11. Ivy
11
IVY
I walk around the living room while Julian is showering, deciding on how I want to entertain myself. I'm surprised that I actually like the social media detox, even if sometimes I wish I could just doom scroll on the couch.
I've picked up a few hobbies beyond eating and watching movies, but nothing really holds my interest. Instead, I walk around until I spot a weird key on the counter.
Intrigue has me moving around the apartment, looking for the area that it unlocks. But no doors are even closed.
As I come back around, I find myself looking at the elevator that opens into the penthouse. Curiosity gets the better of me as I walk toward it.
"I'll be back before he's even out."
I suppose I could wait, to ask Julian what it goes to and if I can see. But I don't want to bother him and it really is just a little curiosity that I want soothed.
The elevator doors ping open as I press the button to my surprise. They've always been locked since I've been here - though maybe it's the key. Inside, I spot a slot that the key slides into easily. When I turn it, the elevator doors close and unease slithers through me.
But when the door slides open and I see it's a connected private garage, I take a tentative step out. My breath catches at the transformation inside. What should be a utilitarian space has become a winter fantasy. Twinkling white lights drape from the ceiling in graceful arcs, casting a soft glow over everything below. Artificial snow blankets the ground in pristine drifts, complete with subtle sparkles that catch the light.
My heels crunch in the synthetic powder as I venture deeper into the space. Just as Julian promised, my little blue Prius sits in the corner - looking hilariously out of place among the luxury vehicles. Julian's midnight black Bentley takes center stage, flanked by a silver Aston Martin and blood-red Ferrari.
Frosted pine garlands wind around support pillars, their tips dusted with that same ethereal snow. The scent of real evergreen mingles with the crisp winter air flowing through hidden vents. Small mechanical birds, perched on decorated branches, twitter soft winter melodies that echo in the cavernous space.
"This is incredible," I whisper, running my fingers along a snow-covered workbench. The attention to detail amazes me - even the tools have been artfully arranged and decorated with tiny icicles.
I circle the cars again, admiring how the lights play off their polished surfaces. My reflection fragments across the Bentley's dark paint, multiplying me into a thousand tiny versions of myself. The whole scene feels surreal, like stepping through a portal into some magical dimension where winter never ends.
I shouldn't even be surprised that the garage is decorated, too. It's not like Julian ever half-asses anything.
I turn back toward the elevator, ready to return upstairs before Julian notices I'm gone. The doors slide open with a soft ding that echoes through the garage. My heart stops.
Julian fills the doorway, wearing nothing but black slacks, his chest still damp from the shower. His ice-blue eyes lock onto mine, and the temperature in the garage plummets. His jaw tightens, a muscle ticking beneath his skin.
"I-I was just..." The words stick in my throat as he stalks toward me, each step deliberate and predatory.
"What exactly were you just doing?" His voice comes out low, controlled - which somehow makes it worse than if he'd yelled.
"The key was on the counter, and I got curious." I take a step back, bumping into his Bentley. "I didn't mean-"
His hand shoots out, catching my jaw. His grip isn't painful, but it's firm enough that I can't look away from those cold eyes as he drags me forward. "You didn't mean to what? Sneak down here while I was in the shower?"
It's obvious what he thinks. I was trying to find my car - but I had no clue that's even where this led.
"No! I swear I wasn't trying to leave." My hands press against his chest, but he doesn't budge. "I just wanted to see where the key led." Tears fill my eyes as the weight of his disappointment threatens to crush me. "That's all."
"And you couldn't wait to ask me?" His thumb traces along my jawline, the gentle touch at odds with his hard expression. "Couldn't give me that basic courtesy?"
"I'm sorry. I thought... I didn't think it would matter." My voice comes out small, desperate. "Look at all the decorations - it's beautiful down here. I wasn't doing anything wrong."
But I can see in his eyes that my words aren't reaching him. His grip tightens fractionally, and my pulse races beneath his fingers.
"You don't get to decide what matters, Ivy." Each word drops like ice between us. "Not here. Not with me."
I know I've crossed a line. I shouldn't have just left - because of course he would think I was trying to leave. But I wasn't. I want him to see that I would pick him if he just gave me the chance.
Before I can respond, he releases my jaw and grabs my wrist, pulling me toward the Bentley.
"Julian, what are you doing?" My voice trembles, but he doesn't answer. He sits down on the hood of the car, pulling me over his knee in one swift motion. I gasp, shocked by the sudden change in position.
"Since you seem to have trouble following the rules, it's time for a lesson." His voice is calm, controlled, but there's an undercurrent of danger that makes my heart race.
I try to push myself up, but his hand presses firmly against my back, holding me in place. I don't normally fight him but it doesn't sit well with me that I hurt him, actually hurt him by thinking that I would leave. "Julian, please?—"
"Quiet." The command is sharp, and I still immediately. I hear a soft rustling, and then something cool and smooth traces along the back of my thighs. I glance back to see he's plucked a large, decorative candy cane from the ground.
The first strike is sharp, a stinging pain that cuts through the silence. I cry out, more from surprise than pain. Julian's hand soothes the spot immediately, a gentle stroke that confuses my senses.
"You disobeyed me, Ivy." Another strike, this one harder. The pain blooms, and I squirm against his hold. My thighs rub together as the pain turns me on. His hand is there again, gentle, soothing. "You went where you weren't supposed to." Another strike. "You are supposed to stay by my side."
The alternating sensations are overwhelming. Sharp pain followed by gentle touches, each one pushing me closer to the edge as the pain and pleasure mix until it's unbearable. I can feel the tears welling up, the apologies on the tip of my tongue.
"I'm sorry," I whisper, my voice breaking. "I'm so sorry, Julian."
The strikes come faster now, each one followed by a caress that leaves me begging for more. I can feel the heat building between my legs, the desperate need for release. But Julian is in control, and he won't let me finish. Not until he's ready.
"Please," I cry out, the tears streaming down my face. "Please, Julian."
He pauses, his hand resting on my heated skin. "Please what, Ivy?"
"Please let me come," I beg, my body trembling with need. "I can't take it anymore."
His hand moves between my legs, a gentle touch that has me moaning in relief. But he doesn't give me what I want, not yet. His fingers tease, stroking softly, building the tension until I'm on the verge of sobbing.
"Not until you apologize sincerely," he says, his voice stern. "Not until you mean it."
"I'm sorry," I cry out, the words torn from my throat. "I'm so sorry, Julian. I won't disobey you again. I won't go anywhere without you."
His fingers move faster, pushing me closer to the edge. "Again," he demands. "Say it again."
"I'm sorry," I repeat, my voice breaking. "I'm so sorry, Julian. Please, please let me come."
And then, finally, he gives me what I need. His fingers push me over the edge, and I come undone, my body convulsing with the force of my release. The tears stream down my face, a mix of pain and pleasure that leaves me breathless.
Julian's hand soothes my skin, his touch gentle now. "Good girl," he murmurs, the approval in his voice making my heart swell. "That's my good girl."
I lay there, draped over his knee, my body still trembling with the aftershocks. I've never felt so vulnerable, so exposed. But at the same time, I've never felt so cared for, so protected.
And in that moment, I know I'm his. Completely, utterly his.
Julian lifts me into his arms, cradling me against his chest. His heartbeat thuds steady and strong beneath my ear as he carries me toward the elevator. The synthetic snow crunches under his feet with each step.
"You did so well for me," he murmurs, his lips brushing my temple. His praise washes over me, soothing the lingering sting. The doors open and he steps in. "Taking your punishment like that."
I curl into him as he takes me back upstairs, and I know that the punishment soothed him more than anything else. And if that's what he needs, then I'll take it. I want to be that for him.
Julian carries me to the living room, taking a seat but not letting me go. His arms cage me, protective rather than confining. The contrast strikes me - how different this feels from Travis.
When I disappointed Travis, he'd storm off to the bar or lock himself in his home office for hours, sometimes days. Clearly, he was finding someone else to spend his time with. But the silence would stretch until I apologized, even when I hadn't done anything wrong.
But Julian... he confronted the issue head-on. Yes, he punished me, but he stayed present. Connected. His touch never left my skin, alternating between discipline and comfort.
"Thank you," I whisper against his chest, breathing in his clean shower scent mixed with subtle cologne.
His fingers thread through my hair, massaging my scalp. "For what, sweet girl?"
"For caring enough to be upset. For not shutting me out." My voice cracks on the words as memories of Travis's cold shoulders and slammed doors flash through my mind.
Julian's arms tighten around me. "I will never shut you out, Ivy. You're mine." His hand cups my cheek, tilting my face up to meet his intense gaze. "Even when you misbehave."
The safety I feel in his embrace overwhelms me. This man, who most find terrifying, treats me with such care. Such devotion. Travis made me feel small, insignificant. But Julian makes me feel precious. Protected.
I press closer, letting his warmth seep into my bones. For the first time, I understand that sometimes love doesn't look like flowers and sweet words. Sometimes it looks like firm boundaries and consequences. Like a man who cares enough to correct rather than ignore.
Not that I would fall in love or anything.