Chapter 1

Standing hunched over the counter in her bakeries kitchen, Ivy Moretti breathed in the heady aroma of freshly baked chocolate, as she created intricate white roses along the sides of the wedding cake perched in front of her.

Ivy's Aphrodisiac. The name came to her one night while she was out taking her nightly run. She always wanted for someone to crave her and now thousands did. Or at least they did her sweets. Her love life was a completely different story all together.

Ivy had always dreamed of owning her own bakery and three years ago that dream came true. Smiling to herself, she remembers how Kathy, her step-mother had reacted upon hearing of the bakery.

"What do you mean you want to open a bakery?" Questioned her step-mother.

"You misunderstood me Kathy. I have opened a bakery." Ivy smiled sweetly at her step-mom as she watched her perfectly polished face flush with tightly controlled anger.

Kathy's head snapped towards Cole, Ivy's father causing her coffered black hair to sway slightly in its tight confines. "Exactly how did she open a bakery? She doesn't have a cent to her name."

"Daddy helped me find a backer, and because I already found the perfect location in the Village, everything just fell in place." Ivy wanted to gloat in Kathy's face, but she wouldn't make this any harder on her father than it was already going to be.

"Cole," Kathy whined. "I thought we discussed this. Remember, you said we were not going to get involved with anymore of Ivy's little schemes."

"No Kathy, you discussed. I listened to your point-of-view and decided to help Ivy find a silent backer." Cole patient tone sounded as if he were talking to a child and not to his new wife.

Kathy face reddened as she became irate at Cole's explanation. "You never help Michael when he comes to you! Is that because he's my son and not you precious dead wife's little girl?" The word wife coming out as a sneer.

Ivy knew that her father could handle Kathy on his own, but she would not let the bitch talk about her mother with disrespect.

Ivy's eyes narrowed on Kathy as she walked towards her. "Don't you talk about my mother in that tone, you stupid bitch! She was more of wife and mother than you can ever hope to be!" Anger and pain radiated through her body as she came to a stop inches from Kathy.

Kathy stepped back in the face of Ivy's rage and looked to Cole for help.

"Ivy, honey. I sure Kathy didn't mean to disrespect your mother. You know how she tends to speak before she thinks." Cole said as he stepped between the two women, trying to defuse the situation.

Ivy could hear the pleading in he father's voice and see the fire in his ever changing smoke-gray eyes and backed away from Kathy. "I only tolerate you because I love my dad, but understand this. If you ever hurt him or speak badly of my mother again nothing will stop me from kicking your bony ass."

As Ivy stormed out of the room she heard the warning her father gave Kathy and smiled with the knowledge that Kathy would be out of their lives before the end of the year.