Matteo was talking to Robert, when suddenly in his peripheral vision he saw a familiar blonde walking towards them. Shit. Shit. Shit. He thought. The entire night he had managed to avoid her, but now she was coming over and he had nowhere else to go.

"Hi dad." She said when she reached them. Leaning up she gave her father a quick hug before pulling back to look at him beneath her lashes. "Hi uncle Matteo." She said, her voice going husky, her cheeks going pink.

"Happy birthday princess." he replied, leaning down to give her a quick hug. Big mistake on his part. She wrapped her arms around his neck,  and her body pressed tightly against him.

"Thank-you. I'm glad you made it." She whispered lightly in his ear, while running her nails slowly down the back of his neck. The action made his cóck stiffen. He glanced at Robert from the corner of his eye, and was relieved to see he had walked off to talk to his wife. Pulling back, he tried to discreetly re-adjust himself but the action didn't go unnoticed by Ivy. Her lips turned up into a knowing smile, and her eyes twinkled with mischief.

"I got you something." He said hurriedly, trying to steer the attention elsewhere.

And it worked, her eyes lit up with curiosity and excitement. "Really? Can I see it?" she asked.

Chuckling under his breath, he nodded. Putting his hands in his pocket, he pulled out a small box. "Turn around and pull your hair up." He ordered. Ivy's eyes twinkled with laughter, "Yes sir."

Turning around she pulled up her long golden hair, exposing her entire back. Matteo held in a groan. The back of her dress was a deep V ending just above the curve of her rear, exposing her entire smooth, tanned back. He resisted the urge to run his hand down her spine. Instead, he flipped open the box and pulled out a cartier love necklace. He placed the necklace around her neck and clasped it.

His hand lightly lingered on her back, before he pulled back and cleared his throat. "So... Do you like it?"

Ivy was quiet for a few seconds, and Matteo realized he was nervous. He couldn't see her reaction with her back turned to him. But a second later he heard her speak, "I love it." Her voice was no more than a whisper and when she turned around, she looked up at him. Her eyes was filled with adoration and awe. In that moment Matte knew he was treading on dangerous territories, and he needed to get away.

He nodded his head in an expression of relief. "Good. I'm glad you like it. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go... get a drink." He mumbled before walking off, not giving her a chance to say anything else. As he walked away from her, he felt her eyes on him the entire time.