Chapter Ten

Richard looked down at the woman that had fallen asleep on his shoulder and he felt drawn to her. Even in sleep, she was so beautiful and looked so innocent and timid that he almost reached out to stroke her face; her long eyelashes were at rest like she felt safe in his presence, and her lips were pulled into a childish pout that he wanted to pinch-

"Get a grip" he scolded himself

He thought back to their short time together in Vegas when those eyelashes fluttered every time she laughed with abandon; the way she clutched onto his arms like he was the support she needed to stop her from falling.

He knew there was something different about her- something special, something that had him gravitating toward her without control. He knew he didn't want to be involved in anything he had no control over, so he gave her the wrong contact details and even a fake identity. He laughed at himself when he thought that she had done the same thing too, making him wonder if she liked him or not- if Vegas even meant anything to her.

He looked at her once again and sighed wondering if he would ever get to witness the other side of her fully, cause he knew that this timid lady was different from the bold woman he had met in Vegas. He reached out to replace a lock of hair that had fallen on her face and let his fingers linger for a while

Ivy was seated in a garden of so many beautiful flowers with an awe-inspiring water fountain in the middle. She was sure she had never seen something so magnificent, yet so homely. She stood up and tiptoed to the fountain like the beauty would cease if she dared walk well on her feet...she then reached her hand to feel the water fall on her skin

"Beautiful," Richard said breathlessly

"Indeed, it is," She said as she turned back to see that he had his focus on her; he looked sweaty like he had just come back from a run

"I was talking about you, not the fountain"

"Ermmm. Thank you" She murmured

He was staring directly into her eyes and she felt like she would pass out, the garden suddenly became too small for them. She could feel her throat become dry as he moved closer to her

"Is he going to kiss me?" She thought

"I hope I don't disappoint him," She thought again as she also leaned in toward him, her lips puckered in readiness for the kiss....oh God, she thought "now he is touching my face"

"Ivy! Ivy!" Richard called out

"Yes?" She answered groggily

"Thank God you're awake! We're about to land"

"Awake? land? How?" She thought to herself

"And why do you have a smile on your face? Were you dreaming about me?" He teased

"So I was dreaming? If only he knew he was right" She thought

"Sorry I stressed your shoulders" she apologized as she felt a blush creep up her neck when she thought about how stupid the smile plastered on her face must have looked

Immediately she tried to grip the seats during landing, Richard placed his hands above her as if to reassure her, and once again like always whenever she was in his presence, breathing became something foreign to her; she looked up to see him looking at her, and in that brief moment before he looked away, it felt as if something passed between them- something she couldn't seem to figure out

As soon as the plane came to a stop, Richard stepped out first, and Ivy followed right behind him. A stout middle-aged man had already started loading their luggage into the sleekest black Honda Cadillac she had ever seen; although she knew nothing about cars, she was ready to bet her monthly salary that it was a recent model and cost a fortune....but then that was nothing compared to Richard's net worth she had seen online; rumours had it that he was to be enlisted for "Forbes thirty under thirty CEOs" award but he had declined for the sake of his privacy

"I see you love your cars," Richard said behind her, startling her

She laughed a little before saying "I don't know much about cars but anyone could see that this is one pretty car you got"

"You would learn fast," he said laughing "that's the most I've heard you say in one sentence" he added, a teasing look on his face

"That's not true" She retorted, her arms folded across her chest with a pout on her face

"Okay Okay. Let's get going"

She got into the car after him and they drove off from the airport into the streets of Los Angeles

"Why are you so jumpy?" he asked

"Nothing! I have just never been to Los Angeles" she replied to him. She looked out the window at everything they passed by: from trees to buildings, to cars, to the girls walking on a lawn in the distance and laughing like they had no care in the world. She had always wanted to visit Los Angeles. Her father had told her that he met her mother in Los Angeles, they had lived there and started their family there. Her father moved them back to his hometown when she died while giving birth to Andre, her brother. He told them that Los Angeles held a lot of painful memories for him, and he couldn't go back there. As Ivy thought about the girls laughing on the lawn, she imagined she was one of them.....only if her mother had not died so early, then they wouldn't have had to leave Los Angeles; she would probably also have her head thrown back in laughter without a care in the world

"Are you okay" Richard's voice brought her out of her thoughts

"Yes Yes, I am" She replied trying to force a smile on her face

"I called out your name twice and is that a tear in your eyes?" He asked her concerned

She swiped at the tears furiously. She hadn't realized she was crying "I'm fine" She replied to him