Chapter Thirty-Six
After being pleasantly surprised by Ivan in the morning, she was further surprised when he brought her to Dubrovnik City for a shopping trip. Everyone knows men hate shopping. Ivan, however, seemed happy to be there. They arrived at the first designer boutique; there were racks upon racks of beautiful clothes and accessories waiting. Ivan had called ahead and closed the shop for them alone. He encouraged her to try on anything she fancied, and his eyes lit up with each outfit she tried on.
From designer dresses to infinite pairs of heels, Aliannah felt like a princess as Ivan insisted on buying every single thing she liked, whether she wanted the item or not. It was a spree of a lifetime. Michelle would die when she heard about this spree. Aliannah missed her friend but knew they would celebrate when she flew home tomorrow.
They moved from store to store, and each one shut for the duration of their stay. Every sales assistant swooned for Ivan, but he ignored their efforts and redirected them to serve Aliannah. Aliannah couldn’t help but feel completely overwhelmed by the generosity and love he showered upon her. Money was no issue for Ivan, but this was a birthday she would never forget—a day filled with laughter, love, and luxury.
At the end of the spree, poor Damien was overloaded with bags and boxes; he had already made several trips to their car to offload the purchases. Aliannah cringed at the probable value everything had come to.
“No amount is too great, darling. I would spend every last cent I had on you without question.” He kissed her hand lovingly.
“This is all too much…. I just, I can’t accept…. You are being too much,” Aliannah stuttered. It was too much for her.
“Never! Darling, this barely made a scratch on the bank. Believe me, I would buy the franchises if you wanted me to,” he said, holding the car door open for her to get in. Aliannah climbed into the car and buckled her seat belt. Her heart was filled with gratitude.
They had lunch back on board the Serenity in the shade of the mid-deck. It was a gourmet lunch made of seafood platters and champagne followed by a giant rich chocolate cake decorated with ‘Happy Birthday Darling’ across the top. The entire crew gathered to sing Happy Birthday to Aliannah. She smiled and turned bright red from blushing.
Aliannah insisted every crew member got a slice of the cake, including the engine crew below deck. Everyone enjoyed the delicious cake. Aliannah summoned the chef to offer him some cake and to personally thank him for putting so much effort into making it for her. He nodded in thanks and accepted the slice from her before returning to the kitchen. Everyone returned to their duties, leaving just Aliannah and Ivan on the mid-deck.
“Thank you so much for today. You are the best,” Aliannah leaned forward and passionately kissed him. She was in awe of the day and felt so lucky to have such an amazing man in her life.
“Happy birthday, darling,” Ivan kissed her softly, “I have given the crew the evening off because you and I are going to a restaurant on the shore for dinner, and you should wear the dress from this morning. It would look exquisite on you,” he winked at her.
“Oh, wow!” Aliannah was speechless. She had been wholly spoiled today. Then her phone rang. It was Michelle on video. Aliannah took the call in the bedroom so she could show Michelle the set-up Ivan had done and all of the shopping from the spree. Michelle’s jaw hit the floor several times.
“I knew I should have extended my trip! I’m so jealous I missed all this fun!” Michelle pouted through the phone.
“Don’t worry, Mich. We will celebrate when I come home. Group night out.” Aliannah had yet to return to Zino’s since that night. Now that she thought about it, apart from work and lunches with Michelle and Ivan, she had not left the penthouse at all since that night. A chill ran down her spine, and a knot weighed heavy on her chest.
“Earth to Ali…. Hello??.... Are you ok?” Michelle’s voice brought Aliannah back from her mental spiral of anxiety.
“Yes, sorry! I'm just tired from all the shopping from this morning!” Aliannah put on her best smile to reassure Michelle that all was fine. They spent an hour chatting before Aliannah insisted she needed to get ready for dinner on the shore. After ending the call with Michelle, she quickly phoned her mom. Ten minutes later, she was primping in the shower. She was just putting on her dress when Ivan came into the room.
“Need some help?” Ivan smiled with dark eyes. Aliannah turned her back to him and held her hair out of the way. Ivan slowly zipped the back of her dress up, his fingers grazing along her bare spine as he went. He finished with a gentle kiss on the back of her neck; this made Aliannah shiver. Electricity ran through every fibre of her body. She could feel Ivan’s appreciation pressing into her back.
“You… look… delicious…. Darling…” Ivan said between kisses along her neck. Aliannah rolled her head back to give him better access to her neck. Ivan kissed her more while his hands roamed her body.
“Unfortunately, darling, if we start now, we won’t make our reservation.” Ivan took her hand and spun her around to face him. Aliannah placed a hand on his chest and tilted her head up to kiss him. Ivan pinched her ass and picked up her shoes, and they headed out. Ivan carried Aliannah from the gangway to a bench across the dock before kneeling before her. He delicately placed each shoe on her feet before standing and taking her hand.
“My lady,” Ivan dropped into a ridiculous bow, and Aliannah dissolved into laughter. “You tell anyone I did that, and I will torture you with tickles until the end of your days!” Ivan scrunched his brow into a serious expression, making Aliannah laugh even harder. They held hands, walking the length of the dock to where a blacked-out SUV was parked.
“Good evening. My name is Reggie, and I will be your driver tonight.” The man tilted his driver's cap to them and opened the rear door. Ivan shook Reggie’s hand and helped Aliannah into the SUV before climbing in himself. They drove through the city and up into the mountains. They pulled into a rather luxurious-looking estate, and as Reggie rounded the car across the entrance, Aliannah saw this place had a seven-star rating. Her jaw hit the floor.
“This place is rated seven stars?!?” Her eyes were about to pop out of her head. “I have never heard of anywhere being rated seven stars outside of Dubai?!” she was in utter disbelief.
“I am friends with the Sheikh Darling; he owns this place. It is so exclusive that entry is by invitation only. Tonight, he shut it to everyone except us. We have the entire restaurant to ourselves.” Ivan was proud of himself for pulling this off. It had come at a strong cost to shut the place down for the night. The look on Aliannah’s face was worth it. The car stopped, and Reggie opened the door for them. Aliannah held Ivan’s hand tightly the entire way to the restaurant and did not let go until Ivan pulled out her chair for her.
Their table was on the garden terrace overlooking the view of Dubrovnik, the sea and the sunset. She could also make out the Serenity moored down at the dock. The beauty of the view took her breath away. The tables were covered in white linen, and statues of cherubs were dotted around the terrace. It reminded her of Cherub Tearooms. Above her head was a canopy of fairy lights twinkling gently like tiny stars. The waiter appeared with a bottle of Moet and popped the cork. He poured their glasses before heading back to the kitchen.
“Are there no menus?” Aliannah looked around. Ivan chuckled.
“The chef has set the courses for the night.” He reached across the table to hold her hand. They sipped on the Moet until the first course came out. Each course was a work of art. They were beautifully presented and expertly crafted, with never-ending bursts of flavour. The dishes were a symphony that delighted the senses. Aliannah had never experienced a journey like it before. The waiter had perfectly paired the different wines to match each plate, enhancing the flavour journey even more. He was so attentive and ensured that their glasses were never empty. He worked with such grace and efficiency you would never know he was there.
As the courses came to an end, a selection of rich desserts was brought out, and they had a little bit from each one. The final course was a cup of coffee to round out the experience. Aliannah sat back in her chair, savouring the last of the evening, filled with contentment. This truly was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. They walked about the estate grounds, taking in the wonderful flowers and their scents before returning to the car. Aliannah took her shoes off; she was too full of food to cope with walking in heels. Ivan lifted her feet into his lap and began to massage them.
Today had been an outer-world experience. Aliannah appreciated everything Ivan had done to make this day special for her. No one had ever gone to such an effort for her before. She smiled as she looked at him; her eyes were heavy. The excitement of the day, the food and the wines all caught up with her. Her head rolled forward, and she fell asleep.
She did not wake when Ivan lifted her from the car and carried her to the Serenity, nor did she wake when he undressed her for bed and put on her pyjamas. She was deep asleep.
IVAN
Ivan felt an overwhelming sense of pride as he tucked Aliannah into bed. Today was a first for him; he had never spoiled a woman like that before. Aliannah wasn’t just any woman, though. She was his woman. He still couldn’t believe that after everything they had been through, she was here, she was his, and she would become his wife. Aliannah might feel lucky, but he definitely felt luckier.
He sat on the side of the bed, watching Aliannah sleep. She looked so peaceful and beautiful, her chest rising and falling with each breath. He could tell she was deep asleep. He brushed a strand of hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear. She moved a little, and a small smile formed on her mouth. He could not stop himself from smiling back and kissing her cheek.
Ivan meant what he said. He would do anything for her – protect her, support her, make her happy, be there when she needed. His mind flashed back to that night when he was racing to find her.
“Hold on, darling. I am coming for you.” He remembered his promise and looked to the Gods, thanking them. He made a silent vow to always be there for her. He leaned down and kissed her again.
“I love you more than words can ever say, darling,” he whispered. He got up, readied himself for bed, and settled beside her, wrapping his arms around her.
“Always and forever,” he whispered as he rubbed the pad of his thumb across the back of her hand.
Aliannah turned and mumbled in her sleep. Ivan chuckled. He never knew what she said when she did that, but it always made him smile. Leaving New York for the two weeks was the best decision; he had been worried about Aliannah. He could see the stresses she had tried to hide behind her mask of ‘ok-ness’. He knew she was putting on a show for everyone. Aliannah hated appearing weak or inferior to anyone; he planned to take that stress away from her. She would never have to worry about anything or anyone ever again.