Chapter Fourteen

Richard saw the shoes first before he saw her face. He had been so engrossed with his phone trying to seal a business deal with a client from China; they had scheduled zoom meetings and now they were finalising the contract of agreement. It was a whiff of the most sensual perfume he had ever smelled that prompted him to look away from his phone to see a pair of silver high-heeled sandals right in front of him; not only were the sandals beautiful, but the perfectly pedicured dainty legs that wore the sandals were so shiny and seemed to have no end as he let his eyes travel up till he saw the sparkly red dress that stopped mid-thigh. The dress accentuated her figure, with its halter neck that made it even more alluring. Finally, he looked up at her face and was mesmerised by what he saw. Richard had always known that Ivy was a pretty lady, but it was like her beauty had multiplied in folds since the last time he saw her. Her perfectly lined eyes looked like they were looking directly into his soul

"Good evening sir," She said, drawing him out of his thoughts with such a magnificent smile as she batted her perfectly straight eyebrows at him innocently

"G-good evening, Ivy," He said in a croaked voice "We should get going" he added after sometime

They made their way outside where Shawn was parked waiting for tor them. As they stepped into the cool air of the night, Ivy realized that the hotel was even more beautiful at night....every inch of it was lit up and it made her remember the new year's eve celebrations she once witnessed at Times Square

"This is breathtaking," she said in awe as her eyes sparkled with excitement

"Of course" Richard replied to her, although he was in no way talking about the view of the hotel....he was talking about the view of her, but he wasn't about to say that out loud

Richard looked at Ivy as she studied the stars with her brows furrowed in perfect concentration; she looked so delicate as she kept her arms folded around herself; an innocent action that made Richard want to wrap his arms around her as if to shield her away from the evils of the world

"We should get going," Richard said finally, clearing his throat

"Right now?" Ivy whined with a pout on her face

"Yes, if we plan to make it there in time"

During their ride to the event venue, Richard was completely quiet and Ivy's several attempts to make small talk were futile; it was like she was in the car with a completely different person and she wondered what could have been wrong with him.

"We're here sir" Shawn announced their arrival from his position at the front

"It's the bloody paparazzi. You should get down here," Richard said

"What about you?" Ivy asked him, curiosity evident in her voice

"Shawn will drive me round about the back. I'll enter through the side door"

As Ivy stepped out of the car, she wondered what he had against the paparazzi; she understood that he wanted his privacy but she thought this was an extreme step. As she stepped on the red carpet, there were so many flashes of camera lights that she thought she would go blind for a moment. Every journalist was trying to talk above the other

"Good evening ma'am"

"Who are you wearing?"

"Are those Mark and Clarke shoes?"

"You're a new face around here"

"Would you mind introducing yourself?"

"Are you here alone"

"Ma'am"

"Madam"

These were the few statements she could make out from the frenzied paparazzi as she was led into the venue by a uniformed man after showing him her pass

"Thank you," She said facing him but he was already gone from her side. As she made to turn back and face front, she missed a step and tripped over; she was sure she would break a bone until she felt a pair of strong arms catch her

"Easy there, ma'am. We wouldn't want a pretty lady's bone broken now, would we?" The masculine voice says as he helped her back to her feet

"Thank you," Ivy said "I'm just so clumsy" She added with a blush on her face

"That makes you Cinderella and I your Prince Charming," he said with a mock salute

Ivy let out a throaty laugh "You should be a poet" She told him with a slight shake of her head

"Would that guarantee me a spot in your heart?" He asked her with a sly smile on his face

"Well....that depends on how well you play your cards" Ivy replied to him with a light chuckle, playing along in his game

"Oh, my Lady! Are you a camera? Cause you just captured my heart"

Ivy threw back her head as she let out a loud laugh, lightly touching him on his shoulder "You're such a funny person"

"I'm Dre," he said, finally introducing himself

"I'm Ivy. It's a pleasure to meet you" She said as Dre placed a feathery kiss on the hand she had stretched out for a handshake

Richard finally made his way into the hall and scanned the room with his eyes to get a hold of Ivy; she must have been worried by his attitude in the car and then his avoidance of the paparazzi. He would've loved to explain to her, but he knew she wouldn't understand why he had to keep away from the media; she wouldn't understand the other side of his life beyond the glamour everyone saw. He stopped in his tracks when he sighted Ivy with Dre; she seemed to be having a good time and wasn't the nervous wreck she usually was around him. She had her head thrown back as she laughed, she even touched him on the shoulder and her eyes were so shiny like she was mesmerized by him. If only she knew about the other life they both kept tucked away, he thought