Ivy's Twisted Vine Redux (56 page)

“You don’t need me. You don’t need anybody,” Ivy said envying Nicola’s strength.

Nicola looked at her perplexed. “Let me have you one last time,” Nicola asked in husky whisper. He pushed his body up against hers and lifted her up into his arms. “Before you go and ruin both of our lives by marrying this guy…”.

“Shh,” Ivy said putting her fingers over his lips. “Don’t say that.”

Ivy’s thoughts tumbled over the last few months. She thought about Grey’s constant physical rejection. She thought of his many late night meetings and business trips. Her heart ached with heaviness. She leaned into Nicola and let tears fall from her eyes. She held on to him tightly, smelling his cologne and rubbing through his beautiful chocolate locks. Was it possible that he could hurt inside the way that she did now? Was it possible for anyone to feel the utter confusion and loneliness that she endured daily? She cried as she held on to his muscular body.

“It’s okay, baby. I feel it, too. Just let it out,” Nicola said holding her tightly. “It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not okay. I’m not okay,” Ivy said in a frantic state. “God, I’m so confused, Nicola!” Her head was still spinning around from the drinks earlier.

“Well, I’m not.” Nicola pulled her face to him. “I know exactly what I want.”

Ivy sniffled. “What is that you want? Do you just want to fuck me…use me up and…”
Nicola was shocked.
Fuck me?
Ivy was on edge. He tried to find a way to comfort her. “Whoa, Ivy. No, I don’t want use you. I want to be with you. I want to…love you.”

“You want to love me?” Her lips were covered with tears.

“Yes.”

“Or do you want to make love to me?” The strap to her dress fell over on shoulder revealing her bare shoulder and a portion of her ample and aroused breast.

“Both. One more than the other.” Nicola looked at her. The bare skin pushed him to insanity. His mouth watered.

“And if I can’t allow you to do the more risky of the two, would you settle for just my body?” Her brown eyes glared at him both angry and lovingly.

“No. I won’t settle. I’m going to have all of you.”

Tears flowed from her soft eyes. “It’s not that easy, Nicola. I’m with another man.”

Infuriated, Nicola pulled her to him and tore her dress from her body. With her dress in one hand and her body in the other her kissed her, forced her to give herself to him. At first it was hard for Ivy to respond to Nicola for fear of what would happen, but the softness of his own full lips forced her lips open and the intensely sweet taste of his kiss injected the intoxicating venom he had used on her nearly a year ago. Her eyes closed. In one motion, Nicola picked her up, carried her to the couch and crawled over her body shielding her from sight.

He could feel his body tensing up as he hovered over her, kissing her lips so passionately it brought tears to his eyes. They fell on to her lips, warm and salty.

“We shouldn’t,” Ivy whispered as he sucked her breast through her red lace bra.

“Why?” He kissed her lips again. “Why?” he asked once more when she didn’t respond.

“Because… it’s wrong. I’m getting married next week.” She looked at his muscles bulging and felt his body pushing against hers. “Because it won’t help the situation. It’ll just make everything worse.”

“How could anything be worse than allowing what we have to just be thrown away?”

“But I’m getting married next week,” Ivy said aching to have him inside of her.

“End this bullshit engagement. Be with me,” Nicola demanded as he kissed her long warm neck softly, tasting her flesh with his tongue, his hands massaged her back and his hot body pushed softly against hers.

“Be with you? Nicola, you want a girlfriend. I want a husband,” Ivy groaned and closed her eyes involuntarily, shuddering under him.

Nicola stopped abruptly. He couldn’t reply to that, not that. His emotions attacked him. Ivy opened her eyes and looked at him with his skin flushed and his red lips wet with her kiss. Perfectly still, he whispered. “I never said that I didn’t want a wife.”

“You never said that you did either. It doesn’t really matter right now, does it? We only have one night.” Ivy looked back at him, more mature that she had ever been, so in tune with her feelings that she was commanding in her tone.

“How can I say no? How can I say anything?”

“You don’t have to
say
anything, Nicola. It’s okay. I understand.””

Ivy’s perfume numbed Nicola’s senses and her moans awoke the vitality he had lost somewhere in the last year. Slowly, she felt his strong hands remove her underwear. Tears fell on her neck as he kissed it softly savoring every second with her.

Suddenly, it occurred to Nicola that Ivy had stolen a piece of him and kept it locked in the bosom of her heart. He intended to take it back now as he felt her grip his back insinuating that the thoughts in the back of her mind would take form in action. Feeling the warm and moist arousal ripen between her warm thighs, he watched her body lose all tenseness and submit willingly again. Ivy started to respond, to open as she did so long ago, he kissed her hips.

“Nicola,” Ivy whispered holding on to Nicola’s head and rubbing through his soft, curly hair.

“Yeah?”

“I haven’t been with Grey since before I had the children.”

“Really?” Nicola was dumbfounded but extremely pleased. “Well, I haven’t been with anyone for nearly five months.”

“Why?” Ivy’s mind raced. She thought he had been a playboy this entire time.

“I was waiting.” He rose up and looked her in her eyes.

“For me?” Tears formed in the corners of her eyes.

Nicola nodded. “Of course for you. I keep saying it, and yet, you don’t seem to hear me. I love you.”

“I’ve been through so much; it’s just hard to comprehend what that word means anymore.” Tears continued to fall.

“Why do you say this shit to me?” His skin was on fire. “Ivy, I do love you.”

“I don’t know that.”
“You do know that.”
Still there was a look of uncertainty on Ivy’s face, even after Nicola confessed his love. The anger in his heart for Grey, the love and desire he had in his heart for Ivy erupted. He reached for her and pulled her down on the couch and kissed her passionately. Pulling her warm thighs opened and with his large hands gripping her hips down on the couch, he thrust deep into her body. Nicola let out virile sounds of ecstasy. The power of his dominance caused Ivy to scream out so loud it nearly scared her.

How wonderful this feeling was to her! He was like a perfect key unlocking all of the fantasies hidden in her mind. With powerful motions into her abyss, he held her closely breathing in her ear and trying hard to focus on something other than the glorious smell of her perfume. To Ivy, he had never been more of a reminder of how joyous losing control could be. It was his passion, his embrace that made her realize how it could feel to be loved and to be desired. She tried desperately to fight him, but she could not. She wanted to anger him, to make him feel the way that she had felt since the day he had kissed her.

Nicola caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror across the room totally ravaging the woman he loved. He realized that he was out of control. He slowed down, loosened the grip on the ball of her hair he had in his fist and released his other hand from her neck.

“I’m sorry,” he said panting and sweating. He wiped his face. “Did I hurt you?” He could see his handprint around her neck.

“No.” Catching her breath, Ivy looked up at him wide-eyed.

He leaned over and kissed her softly this time, more lovingly. “Baby, we should go up to my bedroom. I don’t want to make love to you like this.” Still inside of her, Nicola realized where he was. On the couch, pinned down and on the verge of an eruption.
Not like this
, he thought. From him, she deserved more. He had to lay her down properly, somewhere they could explore each other with more room and the ability to move around. There was so much that he wanted to do to her all night and even into the next morning.

“In just a minute,” she whispered not wanting him to move. “You feel so good.” Her eyes were lazy again, already becoming drained from his very masterful vengeance.

Nicola smiled back at her slowly moving between her thighs. “You are so beautiful,” he said rubbing the hair from her face.

Ivy couldn’t believe that she had allowed herself to get caught in the same situation again. Here she was less than a week from marrying Grey, and Nicola was making love to her again! She had tried to fight him, but looking at his well-sculpted olive-toned body, the smell of his cologne, the shape of his heart shape lips, the feel of his powerful thrust, it was obvious to her that her feelings for him where far more powerful that she had first known. Maybe this was a sign? Maybe Grey was the wrong one? Her thoughts and his thrusts consumed her.

“Nico, are you in here, man?” Santo asked busting through the front door with a wide grin on his face, lipstick on his collar and visible hickies on his neck. “Nico?” Santo yelled.

“Who is that?” Ivy whispered surprised and somewhat afraid.

“Wait a minute, Santo. I’ve got company.” Nicola quickly grabbed her clothes and dressed her.

“Damn Ivy, I’m sorry,” Nicola said finally. He sat up on the couch wanting to kill his brother for the disturbance.

Sitting up to see the voice hidden across the room, Ivy looked over stunned at Santo’s appearance. Pulling her strap up, she cleared her voice and looked to Nicola for an explanation. Why was there two of him standing in his living room?

“Nicola?” Ivy asked confused. “What is…going on?” She held her mouth, dumfounded.

“Oh, I’m sorry, man,” Santo said caught off guard. He stumbled over his own feet.

“Ivy, this
stunnad
is my twin brother Santo. He’s staying with me while he and my family are vacationing here in Memphis. They came to see our kids.” Nicola looked sternly at Santo after he pulled on his shorts. “Santo, this is Ivy Winters, the mother of my children.”

Santo stood stupefied by his clumsy interruption and Ivy’s beauty, not to mention the presence of an otherwise engaged woman in the intimate embrace of his brother. Beat red with embarrassment, he closed the front door and smiled sure that Nicola would kill him later.

“And it is nice to meet you, maim,” he said giving a weak wave. He knew better than to walk to close too the couch. “I’ve heard such wonderful things about you.” Words slurred, he gave a big Agosto smile, revealing their signature dimples.

“Well, I wish that I could say the same, but I’m afraid I didn’t know you even existed until now,” Ivy said pushing Nicola away from her. She grabbed her sling backs and purse and walked towards the door still barefoot. “What else have you
failed
to tell me, Nicola?” she asked furiously.

“Wait, Ivy,” Nicola said wiping her lipstick off of his face, hating the mood change.

“I’m out of here,” she said with her face in a scowl. Her voice drifted off. “Santo, it was nice meeting you and to find out that
you
exist.”

“Nice to meet you too, Ivy,” Santo said sitting down on the accent chair dizzy and drunk.

“I’ll see you out,” Nicola said rolling his eyes at Santo before he followed Ivy to the door.

“How thoughtful of you,” Ivy said condescendingly.

Opening the door for Ivy, Nicola tried to move closer to her again, but Ivy pushed past him, elbowing him in the chest. Turning around frustrated, she sighed.

“You’re such a fake,” she said shaking her head. “Really, how long has it been for you, Nicola? Did you get you a little tonight at the Black Tie? How about the other night with Rachel?”
Nicola huffed. “Why would I lie about something like that? You would have slept with me regardless.”

“Oh, really?” Ivy snarled. “Just who in the hell do you think that you are?”

“The exact same man that was making love to you a second ago. So, do we go on like none of this matters?” Nicola asked leaning against the door while she stood on the porch looking away in frustration.

“No, it matters, Nicola,” she said rolling her eyes. “More than you possibly know.”

“Why are you marrying him, Ivy?” Nicola retorted.

“Because I love him, Nicola. No.” She threw her index finger up in protest of Santo’s existence. “
Because I know him
. Is it not obvious that I don’t know you, after that little show in there? I didn’t even know that you had a twin brother!” She gasped. “That information may have been helpful during the pregnancy.” Pulling a strand of hair from her face, she placed her hand on her hip visibly agitated.

“What is it that you want me to say? I didn’t know you very well when we discovered that you were having twins…and it could have been sheer coincidence that I had a twin brother.” He walked towards her, lowering his voice. “I didn’t want to tell you and have you thinking the children were mine prematurely. But that’s beside the point. How can you say that you love him when three minutes ago, I was inside of you? For that matter, how can you marry him when I’m still inside your heart.” Nicola instantly felt cheesy for exposing himself, but he had to try to win her over.

Ivy stopped on her heals and hurled around. “I slipped. Sue me!” Beginning to walk away again, she heard Nicola behind her still following closely.

“Slip my ass. You didn’t slip!” Nicola exclaimed starting to raise his voice again. “You love me, and you know it! And I know that I love you! And you would rather marry this guy to save face than be with me, because I’m not some big shit
want-to-be
politician!” The neighbors’ lights came on as a few onlookers peered from their blind at the raging couple. He pulled her arm to him.

Snatching away, Ivy shook her head emphatically. “If you think that is the only reason that I’m marrying Grey then you’re terribly confused about me and this entire situation!” Ivy shouted.

“I’ve put myself on front street this entire time for you, Ivy. I don’t know how in the hell to reach you. What does it take? Please tell me for the love of God.” Nicola’s voice was laced with sarcasm.

“Reach me? Reach me?” Ivy’s voice streaked. “When have you ever even asked for me? How do I know that getting to me isn’t really about getting to Grey? How do I know anything about you, Nicola? Every time I think we’re getting close, you pull away. And what reason do you have? Why are you so distant?”