The Business Proposal

Chapter Eight

Ethan stepped out of the car and stared up at Ivy's building. It wasn't one of the worst places in London, but not where he thought a daughter of a hotel king would rest her head.

Understanding quickly followed this thought when he compared her salary to the prices regularly seen in the city. He supposed she'd been lucky to find this place given her wage.

The building was tall and functional, there was nothing glamorous about it. He noticed that there was no green space outside, only car parking spaces and an entrance to an underground car park.

He was 20 minutes early and knew Ivy wouldn't be ready, but this was what he wanted. He wanted to see how she lived. To figure her out.

He told his driver to stay close whilst he waited for Ivy to finish getting ready.

Heading towards the lights that showed the entrance to the building, he was glad that there at least appeared to be a reception.

Getting past the doorman proved to be impossible. It would defeat the purpose of his visit if Ivy was warned of his arrival, so he negotiated a compromise. Instead, the doorman accompanied him to Ivy's apartment just in case he turned out to be a crazy person off the street.

Ethan was annoyed at the man's persistence but was also grateful for it. It meant that Ivy would be safe until they moved in together to begin their married life.

His mind froze as the doorman motioned for him to follow him to the elevator. He fell into step behind the man as everything went into autopilot.

He felt stupid for not anticipating this. There was no way Ivy could move in with him. His bachelor pad, although his haven, would not be appropriate for a married couple. And after seeing her building, he was convinced it wouldn't work either.

He had to pull himself together. Now was not the time to worry over this. He would add it to the list of things he'd need to sort out and pushed it away from his mind.

Tonight was all about him and Ivy getting to know each other. At least that was what he was hoping for. He was already slightly nervous and there was no room left in his head to worry over things that he could do nothing about.

The elevator bounced slightly, and the doors eased open without so much as a sound. The doorman headed out first and again Ethan followed him down the maze of corridors. Finally, they stopped at what he assumed was Ivy's door.

His mind looked over the door and saw nothing strange or out of the ordinary. In fact, that was exactly what it was. Just a simple, ordinary door. So why did he feel like his heart was trying to run a marathon? He'd never felt this much anticipation as the doorman knocked lightly.

They heard a soft rustling as someone stepped towards the door and fiddled with the lock.

"John? Is everything okay?" Ivy started, puzzled. Then her eyes were drawn to the figure standing behind him. They widened as she took Ethan in.

He looked extra-large standing in the cramped hallway next to her doorman. He wore another suit but had made it more casual by wearing no tie and unbuttoning a few of the top buttons. The exposed skin and hint of dark hair automatically drew her eyes. A sudden image of him naked beneath her, her hand running through that hair, flashed dangerously into her mind.

She had to get a control on her emotions. Why did Ethan have that effect on her?

"Sorry to bother you, Miss Thorn, but this man says you are expecting him?"

She peeled her eyes away from Ethan to focus on her doorman. She wondered why he hadn't called up like normal. Maybe Ethan had something to do with it.