Ivy's Twisted Vine Redux (8 page)

*

In less than forty-minutes, Ivy was fully dressed and putting the finishing touches on her hair. Staring at herself in her full mirror, she wondered what Nicola’s reaction would be to her floor length Calvin Klein cashmere body dress. It seemed to highlight every curve of her body leaving to the imagination what was underneath. The low cut front revealed her ample brown breasts, and her long auburn tendrils flowed down her back and softly caressed her shoulders. She pulled up her dress to examine the black leather stiletto knee boots once more to make sure that she would be able to walk and look comfortable.

“How do I look?’ Ivy said spraying her Ralph Lauren Romance cologne.

“Alright” Trina said trying to continue to show total disapproval.

“Just alright?” Ivy asked hoping for a more colorful opinion.

“Okay, you look good.” Trina finally cracked a smile.

“Not great?”

“Close.”

“I’ll take it.” Ivy smiled.

“Oh! There’s the door. That must be the asshole. Are you ready?” Trina passed Ivy a small bottle of mace.

“What’s this for?”

“Just in case he isn’t as gentile as he seems. Now, put it in your purse. We don’t want you walking out with a bottle of mace in your hand. I’ll go to the door. You just follow shortly after, and if Grey comes by I’ll just tell him that…well, I just won’t answer the door. Be careful. And do not sleep with him, Ivy.” Trina wrapped her arms around her friend and closed her eyes. She wished that Ivy only knew what she was getting into by seeing this man.

“I’ll be fine. And I’m no hoochie. I’m not going to sleep with him. Give me some credit.” Ivy pushed Trina out of the bedroom. “Go. He’s been waiting long enough.”

“That’s his problem. He’s never been made to wait long enough,” Trina said leaving the room.

Ivy grabbed her coat and scarf out of her closet and stopped to take a deep breath. Everything had happened so suddenly that she was not able to think her actions through. Now it was too late. Hearing the sound of his deep baritone voice in the next room instantly made her heart skip a beat. Her fingers began to sweat again as she walked out of the bedroom. Okay, she thought as she walked out the room…Lights. Camera. Action!

Stunned by her entrance, Nicola stopped in mid-conversation and admired Ivy as she came out to greet him. Her smile made him melt. Trying to exude the confidence that he was now surely lacking, he extended his arms to hug her. As she wrapped her arms around his back, he caught a whiff her cologne. It would be nearly impossible to behave like a total gentleman tonight, which is why he prayed that she did not want to behave like a total lady.

“You look great,” Nicola said unable to find words to describe what he was thinking at that moment, and maybe that was best.

“Thank you,” Ivy said modestly. “You look
grea
t too.” She was extremely impressed with Nicola’s choice of clothing. Coincidently, he wore a gray cashmere turtleneck and a black leather jacket with black wool slacks that fit his large muscle bowlegs and a great pair of Kenneth Cole black leather loafers.

Wow
, Ivy thought inwardly. He was far more attractive tonight than he was when she first met him, which was very hard to top.

As Nicola helped Ivy put on her coat, he was able to examine her long slender body closer. “Are you ready?”

“Yes.” Ivy opened the door. “Trina, I’ll see you later.” She could read in his eyes that he was pleased with her already.

“Be sweet,” Trina said rolling her eyes at Nicola as she closed the door.

“So, where are we going?” Ivy asked walking closely to Nicola.

“I made reservations at Café Society for seven, and then I thought we would catch a movie afterwards over at the Paradiso."
Did she have a curfew?

There was a long silence as Ivy thought about his restaurant selection. True, it was a Saturday night and his plans sounded perfect, but Café Society was a known hangout for Grey’s friends and his father’s colleagues. She knew that going there would cause conflict.

“Nicola, can I be honest?” Ivy had to say something now before it was too late.

“Sure.” He prepared himself for what seemed to be a let down judging by the tone in her voice.

“Your dinner reservations sound great but my ex-fiancé and his friends go there a lot. I really wouldn’t…” she was interrupted.

“It’s cool. Memphis isn’t that small. We can find somewhere else to have dinner.” Nicola was glad that her request had been small. It also gave him a better option. One that he dare not suggest at first.

“Thanks for being understanding,” Ivy said feeling the lump in her chest go away.

“Look, I know that you don’t know me well, but if you would like to keep all the confusion down we could rent a movie and go to my place. I cook the best lobster in town, and I promise not to do anything that would make you feel uncomfortable.” He was sure that she could read between the lines well enough to understand what he meant.

“I trust you; it’s just that it wouldn’t look right.” Silence. “I wouldn’t feel right,” Ivy’s words fumbled out as she tried to find a way to politely decline.

“That’s cool. What ever you want to do is fine with me?” He didn’t’ want her to make this date more difficult than it had to be. So, he would let her make her own decision. It really didn’t matter to him, anyway.

“You know what?” Ivy said shedding her shyness suddenly.

“What?” his eyebrow raised in anticipation of her next comment.

“Who cares about how it looks. Let’s go to your place. To hell with Grey.”

“Yeah, fuck’em,” Nicola said tired of this
Grey
already. “This is me,” he said walking up to a black Cadillac Escalade and opening the door for her.

“Is this your babe-mobile?” Ivy asked with a sinister smile on her face.

“Yeah.” Nicola said grinning. Evidently, Trina had been talking already.

**

Hours later Nicola placed a garnished plate of Lobster, rice pilaf and Caesar salad on Ivy’s lap as she sat in front of his fireplace. The warm cushions of his couch made her want to snuggle up with a blanket and fall asleep listening to the jazz that he played in the background. The sea of scented candles danced about her head making her feel dizzy. She had already had five full glasses of champagne and was starting on her sixth. She smiled involuntarily as he sat down beside her.

“You don’t cease to impress me,” Ivy said looking down at the plate with her vision slightly blurred.

“Taste it first.” Nicola smiled as he took the glass out of her hand. “I think you’ve had enough of this.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t make up my mind at Blockbuster. I just really was not in the mood to watch anything once I got there.” She giggled a little.

“Hey, it’s fine. To tell you the truth, this is what I had in mind the entire time.” He placed her silverware on the table.

“This is what I had in mind, too. I should have just worn a pair of jeans.” Her smile disappeared.

“Uh oh, what’s wrong?” Nicola instantly noticed a change in her mood.

“I just really needed to get away from everything and everybody. This week has been hell. I keep dodging my parents, because I don’t want to tell them that the wedding is off and…” her words faded away as tears formed in the sides of her eyes. “And I keep hoping that he’ll call and apologize or something.” She tried to smile.

Unprepared for yet another discussion about Grey, Nicola set his plate on the table and wiped her eyes. “It’s okay, kiddo,” he said unsure of how to handle her.

Ivy put her hand on his and smiled. “I’m sorry,” she said embarrassed. “I was supposed to leave this at home. I know that this ruins everything, but I can’t seem to help it. I’m in a mess right now.” Her hands trembled.

“Relax, Ivy. It’s just the champagne. It does that to some people.” He wiped her tears again. “I hate to see you being put through this. You’re too young to have drama like this. You should be happy right now. There are so many great things going on your life.”

“I know, but nothing makes up for the way I feel.” Her tears begin to dry. “I’ve tried to just push it to the back of mind and focus, but I can’t. You just don’t know how badly I am hurting inside.” Her eyes met his briefly.

Her words reminded him of a more complicated time in his life when the woman he loved sat across from him baring her soul and telling him how badly he had hurt her. It also made him see how foolish he was to let her just walk out of his life the way that Grey was allowing Ivy to do.

“I didn’t realize how foolish I had been with someone I used to love until just now.” Unsure if he should have said his feelings aloud, Nicola moved closer to her. “I want you to listen to someone with more experience under his belt then you will probably have in your entire innocent existence.”

“Alright,” Ivy said listening carefully and hanging on to his every word.

“Grey doesn’t realize how badly he’s hurt you. In fact, I bet you nine times out of ten that most men don’t realize what they have done to a woman until well after she has packed up and left. Please, just give him a chance to realize his wrongs, and in time he will make them right. Don’t rush him to that point though. Allow him to make it up to you on his own time and on his own terms.”

“I’m glad that you have faith in him, because I don’t.” She cleared her voice. She could see a shame in his eyes that was not evident before. “Have you treated a lot of really good women really wrong? Is that where all this wisdom comes from?” She hated to pry but she might as well considering he was in her business.

“Yeah. I’ve treated a few really good women really badly and a few really bad women even worse.” He felt no ties to Ivy and was able to be truthful without fear of rejection. “I’m what you call a…dog.” They both laughed. “No, really I am.”

“I don’t think you are.” Ivy was sincere in her observation but lacked the experience to identify his true intentions.

“I know you don’t. That’s why I’m telling you, so that I can protect us both. I’m one of those guys that will say whatever I can to get you in bed, and then do whatever I can to get you out of my life.” He looked her in her eyes although the discomfort of his truth made her nervous. “And I can’t believe that I just said that aloud.” He smiled and sighed simultaneously.

“No. I can’t believe that you’re that type of man,” she said in a near whisper avoiding eye contact.

“Believe it.” He took a sip of champagne and sat back on his couch. “Women like you that have been faithful and loving and devoted for years though, make me realize how much damage can be done from trying to feel that insatiable appetite we as men have. It’s like we need real love to survive, but we will settle for sex to get by. I’ve been getting by a long time.”

That was the first time he had ever heard himself admit to his wrongs. Before he had always made excuses for his lack of interest after sex or blamed the woman for their problems. Now, suddenly a burden seemed to be instantly lifted off of his shoulders just by telling a woman the truth. Ivy was just so easy for him to talk to tonight.

“One day you’ll meet someone capable of helping you survive, and you won’t need to get by anymore.” She patted him on the back and sat back in the couch sighing with some relief. His blatant honestly was very refreshing.

“If I ever meet a woman like you…beautiful, smart and ambitious, I am sure that I will be happy. I just hope that she comes when I’m near sixty and ready to settle down.” He winked at her.

“Lover boy,” Ivy said blushing.

The evening had taken a sudden change. Nicola’s plan was to wine and dine her right out of her clothes, but her honesty and sincerity made him ashamed of his intentions. Instead, he opted for real conversation with what he had found to be a real woman. Although her beauty mesmerized him and her sensuality aroused him, he would respect her and the man to whom she invisibly belonged.

“So what do two people do for five years?” Nicola tasted the lobster on his plate midway through their conversation. He hadn’t eaten all day, and his stomach had tightened with nervousness as the night progressed.

“You get to know each other. You take trips, fight, make love, help each other solve problems, and help each other avoid problems. You grow together…” The thoughts made her homesick for Grey.

“I bet he knows you inside out. I know after five years I would.” He could almost see himself with her for the rest of his life for a moment as the candlelight brightened her face.

“He knows me pretty well. He would probably freak out if he knew what I was doing right now.” She smiled devilishly.

“What? You aren’t doing anything.” He looked around the room dramatically. It was amazing just how sheltered Ivy had been.

“This
is
something.” Ivy giggled. “You don’t indulge in candlelight dinners with total strangers when you’re engaged. Well, we’re not technically engaged anymore, but you know what I mean. If we were…”

“But I’m not a total stranger. And you do engage in candlelight dinners, and dancing, and everything else that makes you happy before you marry. It’s not like you can do it after you’re married. Right?” Nicola said playing the devil’s advocate.

“Wrong, it’s cheating,” Ivy said sincerely, her angelic wings flapping behind her.

“It’s living,” he tugged at her side. “You’re allowed to experience…experiment before you marry. That’s the whole purpose of dating.”

“Please,” she said shaking her head. He was being preposterous. “To me you are nearly a total stranger. I don’t even know your middle name.”

Nicola didn’t understand how such a question would even matter. “Michael,” he said in a matter of fact tone. “My name is Nicola Michael Agosto. Now, tell me how that makes me any less of a stranger.”

Ivy thought for a moment. He was battling her intellect so she had to give an intelligent response. She bit her lip. “Now you’ve gone from a total stranger, to at least an associate. I know where you work, where you live, your full name and your ethnic background. By the way, what does Agosto mean in Italian?”