Chapter Thirty-Five
Aliannah and her family said their farewells on the dock of Dubrovnik harbour the next morning. She promised to call Michelle and her mom as soon as she returned to New York to arrange a date for dress shopping. The girls hugged one another, and then they headed towards the cars. Gavin and Igor were already waiting by the cars for the girls. Igor couldn’t stay longer with Ivan there, too; someone had to get back to headquarters to manage the business operations. Aliannah stayed on the dock waving until the cars drove out of sight. Ivan was waiting for her at the top of the gangway. He kissed her on the forehead when she came back on board.
“Hello, future Mrs Kozlov,” he kissed her again. Aliannah giggled. She held her hand up and admired the ring glittering in the sun. It truly was a beautiful ring. It was not over the top, nor was it understated. It was perfect. They had a few more days left before returning to New York. Aliannah walked up to the top deck and sank onto one of the loungers.
“I am absolutely drained. My family can be very full on,” Aliannah said to the sky as she lay with her eyes closed from the sun.
“Family is important darling, yours are great! Never apologise for having people who care for you” Ivan lay on the next lounger. They lay in silence for a few moments, enjoying the peace. “Come, I want to show you something, but first, we have to change for the sea.” Ivan got up and held his hand out; Aliannah took it.
“Where are we going?” Aliannah looked at him inquisitively.
“You will see.” Ivan smiled at her.
George had set up a jet ski off the wet deck and held out two life jackets. Ivan helped Aliannah with hers before fixing his own. Ivan hopped on the Jet Ski, and Aliannah jumped on behind him.
“Hold on tight, darling, it’s going to get bumpy,” Aliannah squealed as Ivan revved the Jet Ski and took off across the waves. She gripped her hands together around his waist so tight that her knuckles were turning white, her body flat against his back. Ivan laughed. After a while, she got used to the sensation and the bumps and began to release her body. She sat up and let the wind flow through her hair. This feeling was invigorating. She released one arm from around Ivan and lifted it high in the air above her before cheering.
“WAHOOOO!”
Ivan laughed and reached one hand down to rub her leg as they flew across the sea wave by wave. Aliannah convinced Ivan to let her have a go driving, and they swapped places. It took a few moments for Aliannah to get going, but once she did, she flew. The adrenaline pumped through her veins as she whizzed across the sea. The wind in her hair, she had never felt more powerful. She stood up as she picked up speed and nearly knocked Ivan off the back of the Jet Ski. Ivan adjusted his grip on her, keeping a secure hold on her hips so he wouldn’t fall off. They took turns driving until the Jet Ski slowed down to a stop. It was dead in the water. Luckily, they could see the Serenity in the distance and were close enough for the radio to work still. Ivan picked up the radio.
“Marcus, the Jet Ski is dead. Send the tender out for us,” Ivan sounded annoyed. Aliannah looked at him over her shoulder.
“Why the tone? We have been out here for ages. It was going to conk out at some point, babe,” she giggled. Aliannah stood up, took off her life jacket, and hung it on the Jet Ski's handlebars. She then climbed up to stand on the seat.
“What…what are you doing?” Ivan raised a brow as he tried to hold her steady. Aliannah wiggled her bum and dived into the sea before he could say anything more, splashing Ivan.
“Come on, it's lovely.” Aliannah swam around. Ivan looked back to the Serenity. The tender had not left yet.
“You don’t even know if there are any sharks in the area!” Ivan’s eyes were wide like saucers as he scanned the water surface around them for any signs.
“Oh, come on! Don’t be a chicken; the tender will be here soon anyway!” Aliannah teased. Ivan shook his head.
“Bock bock bock.” Aliannah made chicken motions with her arms while lying on her back in the water. She could almost see the steam coming out of Ivan’s ears. Ivan took off his life jacket and cannonballed into the water beside her. Aliannah screamed and spluttered as the deluge of water landed on her. Ivan was now the one laughing. They continued splashing each other as Marcus pulled up in the tender. Aliannah looked at Ivan and nodded; together, they sent a sheet of water splashing towards Marcus, soaking him.
“HEEEYYY NO FAIR!” Marcus was horrified that his fresh uniform was now saturated. Ivan helped Aliannah into the tender before he swam off to pull in the Jet Ski for Marcus to tie on for towing. Marcus handed Aliannah a towel to dry off as Ivan climbed into the tender. Ivan wrapped his arms around Aliannah, pulling her onto his lap to help keep her warm. Marcus revved up the tender and sped back to the Serenity.
Aliannah headed straight for the hot tub on the top deck when they got back to the Serenity. It didn’t matter that the day was scorching hot; she needed warm water to relax her muscles after sitting on a Jet Ski for two hours. It was harder work than it looked to stay on it.
“Sorry, darling. I would love to join, but I do have some real business calls to make.” He handed her a glass of mimosa and kissed her quickly before heading into the main saloon toward the office. Aliannah tilted her head back and enjoyed the afternoon sun.
“Casey!” Aliannah called over the stewardess as she passed by.
“Can you ask the chef to prepare pizza for dinner tonight? I am not sure what the menu plans are, but honestly, I would love a pepperoni pizza.”
Casey nodded and headed for the kitchen. Aliannah hoped requesting a dinner change would not be too disruptive to the chef. Casey reappeared moments later.
“Miss, the chef is happy to change the menu to pizza tonight,” Casey said, smiling and resuming her duties. Aliannah was excited. She had not had pizza in so long.
As the sun began to set, Ivan still had not emerged from his office. Aliannah had a quick shower and put on some comfy loungewear. She knocked on the office door before poking her head in. An angry Ivan sat at the desk with his phone to his ear. He was talking to someone in Russian. It sounded very heated. He looked up when Aliannah entered, and his scowl changed to a smile.
“Sorry!” She whispered and blew him a kiss as she left the room. Ivan winked at her as she closed the door. Ava handed her a glass of Prosecco in the main saloon, and Aliannah sat on the back deck to enjoy the view. Half an hour later, Ivan appeared with a glass of bourbon and joined her.
“The rigs are fully operational again after Viktor’s sabotage. One team of guys is reluctant to return to work. They want to be relocated to on-shore refinement instead of being out on the rigs.” Ivan released a sigh of frustration and ran his hand through his hair. Aliannah rubbed his shoulder. Jessica and Casey brought the pizzas and garlic bread to the table along with fresh drinks, and then they left again.
“I thought we were having sushi tonight?” Ivan raised a brow.
“Oh! I asked if the chef could make pepperoni pizza tonight” Aliannah covered her face in shame, “Sorry, I just really wanted pizza.”
“Darling, don’t be ashamed. It’s fine. You can always ask the chef to make whatever you want.” Ivan moved Aliannah's hands from her face and kissed her. They tucked into the pizzas, and Ivan agreed that pizza was the better choice for tonight. It was divine.
They spent the rest of the evening on the top deck loungers, watching the sky turn from gold to orange to black. Adriatic sunsets never lose their beauty. It was a clear sky. Aliannah fell asleep, and Ivan got a blanket from inside to cover them both. She wrapped herself around him as she slept. Ivan watched her sleep for a short while before falling asleep himself.
Aliannah woke the next morning in the master cabin. The room had been decorated with streamers, and the ceiling was filled with gold helium balloons. White peonies and bouquets surrounded the foot of the bed. Aliannah sat up and noticed that above the bed, there were more balloons spelling out ‘Happy Birthday’. The door of the room opened, and Ivan entered, carrying a tray loaded with orange juice and toast.
“Happy Birthday, Darling.” He set the tray on the nightstand and kissed her deeply.
“When did you do all this?” Aliannah looked around her in wonder.
“I had the crew decorate when we were on the top deck last night. It started to rain around 1 a.m., so I carried you in while you slept in my arms.” Ivan handed her a glass of orange juice.
“You remembered my birthday?” Aliannah blushed
“Of course I did, darling.” Ivan brushed a stroke of hair from her face, “I will never forget such an important day.” Ivan reached down to the floor and picked up a big black box with a black bow tied around it.
“This is for you, darling.” He smiled as he presented the box to her.
Aliannah opened the box and placed the lid to the side. In the box was a black shimmery Versace strappy dress with matching heels and two smaller boxes. In the larger of the other boxes was a diamond and sapphire necklace, and in the smaller box was a matching tennis bracelet. She gasped at the extravagance of the gifts.
“Ivan, you didn’t have to…. Thank you. This is too much!” She reached for him and kissed him, a kiss filled with love and gratitude. Aliannah felt truly blessed to spend her birthday with such a kind-hearted man, surrounded by love and the bonus of such luxury. They enjoyed the orange juice and toast together. Aliannah cherished this moment; she had never spent a birthday morning like this.
“Today is all about you, darling. Get dressed; we have places to be.” Ivan was excited; Aliannah wondered what he had planned.