All Chapters of Ivy: Chapter 81 - Chapter 90

When I left the hospital, Zeus did everything I asked except write me a five-million-dollar check. The note he went with it explained that he wanted to make sure I was taken care of for the rest of my life. Little did he know that I used the money to book a first-class ticket to Monterey, CA, buy a two-million-dollar house on the beach, and never look back. I've lived here for nearly six months now. Waking up to the sounds of the waves crashing along the shoreline, followed by seagulls squawking, was peaceful. When I'd sit on my porch, all I could smell was the saltwater of the oceans, with the wind combining its fingers through my long red hair. The thought of the events that happened that day slowly faded away. Tanya and Eric were still in New York. Tanya couldn't leave until Cameron graduated from High School because of his football scholarship, and Eric was waiting for his apartment to be sold before he left. I was on my own again. I'd been going out every day, buying usel

"Take off your clothes," Deacon ordered. I nervously laughed, "What?" "Take off your clothes," he repeated. "Why would I do that? Why can't you paint me dressed?" I defended. "Are you afraid?" he asked. "No, I'm not afraid to be seen naked," I scoffed. "Then what frightens you?" he questioned. I pressed my tongue to my cheek in annoyance. Can I not want to get naked in front of a man I barely know? It had been months since anyone had seen me naked. Perhaps I was a little anxious; why wouldn't I be? I don't know this man. I looked back at him and froze; I could have sworn I momentarily saw Zeus in Deacon's face. A pang of hurt hit me, and I didn't know how to feel. "I don't know," I confessed, "I don't know what's stopping me." With that confession, I dropped my purse to the ground and sat on the lounge chair. I fought the tears that were battling their way along my tear ducts. "I never meant to hurt you," he solemnly said, "I know how you feel. Unless someone bl

"Wanna come in?" I drunkenly offered. Deacon studied me in confusion, "Are you sure?" "Nothing I haven't done before," I answered. I seized his shirt within my grasp and pulled him through my front door after me, placing my lips firmly on his. He pushed me back my shoulder, breaking our kiss. "Wait, I don't think you know what you're doing," he hesitated. "Just shut up and fuck me!" I grunted while pulling him into me with such force that we fell back onto my couch. He tried resisting but soon gave in to me. I felt his rough, frigid body relax between my splayed legs. I wrapped my legs around him, pressing his hard-on against my sex, rubbing up against him with intent. "Wait," he pulled back, looking down at me lustfully, "Are you sure?" "Yes," I rasped, "Please, help me feel something again." Am I drunk, or did I just see an emotional look flash across his expression? "Where's your room?" he asked. "Down the hallway behind you to the right," I answered.

I walked through the familiar double doors of Deacon's classroom and found him dressed nicely instead of in his regular paint-stained pants and tank top. "What?" I hesitated. "Let go," he held his hand for me to take. "Where are we going?" I asked. "To dinner," he clarified. "Why would I want to go to dinner? I thought this was a work thing. You help me work through my fears, and I help you work through yours," I reminded. "Yeah," he concurred while closing the gap between us. His left arm held my waist, pressing me up against his rock-hard physique. I always wondered how an art professor had such a well-fit body. He leaned down to my right ear. "That was before you begged me to fuck you the other night. Now I can't get your perfect body out of my mind," he confessed. I tried wiggling from his grasp, but there was no use. He bit down on my neck. "Ugh," I moaned "Now, let me take you on a date," he added. "Fine!" I whimpered, "You don't have to be so mean."

After a long debate, I decided to return to New York. Not because I was moving back—I'm still keeping my house in Monterey, and I still had my loft in the city—but because I wanted to visit for a few months. Besides, I did miss Tanya and Eric. Zeus shipped my Rolls Royce to my loft as we took first-class flights back to The Big Apple. When we arrived, I told them to return to their family estate, and they did so with great displeasure. If I had to go through this again, I was sure I would achieve my vengeance on Eve. I might even take her from this world if it came down to it. The bitch deserved it, after all. No matter where I run to, I'll always return here. I sat in my quiet loft, watching the rain fall and listening to it slap against the windows. I missed the sound of the rain, but it was always beautiful in California. "Ivy?" a soft, familiar voice called from behind me. I saw Tanya standing in the doorway, holding a bouquet of red roses. Happy tears formed in her