Chapter 24
IAN
I checked my phone for about the hundredth time on the ride from the studio to my place. Anxiety nibbled at the ends of my nerves. Why had Ivy been silent today? She could’ve been so wrapped up in the exhibition she hadn’t had time to respond to my texts properly. I’d expected her to bombard me with pictures of...silk, or whatever she was seeing at the museum.
I tapped my fingers on the stack of boxes next to me. I’d gotten so worried about Ivy wandering around London in her thin jacket, I’d called Sarah to bring some coats to the studio for her. Of course, I didn’t have a clue what size Ivy wore, but Sarah was able to figure it out from pictures and my description.
When the car dropped me off at my building, I balanced the three boxes in my arms and rode up the elevator, jabbing the button for the 32nd floor over and over, as if the repeated motion would make it go faster. I burst through the door and dropped the boxes straight to the floor.
Ivy, standing at the window in the dark, twisted her head over her shoulder. In the muted light, her face was a pale oval, and her eyes huge.
“Thank God, you’re home.”
I ate up the distance between us in two long strides and gathered her in my arms, squeezing, just to make sure she was real.
She squeaked, and I loosened my hold. “That’s some greeting.”
“Why are the lights out? Where have you been all day?”
I ran my hands down her arms. “I was worried.”
“Worried? I was at the museum.”
She scooted out of my embrace and flicked on the recessed lighting over the sofa, keeping her hand on the light switch in case she changed her mind and decided to cast us into darkness again.
“I expected some texts and pictures of the exhibit. I kept looking at my phone and—nothing.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “You took The Tube, didn’t you?”
“I did. I enjoyed it.”
She tipped her chin toward the boxes. “What’s in there?”
“Coats. That’s another thing. You were running around London all day in that ridiculous jacket, and it’s freezing outside. I had my stylist bring some coats to the studio.”
“Are you nuts? Who does that?”
She gave the boxes a side-eye. “I can shop for my own coat.”
I cocked my head and studied her closed-off face. Looked like she’d had a bad day. “Well, you weren’t doing it, and Sarah had some stuff to show me for the upcoming tour, anyway. From what I described, she was able to figure out a size for you. I picked out three coats, so you can return what doesn’t fit. Do you want to try them on?”
“Um, sure.”
She finally gave up her dominion over the light switch and moved toward the back rooms. “Bring the coats and follow me to the bedroom. I-I have something to show you in there, anyway.”
I quirked my eyebrows up and down. “Tinkerbell, I’ve seen it all before.”
I couldn’t raise a smile from her, so I gathered the boxes in my arms and staggered into the bedroom. The coats seemed to get heavier each time I carried them. I placed them on the floor, in a row.
She perched on the edge of the bed, her hands clasped between her knees, her head down. Her long hair created a shield around her face, hiding it from me.
I sat next to her, and her shoulder bumped mine as the mattress dipped. She inched away from me. It felt like miles. Hooking a finger around her thick hair, I pulled back the curtain. “Did something happen today? You said you had something to show me.”
“Yeah. I-I found something this morning.”
The blood drained from my head so fast, I felt dizzy. “Online? You found something online?”
Her head jerked to the side, and her nostrils flared. “No, right here in this bedroom.”
My gaze darted around the room wildly, desperately searching for the thing that had caused my warm sunshine to be replaced by this ice princess. “What?”
She bounced a little and said, “I found it underneath the bed, and I left it there.”
Took me a half second to drop to my knees and peer beneath the bed. I reached for the black knickers and dragged them out. Holding them with my fingertips, I asked, “Are they yours?”
“They’re not mine. I hate thongs.”
She gathered her hair into a ponytail with one hand. “I mean, yeah, sometimes the outfit requires a thong, but usually I don’t wear them. So, no. Not mine.”
I dropped the knickers, understanding punching me in the gut. “They’re not mine.”
She lifted her feet up, away from the offensive thong on the floor, pulled her knees to her chest, and wrapped her arms around her legs. “I didn’t think they were yours.”
Still crouching beside the bed, I fell back on my bum. “You know what I mean. They don’t belong to anyone I know, at least, not well.”
Ivy’s mouth dropped open, and she hugged her legs tighter.
“Wait. That’s not what I meant, either.”
I dragged a hand through my hair. She didn’t really believe I’d had another woman up here. “Can I explain?”
“I’m waiting, but you’re doing a shit job of it so far.”
I stayed on the floor. “Both times I relapsed I told you they happened here. The first time was with some old...friends. The second time was when we had a late session in the studio, and I invited a couple of the guys, a couple of the musicians, back to my place—Denny, who you met, and Giles, who plays keyboards. They picked up some booze on the way—the whiskey, the champagne, and some beer.”
“Do they know you’re in recovery?”
Her jaw hardened, and she had a murderous gleam in her eyes.
“They do, but c’mon, Ivy. They’re not my keepers. They can do what they want. It’s up to me. Always up to me.”
Her little hand formed a fist. “I knew that Denny was trouble the minute he walked into the studio with that scraggly beard and the smirk.”
I rolled my eyes. I’d better keep Denny away from her from here on out. “They came up here to party, and that’s when I drank the whiskey.”
“Drugs?”
She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, and I thought she was going to draw blood.
“No drugs, which I never used anyway, just the booze.”
“And women.”
I held up my hands. “Not for me. I left before that portion of the party started.”
“You left Denny and...the keyboardist here by themselves?”
“After a few rounds, Denny got the brilliant idea to call a woman he’s been casually dating.”
“Fucking.”
She practically growled.
“Whatever. He’s an adult, and so is she. You’ve suddenly become a pearl-clutcher over sex?”
“Go on.”
She flipped her hand through the air, as if giving me leave to continue.
“Once Denny mentioned the women, I bounced. Told them they could stay at my place, but that I was out of there. I had Jovan drive me back home, fell asleep in the car.”
I jabbed a finger at the knickers on the floor. “Denny obviously shagged his...friend, and she left those behind.”
“Eww, they had sex in your bed? Aren’t there like three other bedrooms in this place?”
“Exactly. Eww.”
I rose to my knees and hobbled before her. “Do you believe me?”
“Sounds sort of plausible, except for the part where you’d leave a party raging in your own place, and one of the guests decides to fuck in the host’s bed, and the friend leaves her panties behind.”
I snapped my fingers. “I’ll prove it to you. I’ll call Denny. I haven’t spoken to him about the knickers, right? Didn’t even know they were there. I’ll put him on speaker phone.”
“You don’t have to do that. I believe you.”
Her lashes swept her cheeks, and she wouldn’t look me in the eyes.
“I don’t want you to have any doubts, Tink. I need to prove it to you, so this is settled between us. I don’t want any misunderstandings or deception between us.”
I jumped to my feet to retrieve my phone from the other room.
When I returned, she’d un-pretzeled her body, her legs swinging from the side of the bed.
I scrolled through and found Denny’s contact info. I tapped to call him and enabled the speaker.
He picked up after two rings. “Hey, bro. That was some good work today. So proud to play on this record with you.”
“Thanks. You guys are brilliant. Hey, Denny, that night you and Giles were here...”
“Yeah, epic night, lad. Too bad you missed all the fun, but when I met your missus yesterday, I could understand why you skipped out. Ivy’s a stunner, proper fit, she is.”
Ian held his breath, willing Denny not to say anything else about Ivy.
“Emma brought two friends with her, and since you didn’t stay, guess who had a threesome.”
Denny made a crowing sound. “This bloke.”
I glanced over at Ivy, and she stuck a finger in her open mouth like she was vomiting. Yeah, definitely better to keep these two apart. “Congratulations. Did someone have sex in my bed because I found something underneath it.”
“Bro, not a used condom.”
Ivy made a gagging noise, and I pressed my finger to my lips. “Not that bad. It were a pair of black knickers. Belong to Emma?”
“Not sure. She never said. Might belong to one of them other birds, but I’m pretty sure you can toss ‘em.”
“So, you did have sex in my bed? Bro, that ain’t right.”
“Yeah, sorry about that. Emma got caught up looking out your window, and I got caught up in her. I did leave the bed messed up, so housekeeping would change the sheets. They did change the sheets, right?”
Ivy scrambled off the bed with a squeal, and I gave her a grin, relieved to have her back and relieved Denny proved my innocence—even though he was a wanker. “Sheets changed.”
“Okay, then. All good?”
“Cheers, Denny.”
I ended the call and held up the phone. “Does that work?”
Ivy skipped toward me and threw her arms around my neck. “I knew you didn’t do anything. I was scared, but I knew there had to be a reason those ugly things were under your bed.”
I kissed her, like I’d wanted to since I walked through the door, her sweet lips a cure for everything bad. “Okay, settled. Do you want to try on the coats now? I need to keep you safe and warm. Oh, and would you mind if we did the find my phone thing on each other’s phone—especially if you’re going to be traipsing around London on your own. I mean, you don’t have to if you think it’s creepy or stalkerish. I would’ve been less worried about your silence today if I could’ve seen you were still at the British Museum.”
“Yeah, that’s cool. That’s fine.”
She shook her finger. “Of course, that doesn’t work if someone attacks me, steals my phone, murders me, and stashes my body in the Underground.”
Frowning, I shook my head. “And then goes to the British Museum with your phone? That’s devious.”
She covered her mouth. “Oh. Speaking of devious. There’s something else I found out today.”
Just when my pulse had settled to a normal rate, her words made it race.
“Before I tell you...”
She put her hand over her heart “...I just want to let you know, I don’t believe it, especially after the panty explanation.”
“Must be bad. Should I sit down?”
I backed up to the edge of the bed.
“You probably should, but only if you’re absolutely sure those sheets are clean.”
I sank to the mattress. “What did you find out?”
“I talked to Chloe today.”
She paced in front of me, twisting her fingers—never a good sign. “She joined a dating app, called BlueFin.”
Ivy looked up at me expectantly, and I shrugged. She continued. “It’s an exclusive app. You have to apply and be accepted based on things like net worth and...”
she flapped her hands in the air “...probably what kind of car you drive.”
She stole another look at me as if this was supposed to make any sense at all. It didn’t.
“Anyway, BlueFin accepted her, and she created a profile on the site.”
“Good for Chloe...I guess, but I’m not getting the connection.”
Ivy squeezed her eyes shut and wrinkled her nose. “She told me you also have a profile on BlueFin.”
“Huh? Me?”
I poked myself in the chest just to make sure.
“Yes, but I told her it was a fake.”
She chewed her bottom lip. “Right?”
“You think I have a profile on a dating app? Like, I’m actually trying to get dates out here while I’m living with you?”
Ivy had said she didn’t believe it, but that’s not what this looked like. How many times did I have to defend myself?
“No, no. I don’t think that.”
She folded her arms across her mid-section. “And this Ian Pope doesn’t seem to be actively trying to get dates, but he is proposing some kinky activities. You don’t want to pee on me, do you?”
“What!”
I sprang from the bed and waved my arms in the air. “Is that what this fake Ian Pope is suggesting? That’s what people think I’m into?”
“It’s just like Duke Hammer, so obviously fake.”
Ivy stroked my back as I followed the pacing route she’d already worn into the carpet.
“But it’s not apparent to some people, is it? Chloe thought it was me, or she wouldn’t have called you.”
I shrugged away from her. “You must’ve had your doubts, especially after you found those knickers. Wait a minute. BlueFin? Fish site.”
“Yeah, I think it’s kinda fishy, too. What kind of dating app doesn’t vet its users?”
“I’m thinking about something Jack asked me a few days ago, something about a fish website.”
“Jack knows?”
Ivy kicked the pair of knickers across the room. “Why didn’t he do something about it if he knew?”
“I don’t know. Jack knows more than he lets on. He doesn’t tell me everything, and then only when it reaches critical proportions.”
I clasped my hands behind my neck. Could Jessica be responsible for this, too?
Ivy had crossed the room to the window and stared out, her forehead pressed against the glass. “Isn’t this critical? You’re releasing your single shortly. The focus should be on that, not your kinky tastes.”
I lifted one eyebrow. “What else am I demanding over there on BlueFin?”
Raising her shoulders to her ears, Ivy said, “I’m not sure what else. Sex in public places.”
“Does sex in the back garden count?”
I gave her a wink, and she turned a pretty shade of pink and poked me in the back.
“So, it is you.”
“That other Ian Pope sounds like an alright bloke, after all.”
I put my hands on either side of her, bracing them against the window. “You know what I’ve been fantasizing about ever since I brought you here last night?”
Her eyes got glassy as she ran the pink tip of her tongue across her lower lip, making me instantly hard. “What?”
I tapped the glass with my fingernail. “Taking you right here against this window in full view of...well, nothing because it’s a straight, unobstructed view of the river. So, I’m not quite as pervy as that other Ian Pope.”
Tilting her head, her hair fell over one of her beautiful hazel eyes. “Boats?”
“Pretty sure someone on a boat wouldn’t be able to see in a window this high.”
She licked her finger and drew a line on the glass. “We’d have to clean the window after. Couldn’t leave that mess for housekeeping.”
I had a mess alright. My mind snapped like an elastic band, jolting me back to reality. “Do you think Chloe could help?”
Ivy had been on her tiptoes, her teeth against my neck, and she nipped me.
“Ow.”
I rubbed the spot.
“Did Denny and his threesome give you some ideas, or are you just trying to compete with the other Ian Pope, now?”
She punched my bicep with all the force of a butterfly, a violent butterfly. “Chloe cannot help us.”
“Oof. I wasn’t thinking about that, Tink.”
With my fist, I erased the smudge on the glass she’d made with her spit. “I was talking about the BlueFin profile. Can she do damage control on that app? I’d insist on paying her this time.”
She slumped against the window, her hands behind her. “Maybe.”
I kissed her plump, pouty mouth. “I’m sorry, baby. We can play out the window fantasy later. I’m gonna call Jack about this recent assault.”
“Can I listen in? Then I’ll call Chloe to see what she can do on BlueFin to shut down the scam.”
“Let’s go in the other room.”
I nudged a box on the floor with my toe. “Can you start trying on these coats, so I can return the ones you don’t want to Sarah.”
“I’ll do it while you’re talking to Jack.”
She picked up one of the boxes and did an exaggerated stagger. “What’s in here, a rug?”
I took the box from her and carried it into the sitting room, while I located Jack’s number on my phone. I placed the box on the coffee table and called Jack. He didn’t answer, so I texted him.
Ivy jerked her thumb over her shoulder. “Do you want something to eat?”
“Not hungry. You go ahead. I’m gonna change clothes.”
As she wandered into the kitchen, I walked into the bedroom. I took off my socks and unbuttoned my shirt, letting it hang open on my chest. Sitting on the edge of the bed, I ruffled my hair. Had Ivy really gone through the entire day thinking I fucked some other bird, and then gone through half the day thinking I’d created a profile on a dating app and sent pervy messages? At least she’d given me a chance to explain before jumping down my throat the minute I walked into the flat.
My gaze wandered around the bedroom. I hadn’t put much thought into this place. I’d never considered it a home away from my primary home in the country. It had always been a crash pad—a very expensive crash pad, but not much more. It also held loads of...uncomfortable memories for me. I’d partied here more times than I could remember. I’d woken up hung over, unable to recall shit from the previous night, reading about my fuckups the next day along with everyone else. Maybe I could start changing all those memories. Create new ones. It would be cheaper than selling.
I could hear Ivy clinking around the kitchen, so I called out her name.
“Yeah, did you change your mind? Do you want something to eat.”
“I do want something to eat. Come in here.”
When she showed up at the bedroom door, I wiped the grin off my face and tried for bad boy moody.
“Yes?”
Her eyes widened. “Ooh, you look sexy sitting there with your shirt open.”
“Then take off your clothes.”
She smiled and wriggled in place. “Thought you weren’t in the mood.”
Grabbing the hem of her jumper, she pulled it over her head and tossed it into the corner. She had another shirt beneath the jumper, and she peeled this off, too and dangled it from her fingers before letting it drop to the floor.
Waving her hand at me, she said, “Your turn.”
I leaned back on my elbows and spread my legs open, my bulge on full display. “We’re not doing that.”
“N-no?”
She sucked in her bottom lip, which made me even harder than I already was. She undid her pants and tugged them over her hips. She kicked them away and crossed her legs, putting one foot on top of the other. “Now, is it your turn?”
I lodged my tongue in the corner of my mouth and shook my head.
“Okay.”
She flipped her bra straps from her shoulders and dragged the backstrap to the front to unhook it. Then she threw it behind her. I didn’t make a move, and she crossed her arms over her chest to cover her tits. “Now?”
I rubbed my cock through my pants—didn’t mean to but couldn’t help it. “You’re not fully naked, yet.”
“I see what you’re doing.”
Turning her back to me, she hooked her thumbs in the elastic of her knickers and slipped them over her round ass. She glanced over her shoulder and gave me a wink. “Come and get it, big boy.”
“Not so fast.”
She spun around, her mouth forming an O, and I said, “You know those high heels you were wearing at the studio yesterday?”
“Yessss.”
“Put them on.”
“Really? I...”
“Do it.”
She narrowed her eyes, and they glittered in the low light like a cat’s. “Are you going all Fifty Shades on me?”
I flattened the smile from my lips and repeated, “Do it.”
She flounced to the closet and ducked inside while I readjusted my cock. My nuts were aching already. How did that Fifty Shades bloke hold out for so long?
She strutted out of the closet, the stiletto heels on her feet causing her tits and ass to jut out at a sexy angle. Licking my lips, I sat forward and shrugged off my shirt.
“Ooh, now we’re getting somewhere.”
As she took a step toward me, I held out my hand. “Stop, turn around, and go to the window.”
She jerked her head toward the window and the twinkling lights on the shore across the river. “W-won’t someone see me?”
“I told you, there’s...”
I stopped myself and roughened my voice “—maybe they will.”
“Oh, I know. You’re trying to be like that other Ian Pope from BlueFin. The kinky one.”
I put a finger to my lips and then pointed to the window. She walked toward it, her hips swaying seductively, and my balls tightened.
When she reached the window, she turned around, placing her palms against the glass behind her. “Are you going to do me against the window in view of...whatever’s out there?”
“Maybe—if you’re a good girl.”
Her lips parted, and she put a hand to her throat. “What do you want me to do?”
“Touch yourself.”
Her fingers went to her pussy so fast, I knew she was already turned on, and a bead of sweat rolled down my back. As she started playing with herself, I asked, “Are you wet?”
She gasped and whispered, “Yes.”
“Keep going. Make yourself come. I wanna watch.”
At this point, Ivy didn’t need any encouragement from me. Her head fell back, hitting the window, but she didn’t seem to notice. She let out a groan, and my racing pulse had me almost panting.
A flush of heat rose through my body, and I undid my pants, peeling them open. The tip of my cock stuck out the top of my briefs, and I rubbed the bead of pre-cum around the head as I watched Ivy fall apart at the window.
She squeezed her eyes closed, and her legs trembled. “I can’t...I can’t...”
she slid down the glass into a squat, her knees spread apart, her fingers still buried in her pussy. She cried out when she came, rocking forward, cupping her hand over her cunt. My cock pulsed in my grip.
Enough of this watching shit. Totally overrated. I kicked off my pants and practically stumbled in my desire to reach her. She’d fallen on her bum and closed her legs, her tits heaving with every shuddering breath she took.
I hovered over her, brushing her hair off her face. Leaning forward, she wrapped her lips around my cock. The sensation made my head explode but if she sucked me off, I’d be done in under a minute. I pulled out of her warm, wet mouth.
I cinched my hands around her waist and slid her body up the window. Then with one hand, I pinned her wrists over her head against the glass and kissed her parted lips as my cock skimmed her belly. With her four-inch heels, she was closer to my height, and she pressed her body against mine, skin to skin. I could still feel the heat pulsing from her cunt, and I slipped my finger inside her. She gasped and lurched against me.
I nibbled on her shoulder, peering at the lights on the river. I whispered in her ear. “Maybe someone’s watching us right now.”
Her body shivered. “Then we’d better give them a show.”
She sucked my bottom lip between her teeth and murmured, “Fuck me.”
Sinking my fingers in the soft flesh of her ass, I hoisted her up, and she wrapped her legs around my hips. I took her hard nipple into my mouth at the same time I dipped the head of my cock into her pussy. When I pulled out, she dug her fingernails into my scalp. “Stop. Teasing. Me.”
I slid into her, and she arched, bumping her head against the glass again. Her hands dropped to my shoulders, slick with sweat, and she tongued my earlobe. I moved harder and deeper, each of my strokes drawing a breathy squeak from her.
While I’d been teasing her, I’d been teasing myself, and my release coiled inside me like a feral beast. My heart thundered beneath the ivy tattoo, animating it into a living thing that burned against my chest. As I pounded her, the same feeling overcame me as it did every time I fucked her. Deeper. More. Closer. I wanted to possess her, but at the same time, I knew she’d taken control of my entire being. It didn’t matter where it started with her—playful, a base need just to fuck her and shoot my wad, or tender loving—it always ended here. With my need.
I came hard, driving her against the window as she clung to me, her teeth bared against my throat. My body heaved one last time, and I shuddered, my hunger spent and satiated.
She kissed the side of my neck, and my eyelids flew open. I said, “Your turn, baby. Do you want me to go down on you? Or I could keep going.”
“Honestly, my legs are tired. If you weren’t impaling me with your dick, I’d fall over.”
“Poor thing.”
I brushed the pad of my thumb across her soft lips. “I can carry you to the bed.”
“Weak and starving.”
She dropped one leg. “You interrupted me when I was making myself a snack.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry. Were you thinking about food the entire time I was fucking you?”
“Only half the time.”
She reached around and smacked my ass. “And now I need to take a shower.”
“You take a shower, and I’ll go into the kitchen and get you something to eat.”
Fifteen minutes later, Ivy returned wearing the same clothes she’d shed in the bedroom in her sexy striptease. I handed her a plate with some bread and cheese and as she wolfed it down, my phone rang. “It’s Jack.”
I answered, “Alright?”
“Hey, mate. How’d the session go today?”
“Went great.”
I sat on the arm of the sofa, while Ivy returned from the kitchen and lifted the lid from the box. She gasped, her eyes widening as she pulled the coat free from the crinkling tissue paper.
“Brilliant, and I’ve got some good news for you. The suits have agreed to releasing that second recorded version of ‘Lost and Found’ as the lead single from the album.”
Ivy had been twirling around the room in the coat, but when she heard Jack’s news, she danced over to me and kissed me. God, I loved her.
I spoke into the phone. “That is good news. Thanks for pushing it.”
“Wasn’t much of a push. They were thrilled with it. We’re going to release it in a few weeks, get it out before Christmas, so get ready for a big promo blitz. Then we’ll go with ‘Muse’ and probably ‘Van at Greek’ before we release the album. Starting to schedule concert dates based on the buzz alone. We’ll look at how the singles perform and ticket sales for the shows in the UK before expanding. We’re back, baby.”
A sudden spasm of anxiety clutched my heart. What if the singles didn’t do well? What if nobody bought tickets to the concerts? What if the critics savaged the record? I ran my tongue around my dry mouth. I’d almost forgotten what I’d called about, but remembering amped up my apprehension even more.
Ivy sat beside me on the sofa, still wrapped in the wool cashmere coat, the sleeve soft against my arm and her lips on my neck even softer. She tickled my ear with a whisper. “Whatever happens. It’s going to be okay.”
She always knew what to say to me—no false bluster about how every single would be a great hit or how much the critics would love the album or how all the concerts would sell out in minutes. Just the calm reassurance that any outcome would be fine. That she’d be by my side whatever the result. It’s all I ever wanted.
I squared my shoulders. “We’re not back yet, Jack, but this is a good start, and I appreciate the confidence. But we still have a problem.”
“What do you mean? Did Jessica contact you?”
Jack’s voice went up several octaves.
“Thankfully, no, but it looks like she’s back at it. That fishy site you mentioned to me before is the celeb dating app BlueFin, right? Ivy’s friend was on there and saw my fake profile and read the fake messages. Ivy thinks Chloe can help like she did before with the Duke Hammer pictures. We need to handle this before the single drops. Seriously.”
“Yeah, I got wind of the BlueFin messages a few weeks ago, but it’s gotten worse than that, mate.”
“Worse? How could it get any worse?”
I shot a worried look at Ivy, and she squeezed my hand.
“Jessica has a sex tape—of you—and she’s threatening to release it to the highest bidder.”