by D Latham
"Ivan." Oh great he knows the door code now. I opened the front door to find Ivan carrying an enormous bouquet of flowers. I noted that he looked rather pensive. "Can I come in?"
"Sure. Are those for me?" He nodded, and thrust them at me rather awkwardly. "Thanks, they're lovely"
"I'm sorry."
"For what?" I asked, as I placed the flowers on the island, and ducked down to search for a vase under the sink.
"For being such an arse, for shouting at you, for being so wrapped up in this deal I forgot about your mum. The list is quite endless really."
I nodded, "Would you like a glass of wine?" I didn't want to say that he was forgiven, I needed more from him than a bunch of flowers and a small 'sorry'.
"Please. Are you going to the gym?"
"Just about to. I've not been since last week, and I need to let out some tension."
"Can I come with you? We could work out together. I'm a member at your gym too."
"Ok, sure." This could be interesting.
Ivan called someone to bring a gym bag over to mine. "It'll take about 20 minutes. More wine?" I shook my head. I didn't think it was a great idea to drink before a workout. I pulled a bottle of water out of the fridge, and took a swig before offering it to Ivan.
"Is it a good idea to be seen in public with me? After, you know, you're meant to be the heartbroken fiancé."
"I'm pretty heartbroken that you don't want to be with me anymore, so I think it'll be quite convincing should there be nosy press around."
"Hmm, well, it might be quite busy this time of night, so be warned." A knock on the door announced the arrival of his gym kit. Do they all know the bloody door code? We headed down to the car.
Every female head turned, and a few male ones too, as Ivan walked into the gym in shorts and a vest. I was already running full pelt on a machine, iPod blasting Alex Clare into my ears. Whether it was the fact that every head in my line of sight turned, or the electricity that hummed through me whenever he entered a room, I don't know, but I felt his presence before I even saw him. He walked over to me, and after a few stretches, started up the treadmill beside me.
I ran for a full twenty minutes, revelling in the feeling of tension release. Eventually I slowed down and stopped. Ivan's guard immediately handed me a bottle of water and my towel. I took a long swig, watching Ivan's muscular body while he ran. He looked like a well oiled machine as his muscles flexed and moved, glistening with sweat. I noticed the surreptitious glances of most of the women in there, amused as they all seemed to want to work out with him in their line of sight. He seemed oblivious.
Seeing that I was done, Ivan slowed down, and stopped, to join me at the weight machines. He followed my workout, simply using heavier weights. We did alternate sets, each watching the other with heated eyes. We finished with a swim race, which as usual, I won. "You, darling girl, are a machine, and it's very, very sexy," Ivan muttered in a low voice.
"I think you got that the wrong way round. Every woman in here has their tongue hanging out, and is holding their knickers up to stop them falling down, especially now that you're publicly single." He looked amused.
"My housekeeper has made us some dinner, unless you'd rather eat out?" I shook my head.
"I could eat a horse right now. I've not eaten since dinner at Oscar's Sunday night." He looked surprised at my revelation.
"How come?"
"Couldn't stop for shopping last night, and too uptight to eat much anyway. I lose my appetite when I'm stressed or upset."
"My housekeeper has made us a goulash. Come and let me feed you. See you outside in ten." With that, he got out of the pool with every set of female eyes in the place following him, and headed into the changing rooms.
I showered quickly, and threw on a track suit before meeting Ivan out front. I didn't even dry my hair, or apply makeup as it seemed every woman in the changing rooms wanted to ask me about him. I had trotted out the line that I was just his lawyer about ten times, before they all slinked away, realising that I wasn't a font of information, nor would I pass on their phone numbers.
Chapter 12
Back at his apartment, Ivan pulled some dishes out of the warming drawer of his oven, and dished up steaming mounds of goulash and rice. He poured two glasses of red wine, and set mine down in front of me at the island. The dogs sat begging at our feet, but he said no to them. Goulash probably wasn't good for dogs.
"I never know what you're thinking," Ivan said suddenly, breaking the silence between us.
"I was thinking that the girls would probably be poorly if they ate what we're having."
"Oh.........I meant about us really. We don't seem to have resolved anything, and you're like a closed book. Sometimes I think you wouldn't care if you never saw me again."
I swallowed a mouthful of food. "That's not the case Ivan, and deep down you know it. I find you abrupt and rather controlling, which can be difficult, but fundamentally it's the lack of softness towards me that was my issue. Most of the time you treat me like a bloke, not a girl. It confuses me. Plus of course, I don't trust you." He pondered my words in silence.
"But you knew I hadn't cheated on you with Dascha? You trusted me enough to play along?"
"Only because she was a rubbish liar, plus as far as I was aware, it had ended between you and I the moment I saw you on the news with her."
"But you seemed fine..."
"In work mode, of course I was. In private, not so much. I was.....disappointed at being so wrong about you, and convinced myself you only pursued me because I kept saying no. I became a challenge," Ivan looked horrified, "plus of course, Oscar had wanted me."
"Elle, that's not true. I wanted you from the moment I met you. I was angry that Oscar got to you first, but both of us wanted you, and neither of us were willing to give up." He took a deep breath, "I'm in love with you. That's the truth. I need to know how you feel about me, I need to know that this isn't futile." His beautiful face looked anxious. I wanted to throw myself into his arms and kiss his troubled look away, but instead I sat frozen.
"It's not futile Ivan. I have feelings for you, but I need time to recover from this terrible episode. I need to see the softer side of you again."
"Can I take you away this weekend? Somewhere nice, where we can relax, swim, eat, that type of thing."
"That sounds lovely. Where to?"
"I have a villa in the south of France. We can go there Friday, come back Sunday night."
"What about Bella and Tania?"
"They can come. They have passports too. It's a touch hot for them, but they like the pool." I looked down at the two of them wagging their tails, as if they understood what Ivan was saying. "The food is wonderful, the sun will be shining, and it has a great pool. You'll love it."
"I honestly can't wait. Looks like those two can't wait either," I said. Ivan looked down at the dogs and laughed.
"Check your schedule for Friday, and we'll leave from London City. I'll organise the jet." I pulled out my iPhone, and read my schedule.
"I can be away by two, if I can clear it with Lewis."
"I'm booking you from two in that case. I'd rather do that than have you use up your leave. We'll be in France by five. By the way, did you get the results yet from the doctor?"
"Yes. All fine. Did you end up getting tested?"
He wrinkled his nose, "yes. Not the most pleasant experience. That doctor didn't like men much I think, she was rather.....rough in the way she handled 'things'. I'm fine though." I laughed at his obvious distaste at the lady doctor. "What's so funny?"
"You. Did you expect her to say a prayer over your man parts?"
"Well, I expected her to be gentle, and treat them with kindness and respect, not don rubber gloves, and behave as if she had something nasty in her hand. She was rather brutal with the swab."
"Poor boy, well if you're good, I'll make it up to you on Friday."
He looked horrified. "You're making me wait till Friday? That's.....cruel."
"Anticipation is the best bit, I'm sure you said that once, besides, you get to go bareback, surely that's worth waiting for?" I flirted. Oh you'd better be good between now and Friday, lover boy.
I went home that night, kissing Ivan goodbye with the promise of seeing him Friday afternoon. The next day I had to hit the ground running to catch up with all my work. I even remembered to call Lady Golding and organise an afternoon in town with her the following Wednesday. Quintessentially managed to get me tickets for Les Miserables, which I thought she would enjoy.
I schmoozed the first author that evening, and managed to get him to sign for a ten thousand pound advance, much to Justine's delight.
Thursday was similar, in that I barely looked up from my screen all day, racing to make my dinner meeting with the second author. I had barely spoken to Ivan, communicating only really via email, and a late night phone call, which had left me heated and horny. I met the second author in a restaurant in Covent Garden. He didn't seem as much of a pushover as the first, and I let him think he was playing hardball, holding out for an advance of fifteen thousand. I made a show of calling Justine to 'convince' her to pay it. He signed up as soon as she said yes. She, of course was delighted. Even with my fees, she felt she had the bargain of the year.
As soon as I got home, Ivan called, alerted, no doubt by Roger after he dropped me off. "Hey baby, you're back nice and early," he purred in his sexiest voice.
"Got it all wrapped up nice and quick, plus I have stuff I need to do here, packing and things. Your day ok?"
"All meetings, mostly rather tedious. Plus I'm impatient to see you tomorrow. My mind is so preoccupied with thoughts of making love to you, that's it's better I don't attempt any complex business."
"Smooth, Ivan, very smooth," I teased.
"I bought you some bikinis today. I had a little time to shop. I hope you like them," he said softly.
"Of course I'll like them if you chose them. That reminds me, I need to get some suntan lotion."
"I have it. Everything you need is there. All you need is your passport, nothing else."
I went quiet for a moment. "Everything? Are you sure? Clothes, makeup, hair stuff?"
"Everything you could possibly need. I promise. Just pack your passport baby."
"Okaaay, you're not going to make me go naked all weekend are you?"
"Now that's a plan...no darling, I just have it all arranged so you don't have to worry. I'll pick you up from your office at two. Remember, just bring your passport."
"Okay, I'll trust you on this."
"Good. See you tomorrow. Sleep well. Night baby." Yay at last!
"Night."
With no packing to do, I spent an hour in the bath, exfoliating, shaving, and applying some tan so I wouldn't look pasty in my new bikinis. I contemplated how it would feel to make love with Ivan again, and a shiver of excitement ran up my spine. The awful events of the previous weekend were beginning to fade, and I began to question whether I had actually got Ivan all wrong, and he had in fact been just as trapped as I had felt.
Next morning, I was at my desk by seven thirty, having closed up the flat, and been to the gym. I worked my way methodically through my emails, and cleared up as much paperwork as I could, knowing I wouldn't be able to do any over the weekend. Steve Robbin's flotation was only two weeks away, so I touched base with him, assuring him that Deloitte and Goldings, the bank involved, were on top of everything, prospectus' had been mailed out to the institutional investors, and as there were few companies going public at that time, interest was running high. Personally, I was hopeful of a great result for him, but kept my opinions out of it, not wanting to raise his expectations too much, in case he ended up disappointed.
Thankfully, the morning flew past, and after a final meeting at one, I was back in my office with my screen off by quarter to two. Lewis had already left for the weekend, poking his head round my door to say a cheery goodbye at mid day.
The last fifteen minutes seemed to take forever. I sat at my desk, watching the clock tick slowly round. Nerves at having no clothes with me kicked in, and I wondered if I had done the right thing in trusting Ivan to provide everything I would need. I figured that a bikini and a sundress would be pretty much all I required, so if I had to do emergency shopping at the airport, it wouldn't matter.
Ivan was wearing a grey suit with a crisp white shirt and charcoal grey tie. As per usual, it took a moment to get over his extraordinary beauty. "Hi baby, did your morning drag too?" He gave me a devastating smile, clearly delighted to see me.
"It did indeed, but I've cleared my work, and it's time to play." I winked playfully at him, before grabbing my handbag, and following him out of my office. In the lift on the way down, I felt his hand drift to my bottom, before giving it a playful tweak.
Surrounded by both Ivan's security, and other workers, I couldn't react other than smiling, and looking sideways at him. He caught my eye and grinned, looking so excited that I wanted to laugh. He mouthed the word 'bareback' at me, before flashing his signature smile. I struggle to suppress a giggle, which came out like a sort of snort. Ivan just grinned even more. Git.
Once we were in the privacy of the car, he pulled me to him for a kiss, starting soft, almost chaste, before becoming deeper and needier, his hands roaming over my body, reconnecting physically with me. It was almost a shame that we got to the airport, as I was enjoying our closeness. We pulled apart as we arrived, and I looked out of the window to see the two dogs waiting, both wearing pink collars and leads, and flanked by their own security team.
We were whisked through all the checks quickly, and onto a private jet. Bella and Tania both jumped up onto the seats and settled down, as if it was an everyday occurrence. We sat opposite each other, a small polished table between us. I looked around at the luxurious interior. "Is this your plane?" I asked. Ivan just nodded in reply. When all the security guards were strapped into their seats, the doors were closed, and we began to taxi to the runway.
I noticed the Ivan looked a little pale, and was gripping the arms of his seat. "Are you alright?" I asked, frowning at his pained expression.
"I hate flying," he admitted, his voice tight and strained. I reached over and took his hand, pulling it onto the table, and holding it in both of mine.
"Are you like this for the whole flight?" He nodded in reply, looking the picture of misery.
"I know, it's embarrassing, but I've always hated flying. I'll be a bit better when we're actually in the air...until landing that is."
"Lots of people are afraid of flying. Don't be embarrassed." As soon as I said it, he blushed. It was the first time I'd seen him blush over anything, and I thought it was adorable. His hand gripped mine tighter as we began our take off, and I watched as he began to sweat, a film covering his forehead. As the plane got faster and lifted off the ground, Ivan looked as if he was in pain, squeezing my hand so tightly, it was kinda starting to hurt. "And there was me thinking we'd try our first bareback a mile high," I said.
"Sorry baby, no chance of that. I can't walk around on aircraft, let alone do anything else. Thankfully it's quite a short flight. Long haul is like purgatory for me.
As soon as we were airborne, Ivan seemed to relax slightly. I let go of his hand, and unclipped my seatbelt. Bella must have sensed his distress, as she clambered onto his lap, and licked his face. "Yes I know, Daddy's a scaredy cat. Sorry Elle, did I hurt your hand?" I shook my head, smiling at him. "Now, would you like some champagne?"
"Love some, thank you." The attendant brought out an ice bucket, a bottle of Krug, and two glasses. She placed them in front of us, and poured our drinks. "Cheers," I said, raising my glass to Ivan's. To sun, sea and sex."
"I'll drink to that," he said, touching the edge of his glass to mine. I took a long sip of the champagne, and watched as Ivan dipped his finger in his, and let Tania lick it clean. "I know they shouldn't have alcohol, but she loves champagne." He turned to the dogs, "You're just a good time gir
l aren't you?" He said to Tania in his 'daddy' voice. She wagged her tail happily, her jealousy at Bella being on his lap temporarily assuaged.
The flight to Nice took just under two hours. Ivan was uptight all the way, although I thought he hid it quite well. He told me about the villa, which he had bought about five years ago, and the village it was in, called Saint-John-Cap-Ferrat. I could tell he was excited at showing it to me. He told me he only ever managed two weeks there at a time, and his goal was to be able to spend a whole summer out there one day, when he wasn't so intent on building up his companies.
He tensed as we began our descent into Nice airport, clinging onto my hand as if it was a life raft. He closed his eyes as we touched down, and I could see the sheen of sweat on his upper lip. Even his hands were shaking slightly. When we taxied to a halt, the tension seemed to leave his body. It was an extraordinary transformation from shuddering wreck back to my confident and assured Ivan.
"That wasn't as bad as normal. Maybe because you're with me," he said, smiling widely. I wanted to laugh. If that was him 'not too bad', I wondered what he was like during a storm or turbulence.
A Mercedes ML met us, and we were quickly whisked away. Ivan explained that the villa was only 16 kilometres from the airport, so it wouldn't take us long. He had shed his jacket and tie on the plane, and looked totally relaxed already. The Mercedes was air conditioned, which was a welcome respite from the blazing heat. The dogs sat between us as we drove along the coast road, the Cote D'Azure shimmering beside us, looking unbelievably inviting.
Eventually, we pulled up at a set of gates on the other side of a pretty little town. Our driver wound down the window, and spoke to the guard on duty in what sounded like Russian. He went into a small hut, and the gates swung open. We drove on, through lush gardens, towards a sparkling white and taupe villa perched on the side of the hill. "It's beautiful," I breathed. Ivan smiled at me.
"Glad you like it. I love it here. It's very private, but there are some great places nearby to visit." We stopped outside a large front door, which was already open, with Mrs Ballard waiting to welcome us.
