**Later That Evening**
Ivy and Shannon had enjoyed their tour around the Starbucks Reserve and Tasting Room and they had had their fulfilment of coffee to last them what felt like a year.
Shannon was particularly thrilled with the amount of free samples he had come away with.
On the journey home they had chatted away and Shannon had told her about his plans to open a second branch of Black Fuel in Seattle, and that he was going to be starting to look at possible locations for the shop. He had asked her if she would like to come along to view some of the locations with him and Ivy had agreed.
As he pulled up into his drive and cut the engine, Shannon's phone rang and he reached into his pocket to fish it out.
"Hello? Oh, OK sure. I'm just outside in my yard, I'll come over and open the gates for you. Great. See you in a bit." He hung up and saw he had a text from Jay.
"Shan,
Give me a call, I need to discuss something with you."
He sighed, rolling his eyes at his brothers demanding message, and knew that he would have to call him back within the next 5 minutes or his phone would blow up.
"Call you in 5. Busy right now." He quickly fired back.
"What was that about?" Ivy asked Shannon once he had put his phone away.
"That...is all part of your surprise." He grinned at her.
"What are you planning now?"
"Nothing you need to worry your pretty head about."
"Shannon..."
"Trust me. Go inside, I'll be there shortly."
"Ok..."
Ivy climbed out of his truck and went inside. Her phone suddenly rang and she pulled it out of her bag, looking at the screen. It was her brother, Bryce. She wasn't expecting a call from him. Infact, they hadn't spoken in quite a while; both just seemingly too busy with conflicting schedules.
Answering the call she heard her brothers familiar and soothing voice float down the phone to her.
"Hey Iv. I hope I've caught you at an OK time, still after all these years trying to get used to time difference. Sorry."
"No. It's fine. It's nice to hear from you I'm sorry I've sucked in keeping contact, I've had a lot going on here."
"Oh really? All good I hope?"
"Mostly."
"Oh, what's wrong?" There was concern in his voice.
"It's a long story." Ivy sighed. "How's Cassie and the kids?" She decided to detract from her current situation.
"Cassie's great and so are the kids. Tyler's just about to start Middle School and Emily is doing great, she's in the school choir now and loving it."
"Gosh they're grown up. That's great to hear. Maybe we could Skype sometime so I can chat with them?"
"Sure."
"So what were you phoning about? Can I help?"
"Well actually. I'm coming to LA next week for a business trip. I just wondered if you were free one day to have dinner and catch up?"
"Sure. I'd love that, it would be so good to catch up with you."
Shannon's front door clicked open and he walked in carrying a garment bag and box.
"Babe, can you give me-"
Ivy spun around from talking to her brother on the phone and looked in Shannon's direction, placing a finger to her lips.
He walked over to his couch and placed the items on it, before walking over to her, giving her a kiss on the cheek and whispering, "Sorry."
"Who was that I just heard?" Bryce questioned his sister.
"Oh erm..." Ivy quickly glanced across at Shannon, who was busy unpacking his Starbucks coffee samples and organising them neatly in the cupboard above his percolator. "No one."
"I distinctly heard someone call you 'babe' Iv. Are you not going to tell me who it was?"
"Now you're beginning to sound like mum, Bryce."
"Oh God. I am, aren't I?" She heard Bryce groan. "Anyway, let me know what day would be good for you next week. I'm in LA for the whole week."
"Sounds good. I can't wait."
"Neither can I, Sis."
"Don't!" Ivy hated being called 'Sis' and Bryce knew it.
He chuckled.
'Catch you later Iv."
"Bye Bryce. Say hi to Cassie and the kids for me."
"Will do."
They both hung up and Ivy turned and wandered over to Shannon in the kitchen, wrapping her arms around his waist, resting her chin on his shoulder.
"I don't think I've known anyone else to be so particular about their coffee." She teased him.
He turned his head to look at her and smiled, then kissed her temple.
"Then they haven't met me then, have they?" He suddenly spun her around in his arms and pinned her against the sideboard, caging her there with his body and placing an arm either side of her.
She looked up at him questioningly and he dipped his head down to catch her soft, warm lips with his. Her arms moved up encircling his waist once more, fingers dipping under his t-shirt, grazing up his sides; Ivy felt him shudder as her fingers touched his skin.
"Soo...what's in the bags?" Ivy pulled away from him slightly and raised an eyebrow.
Shannon chuckled.
"Why don't you go and see. Was that your brother you were just talking to?" He questioned watching her leave his kitchen area and walk back out to the Sitting Room.
"It was." She turned her head to smile at him.
He lent his elbows on his kitchen island and cupped his chin in his hands, watching her.
Ivy walked over to the black garment bag that Shannon had draped over the back of his couch. Picking it up to drape over the front of the couch, she saw the familiar word 'GUCCI' in white font on the front of the black bag and hesitated, looking over her shoulder at Shannon.
"SHANNON! Are you insane?!" She exclaimed once she had registered the name on the garment bag.
"No. I just wanted to give the woman I care about a nice dress. That's all."
Ivy smiled shyly at him.
"Open it!" Shannon encouraged him.
She slowly pulled down the zipper on the garment bag, gradually exposing some scarlet fabric. Her fingers ran over the slinky, expensive fabric, before she carefully pulled the delicate fabric from the bag and laid it out flat on the couch, her eyes roaming over it.
The dress was simply cut, with thin spaghetti straps that criss-crossed at the back and the front hung in a deep 'V'.
"Shannon. Its stunning, but I can't. How do you know my size?"
"I've taken note from finding your discarded clothing on my bedroom floor." He teased her and smiled softly, walking out from behind the kitchen island and crossing over to where she stood, still marvelling at the dress.
It was his turn to wrap his arms around her waist and embrace her from behind, leaning down to caress the tender skin on her neck with his lips.
"I also know that these-" He suddenly reached out and slid his hands up under her top to grab her breasts; one in each hand, and gently squeezed, "are a 32DDD" Shannon lent down and whispered into her ear as he flipped down the lace cups to the bra she wore and brushed his thumbs lightly over her nipples.
Ivy instantly reacted to his touch by moaning and arching her back into his chest, causing him to kiss a trail up her neck and round to the soft shell of her ear.
"There should be something else in that bag that should fit them nicely." He gently nipped at her earlobe, tugging at it.
She managed to detangle herself from him long enough to rummage around in the garment bag to find another smaller bag and pulled it out.
Holding the pink and black bag in her hands she ran her fingers over the writing on the front of it, tracing the 'Agent Provocateur' wording.
"Open it." Shannon told her quietly.
Ivy peeled off the sticker that was holding the bag closed and opened it. Some pink tissue paper was covering whatever lay inside, so she peeled it away.
Inside was a beautiful bondage cage-style, strapped, black satin bra and matching satin and lace thong. She pulled them out and looked at them, holding them in her hands.
"Do you like them?" Shannon asked.
"I love them. I love everything Shannon. But, Gucci. How much did-."
He cut her off. "Jared is very good friends with their Head Designer, Alessandro Michele, and over time, I have become friends too. I-I kind of got in touch with Alessandro and gave him your measurements and asked him if he had a red dress.
Emma picked up the lingerie for me. I told her what size to look for."
"Wait! Does Emma know-"
"No. I just told her what I was looking for and your size and said I was taking someone special to dinner." Shannon blushed.
Ivy suddenly paused at his words. "And she didn't pause to question why you would be wanting underwear sent to you for your 'Someone Special' you're taking to dinner?
Is this something you do for every girl you're trying to fuck, Shannon?" Ivy snapped at him, still trying to figure out why Emma hadn't asked any questions about picking out lingerie for Shannon.
Shannon froze, shocked at her words and sudden change in demeanour towards him.
"What? No!"
Ivy glared at him.
"I-I." Shannon tried to continue.
She flung down the lingerie and stormed off outside to Shannon's veranda; her blood beginning to boil. Shannon followed her closely behind.
"Ivy! Wait!"
"No Shannon. I'm not interested in whatever bullshit you have to say. Save it for someone who cares!" She glared at him from over her shoulder. "I'm going for a walk. I need to clear my head."
She stormed past him, pushing him out of the way and stomped back inside, picking up her phone and making her way towards his front door where she snatched up her jacket and yanked it on.
"Ivy! That's not what this is about! Ivy! Wait!"
But his words fell on deaf ears and she stormed out of his house, slamming his front door behind herself, causing a picture in the hallway to fall off the wall and crash to the floor, the glass shattering.
************************************
Ivy had no idea where or what she was doing or where she was going, but she knew she just wanted to get out of there.
She was so mad at Shannon right now and how he had tried to buy her into his life and his bed. Ivy wasn't materialistic in anyway. Growing up from a modest background had taught her to appreciate the things she did have and the little things in life; she didn't need to be 'bought' with materialistic things.
How many other times had he just randomly messaged Emma with a girls measurements and asked her to pick out and send up underwear to him in Seattle for some 'random piece of ass' he was trying to get into bed?
Punching in the code to Shannon's gates they slowly opened and she stalked out and joined the path, tracing the path through the neighbourhood, walking the sidewalk as it wound its way through the luscious, green, enshrined surroundings.
Marvelling at the white picket fencing and the mansion-sized houses, she could only imagine the kinds of families who lived here. The type of families she had always envied.
Following the sidewalk she found her way to a path that led to a wide-sweeping lawn that led down to the edge of the lake. She found a jetty and sat down on it for a while, looking out at the wide expanse of water.
Her phone went and she looked at the screen seeing Shannon's name illuminate on it. She ignored the call, letting it go through to voicemail. It ran again and again, she ignored it.
"Are you not going to answer that? It sure sounds like someones desperately trying to get ahold of you."
Ivy snapped her gaze away from the lake and up towards the direction in which the voice has come from and found a guy stood on the boardwalk looking down at her as she sat dangling her feet into the water below.
"Oh er...yeah." Ivy replied, flashing him a small smile. "I'd rather not."
"Oh, had a falling out have you?"
"Something like that."
"Mind if I join you?"
"I guess." She turned her head to look back out over to the lake.
The guy came and sat down next to her, placing a brown paper bag between the two of them; Ivy hadn't even noticed that he had been holding anything.
She briefly looked across at him whilst fiddling with her phone. It went off as she held it.
'Iv. Where are you? Please answer your phone. I'm sorry X'