The Winemaker's Dinner: Appetizers

by Rusilko, Dr. Ivan

  Determined not to talk this much the entire evening, Jaden threw out a question before Ivan got a chance to reload. “Okay, now your turn, Mr. USA. What about your family?”

  “Ha ha—I see you’re fluent in Google, huh?” Ivan moved on to mixing the salad. “Well, much like you, I came from a very small town. Mine’s in northwest Pennsylvania where the only places open past ten p.m. are Walmart and Perkins. My dad is a chiropractor, and he’s the reason I became a doctor. I had a few other options available after college, but that was the right choice, especially with my Pap there to guide me. My mom has her masters in psychology, but chose a much harder profession: raising us. She’s a woman of faith, always praying for us, and I think it’s her faith and love for our family that’s kept me on the straight and narrow. My brother is a well-established reconstructive urologist. I call him Captain Cock since his main focus is correcting dick issues.”

  Ivan’s eyes twinkled, and Jaden could see the respect and love he had for his brother.

  “He’s also my role model,” Ivan added. “And my little sis is a physician’s assistant at an oncology clinic. She might actually outdo my crazy father on the wild scale. And did I mention she’s great at helping me pick up girls?”

  Jaden tilted her head and looked at him expectantly.

  “Used to be,” he countered quickly. “Won’t need her assistance any more.”

  Jaden now felt a little homesick for her own family. “So what did you do growing up? I’m sure you have a few stories to tell.”

  “My dad thought it would build character if I worked on a farm, so my childhood days consisted of milking cows, bailing hay, and shoveling shit!” Ivan laughed, but his eyes never left hers, and he paused, seemingly just to look at her for a moment. He opened the cupboard and retrieved two plates before continuing. “I hated farm work, but I’m so glad I did it. It gave me an appreciation of the simple things in life—and the value of a hard-earned dollar. But I didn’t only work on the farm. I also played hockey all the way through school. I was the tough guy, and I played the part well. Once I even had a chance to go pro,” he said, shaking his head. “But I was doing well with school and had just gotten accepted into an advanced medical program, so instead I skipped my last year of college and went directly into medical school. I had a choice between a sure thing and a boyhood dream. After a lot of consideration, and some very careful guidance from my dad, I chose the sure thing. But mind you, not a day goes by that I don’t wonder what might’ve happened if I’d followed that dream.”

  The salads now finished, Ivan poured the dressing and passed Jaden her plate. “Here’s round one. I hope you like. And by the way, you’re slacking! We’re both bone dry.” Ivan looked pointedly at their empty wine glasses.

  Still surprised they had such similar backgrounds, Jaden snagged the wine and poured them each a hefty glass. “There you go. And to be fair, I guess you get the next question.”

  “What are your turn-ons and turn-offs?” Ivan shot back without hesitation. “Besides sea turtles, of course.”

  Jaden laughed. “Absolutely. Sea turtles, of course, are one of my biggest turn-ons. And bar none, the things I hate the most are smoking, cockiness, and laziness. If any of those three are present, then it’s adios amigo.”

  “That’s a fantastic answer—about sums it up for me too. Smoking is my biggest turn off,” Ivan said, punching holes in the oversized squash.

  As he placed it in the microwave, Jaden raised the stakes. “Ex-girlfriends: what went wrong?”

  Ivan froze with his arms in midair. “You want to go there, eh?”

  Jaden could detect a slight deer-in-the-headlights look in his eyes when he turned around, but then he smiled. “Okay, but you know the gloves are off, right?” Ivan picked up his glass and downed it in one gulp. “What do you want to know about them? Ask and you shall receive. I’m an open book.”

  “What happened? How did you meet them?” Jaden asked.

  “As you’ll eventually come to find out, I’m actually a rather shy person. Despite the charade you may read about on the internet, I am not some womanizer, playboy, or pimp. Minus high school sweethearts, I was introduced to each of my ex-girlfriends by a friend, an agent, or a manager in a very business-like fashion. Without that, I’d have been single for the last five years. But every relationship I’ve had, though it ended, was wonderful in its own right. I’ve always combated heartache with a quote I found in the most unusual of places: ‘Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.’”

  Jaden rested her chin in her hand. “That’s a good one.”

  “I can’t believe you know that quote,” he said, smiling broadly. “I’ve relied on it in every hard situation I’ve faced,” he admitted. “I’ve been lucky to share some amazing things with some extraordinary women, and I’ll always cherish that, but time and distance can break even the strongest of bonds. I attempted to prove this wrong many times, but it’s one thing I’ve promised myself I’ll never do again. It’s too hard to let something slip away just because you aren’t there.”

  Wow, Jaden thought. My assumptions were way off once again. It seemed Ivan had truly loved and lost. Adrift in her thoughts for a moment, Jaden snapped back to the present when Ivan gently took her hand.

  “So what about you,” he asked warmly. “How many guys do I have to thank for passing up their chance to be with you?”

  “Not many. I had a few high school boyfriends. My senior year, I dated a guy—he was really geeky and quirky, not my usual type, but we hit it off really well. I fell hard for him over the two years that we dated. Then one summer I went to visit family on the coast, and when I got home, I found he’d been cheating on me with one of my best friends. It broke my heart. After that I kept to casual dating until I finished college. I’ve had a few semi-serious relationships since then, but nothing that’s sent me running down the aisle. If I wasn’t such a coward when it comes to guys, I probably would’ve had more luck in the romance department.”

  “Hahaha…I’ve got you beat there, girl.” Ivan laughed. “I can assure you, I’m the biggest chickenshit you’ll ever meet when it comes to talking to the ladies.”

  “Oh, come on. You bashful?” Jaden interrupted. “You were the furthest thing from bashful at the Winemaker’s Dinner! And I’ve watched a few of your quite chatty interviews online, if you must know…” Jaden blushed and studied her wine.

  “Giving interviews on things like fashion or bodybuilding is nothing,” Ivan protested, pointing at her with a huge raw shrimp. “Discussing things I’m passionate about like diet and exercise, or children’s health? Piece of cake. But surrendering my ego and opening my heart to someone I barely know scares me to death,” he proclaimed.

  “Then why am I here right now?” Jaden asked in the sexiest way possible, dipping her finger into her wine and twirling it around the rim before licking a drop from the tip of her finger.

  “There’s a first time for everything,” Ivan said, shrugging as he dried his hands with a paper towel. “And watching you walk into that dinner, I knew you were going be that first for me. I can’t even explain what went through my mind when you stepped into my field of vision that night.”

  Biting her lower lip, Jaden tried to suppress an enormous smile. “I’m so happy you did,” she responded demurely.

  Standing up on the legs of her stool, she leaned across the table as Ivan met her halfway to exchange a smoldering kiss. “Okay, I’ve got one more,” she said, slinking back into her seat as the music transitioned into something more upbeat, lightening the mood. “What about your tattoos? Not very doctorly to have tattoos, now is it?”

  Ivan looked skyward as if he’d had this conversation before. “Well, setting yourself apart is the key—especially in this environment,” he said with a hearty laugh. “I’m not exactly a white coat and stethoscope guy, you know? Each of my tattoos is for a family member,” he explained. “The padre for Mother, who has Italian heritage, and the cross is Russ
ian Orthodox, for my father who’s of Russian descent. The one here on my wrist is the Staff of Asclepius, the symbol for physician, and the wings behind it are for my brother. The red on the snake and the blue on the nail are in remembrance of my Mr. USA run, which was a bigger part of my life than I ever would have imagined. And I still need to get a matching one on my other wrist for my sister. It’s a work in progress, I guess you could say. I have to wait for inspiration, and then it’s hard to find the time to sit and get them done!” He laughed again. “Now, back to you. I don’t see any tattoos—and I’ve checked thoroughly,” he added with a wicked grin. “So I’ll have to think of something else…” He tapped his chin as if deep in thought for a moment. “What would you say is your main ambition, your main drive? Why did you move from Colorado to Miami?” Ivan asked as he turned on the stove and began to heat some olive oil.

  “Well, I’d been looking for a job out here for a while. I told everyone it was because I wanted to live near the ocean, and that Miami was perfect because Tasha already lived here but…”

  “The real reason was?” Ivan asked. “Come on, I made an ass out of myself back there a bit ago, join the party.”

  Jaden struggled to find the right words as he dumped shrimp into the searing oil, creating a cacophony of sounds and smells. Following Ivan’s lead, she picked up her wine and downed it in a single gulp. “I’ve never told anyone this, and I don’t know why I’m telling you. You’ll think it’s stupid.”

  Ivan looked at her crossly. “I’ll never think anything you say or do is stupid.”

  He did seem genuinely interested, so Jaden swallowed her pride. “Ever since I was little, I’ve always been infatuated with the celebrity lifestyle. My bedroom walls were plastered with posters of cute guys I dreamed of and beautiful women I admired. I wondered how it would feel to walk by and see myself on a magazine cover, or read about an affair I was supposedly having with some actor—and heaven forbid I ever got the chance to see myself on TV. After I went to culinary school, I knew I was done with New York, and LA was also too big. Chicago was too cold, so I settled on Miami, hoping to somehow make my way onto the scene—and it did help that Tasha was here. I was working at a great restaurant in Estes Park where the chef was amazing and such an inspiration to me, and then I got incredibly lucky with Bianca. My mentor actually put in a good word for me—even though it meant I’d be leaving—and Geoff was willing to take a chance.” She paused for just a moment, and Ivan didn’t respond. “See, now you think I’m an idiot,” she mumbled, nervously toying with her empty wine glass.

  Ivan finished adding vegetables to the now crispy frying shrimp, then came to wrap his arms around her, surrounding her with his warmth. “I don’t think you’re stupid at all. Why do you think I’m here? Why do you think half the people in the city are here? We’re all chasing fame and fortune in one way or another. I think it’s amazing that you stepped outside your comfort zone and moved here. Ninety percent of the population spends time imagining their future and forgetting that now is where we live and breathe. The ten percent who live in the present are the ones who have the stories to tell, the ones who live life the way it’s meant to be lived. Stupid? No, I think you’re doing a great job of living.”

  Jaden found herself surprisingly comforted by his words. Perhaps her decision to move here made sense after all. She deserved to take a chance. “Thank you.”

  “Anytime, baby,” he said. He smiled down at her, and then cast an eye toward the stir fry. “Time to eat!” he announced.

  Lost in their conversation and wine, Jaden had barely noticed the meal coming together. “It smells delicious,” she now noted, taking a deep inhale of the layered aromas. “Do you need any help?”

  “Yes, more wine for both of us, and more music.”

  “I’m on it.” Jaden poured them each another glass before scrolling through Ivan’s playlists. As she fumbled through the endless artists, she wondered briefly if he was for real. He seemed to have a cheat sheet somewhere with all the right things to say. He’d made her feel at peace about his past relationships, and even assured her that pursuing her dream in Miami wasn’t crazy. The enigma that was Dr. Ivan Oh So Sexy Rusilko, international male model, was mostly just a front. Deep down, Ivan was a sincere, sweet guy who appreciated the simple things in life—just like her.

  Finally settling on an old-school favorite, Jaden clicked on the Dave Matthews Band. “Does this work?” she called.

  “More than you know,” Ivan responded, waggling his eyebrows as he put the final touches on the spaghetti squash. Apparently satisfied with his presentation, he scooped up both dishes and presented them to Jaden, as if for judging.

  She could only smile and shake her head as she admired the colorful concoction that adorned their plates. “You do actually cook!” she said in amazement. “What don’t you do?”

  “I think you’d better try it first—make sure it’s satisfactory,” he said. Raising his glass, Ivan motioned for another toast. “Here’s to meeting the real Jaden Thorne. Your beauty took my breath away, but your mind has stopped my heart.”

  Saluting his glass, Jaden just stared at the man before her. Finally she smiled. For once in her life she needed no convincing that she’d made the right choice.

  “Now, let’s eat!” Ivan said.

  Chapter 15

  “Sexual Healing”

  THE BEAUTIFUL DINNERS NOW in front of them on the nearby table, Jaden wanted to be sure they didn’t lose the intensity of their conversation. Intrigued, she wanted to get a little more personal with her inquisition of Mr. Oh So Sexy.

  “So what about you—why are you here in Miami? Are you a doctor, a model, what?” she asked after swallowing a mouthful of the spaghetti squash. “This is delicious, by the way.”

  Ivan smiled, clearly pleased she was enjoying his food. “If I gave you an answer now, I’d just be guessing. It changes daily,” he said with a laugh. “When I’m at the spa, I’m a doctor. When I’m on a shoot, I’m a model. If I had it my way—and I feel stupid even saying it—”

  “Please,” Jaden interrupted. “If I’m not allowed to feel stupid, then neither are you. Open books, remember?”

  “Yeah, right, open books,” Ivan conceded. “Well, I would love to end up in politics. I always joke with myself that I’ll retire at forty-three after two terms in office as the president…” He trailed off with a laugh, but Jaden wasn’t sure if he was kidding.

  “You certainly have the background for it,” she said. “And in my opinion you’re well on your way. I’d vote for you in a heartbeat.”

  “There’s that comedian coming out again.” He smiled as she took a bite of shrimp.

  “I love how the vegetables are done, and the garlic is fantastic. Well done, you,” Jaden said, truly impressed with his cooking. “You really are a jack of all trades.”

  “A jack of all trades, but master of none,” he responded with a comedic sigh.

  Noticing that the decanter now sat empty along with their wine glasses, Jaden remembered her designated job and stood to open the next bottle on the kitchen counter, making sure to slide her finger along Ivan’s shoulders as she passed.

  “Where you off to? Is the food that bad?”

  “Nope, I’m just doing my job. We’re running on empty.” Jaden motioned to the decanter.

  “You’re not just a pretty face, are you?” Ivan replied. “Grab the one in the velvet bag.”

  Jaden nodded. Grasping the bottle and corkscrew, she turned and asked, “So, what do you do at your spa?”

  He didn’t respond right away, but just watched her efficiently opening the wine. “Ivan? Where have you gone?” Jaden asked in a sultry voice. She twirled the corkscrew through her fingers.

  Ivan jumped and blushed slightly. Jaden knew she’d caught him in some sort of fantasy. A corkscrew? Really? Men.

  “Yes, at work I do medical fitness, anti-aging techniques, and sexual health and weight loss counseling,” he explained, suddenly all bu
siness. “I’m preparing to introduce a new weight loss program, as I think I’ve told you. It’s bound to make some waves, so I’ve been dealing with all of that. And then I also do stuff like Botox and set up high-end cosmetic parties for the crème de la crème. That’s Miami medicine for you. I make the rich more beautiful and they make me, well, not rich, unfortunately.” He laughed.

  “And what would you recommend for me?” Jaden asked. Still gripping the bottle of wine in one hand and the corkscrew in the other, she turned a complete circle in the middle of the kitchen floor.

  She then poured two glasses and decided to use Ivan’s lap as her seat, rather than the chair. Straddling his legs, she handed him his glass of wine.

  Eyes wide, he immediately took a hefty gulp before reaching around her to place his glass on the table. As he shifted forward, Jaden felt his stiffness press into the warmth between her legs. She smiled seductively. “Well?” she asked.

  Looking deep into Jaden’s eyes, Ivan finally responded. “If I could wake up next to you every day for the rest of my life, with you looking half as good as you do, I’d be a very happy man. Every part of you is perfect—I wouldn’t change a thing. But mind you, I may have to get a better look before I can confirm my diagnosis.”

  Without giving him a chance to say another word, Jaden brought her mouth to his and rubbed her hips against him, their bodies caught in a seductive dance on the seat of the chair. Then she pulled back as quickly as she’d progressed. Leaving Ivan both speechless and breathless, she whispered, “I think it’s time for dessert, and I think you do too.”

  Reaching down, she caressed his cock through his jeans. His response was immediate, his hands gripping the arms of the chair and his hips moving in sync with each stroke of her hand. Slipping from his lap, Jaden slid down his legs and onto her knees as she placed her wine beside his on the table. She shivered with anticipation as she ran her hands up and down his thighs and across the prominent bulge in his pants. Batting her eyelashes, she unbuttoned his jeans and slowly dragged down his zipper. “Why, doctor! Going commando, are we? I’m shocked…and pleased.”