like that.” Leon said, pointing at the stack of papers with a grin on his face. Ivy grinned back at him.
“Well, I can begin with arranging this in the right order first, and then we can take it from there. Do you have a record of all your business receipts? Bank transfers? The forms that need to be filled up?” She asked, crossing her legs and turning to him with a serious, business-like expression.
Leon stood up from his chair and nodded his head.
“I think so. I’ll go look for them, and pile them up there in a box or something.” He said.
“This could take a while, Leon.” Ivy said, stopping him as he made his way out of the kitchen.
“I don’t expect you to do much. Just help me out with what you can, and then I’ll hire an accountant for the rest of it.” He said, their eyes meeting again. Ivy blushed, because she couldn’t stop thinking about how nice this was. How normal this felt.
“Sure. What did you do before this? With your money, I mean.” She said, genuinely wondering how a billionaire cowboy managed all his funds.
Leon shrugged his shoulders.
“My father did it. I just worked our farms and ranch in Minnesota. When he died, I bought this place. I’ve never looked into the business side of things. This is all new to me.” He said frankly, and Ivy smiled again. Suddenly he looked like a much younger version of himself, lost and confused.
“You’ll get the hang of it soon, it’s not that hard.” She said and he nodded, before disappearing out of the room.
She sighed as she looked at the papers again.
She had lied, it wasn’t that easy and all of the paperwork looked like at least ten days’ worth of work.
But after the next day it wasn’t going to be her problem anymore. Once her father picked her up, she could forget about the ranch, Leon Cooper and his accounts. For now, she was planning on enjoying working with him, in a few hours it would be night again and then the dawn of a new day.
She bit down on her lips as she thought about that moment when he had walked into her father’s pub. She could still remember how she had felt by just looking at him. He still made her feel that way, but the wise thing to do would be to just train herself to forget about it.
“You really do need to get an accountant!” Ivy said, widening her eyes at Leon who was sitting across from her at the table. The glasses were back on his face and he had a pencil stuck behind his ear.
He looked up at her, again from on top of his glasses and gave a smirk.
“Tell me about it.” He said.
Ivy licked her lips. They had been at it for several hours now and she had lost track of time. They both had a pile of papers in front of them each, trying to sort through all the business transactions that she could account for. She had managed to arrange a few things for the filing forms, but the rest of it was going to take ages. And she had been very careful till now to not make any comments on how much money this man actually had.
He sure didn’t dress that way. Leon Cooper’s arrogance wasn’t a moneyed sophisticated one, it was more masculine and brooding. If she didn’t know anything about him, where he lived, how luxurious this mansion was…she would never have guessed that he was a billionaire.
“Thank you, Ivy. For doing this.” He said suddenly, interrupting her thoughts. She looked up at him and their eyes met again. They had shared a good few peaceful working hours, putting their disputes and their worries behind them. She felt comfortable in his presence, like she could be herself, like he appreciated the work she was putting into all this.
“You’re welcome. See, I am good for more than just cooking meals.” Ivy
said with a laugh.
“Of course you are. Which is why I’m glad you have a new job. A different one. I would be very guilty keeping you here, cooped up in my ranch, doing the dishes.” He said, placing the papers in his hands on the table.
Ivy flicked the curls on her face to the side and licked her lips again.
“That’s what daddy keeps telling me too. But what about what I want?” She asked, daring to meet his sparkling eyes.
“What do you want?” He asked, softly.
“I want to stay in this town. This is my home. This is where I feel closest to my mother. And I don’t want to work in a big fancy corporate office. That wouldn’t make me happy.” Ivy said, and stood up from her chair. She could sense that Leon was following her with his eyes.
“But there’s nothing for you here. For a beautiful smart young woman like you.” She heard him say, and Ivy whipped around to face him again.
“See, that’s what daddy keeps telling me as well. But nobody gives me the opportunity. He doesn’t let me help him run his business. I’m good at accounts, I’m good with customers. I’ll be good at managing a business. But he won’t let me. He thinks I’m meant for greatness, but what if I just want to be great here. In our town. In my home.” Ivy had worked herself up with the speech. She could feel her neck flushing, her cheeks growing red.
She could see that Leon’s eyes had travelled to her red-as-apples cheeks. His eyes softened, and he stood up as well.
“Well, I guess you have to just convince him.” He said, and there were several moments of silence between them.
“But I have a job now. Maybe in a few years I can come back again, maybe then he’ll give me a shot again.” She said and turned to the kitchen sink. There were a few dishes in the sink, which she started cleaning.
“Leave those be, Ivy. I’ll do them later.” She heard him say, but she didn’t stop. She kept washing them.
“I need to get a dishwasher.” He said, and she smiled to herself. Then she sensed him walking close to her.
“Leave them Ivy. You don’t work for me anymore.” He said and his hands were on hers. She felt her skin tingle with his touch, as he tugged her hand away from the sink. He turned her gently to face him, and the smile on his face was gone.
