Caged

By L. A. DeGeorge

This is a biography. The reader is taken to a place inside a woman’s thoughts while she is dating a millionaire and beyond into their lives. It is a life that most of us would want, or would we? The second, smaller half of this book is what the man is thinking during the same time period. Follow along and see how different each person perceives the same world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: L. A. DeGeorge
• Release date: Oct 13, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301378982

L. A. DeGeorge

I own a horse facility and I have a few hobbies. They include writing, making homemade "curly" soap, and helping people with their hauntings. I love to write because it transports you to wherever you want to go. Your imagination is the only limit !

Book preview

Caged

By L. A. DeGeorge

Copyright 2018 by L.A. DeGeorge

All Rights Reserved

Unauthorized distribution or duplication in whole or in part is strictly prohibited.

License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only.  This ebook may not be resold or given to other people.  If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase other copies.  Thank you for respecting the work of this author.

Forward: 

This is the life most of us would love to have….or would we?  People say that they would love to be rich, however, things are not always what they seem. Join the woman of the house in the memories of her life.  The shorter second half is from the mans point of view.  Biography.

**Chapter 1 Dating***

Ivy was sitting down at her antique vanity, on her hand painted, satin cushioned chair.  She was looking in her mirror and crying yet again.  She went back in her mind, trying to remember the good times and what had led to this life she was living.  She remembered the first incident that was the turning point in her relationship.  The one that should have showed her caution, but Ivy didn’t know it at the time. 

It was many years earlier as she sat down on an old log beside the creek in Morgan’s backyard and cried.  She was shaken to her core. What should she do?  Should she break up with him?  These questions and many more ran through her mind.  She was confused and hurt.  Nobody had ever treated her like that before, ever.  She was baffled at how to deal with this situation.  The only thing she could think of to do was run.  She ran right out his back door and down the hill to the creek. 

Ivy wore her tight dress jeans and fancy red shirt, ready for a night out to eat with her new boyfriend, Morgan.  She had long brown curly hair with bright blue eyes.  Most people would say she was attractive, but she didn’t think she was more than average.  She had a nice smile and weighed a whopping 90 pounds soaking wet her whole life. 

As she thought about her life, she looked across the creek and watched it flow by.  The bugs flew over the top of the water and buzzed in the air near her head.  It was warm for the season, as spring wasn’t for another month. 

The neighbor’s dog was barking at a person across from its yard. What happens now, she wondered to herself. She kept watching the little white dog as it went along the fence beside the jogging woman on the other side.  She wondered if she would ever find her soul mate or have her dream house some day.  She wiped away her tears and watched a stick float by. The strange thing was that she couldn’t stop crying.  In her mind she kept going over and over the terrible experience.  It was like a car accident, it was in slow motion inside her brain and she couldn’t forget it.

About an hour ago Morgan had come in the door from work.  He walked up to her and kissed her hello enthusiastically.  It was a kiss of joy and passion rolled into one.  Ivy was at his house to go out to dinner that evening.  This was only the fourth time she had driven to his house. Normally he would drive to pick her up at her place, but they recently decided to take turns.  She had just started to stay over on the weekends this past week, so she still felt like a guest.

When he came home that day, after kissing her hello, he must have glanced at the kitchen counter, she later assumed.  He suddenly grabbed at her shoulders and threw her into the wall a couple of feet away!  This stunned her.  She lost her balance and her breath as she smacked into the wall. That’s when the yelling started.  He turned bright red in his face and his veins stood out on his neck.  His eyes were dark, as if he was another person. From what she could understand, through his loud yelling, she was supposed to have cleaned the strawberries that he had bought eight days ago. They had reached a point of rotting and some ants had found them on the counter.  It was a huge case of berries, about 15 quart containers or more.  He always bought in bulk and Ivy didn’t know why, since he lived alone.

Her mind raced with thoughts flashing fast as he continued to yell at her and push her about.  Ivy didn’t get a chance to say anything, it happened so fast!  Her mouth was ajar but no words would come out.  She was in shock and disbelief.  In her mind she was thinking that she didn’t even live there!  She had her own apartment, why would she clean his berries?  She hadn’t been asked to clean them, was she supposed to read his mind? Ivy was confused.  She gazed at him in shock as he continued with his tirade.  It was as if she was looking at a monster.

During this yelling escapade it included phrases such as, how the berries weren’t going to clean themselves, how ungrateful she is, and why is she so special that she didn’t do any work? He proceeded to grab and hold onto her roughly.  As he yelled his eyes were dark and his brows were knit together.  His spit hit her on the eyes and cheeks like rain as he was only 2 inches from her face! He was yelling about how she doesn’t do any housework and how the house looked awful.  Ivy was dumbfounded.  She said inside her brain that this wasn’t her house!  She kept her thoughts to herself, hoping that her silence would help him to calm down and let her go.  She was wrong.

Morgan went on and on about how he is the provider and she has to do her part.  He kept saying that he is there to protect her and she can leave if she doesn’t like it.  As he spoke she was flailing her arms about trying to get away.  Ivy struggled with him and he grabbed her other upper arm to wrench her around.  During the struggle she hit her head on the corner of the wall and she saw stars!  It felt like she was in a movie and couldn’t believe this was happening to her. 

She was terrified and started to fight back by moving her shoulders back and forth as fast as she could and wrangled out of his grasp.  He let her go, pushing her back as if he had sensed he had gone too far.  Ivy took this opportunity to run for it.  She flew out the back door, letting it bang against the wall as she left.  She ran toward the creek that ran through the back yard of his house.  She was not thinking about where she was going, she just wanted to be away from him!

He stood in the doorway and yelled after her to just run away like a big baby, and that she couldn’t take it like an adult.  She looked back over her shoulder as she ran.  Thankfully he did not follow her and he went back inside and slammed the door.

She looked around for a place to sit down and calm herself, as she was shaking from the ordeal.  She had red marks and would have some bruises in the morning, but nothing else seemed to be wrong.  Ivy didn’t know what to do next, she had no phone, no car keys and she didn’t know the neighbors.  She hated the idea, but she had to go back inside.

After thinking for a long time about her options, she decided to talk to Morgan.  The dating world was awful and she had to find out more before throwing in the towel on him.  Gathering herself together, she got up from the log to go back.  Her crying was less and she felt like she could drive herself home.

As she went up the hill Ivy wondered what he was thinking.  She never heard of such a thing, a man getting mad about berries?  She hoped he had calmed down, or even better, had left the house completely.  She slowly opened the back door and peeped into the kitchen before stepping inside. 

Ivy heard the shower running and breathed a sigh of relief.  He was taking a shower, as if nothing had happened.  He must think they were still going out for dinner!  Oh brother, she thought to herself, that was NOT happening!  She tip toed through the hall to get her purse then left quickly and silently to her car, letting the car door ajar so he wouldn’t hear it close.

She could barely get the key in the ignition, she was shaking so hard, thinking that he was going to come and get her!  Even after leaving his driveway, Ivy looked over her shoulder a couple of times to make sure he wasn’t following her.  She was crying again softly as she drove, but this time with relief that she made it out of there.  She could hardly wait to get home to her secure building, then she would feel safe. 

She decided to keep this a secret from everyone, at least for now.  But it wasn’t a complete secret, she had a dating journal.  Ivy began one after she started to date, this way at least somebody would know who to investigate if she was missing one day.  She would write down names, addresses and where they went with the dates on it.  This may sound paranoid, but everyone thinks nothing bad will happen to them, until it does!  She used to watch crime television and thought that the journal was a good idea.

When she got back to her apartment she was still shaking every now and then and the drive back was almost an hour!  She had raced out of the driveway and pulled over to cry about 5 miles down the road from Morgan’s house.  She gathered her wits and continued to drive home after about 15 minutes.  She didn’t know why, but she felt guilty as if it was her fault he was mad at her.

She was so relieved when she saw her building and pulled into her space.  Ivy’s legs were shaking so much that she had to stop twice during the long climb up the steps to her floor.  She lived in a 3rd floor walk-up with no elevator.  The exercise was great, but laundry day and grocery day were challenge! 

As she opened her door she started to cry again. Her cats were waiting for her and were happy that she was back so soon.  She dropped her purse down with a thump and picked up the one cat to comfort herself.  Tears went onto its fur and it licked her hand where a drop had fallen.  Nobody compared to animals, they were the best listeners. She sat on her bed with them and discussed her future.  After a little while she turned on the television while getting changed out of her dating clothes.  Strangely, Ivy wondered what Morgan was doing as she walked down the hallway.  For some reason she felt bad for not living up to his expectations but didn’t know why she felt this way.

After taking a nice hot shower and crying some more, she still felt confused.  Her bird was singing with the radio and all seemed well in her small world again.  Ivy didn’t know if she should continue to see Morgan or not. She felt she should let him explain what happened and why.  She recognized one thing, this was the turning point of her life.  This was a crossroads and she had to choose. 

Hours later, when Morgan appeared with gifts and sounding happy, it seemed that all was forgotten. He had a card and a box of chocolates for her.  Ivy had never witnessed anything like this before and didn’t know how to react. He talked through her door to her for at least 15 minutes.  Ivy didn’t know if she could trust him or not, so he had to do some fancy talking! 

Ivy left him in after he talked his way back into her good graces.  He was very convincing and after watching some television together he left after a couple of hours.  They talked briefly about the berries.  He said that he threw them away and that he had a lot on his mind from work.  Ivy didn’t say a word, she was afraid of what his response would be.  She cried again and he hugged her while standing up, still in front of the door.  The gifts fell to the floor, forgotten for the moment.  Soon the embrace became something else, due to their passion.

Before he left he asked her out for the next day. She agreed to meet him at a restaurant near her apartment for an early supper. It was a place close by so she would feel safe.  Ivy said she didn’t want to go to his place for a while.  He had to work on gaining her trust.

After he left, she watched his car leave from her window.  She sat down on her bed and thought about her past and how she had come to this point in her life.  She could hardly wait to see what her future would be like.

She turned from the window and faced the television as she thought about Morgan and what he looked like.  He was a nice looking guy with dark curly hair and bright green, fierce looking eyes. When he looked at you it seemed that he saw into your soul.  He was taller than Ivy, even when she had heels on.  Morgan was a self-made millionaire, which Ivy did not know yet at this point.  He told her about 5 months into their relationship.  Even after she found out she didn’t believe him, it was too hard for her to imagine.  He didn’t seem wealthy at all to her.  He looked just like anybody else you would see on the street.  Plus he was always talking about how expensive everything was and using coupons!

Ivy hadn’t much experience in the adult dating world.  After she kicked her first husband out of her life, she dated for about a year until she met Morgan at a party. 

She had dated her now ex-husband while in high school, so her dating was limited to during break-ups. They were together for more than 10 years.  Ivy loved him so much, he truly broke her heart.  To be together all that time and have complete trust was a very deep bond. Too bad it wasn’t reciprocated.

It was so horrible when he cheated on her that nobody can imagine her pain, unless they had gone through it themselves.  It felt as though she couldn’t breathe and that it couldn’t be real.  Every day that she woke up was another day of constant pain.  It was as if her soul had been broken.  Trusting people was hard after that happened to her.  She doubted herself and hated what he had done to their future.  Ivy thought there must have been something wrong with her to make him unfaithful.  But in reality some people cannot be faithful, no matter how hard they try. Her past was over, and now she had to create a new future. 

She thought long and hard about what she could do to change the outcome of her next relationship.  Ivy decided that she was too bossy and would go with the flow more to improve her chances finding a good man.  She was in uncharted waters, as she was always in charge of everything or she felt it wasn’t done right.  Ivy was determined to change herself and have an improved character.  She wanted to be what others wanted her to be.  She wanted to make others happy.  Ivy had no idea how tiring it would become.

Morgan was completely different from her first husband. She looked on purpose for somebody the exact opposite.  Apparently this type of man was hard to find!  She wanted somebody that was more independent.  However, the men she met would lie about themselves to get what they wanted.  After talking to them she could tell after a while that they were not a dominant person and she would not go for a second date.  Plus she felt no spark at all with these men.  They were so phony it made her stomach hurt.  If she had to laugh at another awful joke it would be too soon!

Dating was exhausting and difficult to be polite to the guys.  They thought they were God and it made her skin crawl.  Most of them were not very bright and drank way too much.  The other problem was most of the men never grew up.  They lived at home with their parents and never did any house work or paid bills.  These men had no experience with life at all!  It would be like having a child and not a partner. 

Morgan seemed to command attention with every move he made.  He drove an older BMW that was like a child to him.  He loved that car more than life itself.  He worked hard at running his own business and knew how to get things done.  Ivy had discovered he had a few quirky habits but it seemed to be within the normal range.  He was 40 years old and single, so there was bound to be something a bit off from living alone so long.  Let’s face it, nobody was perfect.  In a few weeks she found herself falling in love with this wonderful man.

As she was sitting on her bed thinking about her past, Ivy remembered her first date since her separation from her husband.  It was a guy that a co-worker’s husband worked with.  This was a blind date, sort of. The man demanded a picture of Ivy before he agreed to go!  She gave her friend one that she could find and he would not provide one in return.  When she went on the date she found out why. 

When she went to meet her friend for the date at the restaurant, she was impressed at first.  But it was short lived when her friend from work introduced Ivy to her husband.  The date for her was a very thin geeky looking boy of about 8 years younger than Ivy.  He was in the restroom trying to compose himself.  His hair stuck out in various places and he sweated profusely with shaking hands when he ate.  She was so disappointed, but stayed and had some good conversation.  The boy was not her type at all. 

When the meal was over and they were in the parking lot he asked her to go to the movies that night or for a drink.  Ivy politely turned him down and said that she had a long day and was going home.  He looked at her with his gnarly teeth and puppy like body with gangly arms, saying he would be calling her.  He tried to kiss her good night but she turned her face at the last second and he got some cheek instead.  Signal number two, she counted.  He still wanted her number.  UGH, she thought to herself, this guy is not bright.  She gave him her standard fake number to the local pizza place instead.

Once Ivy got into her car, she sighed.  It was strange.  Just because she was thin people automatically thought that she wanted a thin boy for a mate.  She wanted a strong, thick chested, hairy, MAN.  Not a boy.  She was actually repulsed by this one, she thought to herself.  If she was a hooker she would have said to keep his money and that she had a headache!  She laughed to herself at that one.  On the drive home she thought about her life and how she got this point.

Being single was great, but she missed sharing her thoughts and feelings with a person on a daily basis.  On the good side, she absolutely loved her apartment, it was bright and cheerful.  It was right in the heart of a small town and almost like living in the city, but smaller.  She loved to look out at the street and watch people.  Ivy always wanted a small place of her own and nobody there to tell her what to do or have the spouse spend all of her money.  This life was perfect, but lonely.

The other downside of being alone was family functions were now unbearable and upsetting.  Before the separation from her husband she was always with him, they had dated all through high school and so she always had somebody with her.  Even when they would break up, she had another boyfriend to ask her out and spend time with.  She was out of her element and it was strange to not sit with her husband and talk about the food, etc. 

It felt the strangest of all when she went home to an empty apartment.  It made her cry many times. She had 2 cats and a bird, but it wasn’t the same as talking to a spouse.  She felt like she was waiting for him to come home from work all the time.  Even when grocery shopping she would instinctively reach for something that he used to eat, then have to retract her arm and walk away.  Shopping always upset her.  Getting a divorce was a lot like a death. What was normal living for so long had just vanished into thin air.  Ivy and her first husband didn’t have children, so she never saw him again.

Ivy remembered how awful it was the first two weeks after kicking out her husband.  That was how this adventure in her life first started.  She decided to move from the current house that she had shared with her husband.  She started to sell items that were too big to pack or she didn’t need.  A nice woman answered her ad and came over to look at a vanity.  They had so much in common that they became fast friends!  The woman had just gone through a divorce and she helped Ivy cope with her loss. It was wonderful to share her feelings and get out of the house.  Ivy went out with her and her friends each weekend from Friday to Sunday night!  It was like having an extended family. 

Ivy decided to move to a local town instead of another part of the country due to her new friendships.  Starting over so far away could wait until after she had her final divorce papers.  She wanted to give the single life a try closer to her home town first. 

In her circle of 10 or so new friends, she had an attraction to a nice looking young man.  They started to date and have a nice time together on a regular basis.  He had dark wavy hair with piercing blue eyes, he was average height and dressed very sharp.  He was not exactly what she pictured herself being with because he was only 35 more pounds than her.  But she surmised that nobody was exactly the way you want them.  People gain weight as they age and he would be okay eventually.  He was younger than her by 4 years and made an average living for that age group.  He lived at home with his parents, which Ivy didn’t care for, but she had no choice it seemed.  Most men lived at home that she had contact with.  At this point mutual attraction was the thing she was looking for as well as companionship.  She didn’t think she would ever be remarried and wasn’t looking for that.

Sadly, it turned out that he was not over his old girlfriend of 4 years and it was not meant to be a long term relationship for Ivy.  It lasted about 6 months and she was heartbroken yet again.  It took weeks to feel better about herself because he was still in the circle of friends along with his old girlfriend.  This made it hard for Ivy to hang around the group anymore.  She tried to be there for a couple of months, but after that she mostly went over to her girlfriends’ house, Patty.  She had a boyfriend from that group for the last 4 years.  They kept breaking up and getting back together.  Patty was a kind soul with long dark curly hair and a beautiful face.  Her clothing was designer and she always wore tons of gold jewelry.  Ivy thought she was so cool and wanted to be like her.  She seemed to be all together and know exactly what to do with her life.

One day Ivy was watching television late at night during a Friday and the phone rang.  Patty was on the other end sobbing uncontrollably.  It seemed that she had broken up with her longtime boyfriend for the final time.  Ivy told her that she would be over to her place as soon as she could get there.

When Ivy walked in the door she was motioned over  by Patty to her computer desk. That night Patty went on a dating website.  In about fifteen minutes Patty had 10 people wanting to meet her!  Ivy declined being on the website, but Patty was willing to try something new.

Weeks later, Patty and Ivy were talking and Patty asked her if she would like to travel someday.  Ivy said of course she would, but who has the money?  Patty went on to say that some guys would pay for escorts to pretend to be dating. It’s sometimes to make another woman jealous or to look good at a social event.  Basically, arm candy for hire.  She went on to explain that no sex was involved and it was not prostitution.  She was talking about a legal dating service.  This idea intrigued Ivy.  She told Patty she would give it some thought. 

That evening she contemplated having an adventure and getting out in the real world.  Traveling would be great, especially for free and getting paid besides!  She called Patty and told her she was interested in knowing more. They made arrangements to meet the following day to talk.

At lunch the next day they went over the rules and guidelines for the dating service.  Ivy filled out forms and they went in to town to meet with the manager of the company.  They were both accepted and started working the following weekend.  When they went on dates they would keep in touch with each other before, during and after, to make sure they were safe.  Tips for how to protect yourself were handed out in pamphlets when they were hired.

They say that joining the military is an adventure but Ivy thought that this was much better!  You could set your own hours, so to speak, and eat out at different restaurants, go to fancy parties, meet tons of important people, and the list went on.  Ivy and Patty would talk nonstop about their experiences to each other all the time.  They would compare dates and discuss what they had to eat and who they met.  Sometimes they would meet senators and government officials.  Limos would be sent to her apartment to pick her up and sometimes Patty and Ivy would be going to the same event.  When that happened it was extra fun and not as boring.  Most events were to support local groups or activities for charity.  The rest was government funding awareness and gallery openings in D.C. or New York City.

Ivy was with the dating service for a few weeks and one of her dates asked her to go to Vegas for a golf tournament. He was a golf pro and had use of a private jet.  Ivy said she would go if Patty could go along as well.  When they went to dinners and gatherings he would have two women, one for each arm.  He agreed, but said that Patty could be a date for his friend.  Ivy also said they must have separate but adjoining rooms.  This way nobody would know that they were not a real couple. 

Ivy and Patty never slept with the clients, ever.  The rooms with adjoining door would keep the public and his old girlfriend from knowing that he hired a service.  He liked the idea as most men would.  He wanted his old girlfriend to be jealous and win her back during this trip.  He thought about hiring a service instead of chancing a fling with somebody new instead.  Ivy thought he was smart and told him that it could work if it was done correctly during the trip.  Women love to be chased and if they see another woman with their man it hurries up the process of possessiveness.  Steve, the golf pro, agreed that it was a good idea.

The girls could hardly wait to leave!  Ivy asked what clothing would be needed and how many days and nights they would be gone.  It would be for 5 days and 6 nights!  They had never been to Vegas or went on a jet, so it was a great adventure.  Ivy got off from work with no problem, it wasn’t paid but it didn’t matter because the service paid her.

The day came to leave and he appeared at her door with a limo to pick her up.  The driver opened the door for them and packed her luggage into the car.  The golf pro, Steve, looked dapper in his dress shirt with tiny satin stripes on solid white with dark tan pants.  He had curly dirty blond hair and bright blue eyes.  He was tan and tall, sort of like a Ken doll.  Ivy thought to herself that if he wasn’t so shy he would do better with the ladies.  Plus the way he acted most of the time was like a child and it was bizarre.  They continued on and picked up Patty who lived only a few blocks away.  She was all excited and chatted away almost the whole time to the airport.  The limo stopped at the doors and people came over to help them right away.  The driver got the door for them and the luggage was given to another person, who worked at the air port, with a wheeling luggage rack. 

They jumped on what looked like golf carts and a person took their tickets as they went to the private jet part of the airport.  It was all by itself and people had to have clearance before entering the area.  On this jet were other pro golfers, Steve’s parents, along with the governor and a senator with other government officials.  Most of these people were over 50 years old and had dates that were in their twenties!  The rich were different than normal people, that’s for sure.

Ivy and Patty fit right in.  Ivy was so happy she could hardly believe where she was.  Her dream of seeing more than just her small home town was becoming a reality.  She had traveled out west to see her first husband’s relatives by car, but that was all.  Now she felt like a woman of the world!

The jet was like a fancy house inside!  It was tan leather with hard wood tables and couches with matching chairs that swiveled.  All types of drinks and food were available with menus being passed out before takeoff.  It was sectioned off in rooms with 4