Chapter 11 #2
Her hair is in a bun at the nape of her neck, showing off her bee tattoo, leaving her back completely exposed. A thin tan line goes across, letting me know she was wearing a string bikini, which puts a whole other influx of images in my head.
“Are you even listening to me?” She asks, clearly frustrated.
“Yes, I’m listening,” I chuckle, telling a little white lie to calm her nerves. “It’s going to be great. Just be yourself, and they can’t help but fall in love with you.” I should know better than anyone how hard it is to resist her.
“You’re right,” she sighs. “I don’t know why I’m nervous. I never get this way when meeting clients. I guess with the jeep breaking down and all that’s happened, I’m just out of sorts.”
Reaching over, I take her hand in mine. “Like my sister would say in this situation…you are a badass bitch and you’ve got this.”
“I think I would like your sister,” she laughs. “That’s exactly what I need to hear and be reminded of.”
“I don’t know. Getting you two together with my sisters-in-law might be lighting a dynamite fuse. They can be a lot sometimes,” I chuckle.
“My kind of people,” she smiles, before sitting up straighter and peering out the window as the winery comes into view. “Wow, it’s beautiful.”
We pull up to a big white stone A-frame building.
Acres of vines stretch out before us along a rolling countryside.
Two big white barns sit in the back, probably housing the barrels and where the wine-making process takes place.
Beside them are greenhouses, which I imagine are where the flowers and other enhancing flavors are grown.
“Who knew this hidden gem was in the middle of Florida?” I chuckle, looking out the front windshield and admiring the view.
Getting out, I walk to the passenger side and open the door for her.
Taking her hand in mine, I help her stand as those killer heels I know I’ll be fantasizing about later touch the ground.
Shutting the door, I lean down to thank the Uber driver before he drives away.
When Olivia mentioned how much wine we would be sampling, we thought it best to Uber here so we could enjoy the night.
“Let’s go kick some ass,” I whisper in her ear, breathing in her sweet honey smell.
“I’m ready,” she says confidently, feeling more like herself. Looping her arm through mine, we walk across the cobblestone parking lot and up the wide staircase leading up to the main entrance.
When we enter, people are already mingling at various tables, enjoying the wine tasting. White-tiled floors are throughout, and with the white walls and strategically placed flowers, it looks like you stepped into a part of Greece.
A bar lines the side wall where wine flights are being served.
Along the back wall are floor-to-ceiling windows that give you a view of the rolling vineyard.
There is a large outdoor patio off the cottage doors where more guests can sit.
I see a band setting up on a stage beyond the patio, next to another bar serving wine.
An attractive older woman and her husband come over as soon as they see us.
“Welcome to Willow Vineyards,” the dark-haired woman smiles. “I’m Kate, and this is my husband, Vincent. We’re the owners, and so happy you could join us tonight.”
“Hi, I’m Olivia. We spoke on the phone yesterday,” she says, holding out her hand. “It’s so nice to finally meet you both.”
“Yes! Olivia. I’m so glad you could make it,” Kate says, taking her hand and clasping it. “Vincent, this is the wine distributor I was telling you about.”
“Ah, yes. You’ve made quite an impression on my wife just based on the phone call,” he smiles warmly, shaking Olivia’s hand .
“And I see you brought your husband,” she beams at me.
“I told you, Vincent, that I had a good feeling about her,” she says, smiling at her husband.
“We are very much about family around here, tending to work closely with just a select few and keeping it very close-knit. Just the fact that you brought your spouse with you tells me family is important to you and you want them involved in your work.”
“He’s…” Olivia looks over at me with a desperate look in her eyes, and my lips quirk.
“He’s more than happy to support his beautiful wife in any way he can,” I smile, finishing her sentence.
Surprise flashes briefly across her face before she recovers.
“I’m Miles…the love of her life.” I feel her stiffen under my hand, and I grin wider.
This is going to be a hell of a lot of fun tonight.
I just gained a wife, and I’m going to use that little detail to my advantage as much as I can this evening.
I shake both their hands, and Kate puts a hand to her heart.
“You guys are precious together,” she sighs. “And such a beautiful couple. Do you have any children?”
“Not yet,” Miles says. “But we’ve been trying…a lot.”
“Handsome and funny,” Kate laughs, and Vincent joins in. “Hold on to this one, love,” she says to Olivia. “My Vincent can bring me to tears with his humor. It’s so important to find someone who can make you laugh.”
“ He thinks he’s funny, I’ll give him that,” she murmurs.
“Apparently, we both think we’re funny,” I chuckle, kissing her temple and holding her close to me as my hand slides down lower to rest on the curve of her bottom.
Yeah, I could definitely get used to this.
“You guys are too cute,” Kate laughs. “Let me show you around the place, and then we can talk about a possible exclusivity deal,” she winks at Olivia, and her dimples appear as a grin splits her face .
God, she’s beautiful when she lets her guard down and just feels the moment .
“I would love that,” she says, as we follow her across the tiled floor and listen to how the vineyard came about and what sets them apart from the rest.
By the time we’re done, Olivia and I have sampled more wine than I can count. I normally stick to bourbon and beer, but damn if this wine doesn’t give you the best buzz.
She and Kate hit it off, and when I found out Vincent was a die-hard Bolts fan, we immediately bonded over our love of hockey.
“I'd better go do my hostess duties,” Kate says, looking around. “A lot more people have arrived that I need to talk to. I’ll email you the contract over tomorrow, Olivia. If it looks good to you,” she says, smiling at her husband briefly, “then we would love to welcome you to the family.”
“Thank you so much,” Olivia says excitedly, hugging her new friend. “I won’t let you down.”
“I know you won’t,” she laughs before releasing her. “Now, you two go have fun. You're a young married couple, so live it up. There’s wine, plenty of food, and dancing.”
Linking her arm through Vincent’s, they walk away toward another couple who have just arrived.
“I got the account,” she whispers, reaching down and squeezing my hand.
“I never doubted you for a second,” I grin at her happiness.
“And you,” she says, pointing her finger at me. “You became my husband,” she says in a hushed tone. “What if they find out it’s a lie and they end up hating me?”
“Then we'd better make it very believable tonight.” I pull her to me, and she gasps at the contact as I press up against her.
“What are you doing?” She whispers in a panicked voice as I take her face in my hands.
“Kissing my wife.”