Chapter 10

For the rest of the night they chatted and half paid attention to the movie running on TV. As Ellie shares stories of Dylan, her son and her boyfriend Vince. Poor Vince was left babysitting the toddler, allowing Ellie to have the night to spend with her friends. Eventually, tired from the wine and chatting, they all snuggle into their sleeping bags, dozing off peacefully on the carpet flooring.

That night, as Eli had said, Ivy’s dreams started off pleasant enough, until it turned to her making out with her new boyfriend in the lonely diner changing room. Her body twists and flames of heat flicker as she feels herself lost in the dream, all of it feeling so real. Her petite body meshing with his much larger, muscular frame. Him crushing her against the wall as he leaves searing fiery kisses along her throat. She imagines him ripping off her shirt, buttons flying carelessly across the air, as he continues on his torturous path, down her body. His hands cover her small breasts which for some unknown reason to her were bare beneath her shirt. They expertly tug and squeeze her just right, causing her to slip down a little along the wall and moan in delight. Then slipping onto his knees, she sees him gaze up with a sexy smirk along his lips as he pops off the buttons on her jeans and wiggles them down. She imagines herself biting her lip as he pulls off the blue jeans along with her lacy boxers. His kisses along the inside of her thighs have her rolling her head back against the sturdy wall. She gasps as he kisses her right over...there. She imagines tugging his head closer, her fingers running through his soft blonde strands as she brings his hot mouth to deeper into her. His tongue, stroking and circling her most delicate, sensitive parts eliciting hot tingles and sparks to spread along her body. Ivy dreams of her moans rising in volume, the desire taking over and unable to resist she feels herself...come.
She then sees him standing up, the beautiful dream turns into a nightmare. His face is lips are set in a grim line, his expression angry. The walls seems to fade, Eli’s face changing, disappearing. Loud noises pound around her, the smell of alcohol and drugs surrounds her. Ivy glances down to see herself dressed in a short red, dress, her hair long as it sways against her back, and make-up dusts her face. Just as she’s gazing around to see body’s dancing, she feels herself being lead upstairs by some unknown force, into a bedroom. The room is dark, the music muffled but still audible, and there's someone with her there. Her heart is pounding as she sees his tall silhouette stride over to her.  
“Tyler,” she hears herself whispering and suddenly her more conscious,sleeping, mind clicks it in place. She tries screaming at herself in the background to wake-up. To not allow herself to relieve this, to not allow the memory to play but...she’s powerless to stop it. Ivy can feel the tightening in her heart as her cruel unconscious keeps her trapped in the dream.

“Ivy! Hey, Ives! Wake-up!”
Ivy’s eyes lash open, her fast blinks reeling the tears gathering in her eyes back. She lets out a deep breath, trying to calm her erratically beating heart.
“Hey, what happened? Are you okay?” Ellie asks, her hand stroking Ivy’s back, soothing her. Ivy just nods and glances over to a softly snoring Caroline, rolling her eyes at that. The girl could sleep through a storm.
“Yeah, thanks Ellie. It was nothing, just a stupid nightmare. Sorry for waking you,” Ivy smiles apologetically, hoping her words are assertive and believable enough. Ellie’s eyes however, flickers across Ivy’s face before she smiles a small satisfied grin.
“Alright. But...you know if something’s wrong. You can tell me...and Caroline. We love you,” Ellie reassures.
Ivy nods at Ellie, smiling wider as her heart blooms with the warm tingles of affection at hearing Ellie’s words, “thanks Elle. But I’m fine. Honest.”
“Okay, good night then.”
“Night.”

The next morning breakfast turned more into brunch as Ivy grins happily at her day off. She tries to mentally make a list of the things she’d like to do, in hopes of forgetting about last night’s dream turned nightmare. However it’s in vain, so the best Ivy can do is dull the memory.
“I need to go home and check on Dylan and Vince. But are we on for tonight?” asks Ellie, snapping Ivy back to the present.
“Wait tonight-”
“Yeah, sure thing, hon. Meet here at 9, okay?” answers Caroline ignoring Ivy’s confusion.
“Yep. Bye!” calls Ellie leaving a confused and flabbergasted Ivy behind.
“What. Is. Going. On?” demands Ivy, her hip cocked out and her arms crossed in a less than amused way.
Caroline just gives a cheeky smile and chirps, “Don’t worry about it, Ives. I need to go too, so see you later!”
Before Ivy can call her back, Caroline’s also grabbed her bags and dashed out.

Ivy growls in frustration, stomping upstairs in a spurred decision to take a relaxing bath. She believes she’s definitely earned it. Especially from having to deal with her ‘boyfriend’, last night’s memory and now her difficult friends.
Soaking into the warm camomile scented suds, Ivy leans her head back against the towel and closes her eyes. Lost in the feel of the gentle, hot water lapping at her skin her mind wanders into dangerous territory. Dangerous as in...Eli dangerous. She can’t help but recollect the image of his bare torso, eyes shining with lust and that sexy, annoying smirk plastered across his luscious lips. Ivy can feel a familiar heat building between her legs causing her to cross them together and struggle to cease her body’s reaction. Her cheeks blush red as she briefly entertains the idea of taking matters into her own hands...so to speak. The more she toys with the idea, the more her hands seem to raise to cup her breasts as her legs rub past each other, creating tension. Ivy slides one hand down her smooth skin, slick with water, trapping soft suds as she makes her way down to her navel; and then gliding her hand past her stomach, to the tops of her hip bones. Just as her fingers start to glide down her bare slit, there comes a knock at the door.

Her body jumps in fright causing water to slosh dangerously over the sides however, none thankfully spill over onto the tiled flooring.

“Ivy, darling? There’s someone on the phone for you, I’m coming in,” calls her mother, as she opens the bathroom door. Ivy’s expression turns confused as she dry’s off her hands and reaches for the landline.
“Who is it?” she whispers covering the speaker with one hand.
“He said he's your boyfriend...” quietly sings Dawn with a cheeky smile, “he sounds hot.”
“Mom!” Ivy retorts with a low gasp. Then remembering that he’s actually on the phone, Ivy brings the phone to her ear.
“Hello?” she speaks into it.
“Hey Tinks. Interrupting anything?” asks an amused Eli. Unsurprisingly covering her hand over the speaker didn’t mean that he couldn’t hear what they were saying as the speaker picked up most of the conversation.
Dawn had leaned down listening through the other-side as to what he was saying, causing Ivy to pull away and glare at her.
“Mom, privacy,” mutters Ivy strictly.
“But I wanna hear!” pouts Dawn with a small whine. It’s so exciting having her daughter date, and she just wants to know all about it.
“No, mom, go!” urges Ivy. Dawn gives her one more pout which Ivy returns with a flat look. Realising her daughter’s not budging, Dawn just rolls her eyes and leaves closing the door along with her.

Satisfied with the return of her privacy Ivy holds the phone back to her ear.
“No...You’re not interrupting anything. So what is it that you want?” answers Ivy with a demand of her own.
“Now, now. Is that any way to talk to your boyfriend?” teases Eli on the other end. Ivy just sighs rolling her eyes, “Eli, how did you even manage to get my house number? I never gave that to you?” Sure she gave him her mobile but never her house number, and come to think of it, she’s never given him her address either...so how does he know these things?! It’s hard to believe that someone would be stalking her, especially someone like Eli.
Eli just chuckles in response answering her darkly with an ominous message, “I have my ways, beautiful.”
Ivy’s cheeks heat at that compliment but she refuses to acknowledge it.
“Whatever, you’re so creepy. Tell me again, why I agreed to date you?”
He can’t help laugh again at that. He must have a masochistic trait in him too, to actually like having her resist him and insult him. However he knows just as well as she does, that she doesn’t actually mean them and it’s all just harmless banter.
“Because I’m so handsome and charming with such a kind, warm heart,” theatrically expresses Eli, now having Ivy snort in disagreement and humour at his words.
“Yep. Those are it, but you forgot a few more. Like, egotistical, annoying, creepy...”
“Ouch. Ever thought all I need is a woman like you to sort it all out for me, baby?” he flirts.

Speaking of women, Ivy’s mind sparks in remembrance of a vital piece of information she learnt last night.
“Well I’m sure many have tried before me. You know...like Caroline. Remember her? The one I was telling you about yesterday, who works in...that club?” coyly asks Ivy.
“Aw, Tinks. You’re not jealous are you? You know that girl is nothing compared to you! But yes, I do believe I know who you’re talking about. I’m a...’regular patron of that club’ remember?” grins Eli with the teasing in his voice.
“...How could I forget?” Ivy asks in a chilled voice, underlined with anger. She can’t believe he didn’t tell her about the club thing! But besides that, if he knows (and she knows that he has at least an inkling) of her resistance to sexual intimacy, how could he possibly not think to inform her of something so important?! Did he possibly not believe that it would waver her decision in the first place to test this whole relationship?! Perhaps...perhaps it’s all a game to him. A challenge. To prove his ‘skills’. Maybe one of his buddies bet him to sleep with the most frigid girl he could find! It has to be something along those lines because why else wouldn’t he just tell her off his freakish nature in the sheets? Most boys like to brag about stuff like that. And Eli Carter fits the bill of playboy-extraordinaire to a T so then why wouldn’t he have told her?!

“Why are you mad at me now?!” exasperates Eli down the line. He’d heard Ivy’s underlying anger in her sarcastic sentence and he can’t understand what he’s possibly done wrong!
“Wait...is this for sleeping with that blonde. Look, Tinks, these girls were before I knew you. You can’t entirely blame me for that. I had opportunities and I took them, it’s not-” began rambling Eli.
“It’s not that....I-I need to see you,” states Ivy. She has to do this to his face to gauge his expression and to try and show him the serious consequences his job has on them.
“Okay...How about lunch?” suggests Eli.
“That’s fine. Give me an hour and we’ll meet at the White Rose cafe, okay?”
“See you soon then Ivy.”

Ivy can hear the uneasiness in Eli’s tone and the fact that he actually called her ‘Ivy’ also clued her into his anxious emotions but the anger still remains, fuelled by the fear more than anything. She said she’d do a trial of the relationship and it’s not even been a full day and already she just wants to end things. It will be better-safer. However Ellie’s words cloud her thoughts, she needs to stop playing things so safe. Maybe it is time to allow someone to love her so emotionally intimately and to be loved in that way but...but is Eli truly the person she wants that with? Is he even capable of cherishing her and reciprocating love? She’s not sure but it seems far too much of a dangerous game to be playing. After all, no medicine can cure heartbreak.

Dressed in a pair of worn, blue denim shorts, sneakers and a plaid t-shirt; Ivy looks around the cafe to try spot Eli. She doesn’t have to work hard to find him though. Following the gaze of two giggling waitresses she sees her ‘boyfriend’ sat  beside the window playing on his phone. A twinge of jealousy goes through her system witnessing the two girls so obviously whispering lustfully about her guy. But then again she can’t blame them. He looks delicious. His blonde hair is tousled even more and his face has slight stubble on. His frame is slumped carelessly in the chair, long legs enclosed by dark denim jeans stretched out and his nicely muscled upper half showing off in a white t-shirt. She hates that he has to look so good but then again, female pride is congratulating her on such a handsome catch. Ivy has to shake her mind of the shallow thoughts though. No, that is not what truly matter.
Substance over style, Ivy, remember that, fool. She mentally chants. And so Eli may be a great looker but when it comes down to the things like listening and caring, Ivy has to question her choice in men.
Nonetheless, right now, she needs to get the rage off her chest. So striding her way to the table she clears her throat to gain his attention.

“Tinks, hey!” he calls grinning up at her, the smile not slipping even when he takes in her adorably annoyed expression.
She mutters a ‘hello’ back and takes the seat opposite him. But before she can start, the waitress arrives.
“Hi there, I’m Sian and I’ll be your waitress this afternoon. So what can I get you guys?” She asks in the same chirpy tone all waitresses have.
“Can you just give us a little longer?” responds Ivy to which the waitress nods at and darts away to serve other customers.

An awkward silence passes between them at the exit of the waitress as each dares the other to start the feud. In the end, Eli just sighs and decides to out-rightly ask, “you’re mad at me. Why are you mad at me?”
Ivy’s teeth grit together as she spits out, “you didn’t tell me you’re...” she glances around and lowers her voice, “that you own that sex club.”
Eli’s first reaction is to laugh but seeing Ivy’s deadly serious expression, he knows that won’t be the best move. So suppressing the hysterics, he instead smirks and shrugs his shoulders carelessly.
“So?”
Ivy feels her blood boil furiously inside her. How dare he just....just ‘so’ her?!  And why is he not taking this seriously?! It’s all just a big joke to him!
“ ‘So’? ‘So’?!” she spits, “don’t you think you could have told me this before this whole ‘relationship’ deal? Why didn’t you? Are you hiding something? What do you really want from me Eli Carter?!”
Eli can’t hold back the chuckles any longer and they burst through as loud laughter. They cut abruptly as he realises she’s totally serious about this and needs her questions answering.
“Hiding something? What I really want from you? Let me tell you what I really want from you Ivy; I want my first real, adult relationship. But you’re making this very difficult-”
“I’m making it difficult?! How could you leave out the fact that you are...that you’re that kind of person when you question my avoidance of...sexual intimacy?!” she cries at him with her last words in a hushed whisper.

“ ‘That kind of person’, huh? What exactly does that mean then?” questions Eli in an amused tone, however he can feel his mind reeling in anger. She’s making him sound some kind of freak. Like it’s disgusting to be into kinky things.
“Oh you know perfectly well what I mean! That you’re...you’re into...those kind of things!” Ivy’s cheeks blush bright red at that.
“What kind of things?!” calls back Eli, feeling the anger melt away and more amusement flourish. Having her squirming and blushing is just too much fun for him to watch.
“...Kinky things; like...whips and ropes and...I don’t know!” whispers Ivy, her blush increasing.
“Maybe I am, maybe I’m not,” enigmatically shrugs Eli.
“Well, I-I can’t deal with that, okay? I....Eli,” Ivy sighs at this point. Her shoulder’s slumping in defeat and eyes starting to sting with frustration.

“Hey...I’m just messing with you, Ivy...I’m sorry. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t think it was important, right now. You made it clear that you don’t want to have sex right now and I respect that. No don’t laugh! I mean it. I meant about what I said about not pressuring you into it and I won’t.”
Ivy blinks the tears building up in her eyes back as she listens to his words.
Glancing up a small smile tilts at the corner of her lips.
“But...why didn’t you tell me?” she asks.
“Because you’re a worrier, and it will only make you worry,” he simply puts it, with a small roll of his eyes and a teasing smirk on his lips. Ivy can’t help giggle slightly at that with agreement. She is a worrier and he’s right it is worrying her.
“So reassure me. You have no other motive for not telling me?”
“For the last time, no,” he sighs with another roll of his eyes, “is that it? Is our first quarrel over?”

Ivy doesn’t know whether she wants to slap that annoying smirk off his face or kiss that ridiculously gorgeous face. Neither seems the better option in pubic so she tries to keep herself in check.
“You’re not quite off the hook, buster. You slept with my best friend,” she accuses.
“This again? Oh come on, I’ve slept with a lot of girls-”
“You’re not helping yourself there!” she points out interrupting him causing him to smirk wider.
“What I was going to say was. I’ve slept with a lot of girls...but that was before you, Tinks.”
“....So if you own this...club then there must be plenty of...opportunities for you so how do I know there won’t be more girls adding to your list?” challenges Ivy. After all this is just a ‘trial’ relationship, and also how would she know if he’s entertaining more girls?
“I don’t cheat on my girls. Ever. I’m not a douche, Tinks. If I didn’t want to be with only you, I wouldn’t have proposed to or agreed to this,” responds Eli.
“Okay....okay,” sighs Ivy, “fine.”

Eli groans quietly and reaches for her hand. Clutching it in his, he circles his thumb soothingly on her wrist.

“Why are you still angry?” he softly asks. Ivy feels her face scrunching in thought. Why is she still angry? He’s explained himself and although it’s not the explanations she wants, they’re plausible. So what if he owns some stupid sex club? And is into kinky sexual stuff? It’s not like she’s going to have sex with him, at least not any time soon. So what if he had sex with her best friend and probably a million other women? It was before he met her, before they were together and she has no right to feel mad at him for it. So why is she angry? Is she angry?...No...The realisation hit her like a bus. She’s not angry but scared and frightened.

“I’m not angry, Eli. I’m just...nervous. We both know you’re not a settle down kind of guy and I need that sort person Eli. I need someone who’s reliable and responsible and...acts like an adult.”
“I am all those things, Ivy,” indignantly snaps Eli.
“Not from what I’ve seen Eli,” she disagrees sliding her hand from his.

“Fine, I’ll prove it to you. Tomorrow night, we’ll have dinner. At my place, 8 o’clock, I’ll cook.”
Ivy’s eyes flicker over his face to see if he’s kidding. Realising that he’s damn serious about it she helplessly nods in agreement. Well...this is going to be interesting, she muses as their waitress reappears. 

A/n so what do we