Chapter Three
Another day of waking up to Michelle screaming with excitement again, “Michelle, if you don’t shut up screaming, I will shove a sock down your throat!!” Aliannah shouted from her bed as she looked at the alarm clock. It was 8 am. Saturday morning. What the hell had anyone screaming at 8 am on a Saturday? Aliannah was still half asleep from working late last night, and she shuffled into the kitchen. It was Michelle’s birthday weekend, and coffee was essential. Once the liquid of the gods had been secured, Aliannah made her way into the sitting room. There was now a second bouquet of peonies on the coffee table. This one was even bigger than yesterday. Aliannah knew who the sender was without looking at the card in Michelle’s hand.
Aliannah, darling, please – I.
“Who is this, Mr I? And why is he sending more flowers? What happened in Europe, Aliannah??” Michelle looked concerned for her friend. These flowers were expensive, and this guy clearly had no plans of letting up. Aliannah shook her head. She took the card from Michelle and put it in her robe pocket. Unwilling to talk about Ivan yet, Aliannah suggested they both get ready and head out for a birthday celebration breakfast. Michelle went running to get ready. Aliannah let out a breath. She knew Michelle would not give in on wanting to know the truth, but for now, at least she could distract her.
By 10 am, the girls were ready to go out. It was mild and sunny today, so they took full advantage of this and went to Cherubs Tearooms. A lovely little café in Central Park, it was very heavily Valentine-themed but so perfectly Instagrammable, and the view from the terrace overlooking the lake was Aliannah’s favourite. She loved coming here to decompress. She enjoyed watching the people going out on the row boats, the children playing with remote control boats, not to forget the most precious of all, the swans. The grace with which they glided over the water was just memorising. The girls sat in their usual spot out on the terrace and ordered a hearty breakfast of croissants, pastries and cakes; it was a birthday breakfast, after all – who said it had to be nutritional?
“If I eat any more, I will explode”, Michelle announced after downing her fourth croissant with jam in it. Aliannah nodded in agreement as she sipped her coffee. Thankful she had opted for comfy leggings instead of her jeans. Jeans were certainly not a food-eating item of clothing. They did not allow room for full bellies at all!
“Let’s go shopping. I am sure the sales have started. It will be fun to see what we find. I need a dress for tonight anyway.” Aliannah was eager to find something new to wear to the club tonight. Finding a new man was exactly what she needed after leaving Ivan in Croatia, even if it was just a dance partner for the night.
Having fuelled up on Michelle’s birthday breakfast, they were ready to shop the day away. They hit all the major stores, and Michelle bought something in every store. A dress here, a handbag there, many… many pairs of shoes too. They had to have a courier take the haul back to their building. Harry would have no problem storing their purchases in his back office until they returned. Aliannah had yet to find something that gave her that must-buy zing.
The girls strolled along the high street, passing by the windows of various high-end boutiques, when Michelle grabbed Aliannah by the arm and dragged her inside one. Wilamena’s was luxurious. The interior was cream, so spotless you would be afraid that merely looking at it would dirty it.
“The dress on the mannequin in the window, do you have that in a small?” Michelle called out to the sales assistant, who nodded and fetched one from the rail. When she returned, Michelle handed it to Aliannah and demanded that she try it on. Aliannah obliged. A few minutes later, she emerged from the fitting room. The dress was mid-thigh with a deep V-neck cut in a deep shade of red. Expensive red, exactly the shade of red Ivan loved to see her in, and it was her favourite colour. Unsure, Aliannah walked to the mirror in the middle of the store for a better look.
“I don’t know Michelle… I’m not sure if it’s the colour or the neckline” Michelle knew this was her favourite colour. The confusion on her face was clear to Aliannah. Aliannah did another spin in the mirror before deciding it was not to be. The sales assistant popped up out of what seemed like thin air, holding the same dress but in royal blue.
Michelle squealed again. “This will totally bring out your eyes! You must try it!”
A few moments later, Aliannah returned from the fitting room in the royal blue dress. Michelle gasped. It was perfect. Aliannah twirled and smiled as she judged herself in the mirror. Although she loved the red dress, this blue one was the better choice. She had silver heels and accessories at home that would pair beautifully with this dress.
“I’ll take this one, please,” Aliannah said out loud. She went to the fitting room and changed back into her clothes before heading up to the till to check out. Aliannah was really looking forward to tonight; even though it was Michelle’s birthday, Aliannah was happy to feel good about her outfit choice.
Late afternoon, the girls returned to their building.
“My god, you girls have been fiercely busy today!” Harry greets them by grabbing the cart from his back office, which is loaded with evidence of a very successful shopping day. The girls just laughed.
“All in a day’s work, Harry. All in a day’s work,” Aliannah smiled as they took the cart to the lift and up to their apartment with the promise of sending the empty cart back down in the lift when they had unloaded their haul.
It was primping time. Thankfully, their apartment had more than one bathroom, or they would never be ready for anything. The legs were shaved, the brows were tamed, and the makeup was applied flawlessly. A quick photo shoot on their balcony, and they were ready to go!
The first stop of the evening was the rooftop bar on the Empire State Building for cocktail hour. Looking out over the New York skyline is something Aliannah would never tire of. Often, she would wonder what it would be like to live as a bird, even a disgusting pigeon, purely for the ability to glide through the skies over New York and take in the sights. It must be surreal. They also took the opportunity to dine in the restaurant there to “line the stomachs” before their night continued. It did feel strange to be all glammed up while dishing on a cheeseburger and fries, but needs must! The girls learned their lesson many times: to prepare for a night out, one must eat something first.
It only took a few minutes before Aliannah managed to hail a cab to take them to Zino’s. They were regulars there, and even though Aliannah had been away for the last three months, the bouncer waved them on through the VIP line like no time had passed at all.
“Thanks, Gavin!” The girls chimed as they went into the club.
“No problem, ladies, happy birthday, Mich! And welcome back, Ali! Hope Europe treated you well” Gavin winked at Michelle as he reached to speak to the walkie-talkie strapped to his shoulder.
Gavin was Michelle’s on-again, off-again situation-ship; Aliannah knew she would be going home alone tonight. The club was packed. They were guided to the VIP booth by one of the bottle girls, who brought over a bottle of vodka and sparklers. The music cut and the DJ's voice came over the microphone.
“Ladies and gents, we have a very special guest joining us in the house tonight! Can we all cheer a big Happy Birthday to the one, the only Michelle Westbrook!”
The crowd erupted in cheers and sang as Happy Birthday blared over the speakers. The girls looked at each other and said “Gavin” at the same time. Although they were not exclusive, it was very clear to anyone who looked that Gavin cared deeply for Michelle. He stood across the club by the door, smiling at Michelle as the fuss quietened down before going back to the door to resume his duties. The only person to ever look at Aliannah that way before was Ivan. Aliannah shook her head. Tonight was not about thinking of Ivan; it was about forgetting Ivan. She picked up her glass, downed its contents and grabbed Michelle’s hand to head to the dance floor.
Aliannah let the music take control of her body. She closed her eyes, shook her hips to the beat and lost herself in the momentum. It was not long before a pair of male hands found their way around her waist, and Aliannah indulged the man and ground up against him. The dance floor was so packed it was not long before a layer of sweat covered her body from all the dancing. The man had an Armani shirt on; he looked and smelled delicious. She danced with him all night save for a few dances she had with Michelle, who was beside her.
Pre-Europe, Aliannah would have strongly considered going home with Mr Armani-shirt. However, post-Europe, Aliannah was still processing what happened with Ivan. She thought she was ready to move on, but deep down, she was not. She also had the feeling that someone was watching them, and she didn’t mean Gavin, who would lap the dance floor every so often during his bouncer duties.
She kissed Mr Armani-shirt a couple of times throughout the night, but when the house lights came on and the night was over, she politely declined his invitation to go home with him. Aliannah and Michelle waited at the bar after closing for Gavin to finish his shift. The manager didn’t mind this as the girls would often help with the clean-up while they waited.
“Why didn’t you go with Mr Armani? He was yummy!” Michelle said with her head cocked to one side.
“Oh, I just wasn’t in the mood for any of that tonight. Between the travel home, the gala and our day shopping – I am running on empty” Aliannah laughed off Michelle’s remarks.
All the patrons of the club left fairly quickly, and Gavin got the go-ahead from the manager to clock off a little early for Michelle’s birthday. The manager also gave strict orders. “Get those lovely ladies home safely, Gavin. They are far too beautiful to walk alone in the streets of New York at night”. Gavin saluted his manager and nodded in agreement as he put on his coat and led the girls out the side door of the club.
Michelle was going back to Gavin’s apartment that night, so they all piled into a cab to drop Aliannah at their building on the way to Gavin’s. Aliannah thanked them as she got out at their building and waved goodbye as she walked inside. Harry was at the lobby desk, as always. Does that man ever go home? He greeted her as she walked in.
“You just missed a courier for you, Aliannah.” She checked the time on her phone; it was almost 2 a.m. What courier delivered this late? Harry handed her a large, flat black box with a black velvet bow tied around it. There was no card on the front.
Aliannah looked confused. “I don’t have anything on order, Harry. Are you sure it is for me? It is a very odd hour for a delivery like this.” She examined the box further, flipping it over to check for any indication of who could have sent it or the courier name – there was nothing.
Harry nodded, “Yes, the man said it was for Aliannah Stackton. He was rather odd, now that you mention it. He had a motorbike helmet on, but he wore a black suit instead of bike leathers” A chill shot down Aliannah’s spine. She thanked Harry and took the box up to the apartment.
She set the box on her bed before opening it. As she took the lid off, she gasped. It was the red dress she had tried on in Wilamena’s this afternoon. She held the dress up, and a note fell to the floor. Aliannah bent to pick it up. She turned it over to read and was stunned.
The red looked better on you, darling – I
P.S – No one touches my things
She was right. Someone had been watching her. She thought back over the entire day. She didn’t remember seeing anything out of the ordinary. She felt it at the club, alright, but not when she was shopping. Why did Ivan follow her back here? He broke her heart. He had no right to follow her after what he did.
The rich and wealthy typically think they can do absolutely anything simply because they have millions. Millions do not buy human respect or decency. Millions do not buy manners or true loyalty. Millions do not make a broken heart piece back together. Well, in Ivan’s case, it was billions, not millions. Ivan Kozlov was a 30-year-old Russian billionaire. He made his fortune off the oil industry. He was tall, dark-haired, with chocolate eyes and just the right amount of beard. Ivan owned the Serenity.
Aliannah had stupidly fallen in love with him while working on the boat during her trip. There was a strict rule of not flirting with the owner, but Marcus quickly realised it was Ivan pursuing Aliannah and not the other way around. There was no way Marcus would tell Ivan what he could and could not do on his own boat. She was about to extend her trip when he broke her heart in an unforgivable action. Aliannah did not even speak to him or say goodbye. She just packed her things and left.
Now Ivan was back. Did he really think he stood a chance of redemption? Aliannah would sooner eat the gum stuck to a bus stop than stomach the idea of Ivan being near her again. It would seem she would have to face him sooner or later. Later was the preferred choice. Aliannah decided there that if Ivan wanted to speak to her, he would have to come and do so himself. She would not run from him, but she would not run to him either. She would make him earn the right to speak to her again.
She looked in the bathroom mirror as she prepared for bed. “Asshole! Who the fuck does he think he is!” She nodded to herself and went to bed. She also knew she would have to tell Michelle about Ivan soon since Ivan was apparently running around New York—his audacity after what he had done.
As she lay in bed, she contemplated if Ivan had really come for her. Or was he here for business reasons? She shrugged the notion off and went to sleep.