Chapter 12

Ivy's phone was ringing. She rushed over to it, finding herself hoping it was Derek. Stop it Ivy. She chided herself. Don't get attached.Relationships had never really worked out for her. She'd learned long ago that finding love was hopeless and that most of the time, you just got hurt. She had the scars, both emotional and physical to prove it. Glancing down at the caller display, she saw it was Dennis and picked it.

"Oh my god, Ivy I am so sorry, it just slipped out. I wasn't thinking. Please don't hate me." Dennis was almost hyperventilating.

"Whoa, whoa. Dennis, slow down. What is this about?"

"I was having lunch with Tom and I was telling him how you encouraged me to ask him out and I may have mentioned that you and Derek are sleeping together." Oh, this was bad. This was very bad indeed. Ivy put her hand to her forehead.

"He's coming over there right now. I am so sorry Ivy."

"It's alright. He had to find out sometime." She had hoped that it would come out later rather than sooner but at least now she'd get it over with. She prepared herself. This was not going to be pretty. She hung up the phone and chugged a glass of wine.

"IVY!" She opened the door. Tom stood there looking absolutely furious.

"You're sleeping with him?" he yelled. Ivy sighed.

"Yes Tom. I am. But before you say anything. It's completely causal." She announced, hoping he would calm down.

"Oh god, that's even worse. Ivy, he is a horrible little man and you are worth so much more than that." Tom replied, getting more worked up.

"Tom, maybe you're judging him a little harshly." But this only wound Tom up even more.

"Ivy. You barely even know him. Trust me, he's awful. Why of all the men in New York, did you choose to screw Derek Wills?" Ivy looked at Tom. She realized it hadn't even crossed his mind that she had slept with Derek to get the part. He really thought too highly of her. She calmly explained.

"Look. He's attractive and he was perfectly pleasant to me. Plus, he is the director."

"You did this for the part? Ivy, you had it no matter what. Didn't your mother teach you about self-respect? " Ivy's head snapped up. She watched his face as he realized his mistake. Rule number one in the Ivy Lynn Handbook: Never bring up her mother.

"No Tom, she didn't." she replied venomously.

"And you know was well as me that he was on Karen's side up until I let him have sex with me. Has it ever occurred to you that I might actually like him? That it might be nice to have someone who actually wants me, even if it is just for my body. " She was spewing things she hadn't even knew she felt. She could feel tears forming behind her eyes and suddenly she was lying on the couch with Tom hugging her and apologizing as she sobbed quietly into his shoulder.

When Derek showed up a couple hours later, she wasn't sure how to feel. They had sex of course, but it was slower, more methodical than usual. Pleasant enough, but not wild and vaguely rough. the way to usually was. Derek was getting dressed when she spoke for the first time.

"Derek, can I... can I ask you a question?" she said, apprehension colouring her voice.

"Sure" he replied, pulling down his shirt cuffs.

"Why don't we ever go to your place?" Ivy knew that this was a huge question, one that could get her into a lot of trouble.

"Oh god."

"What?"

"It's ridiculous really. My neighbors on the floor below, they've just installed a new stove. One of those giant things that takes up half a room. I mean, it's so big that they had to get entirely new gas pipes. So they turned off the gas and now they've broken the gas and now I have no gas." She laughed but not for the reasons he might have thought. She wanted to believe his story. She wanted to believe it more than she realized but Ivy was no idiot. She knew when she was being lied too. And it surprised her how much it hurt that he wouldn't tell her the truth.

"I thought you didn't want me in your home or something." She said calmly, calling his bluff. Acknowledgement registered in his eyes. It was an unconventional relationship they had. They were both terrific liars but each saw through the other facade easily. Although they would never call the other out. They were far too smart for that.

"Darling, I want you everywhere." he replied, pulling them back to the part they were good at. The physical, the sexual. Emotions and feelings were messy and were proving too difficult to deal with. They kissed a couple times before he walked out the door. Ivy, despite herself, could feel the tears dripping down her cheeks as she watched him leave.