“Close your eyes,” I instructed Ivy as we approached the destination. “You have to actually close them.”
“This is crazy,” she said but clasped her hands over her face as I drove the next few blocks to the Brookview Hotel property. The giant clock tower penthouse windows were lit up against the evening sky.
I covered Ivy’s eyes after I parked in the deck and guided her to the elevator lobby. I had to stand almost directly behind her, and her ass brushed against my crotch as we walked. In the elevator, she was half pressed against me. She shivered slightly as my breath brushed the back of her neck. I wanted to press my lips to the creamy skin that contrasted against the black silk shirt she wore, but I controlled myself and kept my hands over her eyes.
“Your little surprise can’t be all that serious to warrant the secrecy,” Ivy said.
“I assure you, my surprise is never little.”
“Yeah, I can feel it digging into my back,” she muttered.
The elevator dinged, and I bit back a frankly lecherous comment and guided her into the space.
“I can assure you, whatever idiotic event you have planned, it won’t impress me much.”
“Oh really, Ms. Smartypants? Check this out.Ta-DA!” I pulled my hands away from her eyes.
“Wow!” Ivy breathed, her face lighting up in delight and awe as she looked around the space, taking in the giant two-story clock windows, the three-story staircase that wrapped around a private elevator, and the multiple levels of mezzanines stacked up into the pointed vaulted ceiling of the three-story space. “It’s so perfect!” Ivy whispered. “The pictures don’t do it justice.”
Ivy looked so moved to be in the space that it hurt my chest.
“I’ll buy this for you.”
I wasn’t sure what possessed me to say that. Could I afford it? Sure. It was only fifteen million, but I didn’t even know Ivy.
She drew back from me warily.
“I’m not going to take that. Are you insane?”
“Going once, going twice, last chance! Archer just reduced the price from twenty-five million, so really, it’s a steal.”
“Right,” Ivy said bitterly, “and of course it would be for the low, low price of what, letting you give me a night of bad sex?”
“Why are you being so hostile?” I shot back at her.
“I’m tired of billionaires like you thinking they can just buy people like me. I am not for sale.”
“I was just going to show you the condo,” I said, holding up my hands. “Archer gave me the keys and said we could peruse at our leisure. I saw the image on your vision board and thought you might like to see the property in person. No ulterior motives.”
Ivy glared at me, but I turned away from her and went over to one of the long leather couches Archer had staged in the apartment. I sprawled out on it and started digging through the messenger bag I had brought. Inside was a bottle of good Spanish wine and a little box of charcuterie I had picked up at the Salt House restaurant. I set them out on the coffee table.
“We can’t eat in here!” Ivy exclaimed, rushing over to me.
“Sure we can!”
“You’re going to get crumbs everywhere,” she scolded as I took out a cracker and piled cheese and Barcelona salami on it.
“So you don’t want any charcuterie?” I waved the cracker in her face.
“No, I want—”
I stuffed it into her mouth.
“I should throw something,” she said after chewing, “but that is really good cured meat.”
“I know.” I uncorked the wine bottle and handed it to her.
“No glasses?” she asked with a quirk of her mouth.
