The Winemaker's Dinner: Entrée (9 page)

“Oh fuck, yes!” Her body flung forward into the wall. “Again!” she roared.

That was all the coaxing he needed. With one final thrust he slammed into her, deeper than ever before. Hot jets of semen poured into her, filling her with everything he had.

Exhausted and sated, he lowered them to the floor, sliding out of her warmth, and they sprawled on the tile. When their breathing had returned to normal, he reached up and took the bottle of body wash from the shelf. He squirted it into his hand and, with steady motions, drew circles over Jaden’s skin with his palm, working up a rich lather. Neither spoke as they took turns washing each other.

When at last the hot water began to run cold, Jaden spoke. “Maybe we should get out now. I’m turning into a prune.”

He took her hand and raised it to his mouth, kissing the tips of her fingers. “No, you taste too sweet to be a prune.”

She placed her head on his chest and ran her fingers through his long, wet hair. “You’re too good to be true. How did I ever get so lucky?”

“Babe, I’m the lucky one.”

“How do you figure?” She raised her head to look at him.

“You said yes.”

“After that ridiculous display at Bianca, I thought Geoff was going to fire me for sure. I had to say yes just to get you out of the restaurant before all hell broke loose.”

He laughed as he remembered that day: the “business” lunch, chasing her into the kitchen, spilling sauce on the ridiculously expensive suit he’d worn to impress her, and finally, asking her out. Laughing, they untangled their limbs and stood. Ivan turned off the water while Jaden retrieved two towels from a nearby shelf.

“You know,” he said, tossing his towel aside moments later and rummaging through his suitcase for clean clothes. “I think—”

Billy Idol’s “With a Rebel Yell” blasted from his phone, interrupting him and startling Jaden.

“What the hell?” she squeaked.

“That’s our wake-up call,” Ivan explained as he pulled on a pair of jeans. He held up the phone and showed her the time. “Two hours until our flight. Ha! Told you we had enough time.”

“It’s a Beautiful Morning”

A
S
S
HE
G
ATHERED
H
ER
B
ELONGINGS
and repacked her suitcase, Jaden’s heart sank. It was the same lethargic feeling she always got when one of their weekends was coming to an end. She didn’t know how much more of this she could take. She needed Ivan like she needed air to breathe. Tears stung her eyes, and she quickly wiped them away with the back of her hand. Instead of pondering the “what ifs,” she busied herself with cleaning the room. She stripped the bed of its soiled linens before collecting all their belongings. She didn’t find a sweater in her suitcase, so she rifled through Ivan’s and pulled on his old Mercyhurst College sweatshirt. She held it to her nose and inhaled. It smelled of sand and sun, cigars and cologne. It smelled exactly like Ivan.

When everything had been packed, he took her hand and led her down to the front door. She looked around one last time before her eyes settled on his, and they both smiled. Something different, something life-altering had taken place over the weekend in this romantic cottage in the middle of the Northern Californian wine country. Whatever
it
was, both of them knew, but neither said anything more about it.

As they sped back to the airport, she fished her phone from her purse and checked the emails she’d been neglecting all weekend. Skimming through various work updates and spam, she smiled when she saw a note from Tasha. God, she missed that crazy girl. But then the next message, from her mom, caught her eye. Tapping the screen, she opened it and began to read:

Honey,

Just wanted to send you a quick reminder about the retirement party we’re throwing for your father in August. I know that’s three months away, but you’re a big Hollywood celebrity now, and I’m sure you need time to plan. Don’t forget us simple folk!

Anyhow, your father also wants you to bring that boyfriend of yours so he can see who’s been occupying all of his baby’s time. He says Ivan is getting off easy with only chatting on the phone. You know your father and how he’s set in his ways, so if Ivan is free that weekend, please invite him. We would love to finally meet him in person.

Your brother and sister say hi and that they love you. Call them. They miss you, and so do we.

Love,

Mom xoxoxo

A knot tightened in Jaden’s chest. What would Ivan think of her family? What would they think of him? They’d done pretty well on the phone so far, but was it really a good idea to have her father, a park ranger sceptical of hunting enthusiasts, and her boyfriend, who considered hunting a fantastic family activity, in the same room together? Particularly with copious amounts of liquor involved?

She grimaced as she recalled Ivan’s first conversation with her dad. Last Christmas had been their first together as a couple. He’d been bogged down at work, and she’d had only a one-week hiatus from the show, so they’d decided to have a low-key Christmas together in Miami. When she’d called her family to wish them Merry Christmas that morning, her dad had requested to speak with Ivan, then lectured him about the importance of family being together over the holidays. Once Ivan had finally assured him he was not trying to keep her away, the two men had found some common ground, and they’d spoken several times since.

But this was different. At the retirement party, all her kooky relatives would be there. Her dad’s family didn’t exactly hail from the Upper West Side, but damn, they were fun to be around. Actually they were a lot like—
quite
a lot like—Ivan’s family in Meadville. Jaden smiled. If they could get past the awkward introductions, Ivan would fit in just fine with her crazy, awesome family. At heart, they were all a bunch of rednecks.

Turning to Ivan, who was singing horribly as usual, she fiddled with the buckle of her seatbelt and readied herself to ask the question. “Hey, I umm…I have something I need to ask you.”

Glancing over, he sat up and turned down the music. “What’s up, toots?”

“Well, my dad is retiring in August and—”

“He is?” Ivan raised an eyebrow. “He’s never mentioned that to me. Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, everything’s fine, and it doesn’t surprise me that he never mentioned it. He’s not too happy about the idea, but mom thinks it’s time. She wants to do some traveling while they’re still young enough to enjoy it.”

“Are they throwing a party for him?”

Nerves crept up Jaden’s spine. “Yes, the second weekend of the month, and I was wondering if you could come with me to Colorado. My family wants to meet you in person.”

“Damn, that’s a pretty busy time, babe.”

She looked up at him, and for the second time that day, her heart sank.

He reached across the seat and cupped her face in the palm of his hand, his thumb caressing her cheekbone. “It’s a shame my patients will have to deal with it.”

She laughed and swatted his shoulder. “Damn right they can deal with it. I don’t know if I can handle
that
many of my insane relatives on my own.”

“Of course, baby girl. I would love to meet everyone. I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Thank you for inviting me.”

A blanket of relief covered her and warmed her to the core. She placed her hand on his and squeezed. “Thank you.”

They rolled to a stop in front of the car rental, dropped off the car, and began the trek to the gate for their flight back to LAX—and to the party she’d been dreading. But suddenly she didn’t mind as much. Her new co-host was likely an ass, and she had to deal with him whether she wanted to or not, but her stress about Damian had been replaced with pleasant thoughts of Ivan and her family. She began compiling a mental list of things she wanted to do with him in Colorado. While they waited at the gate, she opened her email and began to tap out a response to her mom:

Hi, Mom!

Of course I remember. I can’t wait! And you ALL better be on your best behavior. because Ivan’s coming with me!!! So no anti-hunting talk from Dad or craziness from anyone else. ; )

I love and miss you more. And yes, I’ll call Magan and Justin sometime this week.

PS…They have phones too!

Love you lots,

Jaden

Slipping the phone back into her pocket, Jaden smiled at Ivan and waited for the plane to take them home. China, Alaska, Colorado—she didn’t care as long as he was by her side. After their weekend, she felt happier than she had in a long time, and she owed it all to him. He’d succeeded in making her the luckiest girl in the world…yet again.

“God’s Gonna Cut You Down”

T
HE
N
IGHT
A
IR
W
AS
C
OOL
and crisp against Jaden’s skin. The smell of citronella infused the air, but it sparked a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. She and Ivan walked hand in hand past the row of tiki torches lighting the walkway of Kevin Gibbs’ fabulous Hollywood backyard. What had been billed as a small, informal dinner had turned out to be a lavish affair complete with open bar, DJ, and a pig on a spit roasting over an open fire. The man had spared no expense. There had to be at least a hundred guests at this “informal” dinner.

The tiki light cast an iridescent glow against the shimmering fabric of her emerald green dress, a color that matched her eyes. The dress was simple but elegant, and she’d selected it because it hugged her curves in all the right places and accentuated her
ass
ets. She knew Ivan loved the dress, because on more than one occasion she’d caught him gawking at her backside while she was wearing it. But tonight was not about Ivan’s attention. It was about making a statement that said, “Back off, boy toy. This is my show!” Damian Gris was nothing more than a pretty kitchen utensil, she reminded herself.

As if he could sense her stress, Ivan squeezed her hand. “Don’t worry,” he whispered. “This guy doesn’t stand a chance against you.”

She looked up into his soulful brown eyes. How did he always know exactly what to say? She was thrilled to be clinging to his arm as she made her grand entrance. With him by her side, she felt on top of the world. Of course it didn’t hurt that he was, as far as she was concerned, the most stunning man at the party. He’d leave Damian in the dust. His ruffled brown hair hung at his shoulders. His shirt, black as the midnight sky, fit him flawlessly, as did his tailored dress pants of the same color.

A goofy grin lit up her face as she remembered the events of the past hour. Upon returning from a beauty session with Kat, she’d walked into the house to find him ready and waiting for her in the living room, looking impossibly handsome. God, how she loved him.

“Just a quickie,” she’d begged, but he’d warded off her advances.

“Baby, we don’t have time for this. The party starts in forty-five minutes.”

“Screw the party,” she’d scoffed. “We’ll be fashionably late.” She’d grabbed the bulge in his pants and felt him stiffen under her touch.

“Jesus, Jaden, you’re gonna be the death of me.”

“Well, maybe not the death of you, but certainly your undoing. Just one taste, please?” she’d asked as she got to her knees in front of him.

Reminding herself where she was—Kevin’s backyard with a hundred other people—she cleared her throat and forced her thoughts back to the present. Ivan had been right. They were twenty minutes late, and the updo Kat had carefully crafted was now nothing more than a mass of jet black curls hanging down her back. But the taste of him still lingered in her throat. Delicious.

“Are you ready? It’s show time.” Ivan gave her hand another reassuring squeeze and kissed the top of her head.

“As ready as I’ll ever be. Let’s do it!”

Side by side, they made their entrance. She gripped his hand, inadvertently digging her nails into his flesh.

“Ow!” he whispered. “Relax, babe.”

She took a deep breath and forced herself to smile at everyone she passed. Thankfully she did not see Damian—though she hoped he’d seen her.

“Well, I’m guessing you wanted to make a statement,” Ivan said once they’d joined the party. “And I’d say you succeeded. You look good enough to eat.”

“I think we both do.” She laughed and felt some of the pent-up stress drain from her shoulders. Unlike the first event she and Ivan had attended in Miami, back when he was teaching her South Beach party etiquette, they now worked the crowd in tandem like the power couple they were. As they danced their way into the party, their usual lighthearted banter began to flow.

Stacey, with her over-the-top makeup and predatory gaze, slid from a bar stool and came over to greet them. “Hey, guys! How was your weekend? Was Napa everything you’d hoped it would be?”