Delusional Love (2nd Edition) (14 page)

“How
do you feel?” “Sore, but I want you.”
 
He stood to retrieve a towel for himself and Stephanie. Ivan motioned
her to the bed where they continued their love fest.

After
waking up again, Stephanie looked up to see Ivan staring at her.” Do you ever
sleep?”
 
She said yawning and he
smiled. “What time is it anyway?” She said looking for a clock.

“It’s
five o’clock,” he said. She sat up startled.

“I
have to get home and get ready for work.
 
I didn’t mean to stay the entire night.”

“It’s
okay. I think your boss would be okay with you taking the day off and spending
it with your man.” He said with a smirk.

“My
boss may be okay with it but I’m not. Look Ivan, just because we took our
relationship to the next level doesn’t mean I am expecting special treatment.
Well, except for the bedroom.” She said with a smile.

“All
right, but you can come in a little later.”

“I’m
fine. I just need to get home and get dressed.”
 
‘I
need to be more like Tara and Brianna who are always prepared with their booty
call overnight bag.’
She slipped on her sundress and pulled her hair back
in a ponytail. She opted not to put back on the same underwear, which if she
recalled correctly were still in Ivan’s pants pocket. Ivan called his driver
and he was waiting in the lobby for her. She retrieved her purse while Ivan
walked her to the door trying to convince her to stay. “I will see you at
work.” She kissed him again before leaving out the door.

Stephanie
arrived for work at nine thirty and Ivan was already there in his office
working. Betty commented on her lateness. “Wild weekend huh?” Betty said while
smiling and waiting for information on her weekend. “Not really. I just got a
late start this morning.”

“Well,
I suggest you think of a better excuse before you walk into Mr. Quinn’s office.
He said he wanted to talk to you as soon as you got in.”

“Thanks
Betty, just let me put my things away and I will be right there.”

Stephanie
placed her purse in her drawer and knocked on Ivan’s door. “Come.” Ivan said
with authority.

“You
wanted to see me?” Stephanie said and peeked in the door.

“Yes.
Come in. Close the door and have a seat.” As she closed the door she could see
Betty trying to hear their conversation. She sat in the seat directly in front
of his desk. He got up walked around and sat on the corner of his desk. He
pulled her between his legs into an embrace.

“How
are you feeling?” He said in a low monotone voice as he kissed her neck.

“I
don’t think you want to start this in your office.” She said and tilted her
head to allow him full access to her neck. He gave her a soft and gentle kiss
on the lips.

“Yeah,
you’re right.” He whispered in her ear while smiling. “You are a screamer.”

She
playfully punched him on his arm.

“Did
you want anything in particular; I have to get back to work because my boss is
so demanding.” She said teasingly.

“Nothing
in particular, just this.” He kissed her passionately. “Oh, there is one other
thing. I am travelling to St. Bartholomew with Marco and Bella and I would like
you to come.
 
We travel their once a
year for a long weekend. The first day Marco and I spend on business then we
are free the rest of the weekend to enjoy the island. It’s a beautiful place.
You will love it”.

“Sure.
I would love to come and it will give me a chance to spend some time with
Isabella. I really like her and I think we can be friends.”

“Good.
Betty will make the travel arrangements.” She gave him a strange look. “Don’t
worry she has been warned about theconfidentiality of this office.”

“Okay.
If you say so.” She kissed him and walked out the door. He could tell she was
still a little sore by the way she was walked. It wasn’t real noticeable but he
knew as he smiled.

Stephanie
was inundated with work. The week went by so fast she almost forgot that they
were leaving on Friday. Ivan had been out of the office most of the week,
leaving her undistracted to complete the majority of her work. Betty called
Stephanie and told her that Ivan had set up a meeting for her and she could
conduct the meetings in his office.

“What’s
the meeting about?” She checked her computer. “I don’t see the agenda on my
schedule. Should I have known about this meeting?” Stephanie got nervous.

“Don’t
worry, Stephanie. This is not a meeting you need to prepare for. You will see.
They will be here in about fifteen minutes.”

“Okay.”
She sat back at her desk and tried to refocus on work.

“I
will be right back. If the clients show up you can put them in Ivan’s office.”
She went to the ladies room got some water trying to relax before the meeting that
she knew nothing about. When she walked into the office Betty informed her that
the individuals were in Ivan’s office. She grabbed a notepad from her desk and
walked into the office. She opened the door and was really confused.

“What’s
going on in there, Betty?”

Betty
walked in behind her and closed the door. “Well Stephanie, Mr. Quinn thought it
might be nice for you to get a few things to take on your trip tomorrow. He
realized that you have been working so hard, you may not have gotten a chance
to prepare.” There was a team of people in the room. Betty continued. “This
young lady is a personal shopper from Neiman Marcus and she brought some
outfits and swim suits that you can choose from and don’t worry about size, I
made sure they had the correct size. These two young ladies will do your
manicure and pedicure.” Stephanie smiled at everyone and pulled Betty to the
side.

“I
can’t afford this Betty.”

Betty
asked the individuals to excuse them as she guided Stephanie out of the office.

“I
meant to give this to you earlier” Betty said and handed her an envelope. The
envelope contained an American Express Black card and The JPMorgan Chase
Palladium card with her name on it.

“What’s
this? I am not comfortable with accepting this,” she said while trying to give
the envelope back to Betty.

“Please
don’t give me a hard time about this Stephanie. He wants to do something nice
for you.”

“Okay.”
She hugged Betty “Thank you for everything.”

“Don’t
thank me. Thank Mr. Quinn.”

‘I plan to
.’ she thought.

They
arrived on the Island Friday afternoon and went to one of Ivan’s homes.
Stephanie walked into the villa and was in awe, there was a spacious living
area with slate flooring throughout and a gourmet fully equipped kitchen. In
the center of the villa there was a Jacuzzi and cocktail bar. Ivan leaned down
and whispered to Stephanie that they would make good use of the Jacuzzi.
Stephanie looked up at him blushing. Ivan walked her back to one of the
bedrooms.

“WOW.”
Stephanie said.

“You
like it?” Ivan questioned.

“Well,
duh. It’s only the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen.”
 
Their suite was one of five king size
bedrooms, each with its own bathroom, private terrace and its own home cinema
system. Stephanie wrapped her arms around him and kissed him lightly. “Thank
you for everything, this is amazing. I just don’t know what I did to deserve an
incredible man like you.
 
I love
you.”

“I
love you too and I’m the lucky one because you chose me.” He pulled her into a tight
embrace, lifting her off her feet and swung her around. He kissed her
passionately as she wrapped her legs around his waist.

“We
better go and see if Marc and Bella are settled because if we continue, they
may not see us the rest of the night.” She laughed as he released her and they
walked into the living room. The outside of the villa was just as amazing, with
a stunning, curved swimming pool flanked by coconut palms and decked terraces,
overlooking the private beach.

Stephanie
and Isabella solidified their friendship. They really enjoyed time with each
other when the guys were out. The entire weekend was magical.
 
And true to his word they made use of
the Jacuzzi, the beach, the pool and everywhere else he felt like taking her.
She loved every minute of it.
 
On
the plane ride home Stephanie and Isabella promised to get together soon.

----------

The
formal gala was fast approaching. Stephanie was spending most nights with Ivan.
They could not get enough of each other. Ivan had to restock his supply of
condoms.
She loved making love to Ivan
,
she loved him so much
. God help her, because she had fallen
fast and hard.
 
So
much for guarding her heart.
He had it lock, stock and barrel. It was
like a whole new world was opening up to her. Ivan was a generous lover; he
made sure she was satisfied in every way. He was also proud to openly reveal
their relationship, but Stephanie had reservations about letting people she
worked with know about their intimate relationship. Out of respect for her they
kept the relationship relatively hidden for now.

---------

SATURDAY
AUGUST 20
^th

After a few shopping trips, Brianna, Tara, and Stephanie found
gowns and were ready for the gala.
Stephanie was really nervous about
attending the Gala with Ivan. Everyone they worked with would now know that
they were dating and she had knots in her stomach. She was going to have a
glass of wine and decided against it. She opted for a glass of ginger ale
instead.

After
putting the final touches on her makeup she heard the door. She knew it was
Ivan using the keys she had given him. He called out to her and she let him
know that she would be out in a minute. She gave herself one last look in the
mirror and
said ,
“Not bad.”
 
She walked into the living room and she
could tell by the look on

Ivan’s face that she did something right.

When
Ivan saw Stephanie she literally took his breath away. She wore an elegant
champagne-colored strapless mermaid-style gown with beading that sparkled
against the satin. The color brought out the color of her hazel eyes.

“You
look amazing.” He said as he carefully pulled her into an embrace making sure
not to mess up her dress. He leaned into her “I can’t wait to get you out of
that dress later.” He whispered before kissing her neck. Stephanie had trouble
speaking as she looked at the man who had stolen her heart. He looked so
handsome in his tailor made tuxedo. It fit him like a glove. She still had to
pinch herself; she could not believe this Adonis was her man. He could have any
woman he wanted but he chose her.

“You
clean up pretty well yourself.” She said with a lustful look.

“Shall
we go?”
 
He said as he escorted her
out the door.

The
party was in full swing. The ballroom was decorated beautifully.
 
When Ivan and Stephanie arrived many
heads turned and the whispering started. As they tried to make their way into
the ballroom many people were vying for Ivan’s attention but his eyes stayed
fixed on Stephanie. Several men tried to talk to Ivan but he excused himself
not really listening to the conversations. He placed his hand at the small of
Stephanie’s back and guided her through the crowd as they walked towards the
bar. Everything was a little overwhelming for Stephanie but Ivan was in his
element. As they got drinks Stephanie spotted her friends. They started walking
towards them when someone else stopped Ivan.

“It’s
okay, Ivan. I’ll be with Bri and Ty. I will see you in a few minutes.”
 
She turned and walked away before he
could respond. He tried to concentrate on the conversation in front of him, but
his eyes continued to wander toward Stephanie. He watched her from across the
room as she laughed and talked with her friends.

“Gentlemen.”
He said sternly. “We are here to celebrate, enough talk about business please enjoy
yourselves,” with that he walked away and headed towards Stephanie when Ashley
stopped him in his tracks.

“How
are you, Ivan?” Ashley said with a smug look on her face.

“Fine.
What are you doing here?” He said with anger in his voice.

“Well,
I was invited, I was attending this event before we met or have you forgotten.”

“Well,
if you will excuse me my date is wait…” Ashley cut him off. “You never returned
my calls.”

“We
have nothing to discuss. We’re done. Now, please.”

“We
are not done. We will never be done.”

He
looked at her with disdain.

Ashley
smiled as she rubbed her stomach. “You see, Ivan, we are going to be parents.”