6. Ivy
Ivy
Holding on to my newfound steely resolve, I take a long shower in a bathroom full of products that I love and use daily.
I have no idea how that bastard organized everything. He’s obviously a stalker with control issues!
So, I ignore it all and wash away the events of last night and earlier today, wincing at the soreness of my backside.
Unexpectedly, both my upper arms are sore and slightly itchy.
I have no idea what caused that, nor do I want to investigate it. I’m still traumatized over what happened to me last night.
I don’t want to remember the fear or how powerlessness I felt, let alone the horror of being assaulted.
But sometimes, controlling our minds is easier said than done.
As if intending to torture me, my own mind blasts images of one brute, mountain of a man, carefully taking care of me by braiding my hair, cleaning me up, and rubbing my back when I threw up. And that was all before he took care of me in other ways… but I’m not going to dwell on that either.
What’s over is over. There’s no sense in going back and forth about that.
On the vanity, I find a luxurious-looking bruise ointment was left strategically by someone. I ignore who it might be and use it.
Leaving the bathroom, I come to a dead stop when I notice the huge rack of clothes displayed artfully and dominantly in the middle of the large bedroom.
Next to it are boxes upon boxes of obviously new shoes.
Not only that, there’s also a vanity table with LED lights around the mirror, filled with brand-new makeup, brushes, tools, skincare products, and even jewelry boxes on the counter.
“What in the name…” I mutter.
I walk toward the rack of clothes… noticing from a glance that they’re all in my size, new, and definitely designer.
“When did he even do all this?” I whisper.
“Oh please. My cousin doesn’t do such trivial things as shopping,” a smoky female voice suddenly says. “Unless you count shopping for souls, that is.”
Whipping my head around so fast that I almost snap my own neck, I notice a tall, slender pink-haired, drop-dead gorgeous beauty standing by the door.
Her arms are crossed, but what makes a chill go down my spine in the sharp, cold look in her eyes, watching me with suspicion.
“Uh, your cousin?” I mumble. “You’re Emmett’s cousin?”
Jesus, just how much do I really know about that guy? I grew up with him, for crying out loud!
The girl gives me a once-over.
“You did all this?” I ask awkwardly.
“I was given explicit instructions to do so,” she says haughtily. “Apparently, today’s a really special day for you, so I had to get nothing but the ultra-best!”
Has Emmett already spread the word about the dirty work he wants me to do?
“You know, my cousin isn’t the type to ask for favors, let alone cash in on the ones people owe him,” the girl continues, her tone cold and sharp.
Yeah, that sounds about assholery.
“Though, to be fair, he’s done more for me than my own father ever has.
” She waves her hand, a small but sad smile on her face, but then she looks back at me with a frown.
“So imagine my shock when he called me with highly specific instructions in the wee hours of the morning to get all this for you!”
“You sound like he never calls you,” I mutter.
“Oh, you’d be surprised at the ways he gets people’s attention.”
I fall silent, remembering the way Emmett can stand silent and indifferent even in a room full of people and still attract all the attention.
“Who the hell are you?”
“Uh, I’m Ivy.”
“ Sì, sì , I know your name, but who are you ?” she asks seriously, her Italian accent now clearly notable.
I wonder if Emmett speaks Italian. God, how would he sound in that brusque, deep timbre?
“Hello?” The girl waves a hand in my direction.
“Huh?” I choke. “What did you say?”
The girl eyes me silently.
“Years ago, when I first started experimenting with makeup, my skin broke out with a horrible reaction. My cousin didn’t care one bit.
So why is it that he not only knows the specific makeup to get for a certain Ivy, but he also knows the shade number for the foundation, the contour, and everything else he has repeatedly jested at, saying is a waste of time? ”
The girl’s voice is suspicious and intrigued.
“He even told me your cup size and underwear sizes…” she says, narrowing her eyes with a sly smirk on her face. “You must have one hell of a c?—”
“I’m not sleeping with him!” I shout, then clamp a hand over my mouth in horror.
“Really?” the girl says, looking at me in mock suspicion and disbelief.
Oh God, this is not what I signed up for today…
“I’m not sleeping with your cousin,” I state, somewhat rattled by the judgement in the girl’s eyes. “We don’t have that sort of relationship.”
Or any relationship, for that matter. Unless you count the one of bondage…
The girl tilts her head to the right, as if examining me.
“Then who are you? I’ve known him all my life and never has he ever paid this much attention to a human being before, so much so that he goes out of his way to meet every need.”
My chest starts burning.
Emmett’s attention to detail has been a major turn-on for most of my life.
He’s always been keenly attuned to every need, thinking of the smallest details.
But the truth is, there’s nothing unique about me. Emmett is naturally attentive to our friends too.
“I doubt that,” I mutter, not wanting to believe it. “He’s just a control freak with too much money.”
The girl surprises me by agreeing with me.
“You know, he owns this entire building, booted out every tenant simply because he doesn’t want the stress.
Other billionaires have wooed him to try and buy an apartment, but he turned them away,” she says with a chuckle.
“But you’re wrong about the control freak part.
There’s no one in this world that doesn’t care about things and people the way he does. ”
Unease trickles down my back. Emmett really is that way… everyone saw it but me.
“This world is dust and nothing and no one in it matters to him,” the girl says seriously. “Everything and everyone is either something that he can use, ignore, or discard. But never has he done such things for another human being the way he has taken care of you, so again, who are you?”
I grip the edge of the bathrobe I’m wearing and try to regulate my breathing.
“You just said the answer yourself,” I mutter. “ All things are either something that he can use, ignore, or discard ,” I say, repeating her words.
Pain slithers through my chest, but I ignore it. Now isn’t the time to sink into my depression. I have work to do.
“You should also know that the people my cousin uses tend to be the ones who go to the extremes just to impress him, not the other way round.”
“I’m not interested in pleasing that jerk!”
The girl throws her head back and laughs.
“Is this some type of lovers’ quarrel?” She chuckles, clearly enjoying herself. “When my cousin called, I almost froze up like an icicle with shock. Then I asked who it was for and he said it’s for someone I should do well not to mess with.”
“What?”
“It’s true.” She nods, clearly amused and curious. “He even called me at an ungodly hour of the morning and gave me just two hours to get everything! Can you imagine?”
“Uhh…”
“I had to call in favors to some pretty inaccessible places for you. You’d think he’d be appreciative but when I came to deliver everything, I had to practically beg for a peek at you, but he glared at me and told me to go away.”
“Maybe he doesn’t like people?”
“I’m his favorite cousin and I still get the cold treatment! I only managed to convince him to let me stay by offering to set everything up for you for convenience, but even then, he made me wait five freaking hours because he didn’t want anyone to disturb you while you slept!”
“You waited for five hours?” I croak.
“Yup!” she says with a shrug. “I actually never wait for anyone, but I have to say, looking at you now and listening to the way you ridicule my cousin, ha!” She laughs joyfully. “You’re absolutely worth it!”
The glint in her eye makes me shiver. This isn’t someone to trifle with.
“Uh, I don’t know what to say to that,” I mumble.
“Maybe start with who you are to my cold, emotionless cousin? I practically had to escape his shadows down there to come up here again.”
“You got past Kai and Ty?” Those two don’t look like anyone can get past them.
“Girl, I’m an Easton. I can get past anything and anyone, apart from my cousin, but that’s beside the point.”
Looking at her now, she has a remarkable resemblance to a woman who I only met once in my life… a long time ago.
“You’re beautiful,” she suddenly says. “Are you really not sleeping with him?”
The girl taps her chin in an adorable way as she studies me.
“You’re in his master bedroom, just came out of his bathroom, wearing his bathrobe, and even though the bed was being made when I was allowed to come up, I did notice the sheets were rumpled with evidence of some heated baby-making festivities but most evident of all, my cousin called me.”
Feeling my skin heat up. Hearing the words ‘baby making’ hits different now.
“Regardless of the suggestive optics, I can assure you, he and I have never.”
“Well of course, you’re not married yet.”
“Huh?”
The girl waves her hand dismissively. “My cousin’s nothing if not extremely respectful and honorable, even when he’s ruthless.”
Wait, what? Is she trying to say that Emmett is honorable when it comes to extramarital relations? No way!
“What are you trying to say?” I ask, my heart thundering in my chest.
But my mind is already buzzing.
Emmett hardly touches me, let alone outrightly flirt.
The last time something extreme happened between us was when I was on his lap when we were on the plane on our way to New York. Even then, it felt like we would’ve both combusted just from the raw intensity alone.
We hardly hug.
We never hold hands.
Yes, we’ve danced.