All night, I couldn't stop thinking about what Ian said he had planned for me. And because of that, I couldn't sleep. It also didn't help that I couldn't stop thinking about my father, either. I mentioned wanting to visit and see how he's doing, but because my father has only been in treatment for about a week, Ian suggested I stay away, for now, to not interfere with his mindset and to continue allowing him to get the help he needs.

I understand where Ian's coming from, but it still sucks. All I'd like to do is see him sober and to thank him for doing what's right, finally. Because, honestly, I don't think I've ever seen him sober in all the years I've known my father. So, I'm a bit anxious to see what he's like off the drugs. But Ian's right; the best thing to do right now is to let my father be and let the medical professionals help him—without my getting in the way.

Since Ian has my father and his well-being under control, I'm going to let it go, trust Ian's thoughts on the matter, and continue carrying on with my excitement for wherever Ian is driving me to this very moment.

"What are you thinking so hard about?"

"What you told me not to think about. But I'm also trying to figure out where we're going."

Ian looked over at me and raised his hand to my cheek, caressing it. "Your father's in good hands."

"I understand that. But because of my father's history, I fear he'll get his cravings and check himself out as he has in the past. My father at his longest lasted four days in treatment."

"As I said before, he's in the best place, getting the best care, and in every program, they offer to get his mind back in the game. His medical team will work long and hard with him, and if they see he has those urges, they'll help him get over those cravings. Trust me. He'll be fine... plus, he and I had a long talk. Your father knows where you stand and knows that if he doesn't complete this program and goes back to using, he'll lose you."

It still makes me nervous he'll leave the treatment facility thinking he can't go on living without the drugs. But in the back of my mind, Ian has me feeling optimistic about my father and that he'll continue doing what's right.

Ian keeps saying he had a long talk with my father, but he never mentioned what their talk was all about. So, curious to learn more about their conversation, I turned to Ian, asking, "Besides talking to my father about his drug use and getting help, what else did you talk to him about?"

With his eyes on the road, he smiled, then said, "You."

Of course, they talked about me. "Do you care to enlighten me, or is it a secret?" I pressed.

"Your father asked who I was to you, so I told him the truth."

"Which is?"

"That you work for me-"

My mouth dropped, and then I hissed, cutting him off. "I thought you said you didn't tell him anything about me or where I was?"

Ian looked at me quickly. "Will you relax? There's zero need for you to get worked up. All I said was that you work for me and that you're too good of a woman for him to be putting you through what he has been. I also admitted how I feel about you and how grateful I am that after putting you through hell these last couple of years, you're willing to give me a chance to prove I'm the man you need in your life." He looked at me with twisted lips. "I hope by telling him how I feel about you was all right because the last thing I want to do is upset you. God and everyone around us know I've done enough of that."

I looked away from him, shaking my head. "I'm not upset." I'm just embarrassed he admitted that he's my boss. "Thanks for not telling him about my whereabouts."

"You're welcome. Anyway..." Ian emphasized, patting my thigh, then pointing to the windshield. "Are you ready for your pampering? An entire day's worth?" he said, grinning from ear to ear.

My entire body melted when I looked at the building. I had a good idea on what the pampering meant, but because no man had ever done such a thing for me, and because it's something you only read about in romance novels, I assumed since he knows I like drinking wine that he was taking me to some winery to sample wines all day. But I was wrong. He's treating me to a day at the spa and one of the most luxurious spas located here in Minnesota.

"You'll be getting the full queen treatment. Massage. Facial. Manicure. Pedicure. Skin treatments. You name it," Ian said proudly.

"I don't know what to say..." I said in awe, looking his way.

He winked above his beautiful smirk. "I owe you this. Actually... I owe you more than this. But it's a start," he said, cupping my chin, then brushing his lips along mine. "There's more to come after you're done here."

"More than this," I questionably breathed, feeling as if I were about to faint.

"Come on, let's get you pampered like a queen."

******

Heaven. That's where I am.

I'm so much in heaven right now that I feel when it's time for Ian and me to leave, I'll want to try making up any and every excuse to stay.

"Are you doing all right?" the masseuse asked as she worked the knots out of my shoulders.

I flipped my head to the side, looked at Ian, and smiled. "I'm doing wonderful," I hummed, emphasizing wonderful. "Thank you for this," I said to Ian. "Everything you had them do to me today is definitely something I desperately needed."

"You're welcome. Anything for my sugar lips," Ian winked.

Our eighty-minute couples massage session finally ended, and I couldn't help but pout. "Done already?"

The masseuse giggled. "Unfortunately we are," she said, then handed Ian and me a glass of water while explaining what we needed to do post-massage care. Drink plenty of water. Stretch. Eat. And to take it easy for the rest of the day.

"Are you ready for the next place?"

My eyes widened. "There's more?"

Ian chuckled, reached for my hand, and brought it up to his mouth, lovingly kissing the top of my hand. "Of course there is. I warned you this was a day of pampering."

"After more than six hours at the spa, I assumed that was my day of pampering."

The corner of his mouth rose high. "You asked to get to know the real me. Well, today is that day. Do you know when men spoil their girl and comment on how they shouldn't get used to it? Well, I'm the opposite of those said men. I like seeing my girl smile, and I like knowing I'm the reason for that smile. So spoiling my girl is something you better get used to."

Somebody pinch me.

Is Ian for real?

"You don't need to spoil me," I said, even though it would be nice to know, see, and feel what it's like to be spoiled by a man—a man meaning Ian.

"Yes, I do. And you're going to enjoy it too," Ian grinned.

Ian just did a complete one-eighty. And now more than ever, with how Ian's showing me his sweet, caring, and loving side of him, it has me wondering what happened that his ex-fiancée ended their engagement a week before the wedding. Even though Ian's ex leaving him is my gain, it still makes me wonder why she would allow a man so caring and giving to slip through her fingers as she did.

"Did you do all this spoiling stuff for your ex as well?" I curiously asked.

Ian nodded. "I did," he quietly said.

Hannah may have told me why Ian's ex broke things off, but now I'm anxious to hear his side of the story. So because of Ian's slow and quiet response and how quiet he is now, I asked, "Can I ask what happened between you two?"

"Alexandra wasn't who I thought she was." Ian finally said after a few minutes of silence. "She wanted a glamorous lifestyle, and I did everything to give her what she wanted. But, apparently, she wanted more than one man to provide her with that lavish lifestyle."

How can more than one guy provide her with something she's already receiving?

"I guess I don't understand. If you were giving your ex everything she wanted, then why would she want another man to do what you were already giving her?"

"Greed," he bitterly said. "Alexandra was greedier than I thought she was. She wanted a lap of luxury—a big house, a nice car, fancy jewelry, clothes, shoes, purses. You name it—she wanted it all. I gave her everything she wanted whenever she asked—my love, money, and generosity. And it still wasn't enough for her. Alexandra wanted more."

It still makes no sense to me.

"How could she want more than that?" I asked as Ian pulled into a parking spot. "It sounds like you gave her the entire world. A world most women dream of having."

"I did give her the world. But her view of the world was much different from how I visualized ours would be," Ian said, opening the door and stepping out of the car, ending the conversation. He walked over to my side, opened the door, then extended his hand for me to take. "Let's not ruin the rest of the day by talking about someone who doesn't deserve me talking about. Alexandra made her bed, and now she can lay in it—without me by her side..."

Ian rested his hand on the small of my back, then guided me to where he was bringing me next. The moment he opened the door and we stepped inside, a couple of women met us with a smile, along with open arms. "Ian, it's so nice to see you again," the older woman happily said, smiling from ear to ear.

"You must be Tawny," the red-headed woman said, reaching for me. "We've been expecting you."

I looked over the woman's shoulder, noticed the clothing, and finally realized where we were. Suddenly I felt like Vivien from the movie Pretty Woman. I spun on my heel, looked at a grinning Ian, and asked, "What are you up to now?"

Ian snapped his wrist. "Go have some fun with Eloise and Victoria," he grinned, then pointed to an empty chair. "I'll sit and wait for you right over there."

"We've got strict instructions on finding you the right dress for tonight," Eloise, the older woman, said.

"Mr. Lockwood also instructed us to let you stock the counter with every article of clothing you find and wish to have. So this spending spree is all on him." Victoria enlightened, slowly spinning in a circle with her arms extended out, showing me the clothing with her, informing me that I had their full attention since Ian paid to have the store closed while I shopped and tried on clothes.

Ian wasn't kidding when he said he'd be treating me like royalty today.

"What did you mean by finding me the right dress for tonight? What do you know that I don't?" I asked, hinting for one of them to spill the beans.

The two women looked at each other, smiled, then turned to me with lifted brows. "He didn't tell you?" they said in unison.

I shook my head. "No. All he said was that he would be spoiling me the entire day."

With excitement filling their faces, they each took a side, linked their arms around mine, and began walking me. "What we know is that Ian has something special planned for tonight, and since he never filled you in on what that is, we better not say a word. So what we need to do now is find that perfect dress to make that man smile."

They walked me to the fitting room, had me undress, sized me up, then asked me to stay where I was and wait while they grabbed dresses in my size. After an hour of trying on all the dresses, I finally narrowed them down to two. Without knowing what Ian had up his sleeve for tonight, I wasn't sure which one to choose and turned to the two ladies waiting to hear my decision. I held up the two dresses, asking, "I can't decide between the two; which one do you two think looked the best?"

"They both looked stunning on you," Victoria said, walking towards me. "With that said, I'll take them both and bring them to the counter." She took the dresses from my hands and walked away, leaving me with Eloise.

Eloise clapped her hands, smiling. "It's too bad, Victoria, and I won't be around to see Ian's face light up once he sees you in the dress you decide to wear tonight. I already know his mouth will hit the floor." She rested her hand on my back. "Let's go find you some more clothes."

For some strange reason, I feel guilty for Ian taking me to a spa for half the day, for him taking me on this shopping spree, and for the cost of the dresses that I'll be wearing later for whatever else he has planned. I know I shouldn't feel guilty and be happy and grateful, Ian cares to spoil me, but this guilty feeling inside me is overpowering my mind.

"I can see on your face that you feel overwhelmed," Eloise addressed as she held up an outfit for me to see. "If that's how you're feeling, don't. I've known Ian for about ten years, and that man will do anything for the woman in his life. This is what he enjoys—spoiling them rotten."

"I do feel guilty he's doing this for me. For two years, we despised each other, and in those years, Ian treated me like I was some dirty doormat-"

"But you're together now, am I right?" she asked, cutting me off.

"Yes. And I'll admit that I couldn't be any happier with the way he's been treating me since he begged me to be his girl."

Eloise's eyes sparkled in the light while her mouth stretched into a beautiful smile, and then she said, "Ian is a wonderful man and one with a heart of gold. The problem with him is that every woman he had in his life took advantage of him, especially his ex-fiancée. Out of all the women in his life, she was the worst."

"So I've heard," I said, taking the outfit from Eloise's hand and looking it over. "And that's what I fear-fearing Ian will think I'm like all the others."

"Don't let those women affect your relationship with Ian," she urged. "Ian told me all about you, your situation, and how you and he met. And from the little time I've gotten to spend with you, I can see you're not like the others." She took the outfit back, laid it over her forearm, then smiled. "I've been around for a long time, and from what I see is that you're completely opposite of the other women he's been with. I can see and feel you're a good woman-one he needs in his life. With that said, I know that you and Ian will work out. All I can say is that it's about time Ian found a good woman; he deserves it," she added.

I sure hope Ian and I work out and that he knows I agreed to be with him for reasons that have nothing to do with him having a huge bank account. Because the last thing I want Ian thinking, is that I'm using him like the other women. He knows damn well I didn't come from a family with money, and he also knows that my wallet has a constant light on, alerting me it's out of money.

So because of what these ladies know about me and Ian's prior relationships, I hope they're not thinking I'll turn out to be anything like Ian's exes—that's not how I am.

I'm just a woman who grew up having a fucked up family, who's dealt with having bad luck since I was a child, and one whose dreams of becoming a famous artist shatter because of having to drop out of college to help care for my grieving, drug-addicted father.

"I want to assure you; I'm nothing like Ian's exes. And to be honest, by Ian bringing me here and buying me all these clothes and dresses, I feel like a pauper looking for handouts."

Eloise shook her head and laughed.

"What's so funny?"

"You're not a pauper looking for handouts. But, as I stated before, I've known Ian for a long time, and this is what he does for the woman he's fallen head over heels for. And you know what I think?"

I shook my head.

She winked, then admitted, "You're the one."

I pointed at my chest, asking, "Me?"

"Yes, you. I've seen Ian in love before, but not like he is now."

I giggled. "Oh, we're newly dating. So we're not in love." I turned, looked over at Ian, then tilted my head to the side a little as I studied his gorgeous face, saying, "We haven't even said those three big words yet."

She patted my shoulder, then leaned closer to my ear. "I know you and Ian are newly together now, but I've been around the block a few times, and I know when two doves are in love. And you two are in love with each other. Trust me..."

******

Today was something I never saw coming...

A day at the spa.

A clothing shopping spree

A trip to the salon.

And now?

I'm in the back of a limo, dressed to impress for something I still have no idea where Ian's taking me.

Ian's arm tightened around me, and then he reached for my chin and turned me to face him. "You look extraordinary beautiful tonight," he said in a voice soft with affection, melting me.

The corner of my mouth raised as I looked him up and down, then back up into his ever so green, lust-filled eyes. Never have I ever had a man look at me with desire in his eyes, as Ian does, and it's tickling my belly. "You don't look so bad yourself."

God, this man is beautiful. More beautiful than I ever thought he'd be. And the best part about Ian is that he's now officially mine.

All mine...

The heat of Ian's breath warmed my lips the closer his mouth neared mine, exciting the sensitive area between my thighs and my spine filling with goosebumps. Instead of taking my mouth like I assumed he was, he quietly said, "I'll never let you go, sugar lips."

His words caused my heart to flutter, and before I could respond, Ian crushed his mouth to mine—kissing me with a passion that had me wanting more. With our lips still locked together, I climbed on top of Ian and took over the kiss—kissing him like I was starving until the limo came to a stop.

I parted from Ian's mouth. Only he took my lips back by latching on onto my bottom lip. And with his teeth hooked to my lip, he stated, "Mine... all mine..."

Our chauffeur opened the door, and after Ian stepped out, he extended his hand towards me. "Ignore the people out here," he warned, confusing me. Who would I be ignoring?

I took Ian's hand, and the second I stepped out and onto the red carpet, I realized why he said what he did. We were surrounded by hundreds of people, taking pictures like they were the paparazzi.

I looked at Ian when his hand lowered to the small of my back. "Ian? Where on earth did you take me?"

Ian's mouth twitched into a smile, and then he kissed me when a man with a camera stood in front of us and started taking pictures. He broke the kiss, then chuckled. "Welcome to my art museum."

My stomach dropped. Did Ian say his museum?

Then my eyes widened after realizing how everyone around us was dressed—including Ian and me. Now I know why he pampered me the way he did. Ian wanted me to feel relaxed, memorable, and meaningful. Just like all these people.

"Is it like this every time you come here?" I mentally face-palmed after realizing what I asked. What the hell kind of question is that?

"No," he laughed. "I throw an art soiree once per year," he enlightened, slowly guiding me past the paparazzi wannabe's and towards the building. "Artists from all over the world come to this event presenting and auctioning off their newest and latest artwork. So you'll not only get to meet famous and newcomer artists, but well-known millionaires and celebrities as well."

Celebrities?

Millionaires?

Famous artists?

Is this a dream? Am I in heaven, or is this for real?

As we entered the gallery, my eyes anxiously scanned the room. Then my beating heart gained speed, and it pounded against my chest after recognizing some familiar faces. Finally, I stopped walking, looked up at a glowing and very proud Ian, and said. "I'd ask you to tweak my nipples to awaken me from this dream, but I have a feeling this is no dream... this is really happening, isn't it?"

Sorry for the very late post again. I've been extremely busy, and haven't had time to write. I've also had no motivation after readers have brought it to my attention that other writers on this platform are copying my work and putting it into their own story. My ideas, phrases, words, and paragraphs are being used in their story, using their own spin on it. So that's a bit depressing...

I hope you enjoyed the chapter anyway!🤞🤞